Self-Driving in Kolkata: The Heaven of the Aged

Kolkata, the city of joy, a land where the aged finds heaven!! Isn’t that what this city is known by? Well, it’s not difficult to understand the reason why tourists come pouring in to this city. There is so much to do and see in Kolkata. From famous architectural marvels to some mouth-watering food, the city has it all. So here’s a little glimpse of my experience of self-driving a rented car in this city.

Landing in Kolkata…

So where to begin from…? Catching an early morning flight and landing in this iconic city was a very different experience all together. Getting out of the terminal, I was welcomed by this heavy traffic of Kolkata and an air hard to describe. So let’s get straight on point without wasting any further time, shall we? Obviously we all know about the city’s offerings right? Now here’s a thing, the heavy traffic congestion in Kolkata alone, let alone the whole of India is a big problem, and so it proved to be for me as well. Settling myself in a nice hotel room and then thinking of moving out and exploring some street food of this city, specially the egg rolls…yep you’re right, those famous egg rolls, I was welcomed with open hands into a world of freaking travels and long walks. Now I thought the metro would be a better idea to travel, but there you go again, what a disaster of an experience it all was!!

Coming to know the rental service…

So sitting in my hotel room and gulping my hard earned egg rolls, I came across something like self-drive car rentals in Kolkata on the net, and thought about giving it a go. At least the travel would be comfortable I thought. The cost didn’t matter although it wasn’t very high. So I chose a small car according to my need, booked it and got it dropped at the hotel itself, just about on time. The condition of the car was fine, I got it with a full tank. So overall it was pretty hassle-free. Now here’s the next thing, how did my experience pan out to be? Well, cling on…

Trying it…   

Now on getting the car I didn’t waste any time and started my exploration around the city. So I drove to the famous Victoria Memorial, that’s right, that iconic marble building of Kolkata and holy heavens what an experience it was!! The car meanwhile worked fine, even though the clutch was a bit hard but honestly, who likes a loose clutch, right? But since it was a concern in any case I informed the road side assistance helpline and they offered to provide me with a changed car even though I didn’t take it. Quiet a service that, getting a car changed this quickly along your travels.

So what should I talk about? I took a halt at some of the popular places afterwards like the Indian Museum or the huge Howrah Bridge. Although the traffic was annoying in the city but honestly you can’t run away from it when in a city like Kolkata right? You’re not going to get any traffic in the metro or local trains there but there will be a lot of crowd to hamper your experience.

Now after a 2 day movement in the city it was time I fly back home but not before dropping the car back. So here’s another surprising part, the car was pickup up from the hotel itself where I stayed and no extra charges of any sorts were levied upon me. So the experience was quiet pleasing as far as the services are concerned. But here’s a suggestion for all the travel freaks thinking of renting a self-drive car, do look for the rentals which offer the most services and best price range. I personally recommend using self-drive rentals in cities where you have even a small amount of trouble travelling. Not only it makes your travel cheap and happening, it also gives you the necessary privacy.    

When a Road Trip Becomes a Nightmare during Winter

I was really being a macho when I thought about going for a winter road trip, and that too at the wrong time, or I should say that I was ill-prepared for it. I must have thought well about it, especially coming from a hot region like Kolkata where snow does not ever fall from the sky. The Bengalis of West Bengal only dream about extreme cold and go to chilly regions only as tourists.

So it was my first trip to the Himalayas and I, being a wanderer, had thought that I would manage on my own just like I had always done, but I was horribly wrong. I should not have underestimated the snow and overestimated my potential. I bought only two layers of warm clothing while leaving from Kolkata, but I was shivering from cold just as I landed in Delhi. I still thought that it was only sudden change in weather that made me shiver and I would be normal in a while, but I was wrong again. I started getting it that I would catch cold if I did not buy warm clothes immediately.

I went for shopping before leaving for Manali and bought another set of clothing to keep myself warm. I had to buy two blankets as well because the search results from Google had already scared me about cold regions. I could not imagine spending a night in the car in case I was stuck, but I had to prepare for plan B just in case I have to manage on my own. The news channels were already stating that many vehicles were stuck in the snow because of landslides.

I left for Manali using a Car Rental that I had booked from Delhi and left for the hills. Even in cold weather, I started feeling dehydrated. It was a new thing for my body to experience because until now I had experienced dehydration only during summer. I had hired Self-Drive Cars in Kolkata several times and been to road trips where beating the heat was my only concern. Beating the cold this time was a unique experience that I had to battle this time. I bought a dozen water bottles so that I do not go out of water until I reach Manali and Spiti.

When I reached the city, someone suggested that I should spend a night in Manali so that I can acclimatize my body to the extreme cold gradually. I thought that it was a good idea, which would not let me die at least.

Keeping the feet dry was a challenge in Spiti when I had to walk for a long time. My feet would start feeling numb and I would take a long time to dry and warm them. All in all, Spiti was indeed a wonderful experience but a challenge indeed for someone like me who had never experienced snow before that. Without feeling scared, I would love to go for that kind of road trip again.

My Idea of Intimate Travel at New Places

When it comes to closely traveling at places, I need to make sure that I do it as I like it. There are countless places in India that require the attention of Indians, who are more focused towards foreign destinations these days. It pains my heart to see that my friends do not value their own country, which is so beautiful and vast that it may take an entire lifetime to explore it. Even if I dedicate my entire life to just travel to one city, town, or village at a time, I won’t be able to cover the entire India.

My idea of traveling diligently to a new place is to go for a walk and talk to the locals. The airplanes can take you to the farthest corners of the world, but they cannot take you to the brightest or darkest corners of a town. I have been to the small streets of Paris, New York, and New Delhi. Everything that I had seen on TV seemed to fade away when I talked to the locals of these places. They tell a lot of insider stories about their native place that never finds mention in books and journals.

When I was in Udaipur, I would hate to walk in the polluted alleys, but I still went for it. Firstly, the roads in Udaipur are not spacious enough for a car to drive smoothly. Second, they streets are already so polluted that I did not feel like contributing more to it, so I did not hire a scooter for traveling. Thirdly, the city is not too big and the markets are adjacent to each other. I could easily walk or hire an auto-rickshaw whenever I did not feel like walking.

Last year, I was in Kolkata where the boat rides are quite famous. Although the city is not too clean, it is still great to know it from a lesser distance. I also hired Self-Drive Cars in Kolkata to drive off to farther places, but my two feet served the purpose most of the times. It also lets me decide my own pace when I am walking. I don’t like to move quickly because it makes me miss the most beautiful things of a town. Walking, on the other hand, is a beautiful form of slow travel. I get to see things, places, and people closely without disturbing their lives.

There was an instance in Delhi when I went for morning walk and I did not carry any money. I boarded a bus and asked the conductor if I could ride without paying. Surprisingly, he agreed as I was visibly tired of walking a lot.

The best part about strolling is that I get to save money, even if they are a few bucks. I, being a typical Indian, love to save a single penny, even if that means I spend hundreds of bucks later on an expensive pizza. That’s funny, I know, but I cannot help it.

How Staying in Kolkata Taught Me Necessary Life Skills

You don’t have to be a scientist to understand that cooking is a necessary skill in life, yet men in India choose to ignore it. Thanks to my mother, and then my wife, who never said it even once to me that I should also know the basic culinary skills. My mother brought me up like a typical average man in the family who never needed to enter the kitchen, except when there were guests at home. I would help the ladies in the kitchen by serving food, water, and drinks. However, I would never bother to keep things in place when I entered the kitchen back after serving things.

Nevertheless, there is always a time in life when you have to learn things you always ignored, and this time came for me when I had to live in Kolkata for six months. Now my wife is a working woman, and we had our first baby when my company decided that I should shift to the capital city for a new project. Divya, my better half, could not come with me, but she helped me set up my new home in Kolkata.

Being vegetarian

I am a vegetarian, and that too a strict one. Now I had several presumptions whenever I had to eat at restaurants. I would always assume that my food is contaminated with meat or its gravy, and it would make me uncomfortable. I would not be able to eat in peace, no matter what. I would often complain about the eating problem to Divya, but never to Mom because she would ask me to come back on the next flight! I could not do that at all since I had my stakes and commitments in office.

Nevertheless, after ranting to Divya for 3-4 weeks, I decided that I would cook!

She was shocked at my statement, but she supported me. She said that she was not sure that I would be able to do it, but it was a good start for sure. She asked me if I wanted her to join again to set up a kitchen, but I refused. I told her that I would ask her for help over the phone if I could not manage.

I bought the necessary things the next day, established my new kitchen in the house, and showed the pictures to Divya. She was elated. After struggling at cooking basic daal, roti, and rice for a month, I finally succeeded, and invited her over for dinner. She did not take another minute to book her flight, came over, and we had a blast.

I made pulao for her, daliya for my daughter, and drinks to celebrate our get-together after weeks! I had already looked for Self-Drive Cars in Kolkata and booked one for a long drive after dinner. Needless to say that we had a blast that day. She stayed for three days and I did not let her cook, even once. Till date, she says that the time we spent in Kolkata was the most romantic time ever.

How Travel Helped Me Become More Confident Than Before

When I finally decided to defeat my fear of talking to people, I had to convince myself that no one can give me a hand in this matter. I would have to aid myself to overcome the inhibitions that leave me speechless every time I tried to indulge into a social gathering. My family had lost faith in me that I would ever be a confident person like my siblings were. Even I would doubt myself if could ever initiate a conversation as my friends do. I had read numerous books and tried to become a person I always wanted to be. However, I could not accomplish my goals, but a day arrived when I decided to use travel to accomplish the feat.

Travel helped me transform my personality in just a few days. It gave me the poise I always saw in other people. Just by handling life on my own for a few days gave me the self-reliance I always needed. Yes, there were times when I would feel anxious on the road since I had taken my first road trip alone, nonetheless I had no other option but to deal with it.

When I was booking Car Rentals in Kolkata, my hometown, I thought of canceling the trip several times, but then I would picture the goals I wanted to achieve. I fancied myself at the places I wanted to see. I recalled the photos of these locations and told myself that I had to get there, no matter what. After rethinking about canceling my plans for at least twenty times, I finally booked the car and packed my bags.

Imagining a better life without anxiety also helped me to stay firm on my decision. Had I canceled my plans, I would have regretted it all through my life. I would have always thought about the life I could have made if I had gone to the hills or the beaches. When I used to think about things I wanted to do on my vacation, it would help me stay firm on taking a road trip. The fear of living with guilt became greater than the fear of talking to people, so I finally ventured on my first solo road trip.

I had also joined a community where I could talk to people like me who also wanted to come out of their present lives. Such communities comprise of people who are in the process of recovery. Whenever I would post something related to my apprehensions, I would get numerous responses to help me get out of them. Moreover, the folks registered on those communities also helped me with a couple of tricks that I could use in public places to be more at peace. At least these communities helped me feel less lonely for a couple of years. 

Planning the itinerary and activities was also a major part of the plan. It helped me gain control over most situations, and I could reassure myself that people would not make fun of me. For the first few days of my road trip on Car Rentals Kolkata, I jotted down each and every point where I had to stop, eat, and stay. I also made plans for emergency situations like what I would do if my car broke down, I lost my wallet, or I fell sick. Having emergency numbers written on a piece of paper helped me feel safe during the initial phase of my road trip. However, just a few days on the road all on my own helped me wreck the nervousness I used to feel earlier. I stopped feeling the dire need for a Plan B. It gave me more buoyancy to handle the situations and ask for help from the person close to me rather than the one sitting at home. Feeling poised is the best sentiment I could have in me, and I can never underestimate the importance of it.