Holiday

Last week I had a wonderful week off as my friend, Pete, came to see me.

We met up in the bustling Kolkata which still remains one of my favourite places in India for reasons unknown, I just feel very comfortable there. We had a great first night and started off as we actually didn’t mean to, but just happened to continue with, a lot of food. To digress a moment my brain being the absolute wit that it is still demands on thinking about food A LOT! I didn’t think I was that food orientated until I got here and now my life pretty much revolves around it. I was ill the week before coming away and the food issue rose its ugly head once again and I couldn’t stop thinking about sausages, so in order to try and stop thinking about food I then tried to think about friends and family and my thought trail lead to the food I have previously served or would serve again in the future to my friends and family. I am not joking my subconscious has a sick sense of humour.

We then took the 8 hour train journey down to beautiful Puri where we found an amazing hotel called Z, where we stayed for the week. The beach at Puri is a beautiful long beach of rolling waves and golden sand. There is only one slight problem with it though and that is the rubbish, either on the beach or being pumped into the sea which is a shame considering how beautiful the place is and how stunning it could be.

We also went to the sun temple in Konark which is beautiful, sadly it is disintegrating because of its proximity to the sea but it was a sight to behold and some of the carvings were rather interesting. I am rather glad I was not alive back then as one of the carvings depicted this:

Apparently, or so we were told, this was one of the ways to get rid of a sexually transmitted disease, I am not convinced personally.

Pete and I were asked to have our photographs taken with a couple of people and I was approached to have mine taken with a little girl. I am sure she probably did not say this but I could just image her asking her mum if she could have her photo taken with the giant white lady with the ridiculous hair!

On Thursday we went down to Chilika lagoon which is 50km away and a 3hour bus journey if you go by public transport. We did get to see the amazing sight of Iddywaddy dolphins swimming around. Sadly my photography does not stretch to dolphins and this was my best effort:

I am considering flogging this as a faux Lock Ness Monster photo when I get back, might have to photo shop out the sun!

On getting back off the boat I realised I may have a little bit of heat stroke despite being under shade and drinking plenty of water and I stepped of the boat to the most amazing instantaneous headache. (As Pete put it ‘you look like you’re being stabbed in the head’) So we wimped out on the public transport and paid 100 rupees each to sit on the nice tourist coach on the way home!

Another one of 'those' experiences I’ve had in India was going to a bar in Puri. Drinking is frowned upon but tolerated by tourists so in search for a beer we went to the Bravery Bar – never a more appropriate name was conceived. This little bar is like walking into a very, very grubby cave; it had no windows and was probably the dirtiest place I’ve ever sat down in.  I think when you walk into a place and immediately on entering you turn to the person you’re with and say ‘I’m not sure about this’ it is probably a good sign that you should turn around and walk briskly in the other direction. However we didn’t so we ended up drinking a rather large and strong beer very quickly. I think it’s fair to say my tolerance for alcohol has reduced somewhat so I was a little tipsy that evening.

Going back to food (well you knew I would) we did manage to find the bakery in town. I was in all honesty in pizza/bread/cake heaven. I also managed to completely break my vegetarian ways almost the instant that I saw they sold bacon and sausages. I am hoping it will quell my food thoughts for another few months and I won’t be thinking about those again for a while although I am sure next time I am ill my brain will move onto the next unavailable food stuff in India.

I am back in Deoghar after Pete managed to roll me on the train following my week of gluttony. It was a week filled with good food, a few beers, sunrises and great laughs.