A TRIP TO BAKKHALI

Bakkhali, a wonderful place to spend a quiet weekend, is about 132 kms from Kolkata. It is one of the many deltaic islands spread across Southern Bengal. Reaching there is absolutely no problem, as it is only about 3 hours drive from Kolkata – Esplanade. One can also take the State Govt buses from Esplanade, which charges barely Rs.70/- and take around 4 hours. The route is via Diamond Harbour Road.

My suggestion would be to take car, because en route you would feel like stopping at several places inventing many excuses, but primarily to absorb the ambiance that Diamond Harbour offers. The buses leave at 7:15 AM and 8:15 AM and go directly to Bakkhali. If you miss those buses, you could board one of the buses for Namkhana, cross the Hatania-Doania creek in a special ferry.

The next stretch of the journey is very smooth, with an excellent road leading to Bakkhali.

There are many hotels to put up at Bakkhali. Though advanced booking is always desirable, even the ones without reservations, find adequate accommodations. We stayed at Bay View Tourist Lodge.
The hotel looks splendid at night too.
My close friend, Sayan accompanied us in our trip to Bakkhali...

and when we reached there, he couldn’t wait to get a feel of the water. He waded in straight

The ashen beach was wonderful….

With red crabs everywhere…………
Parna was happy too………

There is hardly much else to see in Bakkhali. The only mode of conveyance is the rickshaw van. The enterprising rickshaw pullers take tourist to see the different places. One such place is the Henry Island Project – a fish cultivation project of the State Government.

There are 162 ponds which make up this fish farm. A couple of shots from a tower ……………

And now the tower itself………………

The gentle waves rolling …………

The day was coming to a close and the sunset was splendid beyond the trees……… And we watched India lose to Bangladesh in the Cricket World Cup and thereby face an early exit from the Championship.

At the beach in the next morning, shot a few sunrise pictures………. This one turned out well

Later we took a ride in a crude bhut-bhuti, a motorised country boat, from Frasergunj Fishing Harbour to Jambu Dwip, a small, uninhabited and forested island out in the sea. It was a thrilling experience.

Sayan was lost in thought during the journey………….

Well, I knew well to shut up and enjoy the view.

Parna landed at Jambu Dwip and was pretty excited…………

With the red crabs…………

And the windmills at distant Frasergange were a mere speck, but not for my camera………….We returned on the same day starting in the afternoon and reaching home by evening.

Some more memorable shots from bakkhali………..

Life Boat

The fishermen