Home » India » India 2002 - Part Two: Bhubaneswar, Puri & Konark

In the morning I hired a taxi (800 Rupees/ $17.00) for a day trip to Puri. It is said to be one of the four holiest places in India.

India 2002 - Part Two: Bhubaneswar, Puri & Konark

Dougburnett
2003-11-24 11:56:59

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There were also some very interesting looking holy men sitting there and I gave them a coin each. In their case I also took their picture. I think it demeaning to photograph the poverty and misery of India - it's everywhere. The holy men, on the other hand, were handsome and dignified. None of them minded having his picture taking, in fact, they seemed to sit up a little straighter when I pointed my camera at them.

I finished up the temples in the area and started walking toward more temples. After a few minutes I realized I had made a wrong turn. At the same time a rickshaw driver who had been following me drew along side and asked where I wanted to go. I'm sure he had seen me heading in the wrong direction and had waited until I realized my mistake before approaching me. I told him where I wanted to go and we settled on a price for the ride. As it worked out he drove me to see the last few temples and then back to the hotel. His timing was perfect. He got a good fare and a generous tip.

First, he took me out to the Brahmeswar Mandir where the temple priest walked me around and explained the various sculptures on the building, never missing to point out the erotic ones. The priest was a fat fellow with a shallow, persistent cough - I immediately though of TB for some reason and kept my distance. I tipped him for his effort and he seemed genuinely surprised.

My driver stopped at two more temples on the way back to the hotel. At the last one there was a fellow setting alone on the steps of the tank. He said something to me I didn't catch, so I just waved. My driver said, "He want's to know if you want to smoke some hash with him."

Back at the hotel after lunch, I did something I hadn't done yet this trip - I took a nap. After that I walked north to Station Square. Along the way I saw a woman splitting bamboo to make a huge crosshatched frame that looked like an entrance. I suspect that it would eventually be covered with flowers and had some ceremonial use. At the Square I stopped at an ice cream shop and had a little treat before heading back to the market near my hotel.

I spent the afternoon wandering around more. Then I checked out and flew on to Hyderabad. Again the most notable thing was how thoroughly my luggage was inspected: three separate times. Once I had to take everything out of my bag and lay it out on a long table, dirty laundry included.

In Hyderabad I again used the prepaid taxi to get to my hotel, the Central Court. After checking in I stopped at the travel desk, which to my surprise was still open. They had received my email inquire and we quickly put together a plan for a road trip to Bijapur, Gulbarga and Bidar. They offered a non-a/c Ambassador and an English-speaking driver for 4 days. The driver would pay for his own meals and accommodation (which I later found out meant he would sleep in the car) and cover the gas. I was to pay all "taxes" as the road tolls were known, and of course, my own food and lodging. The total would be 6500 Rupees or about $140 US. (By way of comparison, I had received two quotes via email from TCI and SITA for $350 and $300 respectively.) I immediately accepted and we agreed I would leave Thursday at 8:00.

That settled, I went for a quick walk around my hotel and bought a couple bottles of water. Then I hit the hotel bar for cold beer and to put some time in on my journal.

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