By the sea in Holy Puri
It felt right to be going to Puri, from the description in the guidebook I knew it was going to be just what I needed. From one State to another, once I again an overnight train journey ensued and this time a Japanese female lone traveller was sharing the berth. She too was headed that way so we decided to help each other. Hotel Love & Life, that sounded like my kind of place but when we checked in I soon realised it was obviously not the place to be.
I used the remainder of the first day to explore the dusty little town by the sea, full of coastline and sleepy streets in direct sunshine lined with walls displaying copies of artwork by the Orissan Tribes.
Pink House, literally on the beach close to the fisherman's village where you could watch them going out and hear the waves coming in ...the following day I packed my bags and moved to this new perfect place where I instantly unwound.
Amidst the seashore and empty restaurants, several temples within and just outside of the town were worth paying a visit. The Jagganath Temple is an impressive structure, which unfortunately I was not permitted to enter as a non-Hindu but conveniently the library opposite let me view it from above for a small 'donation' which let me get a glimpse of the inside. In fact, Puri is renowned for being a town where pilgrims come to see this very temple and where travellers can recharge their batteries, both of which add to the special vibe.
Then there was the Sun Temple, a bus ride away through swampy scenery to Konark an even smaller town which exists purely around this sight. I was quite surprised by it as for some reason I had imagined it to be very colourful which it wasn't as it is all made up of a type of stone. Still, the hundreds of statues depicting stories I can only imagine and some practising the Karma Sutra were interesting to see!
What I enjoyed most about Puri was that I felt I could easily blend into the background, I was happy just exisiting there and doing nothing special except get on with work, talk with travellers and occassionally go to see my new Indian acquaintance who was quite a magical man. When the week was over I spent my last night on the Indian tourist beach which was a spectacular sight with the hords of families, chai wallahs, candyflossers and my favourite bhel puri stands which I just could not resist. Bells rang, horns blew and a buzz filled the air as the sun set.
Saturday 9 October 2010
A Big City and a Bengali Wedding
Kolkata
The journey to Kolkata was pretty standard, my 'Ladies quota' berth still had men in it but there was a nice family with baby to stare at. Anyway all was well until the end when I put my phone to charge and turned my back for one minute to look at the scenery outsideof the door, only to find that somebody (probably the strange man who appeared from nowehere and squeezed himself into the side berth opposite) had taken it and scarpered. It is a shame really because I always felt at ease on the trains but now I have learnt my lesson not to trust everyone so much and be more vigilent!
Luckily I had mentioned where I was aiming to stay to my friend whom had invited me to Kolkata for a wedding which was the reeason for my trip there in the first place! The Times Guest House, unfortunately not a place for spending much time in. My single room was definitely the most budget so far, a matchbox and a communal bathroom I could just about fit in...my first shower was quite an experience. Thankfully I was saved from despair when my friend turned up at my room, perfect timing. Good food was had at the rather randomly placed Moulin Rouge restaurant where plans for sightseeing and the wedding were discussed.
The first full day in the city was pretty busy, we headed off to be tourists visiting various sights such as the Planetarium with amusing show, Park Street Cemetery which was bizarrely beautiful and a mini pilgrimage to the 'Motherhouse' where Mother Theresa did much of her work.
Just wandering through the streets one could see how run-down everything seemed despite the city being newer than Delhi for example. However, Kolkata although a bit on the rough-looking side has a charm about it which I liked. With minimal congestion or hasslebustle, I was impressed by the Metro system which I had to use to go to my friend's house in preparation for the wedding...
Bengali Wedding
This was a special event. I found the whole affair very interesting, from watching how the bride and groom were separated into different rooms giving the large volume of guests a chance to swarm around and take countless photos. Then they each got fed Gulab Jamun, I guess to help stave off the hunger whilst everyone else was ablt to feast on the fabulous buffet. It actually was the same GJ that finished me off!
After a lot of chatting and admiring of outfits, the evening ended with the ceremony involving the bride hiding her face behind some leaves whilst being carried around the groom re-enacting their 'first meeting' and then swapping garlands before reciting some prayers. I was glad to have had the opportunity to see a Bengali wedding and wear a sari again.
My last few days in the city consisted of more walking, photo-snapping and eating. I grew to feel a bit at home in my matchbox butit was time to move on, to a more mellow destination further south in the state of Orissa to a town called Puri.
The journey to Kolkata was pretty standard, my 'Ladies quota' berth still had men in it but there was a nice family with baby to stare at. Anyway all was well until the end when I put my phone to charge and turned my back for one minute to look at the scenery outsideof the door, only to find that somebody (probably the strange man who appeared from nowehere and squeezed himself into the side berth opposite) had taken it and scarpered. It is a shame really because I always felt at ease on the trains but now I have learnt my lesson not to trust everyone so much and be more vigilent!
Luckily I had mentioned where I was aiming to stay to my friend whom had invited me to Kolkata for a wedding which was the reeason for my trip there in the first place! The Times Guest House, unfortunately not a place for spending much time in. My single room was definitely the most budget so far, a matchbox and a communal bathroom I could just about fit in...my first shower was quite an experience. Thankfully I was saved from despair when my friend turned up at my room, perfect timing. Good food was had at the rather randomly placed Moulin Rouge restaurant where plans for sightseeing and the wedding were discussed.
The first full day in the city was pretty busy, we headed off to be tourists visiting various sights such as the Planetarium with amusing show, Park Street Cemetery which was bizarrely beautiful and a mini pilgrimage to the 'Motherhouse' where Mother Theresa did much of her work.
Bengali Wedding
This was a special event. I found the whole affair very interesting, from watching how the bride and groom were separated into different rooms giving the large volume of guests a chance to swarm around and take countless photos. Then they each got fed Gulab Jamun, I guess to help stave off the hunger whilst everyone else was ablt to feast on the fabulous buffet. It actually was the same GJ that finished me off!
After a lot of chatting and admiring of outfits, the evening ended with the ceremony involving the bride hiding her face behind some leaves whilst being carried around the groom re-enacting their 'first meeting' and then swapping garlands before reciting some prayers. I was glad to have had the opportunity to see a Bengali wedding and wear a sari again.
My last few days in the city consisted of more walking, photo-snapping and eating. I grew to feel a bit at home in my matchbox butit was time to move on, to a more mellow destination further south in the state of Orissa to a town called Puri.
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