1st Kolakata visit 13-17Feb'09.... hmmm.... where do I go?

Puerto Rican Bhaiya

Dear friends,
I will be arriving into Kolkata as the point of entry of my very 1st trip to India.
I will be travelling with 5 more guys with much more $ than me. Bastards! (lol) They will be staying at the Astor Hotel located at Shakespeare Sarani.

ACCOMMODATIONS: I need to find budget accommodations as close as possible to their hotel. I am willing to pay from Rs 500-1050/per night for an a/c room with taxes, service and possibly breakfast included.

NETAJI: I'm a big fan of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. What places I can visit where I can learn more about him?

My friends and I are very much into Sri Ramakrishna/Vivekananda, lucky for me 2 of them have been in Kolkata 4 times and they know exactly where to go: Dakshineswar, Belur Math, Kali Temple, Panchavaty etc....

I basically have 3 full days in the city; can anyone offer me some suggestions?

O before I forget.... MOBILES... I need to get a SIM card that will work from Kolkata all the way to Kerala and Tamil Nadu and will allow me to keep the same phone number. Is that possible?

Lovingly and gratefuly,
Sevananda

Khak

acco:
you can try the backpacker hotels in sudder street......... salvation army guest house is one

Netaji:
visit the place Netaji stayed on Elgin road......it is now a museum on Netaji

3 days in Kolkata:
visit new market area,park street, victoria memorial, walking banks of ganges, indian museum...........depends upon your areas of interest

mobiles:
seach IndiaMike for threads on getting mobile SIM.......any prepaid SIM by default has national roaming all over India except may be parts of Jammu & Kashmir and North Eastern states......... Kerala and Tamil Nadu should not be a problem

__________________
~Khak~

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Puerto Rican Bhaiya

Thank you Khak!
I am trying to stay away from Sudder just because I hate being around hordes of tourists (ok, so I will be a tourist too) but Sudder is not my cup of tea and Salvation Army here in the USA has a reputation of being "homeless shelters"... you know what I mean?

I was told a few days back that the Sunflower Guest House is not a bad choice (Chowrenge area) and closer the my buddies. My buddies tell me that there is a good Guest House in Middleton Sarani but the can't remember the exact name (something like Sikkim House) and of course no idea of how to book it.

Do you have a clue of what I'm saying?

THANK YOU for the mobile info. Very important.

Grateful,
Sevananda

Khak

well I'm out of calcutta for last 8 years and not familiar with recent guest houses...........however sikkim house is the office cum residence complex for the state of Sikkim in calcutta....... I doubt whether they use that just like any other guest house......

sunflower guest house seems to be highly recommended by LP.......alos found some threads in IndiaMike......read this.......seems to be good

mobilerug

Do visit the Marble Palace in Muktarambabu Street. You need to take prior permission from the WB Tourism.

__________________
- Manab

My Travel Photos

Puerto Rican Bhaiya

Thank you mobilerug!
-Puerto Rican Bhaiya

ben_law

I am not sure if you will get an a/c room at those rates, but I will try to see which one will suit your budget.

I live on E.M. Byepass, near Beliaghata but will be going to New-Market side tomorrow. Will let you know after I find out the details.

EDIT: BTW, just joined here today and this is my first POST :P

Puerto Rican Bhaiya

Dear Ben,
Thank you very much. You are very kind. Welcome to MikeIndia.com. I just recently joined.... I LOVE IT! Everyone who has replied and offer advise, suggestions or share ideas have been concistently kind and very helpful.

I AM DYING TO TOUCH INDIAN SOIL AND BE BAKED BY IT'S SUN!

I eagerly look forward for your next posting.

Your new friend,
Sevananda
Puerto Rican Bhaiya

mitzijanell

Netaji Bhavan is a very interesting museum across the street from Forum Mall.

Otherwise, I would definitely visit Mother Teresa's and Dakshinapan, a shopping complex with handicrafts from all around India.

And eat puchka on the street.

Eat at Kewpie's, also close to Forum Mall. I think their misti doi is the best.
For cheaper Bengali food, Suruchi on Elliot Road is very good.

somnath

“Indiamike.com”

Welcome to Kolkata.

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mousourik

If you find some time in the afternoon, spend an hour in the Millenium Park just beside the river. The setting sun provides some good views there.

Puerto Rican Bhaiya

Very inspiring photos, suggestions and comments.
Very grateful,
PuertoRicanBhaiya

city of joy

you can search for hotels like hotel Akashdeep park street, and Hotel Victerrace, Kolkata /camac street...both are not very far from Astor hotel ... :-)

theyyamdancer

I just saw this thread. I think that the Sikkim House on Middleton Street does allow people to stay there. The phone number is in the Lonely Planet Guide, hang on a minute, yes - 0091033-22815328. Address is 4/1 Middleton street. The LP finds it good value. I only went there for a Sikkim permit but the people were very friendly and helpful.

While you are in Kolkata don't forget to visit the Tagore museum, called Rabindra Bharati Museum and situated at 6/4 Dwarakanath Tagore Lane opposite 263 Rabindra Sarani. It is fascinating as a museum and a beautifully calm oasis. Not very far away you can walk to Kumartuli area to see where the potters are working.

So much to see! Enjoy.

Puerto Rican Bhaiya

Hello theyyamdancer, I am very grateful for your reply. I will call Sikkim House today and book a room.

I have gotten so many good ideas of what to do while I'm in Kolkata. Being a lover of the real freedom fighters of India (not to mention his literary and musical creative outpour), visiting the Tagore Museum has to be "squizzed" into the already tight schedule.

With a HUGE smile,
Sevananda
The Puerto Rican Bhaiya