Weekend Getaway: Bakkhali

Somewhere in Bakkhali...

Bakkhali is a household name for the people living in West Bengal. I have been there numerous times but never got time to write about it in my blog. So, finally I decided to visit the place in order to share my experience about it. As per plan we visited Bakkhali on 13th March, 2019. This time we had a big team as we were accompanied by our parents as they too wanted to go out for a change.

Our team to Bakkhali...

First of all let me tell you something about Bakkhali. Bakkhali is a small village under Namkhana police station in Kakdwip subdivision of South Twenty Four Parganas. Sir Andrew Fraser, Lieutenant Governor of Bengal in the early twentieth century, is credited with the "discovery" of this place. In recognition of his effort a part of the town is named Frasergunj. There is a dilapidated house near the beach, according to the locals is the one in which Fraser used to stay.

In Frasergunj...

According to our plan we boarded  the Namkhana Local train from Garia railway station at 6.15 A.M. It took us little more than two hours to reach our destination, Namkhana station. At the station we had our breakfast  which set us forth for the upcoming journey. As we came out of the station we were greeted by rickshaw pullers for taking us to the banks of the river Hataniya Duyania.

Outside Namkhana Railway Station...

After reaching the river bank we booked a small steamer which took us to the other side of the river. From there we boarded a bus which took around one hour fifteen minutes to reach our hotel Dolfin at Bakkhali. The entire journey was very tiring to say the least so immediately after reaching the hotel we took a proper shower and took an hour nap. After recovering from the exhaustion lunch was served. The lunch was very pleasing indeed.

Caution board for the tourists....

 In the evening we went out to the beach and enjoyed the cool breeze with some sea food delicacies. At that time there was a low tide but the atmosphere was so pleasant that one could hardly complain.

Cold breeze filled our soul...

We returned from the beach at around 8 P.M to be greeted with hot chicken pakoras and tea at our hotel. One thing I must mention that all the staffs of Dolfin group were very cordial. Next day in the morning we booked two Totos - type of e-rickshaw and went for local places of interest like Frazergunj, Henry Island, Mangrove forest, etc.

At Frazergunj sea beach....

All of us enjoyed each others' company and the trip. Soon to realise that the trip was coming to an end and it was time to come back home. It was just a weekend trip so we did not have much time for us. It was just a two day trip.

Mangrove forest...

We left Bakkhali enriched and once again realised the fact that to find one's soul, we don't need to go far and wide instead we can get it at our backyard. 

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes memory...

I personally after completing another successful trip have become enriched, experienced and accomplished only to prepare for the next one.

Fill your life with experiences, Not things. Have stories to tell, Not stuff to show...

(Picture Courtesy: Piangshuk Mukherjee, Joydeep Ghosh, Avijit Sardar and Priyanka Sardar.)