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Even if you're not booking with us but want some help while
in
Kolkata, don't hesitate to call or email.
At the Airport
The arrival terminal at Calcutta International Airport is new though it looks old. Get into the left queue as you pass through immigration.
Money Exchange counter will not cash credit cards.
Pre-paid taxi service is available. You receive a slip on payment and present it to a man as you exit the terminal. You need not pay any more, at any stage, although you may be asked to do so. A taxi to the
center of the city is around Rs 200/-.
Hotel Bookings are at the domestic terminal next door and thus a hassle, but may change soon.
Taxi Drivers
Insist on the driver using the meter unless you know the correct fare. Outside meters have a different reading than inside meters. Taxi drivers carry conversion cards telling you what you should actually pay for the amount on the meter.
Other Transport
Auto Rickshaws ply on set shortish routes and the cost is usually no more than 3 to 4 rupees per ride.
The Metro is a fast and usually efficient service which travels the length of the city on one line. Faster than a taxi and much less expensive.
Howrah
If you arrive at Howrah Station there are pre paid cabs at an inflated price. If you have a light back pack you can catch a ferry across the river (go by subway out of the station) and catch a cab from the other side of the river. Much cheaper. Also a pre paid system at Sealdah Station.
Money
Banks are slow. For cash and traveller’s cheques, licensed money changers abound, are fast and not much more than banks.
There is a good legal money exchange on the first floor of the new complex in the New
Market. ATM’s work well and are bobbing up everywhere including on Chowringhee at Park St. and Esplanade metro station outlets.
Bargaining
There are no formulas, you can’t divide the asking price by 2 or 4 and offer your price. Some shops have fixed prices. Where you can, start and maybe stay with these. Try not to offer a price until you have shopped around and walked away a couple of times. If it is a costly item go back over a period of time and see if the price changes. It is possible to bargain your hotel bill especially prior to arrival depending on the season.
Sudder St.
This is the backpacker’s budget area with a few middle range hotels. Not a heavy place but does attract touts out to make all sorts of deals with foreigners. It is not representative of the city which, although diversified, is generally a little less pushy.
Bars
Many cheaper bars will not serve women and have no female toilets. If you are after cheap drinks in bars that will serve you, Olley’s bar in Park St. (upstairs) is a good starting point. The Cecil in Bowbazar does allow women and is well run by a Canadian Sikh (but no female toilets). Cheaper all male bars abound and can be interesting but are often non too clean with unbelievably bad toilet facilities. The Chota Bristol behind the Metro cinema is smoky but interesting. Country Liquor bars are for the brave.
What to wear
Looking like you are loaded is not always wise especially if you are out and about the streets at night. On the other hand, looking like a ‘hippy’ will exclude you from many potentially rewarding contacts with the locals. Of course it is your choice, but choosing to alienate large sections of the population does limit the range of contacts that can be made. Many Indians disapprove strongly of women showing too much flesh, although Bengali woman can show a fair bit of tummy. It may be unfair but it is the reality.
Security
Calcutta is still one of the safer big cities. You do need to be careful however. Travel with a couple of locks and a chain. On a train trip chain your luggage immediately on entering a carriage to the rack above and opposite you or beneath your legs. Do not carry anything of value in top pockets or small backpacks, especially in the back zip pocket. Pouches in the front do make sense for carrying valuables. Credit cards are increasingly the best way to carry money if you protect them. Some people travel with a phony wallet and long inside pockets for items not needed often. Carry a torch and have it handy at night. Con tricks come in many forms. “Just wait here and I’ll go off and buy it for you,” should raise alarm bells, but there are many variations. Photocopy airline tickets, passport and credit card details before you leave home and keep them separate.
Female Travelers
Women traveling without men are considered by some local men to be, “loose and available”. How convenient. Nevertheless it remains a perception as does the one about women in the west liking ‘free sex’. Again unfair but to avoid nasty situations consider dressing conservatively, avoiding crushes (including crowded transport), keeping to lit areas and carrying a heavy torch at night. Bengal is better in this regard than many other parts of India or Asia. Don't be put off, many women travel alone here.
Gay and Lesbian
There is no organized gay or lesbian scene. Kolkata is even more conservative than the other northern cities. Male homosexual acts are illegal but not female and moves to change the laws are not likely to succeed in the short term. Men caught in cruising areas are subject to harassment and the mandatory bribe.
Phone and email
There are numerous Personal Call Offices (PCOs) allowing local, STD and ISD calls and many Cyber Cafes operating in the central city.
Enjoy the city and call if you need assistance.
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