We are having some difficulty logging on as there are many power outages and some internet problems. Also, photos are not always uploaded at the time that the text is uploaded. Check previous story for some new pictures.
Puri and surrounding area continues to be interesting. Puri allows the legal use of marijuana and hashish so the street is redolent with the pungent odor of hash. Of course we do not indulge but have often been offered "merry wanna" in a small tube of twisted newspaper.
We went to a handicraft fair on Marine Drive which is where the Indian population vacations and were the only Westerners in sight. The crafts were interesting but crude. Nevertheless, we did find some stuff to buy. They also had a free concert of tabla, harmonium, guitar and synthesizer which we sat through for about an hour. After hearing so much tabla/harmonium music last year in Goa we actually were able to recognize some tunes. The rickshaw driver had agreed to wait so that he could have the fare back to our side of Puri.
The following day we booked a tour to Chilika (chilka) Lake. It is the largest brackish lake in Asia. 600-1000 square meters depending on the time of year. It turned out that the trip to and from the lake was more interesting than the lake itself. Brackish it may be but then it is just a lake. It joins the Bay of Bengal at a narrow neck which is where the boat took us to. We were able to see Irawaddi dolphins jumping alongside the boat. The countryside gave us a view of the rural part surrounding Puri. Very poor with ramshackle huts and dirt roads. On occasion we were able to watch the womean drawing the "good luck" designs in colors of powdered rice. Very friendly people who always greeted us with "where from?". Need we say we were the only Westerners on the tour. Have we said "only Westerners" before?
We had intended to visit the tribal areas but the risk of malaria is high as the mosquitos were particularly abundant in the forested areas where the tribals are located. Also, bird flu was found in West Bengal which is adjacent to Orissa. So we decided to cut our Orissa visit short (by about a week) and head for Goa. We later found out that bird flu was also found in Kolkata. So we phoned the place we stay at in Goa and was told that they had our hut available. We walked to the train station and much to our surprise we were able to book two berths in the same compartment.
As mentioned we cannot upload pictures during this sitting so check back in a few days.
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