the wondrous Indian city of Kolkata

Kolkata is the heartbeat of Bengali culture. It was the very first Indian city I visited and there is so much to see. Tea and street food are plentiful. The people are exceptionally hospitable. And its historical roots run deep.

I stayed in an Airbnb (you can see the room in the last two photos) near the Rabindra Sarobar Lake, then used the metro and auto-rickshaws to get around. Some of my favorite places to explore on foot were the Mullick Ghat Flower Market and the base area of the Howrah Bridge, Bara Bazar, and the neighborhood around the University of Calcutta. There's an intellectual buzz in the city given its links to so many brilliant individuals, including Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, etc.

As someone visiting from Chicago, there was a lot of curiosity from locals about my trip and why I decided to visit. You'll surely get a few requests to snap pictures. For people who love street photography, there are endless opportunities wandering on foot. I really believe it's one of the world's great cities and look forward to returning.

(all photos taken with Fujifilm X100F)