“The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.” – Og Mandino. After our trip to Mandarmani in March, we decided to take a road trip to Taki over the Eid weekend.
It took us around two hours from our residence in Kolkata by car to reach Hotel Sonar Bangla, Taki. After checking into our room on the second floor, it was a deja vu moment for us since we had visited the same hotel and stayed in the same block two years ago.
For lunch, we went to the hotel’s in-house restaurant. The mutton rogan josh was to die for though the Paneer makhani gave it serious competition. After exploring the property for a while, we decided to book the steamer ride on the Ichchamati River.
The ride costs 1500 per trip. The three of us enjoyed forty minutes of cool breeze and tranquil surroundings. The river that flows between the countries of Bangladesh and India is a symbol of man-made borders for me.
As boats ferried from one border to another, identified by the flag they carried on top of the vessel, we couldn’t stop wishing Eid Mubarak to passengers traveling from across the border.
The kid had a great time after coming back to the hotel as the vast stretches of land, play zone, and swimming pool gave him umpteen options to enjoy himself. He ran around, experimented with various areas to try new games, and got into the pool with his father.
As the sun retreated into the horizon, we made our way to the newly opened Cafe Sundowner on the lawn. The place is a sight to behold as the colorful interiors with gorgeous decorations soothe the soul of a visitor. We tried out their pineapple pastry and cafe mocha.
We spent some time in the room as the kid got busy with new ideas to experiment with. Dinner was at the sky lounge on the top floor as we grooved to the live music and relished the delicious food items.
The sky was grumbling by the time we went to sleep, and we woke up to a drenched morning the following day. The surroundings mesmerized us as we left our room for a scrumptious breakfast.
We spent some more time in nature gazing and exploring the property before getting ready to leave. As my son bade goodbye to the fishes, I couldn’t help but feel the melancholy of returning to the routine so soon.
We visited the Taki rajbari or rather the remnants of whatever is left of the once grand palace. We hope to return to the quaint historical town.
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