Trip to India - 14 BHUBANESWAR

BHUBANESWAR

11 March 2008

Dear Friends and Family

I boarded the 10:00 am train for the long 22 hours ride to Bhubaneshwar. Amazingly, there were very few people in our car and I had a a four-people compartment all by myself. I had some good conversation with a man who works with satellites and communication for the government of India. We arrived to our destination around 8:00 and I dropped my backpack at the station’s cloakroom, close to platform 1. The Bhubaneswar train’s station is very strangely situated between two major parallel roads, and unless you walk far on either road you cannot get from one to the other but thru the station’s overhead pass. In addition to that the large Station Square where some of the hotels are is located at the back of the station. This is not easy to see on my LP tinny map. I got out of the station on the platform 1 side were most of the station’s services, waiting rooms etc are located. As I was trying to orient myself I was approached by a cycle-rickshaw who proceeded to follow me everywhere I went. I approached him and told him to leave me alone, and that I wasn’t going to hire him. Nevertheless, he kept on follow me, until I actually approach his vehicle and proceeded to undo the cap on one of the tire (I was going to deflate it). He raised both hands in surrender, left, and I never saw him again!.A couple days later I met an Australian couple who were also pestered by a cycle-rickshaw driver. I do not understand what goes thru their mind? If I do not want the service, do they think I will change my mind if they keep following me? The cycle-rickshaw and the auto-rickshaw drivers are the most aggressive I have met so far. I found out the best way to handle them is to simply ignore them, and to not make eye contact. Just act like you do not hear, nor even see them!

I finally settled at the Bhubaneswar Hotel. My room is level with an outside terrace with a view on the street. I thought this was great until I found that the terrace become a gathering place for the hotel’s help’s smoking and drinking with a nice view straight into my bedroom. After a couple days I ask for another room and was told that there wasn’t one available. I left and got a (more expensive) room in another hotel on Station Square.

The Tourist Office runs several tours, and I decided to take the one day tour to Konark, Puri, and Pipli. Our first stop was Pipli, famous for its colorful appliqué craft, which uses primary colors and small mirrors for door and wall hangings, lampshades, and parasols. The items are hung outside the shops, making the main street a colorful display of rainbow colors. Our next stop was in Konark, the site of the famous Sun Temple. This massive 13^th century temple was designed as the cosmic chariot of the sun god, Surya. The huge base is flanked with 32 huge, very elaborately carved, chariot wheels. An impressive sight. Our next stop was Puri, and the Jagannath Mandir temple, one of the holiest pilgrimage destination in India. Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe and a incarnation of Vishnu. Unfortunatly, the temple is totally closed to non-Hindu) and the only way to see the temple is from the roof of the library. The library was closed and would reopen after we left. The guide brought a local man who could get me to the rooftop of a well placed hotel for a small sum of money. I followed the man into the hotel lobby were they refused access to their roof!!? I was not very pleased, and with time to kill I walked around the large temple complex to get the best possible view of the temple. Not a good experience and later I let our guide know about my frustration. Of course, he had all sorts of excuses. I wasn’t upset at him, but at the people selling the tickets at the tourist office for not disclosing this potential problem. From there we went to a very nice beach before heading home.

I will be leaving Bhubaneswar for Kolkata the 12^th by an overnite sleeper train. Until then I will be visiting some of the 50 plus temples around here.

Love and peace - henri