Kolkata, India

120 films in Kolkata….doubtful, unless you book in advance, pick them up from Delhi. I have had bad experience in E6 processing, shoddy work and scratches on TPs…with a “take it or leave it attitude” . There is a chain called “Zoom 16”, avoid like plague !

Hi Simone, how are you? I am interested too. Best for your trip. Let me know of it goes. Best, Alex

Alex,

I have got ur message, working on it. Please give me a couple of days.

Anamitra

I stayed at the OLD Kenilworth Hotel (NOT the new one) my visit in November. Both are on Little Russell Street. Tell the cab driver it is on the corner of Middleton Street and Little Russell Street. Email the owner to make a reservation:

<davidwpurdy@hotmail.com>

Nice place, very Bengali! Quiet and safe with big rooms. The owner, David, is Anglo-Armenian.

If you need an assistant, I worked with Soumyadipta Guin <diptag@gmail.com>, a.k.a. Vicky, on my last piece there in November:

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/travel/20070325_CALCUTTA_FEATURE/blocker.html

Regarding film, it will be very tough to find a good lab in Kolkata, I would not do film there.

Don’t forget to visit Flurys, it’s gone very posh! http://www.flurysindia.com/

had a batch of 100+ rolls processed in kolkata covered with fungus in less than 30 days… :S

guys,
thanks all, I’ll definetely develop all the films when I go back home, and I’ll make sure I bring a lot of them with me…
As far as the accommodation I might have found something, it’s called Broadway Hotel, (http://business.vsnl.com/broadway/), it seems it has a good price/quality balance. Stuart, about how much did the Old Kenilworth Hotel cost?
Thanks again,
Simone

I think it was about $50 a night. Do be careful of cheap places in Kolkata, staff will treat your room like a second home. One place I stayed, they used to just walk in unannounced, look around my room, nod and walk out! Might be worth spending a little extra for safety of your gear and I know the Old Kenilworth staff can be trusted.

Do visit Flurys, a real institution and a good place to take a break from the streets. Right across, on the opposite corner is another branch of Flurys that’s cheaper so a good place to meet students (and the old staff from Flurys who was booted over there after the remodelling!). Plenty of web cafes in that area too.