To say that I was excited to make my first trip to eastern India, that too the city of joy, Kolkatta would be an understatement. Though the trip was to leave my daughter at her institute for higher studies and the realization of leaving her was tearing my heart, I was also looking forward to visit the city after watching the thriving city in the movie ,Kahani". The dum dum airport was very impressive and was far better than the Mumbai airport. But there ended the impressive part about the city.
We had to travel to Mohanpur , a 50 km drive from the airport. We estimated that it would take approximately 2 hours to cover the distance. But what a miscalculation it turned out to be! We had to take NH 34 and calling that a national highway is a shame. It was full of potholes and adding to our woes was the heavy downpour filling the roads with slush and pools of water. It took us nearly four hours to cover the distance of 50kms and any hope of excitement to see anything more of West Bengal quickly vanished. even the beautiful but underdeveloped landscapes en-route did not enhance my mood. I was worried as to how my daughter would travel this route to come back home or even to visit the Kolkatta city. I pity the citizens who need to take this route as a routine. It was a backbreaking journey and even the traffic discipline I noticed on this stretch did not cheer me up or give me the courage to on a sightseeing trip. Hopefully, I would muster courage to do it before my next trip to the city of joy.
We had to travel to Mohanpur , a 50 km drive from the airport. We estimated that it would take approximately 2 hours to cover the distance. But what a miscalculation it turned out to be! We had to take NH 34 and calling that a national highway is a shame. It was full of potholes and adding to our woes was the heavy downpour filling the roads with slush and pools of water. It took us nearly four hours to cover the distance of 50kms and any hope of excitement to see anything more of West Bengal quickly vanished. even the beautiful but underdeveloped landscapes en-route did not enhance my mood. I was worried as to how my daughter would travel this route to come back home or even to visit the Kolkatta city. I pity the citizens who need to take this route as a routine. It was a backbreaking journey and even the traffic discipline I noticed on this stretch did not cheer me up or give me the courage to on a sightseeing trip. Hopefully, I would muster courage to do it before my next trip to the city of joy.
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