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Travel through north India VIII.

Published: 11.5.2009
Travelling through the seventh country of the world, inhabitated with more than one billion of people, many cultural tendencies, variegated nations and busy towns.

15th day (Friday 20th February 2009)

I get up at 8 o´clock a.m. and have to take cold shower immediately, in order to keep the activity. The breakfast, consisting of Tibet bread with butter (excellent food!) and Coca-Cola drunk from glassed bottle costs INR 35,-. Morning walk in Calcutta leads us to St.Paul Gothic church, where we find silence and peace. The interior is quite interesting, moreover, you smell strong odour of  waxed wood. In 1847, Major W.N.Forbes let to built  this church. The dimensions of this building are following: 75 x 24 metres. Steel divided construction of its roof hat the greatest span of the world at that time. Nevertheless, noon is approaching, so we have to return to the hotel to take our luggage, as check-out is on. Just with our rucksacks on back, we walk to Monument dedicated to Queen Victoria, local attraction No. 1.

This building constructed from white marble is situated on south suburb of Maidan Quarter, and it is, with its gardens and lakes, really pride of Calcutta. The entrance fee for foreigners is stipulated for INR 150,-. Inside, you can find standard exhibition of pictures, photos, statues and other time-period subjects, which remind British imperialism. According to my personal opinion, exhibited photos collection seemed to me as the best (it is illustrating period 1940-1970). In park nearby (good luck that nobody offers us anything or begs, on the contrary, we are the attraction for local inhabitants!), we have a  rest as we have time enough till our departure in the evening.

So, we reach Howrad terminal by bus (INR 10,- for one person), however, this bus is totally overcrowded. The railway station is quite extend and relatively clean, for local relations. I order couple cups of tea, sweets and chips, and our train is arriving. The train is empty (the route starts from here), so that we have no problems to take our seats in a coupe. We immediately fold down our pallets and go to bed, notwithstanding disharmonious views of other passengers, and I asleep quickly.

16th day (Saturday 21st February 2009)

We arrive to Puri un time, at six o´clock a.m. Immediately, when we get off, terribly warm hits us, but we finally smell also odour of the sea in the air! We foresee (right idea) that we can expect unbearable heat in the afternoon! Only a few persons get off in Puri, so, there is wonderful calm and peace in the whole station. We have the intention to change our departure from Puri one day earlier (on 24th Feruary), as we wish to catch our one day excursion to Tadj-Mahal Monument. However, ticket-office is open since 8 a.m., so, we have to be rather patient. As soon as plate-metal curtain of ticket office is open, I rush (in Indian way) to the window, in order to be the first. However, I was the third in queue. We have good luck, the officer behind counter-service is very polite and the respective tickets are pressed within couple of minutes. Anyway, we have to pay for cancellation charge (INR 150,- per one person, from originally bought tickets). So, we continue to walk to the sea, coastal area, where the hotels are situated. But, first of all, we have to order substantial breakfast, as we are terribly hungry. I take toasts with pea-nuts butter. Now, we fully enjoy the sightseeing, as we have time enough - overcharged prices and efforts of hotel-bosses to persuade us, that just their hotel must be the best for us, we amuse fully (the accommodation fee in one hotel costs INR 2500,- per one night). Finally, we took a room in a small, gound-floor and cosy hotel with a garden, for INR 300,- per night. Anyway, there are altogether three rooms available here. Our room is equipped in classical style: one small room with spacious bed (sufficient for three persons) and bathroom, including WC of European style. Moreover, warm water is promised to be available in the evening. To tell the truth, we do not need to be in a hurry, as we stay in Puri for three days. So, I wreck up the belongings from my rucksack. However, strong and sourish odour comes out from mow-burnt and sweated objects, which I had on my body during our stay in mountains. So, I haved to go to buy washing powder and wash the dress. Small bag of Ariel powder costs INR 2,-, moreover, for handy washing machine, there is a surcharge INR 1,-. Nevertheless, the water which is going out from the device, is completely black. The dress will be put on veranda to be dried. The sun is shining so strong, that all cloths are dried within couple of minutes. Anyway, you do not forget to lubricate the body with sun-cream. The sea-shore is distant only two minutes´ walk from the hotel, so we go to have a look there.

When you do not perceive all objects of rubbish placed here, including cats´ excrements, you can see nice beach with fine, dark-yellow sand. There is blowing hard, but pleasant cold wind, and the waves are arising in horizon. Some waves are nearly two meters high. You can enjoy private as well as „cleanliness“, when you reach fisher´s section of the beach. We walked  up to this place, and I finally set on upon waves, in spite of the fact that I forgot my bathing-drawers in hotel. The sea is warm and quite salted. So, I enjoy fully this swimming feelings for half an hour at least. Our return way is made not only along sea-shore, but through fishers´ village nearby. So, you can follow here real living conditions of local people, without influence of tourist traffic. To tell the truth, there are slums, constructed from tilsts, sails and wood, more happy persons live in bricklaying cubes, including windows and doors - i.e. small houses. The people watch us in different way as in busy towns, they do not meet „white faces“ often. Later, in hotel, I change my dress and quickly order a lunch. I receive a big portion of rice, surrounded with several types of sauces, vegetables and potatoes. The portion is respectable, I am unable to eat everything (the meal cost INR 50,-). I go to bed  after lunch in the afternoon for the first time within our stay in India, and this feeling could not be paid, indeed. In the afternoon, we are walking in a town, however, we could not found any place of interest. Local old houses of British colonial time period are the only attraction. However, from boastful villas, there are now cracked and dirty houses. The dinner, consisting of pancakes with cut banana is for me fully sufficient. Before we go to bed, we drink rest of plum brandy with Coca Cola. However, during the night, we feel the only, but essential, disadvantage of this area, these are mosquitos. We killed at least thirty pieces of insects, but it was unsufficient. Despite the fact that the air-shaft was put on, and I took thick layer of repelent, I discovered couple of splitting on my body in the morning. My Friend Olda did not do so, and he looked like a narco-man in the morning.

Text: Jakub Štantejský, Infoglobe redactor

Photo: Jakub Štantejský, Oldřich Štefl

 

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