Namaste from Bhubaneswar, having a little stop off for sweet milk coffee and an hour or so online before departing for Vishakapatnam (Vizag).
A very shocking thing has happened. Lydia has become a bookworm. Lydia. Bookworm. The two words I never anticipated I would hear mentioned in the same sentence. She has read, nay, devoured three books in the past few days. It's really hard to get her attention, I may have to start talking to myself.
Had a very early wake up call today - 5.30am to be precise. We were DETERMINED that we were going to make it to the Sun Temple in Konark by hook or by crook. The lovely people at Mickey's Restaurant offered us the use of a driver and motorbike all for the bargain price of Rs280 (all the other agencies wanted Rs500). So 7am early this morning saw us tearing down the coast, wind in our hair, rain stinging our cheeks, skin tingling from the salt. I have never felt so alive in my life. I want a motorbike!
The Sun Temple is believed to be one of the finest religious buildings in the world - and it certainly is stunning. The temple was left for dead, buried under a pile of sand several hundred years ago - found and restored only in the twentieth century. The temple decipts the Sun God, Surya, and lots of erotic sculptures which put the Kama Sutra to shame. The temple is also known as the "Black Pagoda" and was considered bad luck by European mariners due to magnets at the top of the temple that affected the tidal patterns. The magnets were stolen, and the temple fell into ruin (fulfilling local legend that if the magnet was removed, then the temple would crumble). The guy who drove us to Konark told us he reckoned the British had stolen it. No idea if that's true - but if it is - give it back!
Boiled eggs and toast tided us over for the morning, and we've got some onion pakatas for the train journey tonight so we might go mad, but we won't starve.
I'm missing Puri already, but it was time to move on. It is definitely a place I won't forget in a hurry and one day I will go back. We've been telling everyone that we're married to stop people (read: men) hassling us, and have promised Mickey that we'll bring our "husbands" back with us one day. And I will go back.
And on that note, I'll love you (well, most of you, but not all) and leave you.
Caroline xx
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2 comments:
Oh dear, now I'm really Jealous. You're going to Goa!! Life is so bloody unfair sometimes, i'm only off to Majorca next month! Bring on the sight of British men with lobster red beer bellies, and British Women falling out of their tops and wearing skirts that i think are curiously similiar to belts(!) Maybe i'm growing too old for all this(!) Goa or Majorca? What a hard decision(!)
xxx
Hey I am heading to Puri in a week.Am planning to take a bike and go around Chilka and Konark for 4 days.
I want some low budget stay in Puri,Chilka and Konark.
Do you have any contact email wer I can get info...
My e mail is
sri.vathsan@wipro.com
Will check your blog in the next few days for info.
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