On the second night in CCU, We were relaxing in the room. watching CNN when a story appears on the bottom of the screen stating that Maoists had attacked several police stations in Orissa ( where we were eventually headed) …. They had confiscated guns, and murdered the police …… the headline ran “ State of Siege in the Orissa State” ……. We wondered if our agency was “on top” of this incident but heck, this is India - AND having canceled Myanmar because of “potential problems” …. There was no way I was going to go somewhere else in India- I said to myself, “ what’s the chances of this happening twice in one year?” …….. I guess they were good. We crossed our fingers and prayed that things would settle down. Which, they did eventually. Reportedly, “ Well after the fact” the “terrorists” were caught by the police. I befriended someone at the Oberoi and upon my return there, she told me that there were a few groups whose trips there had been canceled ( there and Darjeeling) – due to “terrorist” incidents.

We did manage to do a sunset cruise but be forewarned. Once the sun goes down the mosquitoes come in for the kill. We were prepared but I don’t think I have seen that many mosquitoes since the Amazon or maybe Cambodia.

On the third day in CCU, the guide took us to two bizarres, and to a mall which she considered upscale. While many bizarres throughout India have great shopping ( particularly northern India) CCU is not the place to do bizarre shopping. It’s basically for the locals. It’s not a tourist area so there is very little in the bizarre. Or maybe, I just have enough shawls and saris so ……… Our guide’s idea of good shopping was a mall. For CCU, this is upscale.

Our friends, whom we travel with every Feb, came in. They are from England, and had just arrived from the Andaman Islands. We met them at the hotel at 2 and just hung out at the pool and caught up.

The next morning, our car/bus arrived to take us to the Sunderbans which is a World Heritage Site and the largest mangrove forest in the world. You DO need a special permit to enter but our Indian agency took care of that for us. There are a few groups that run trips there- In the Sunderbans, there are tigers ( we almost saw two – both were captured and high tide was coming and we had to get out) I know we are not allowed to post tour companies unless specifically asked. So if anyone wants to email me for the name I would be happy to give it ….. I am [email protected]. They “rehabilitate” the poachers who used to kill the tigers by helping them set up a “hotel- and I use the word lightly” - 75 % of the money that is spent with their tour company is given “back” to the people of the village – whether it’s the Sunderbans or Darjeeling – we thought it was a worthwhile cause and they were a great company to deal with ( they booked the whole trip for us CCU, Sunderbans, Puri, Bhubaneswar) so we used them. They had incredible references from National Geographic who use them to do documentaries on the Sunderbans, and from “regular” people---- so -
Our great guide, Dev met us in the lobby, and we were off ………

We left CCU via road to Sonakhali jetty which is the last motorable point to the Sunderbans about 2 ½ hours each way. Going wasn’t bad but coming back at night, the pollution and something – smog, fumigation, the tannery …… something burned our throats like you can’t believe. I had my shirt pulled over my mouth. There were five of us, four of the five were dying from the fumes on our return trip to CCU ( where we had to catch a train). Finally, someone was bright enough to ask the driver to put the Air Conditioning on so that we weren’t inhaling the fumes. That helped significantly.

Anyway, we got on our boat which was comfortable, with a modern toilet and beds on the lower levels ( no real mattresses) but it was comfortable when exhausted. Or, if you wanted to take a nap since we were out all day on the boat. The boat was clean, the driver, and cook were lovely. We had tea and cookies going down to the camp.

Arrived at the base camp, and were pleasantly surprised at our “jungle accommodations” . Our daughter had her own bungalow but refused to stay in it by herself – tigers and mosquitoes nets put her off. That, plus an article she read about the thatched roofs and what lurks under there  But the rooms had one double “bed” and one single ……. The term “bed” is used loosely as the mattresses are about 3 inches thick ….. But, I have to tell you, after the Amazon, this place was paradise. I didn’t see anything in the middle of the night ( but we DID use the mosquito nets). My British friends did hear things under their thatched roof … but nothing “got them” in the middle of the night – I think it was just birds ----- but who knows? The London paper ( London Times?_ did an article on the Sunderbans, and they talked about snakes over there lurking under the thatched roofs …. We saw none of this.

The service was fantastic. The cook was a gentleman from Dubai who came back to his village to help it. Our trusty guide Dev made sure we had lots of Kingfisher beer – I wanted to be in a coma before I went to sleep  I never drink beer when I am home. It had to be ordered in advance ( as in the morning you had to KNOW you wanted beer at nigh) as it to be chilled ahead of time, and he made sure we were supplied.

Dinner was great- everyone ate the same food which was ample, and numerous Indian dishes to savor …… we sat and talked with our GREAT guide and the “Scots.”

We had some problems with an older Scottish couple that was there. When they found out we were from America, we got the “usual” US nonsense, about George W, and how we were ruining everything from the economy to global peace - This “oldish” Scottish couple detailed how BAD American was…… Anyone who has traveled extensively knows that being American and getting “dissed” for it, is a fact of life ….. But, after the second night there I couldn’t stand it anymore. There was a local village show that I wanted to see. If you go to the Sunderbans, a MUST READ is HUNGRY TIDE. The villagers put on a show that has to do with the jungle goddess, and while it IS a bit pricy, I wanted to see it, so, I just said yes because ……. WHAT ELSE ARE WE GOING TO DO AT NIGHT in the jungle!! I think it was about $ 50 US for the show ……..There were 5 of us so it was no big deal. Well the Scots were MOANING about the price and how they WOULDN’T pay it as it was too expensive. I knew I had already paid for the show, so I looked at the woman and said, “Well, America will come to your aid once again and PAY FOR YOU!!!” She just shut up as did her husband who had previously told us the story of the American who was INCENSED when he went to Scotland and failed to see the Lock Ness monster. PLEEEEEEEEASE.

Next morning arrived, 6:30 AM, tea and coffee in the room as well as hot water ( in a bucket) as there is no hot water in the room. Just a cold shower but their hot water coupled with the cold shower water was wonderful. Showered, we headed to breakfast ( oh no, the Scots were there) – head to the other end of the long dinner table) . Breakfast was fine – not the Oberoi, but hey, we ARE in the jungle.

We got to our boat (same one that we came in on) and we were off on the water
( that’s how you get around there). We stopped at a watchtower to check in with our permit, saw the gov’t run hotel there which was horrid, and were off again, hunting for tigers, alligators or maybe they were crocs, and dolphins. Every time I go to India, I hope to see a Bengal tiger. This is the only time we were told ahead of time that the chances were slim to none. However, we came close. Two were caught in local villages ( it was in the paper so that’s how we were able to verify it) …… it was the closest we came to seeing a tiger. It didn’t really matter though. The daily excursions on the boat were sooooooooo relaxing. There were no other vehicles other than local fisherman. It was us and the Sunderbans. And the THOUGHT that a tiger could emerge – they can swim incredible distances – who knew? You could see that the gov’t had put up chain link fences in certain areas but it was a “joke” because if the tiger wanted to get through the fence they could. It was a “psychological” barrier. They said it was for the tiger but-

There were several watchtowers that we stopped at where you can sit/ actually stand and “wait” to see if a tiger will come. However, the tigers are smart. While we were the only people there, I am sure that the tigers wait until it’s dark to come out. You have to leave the park just before sunset- and that’s when they come out. Anyway, the three days and two nights were spent on the water. Very relaxing. Food was great on the boat as well.

The night before we left though, is seared into my brain. Dev ( our guide) took us to the local village ceremony. Since noise travels for miles there, each morning we heard music at about 5 AM …… We inquired where the music was coming from …… He told us that it was a local village ceremony that was going on for a few days. On the last night, he asked if we wanted to go to the ceremony. It was a 45 minute walk from the camp to the village. A little dog
( they are all over the place) followed us the entire way, which was a very brave thing to do since almost everyone has a dog near their little thatch hut and the dogs serve as “alarm systems” challenging anyone or any dog that passes by the outside. Thank the Lord it was a semi full moon, and our guide had a “torch” which was really a big flashlight” It was surreal. Mist coming off the water, the tiny fishing boats anchored in the water right off the path, thick trees coming out of the water, thatched huts all around. What I could conjure up was Japan circa 1700. And, the anticipation that a tiger could emerge at any moment . Thinking back on it, it was a “bit” life threatening but I NEVER think that anything BAD can happen – and figuring I was with my guide – what could happen? As it happened, we were completely safe …. And the visual of that night it right up there with the great moments of life … the Pyramids ( I was in the Mena House) , the Great Wall of China ( I trekked the 6 mile section of it), the Peruvian Amazon ( spent 4 nights in the THICK OF IT) , the Taj Mahal, Varanassi ( I can go on but you get the picture) . It was an OH MY GOD……

Once we got to the village – the people were incredulous. We were a hit!! We were in the middle of nowhere at a local festival - Hundreds of people looked at us – followed us at a respectable distance watching, giggling. We stayed, listened to the music, looked at the local “ 4 H club” contributions, which were amazing …….. and left – we were there about an hour . It was analogous to a US fair but much, much, much smaller- There was music, food stands, and merchants selling “stuff” which, from what we gathered, the locals thought was unusual – towels, shampoos …….. and shoes ……. We bought some people, and children things that they were looking at, i.e., an old woman wanted to buy a face cloth and it was too expensive. We just sat back watching it unfold. I must admit my British friends are more “in tune” with buying things for locals than we are. I am big on orphanages ------ we bought shoes for a little kid and her sister whose parent kept looking and looking for a pair of shoes that they could afford ……. The 30 rupees ( less that $ 1 US) brought such smiles to the children’s’ faces – it was such a good deed. I don’t’ know if I would KNOW to do this, but my friends from England are so kind and believe that the more we give the more we will receive in life – or maybe it’s because I don’t want to come back as an “ant” in my next life- I do it …….Nonetheless, it gives me great pleasure to give to others less fortunate. It is an ephemeral moment - and thank you to our guide who offered it – we were the only ones who got to go – I did buy our guide dog biscuits ( as I asked our guide and he said it would be good) …….. we gave the poor thing cookies – I am sure I should have given it to the kids at the festival but our trusty dog followed us back to our camp – I happen to love dogs 

The next morning, we were up and ready to hit the road . So after three days in the jungle, we were ready to get back on the boat and head back to Calcutta. The trip on the boat took longer than expected – I don’t remember why but it had to do with the tide.

Back at Sonakhali jetty, our car was waiting for us. The trip via road back into Calcutta was awful as described above. We got to the train, and with some haggling with the porters, managed to get some of them to take our bags. We booked a first class sleeping compartment on the Puri- Howrah Express which left at 10:30 PM and arrived in Puri the next morning at 8:30 AM. I don’t recall the price but it was expensive. While the prospect of sleeping on one of these trains is a bit daunting, it is “relatively” clean, and in India, if there is an overnight train to your destination, it really IS the best transportation option. I only saw one roach upon entering the cabin. But with that sight burned in my brain, I promptly went to sleep fully clothed.

We all woke up somewhat refreshed at our destination, Puri. Our driver and guide were at the platform waiting for us, and hung some rather “tired looking” marigolds around our neck. Once in the car, we were taken to our hotel the Mayfair Beach Resort. For my review of this hotel, the reader is referred to Tripadvisor. It was not a favorable review.

Puri is one of the four holiest places in India. There is plenty of ocean around you. If you want to venture on your own, a tuk tuk ride was 50 Rupees into the center of the city from The Mayfair Beach Hotel.

Our guide took us to the crematorium right away. There were people being cremated right out in the open in a special section, and other people being carted down the street in a shroud waiting their turn. I happen to enjoy the religious aspect of this, but for someone who hasn’t been properly informed, it would be somewhat of a shocker. Following this we went to the Sri Jagannath Temple which has to be viewed from across the street in a “library” which has seen better days. The man collecting “donations” is a bit of a con artist as well. The term donation suggests that you can contribute what you want. He had other ideas. After quite a bit of haggling, and me having to show him in a guide book what a “suggested donation” consisted of, he backed down. Once upstairs, our guide gave us an extensive lecture on the temple ( at this point I generally tune out).
If you are in this area, you should see the temple as it is impressive. However, there are far more impressive living temples around other parts of India.

Next we went down to some “pool” area where the bathers of the dead had gathered. A priest was there showing them how to do their absolution/honoring of the dead. Then onto the city center which was teeming with people, cows, and cars. I had to go to the bathroom so our guide brought me to a restaurant. There was a room with a drain. That was it. So, I guess the thought was, you went on the floor and then wash it away. I just couldn’t, so I held on.

The next few days were spent going out and about the town and the surrounding area. We went to Chilika Lake which was about an hour or so away from Puri on a lovely road dotted with rice paddies. The Chilika Lake excursion really consisted of two boat trips. We were supposed to ride in a “small” boat which would then take us to the “bigger boat” which did not have shade on it. We were to be on the bigger boat for about 3 hours. So, we opted to take the small boat excursion instead. The boat driver promptly found loads of Irrawaddy dolphins for us, and we sat under a ripped awning on the boat watching these dolphins play for about 45 minutes. It was lovely.

Back into the car, driving along the scenic route, we arrived at our hotel to find them fumigating. We thought it was a fire, but the smell and the crows that were flying away told us otherwise. Once the smell subsided, we went to the bar and had snacks and beer.

Out for dinner. There were two places we tried while in Puri. One was called the Grand Palace or the King’s Restaurant . It was located in the center of the city and was excellent and inexpensive. There was no liquor served. The other one was Wild Grass. We ate there two nights in a row. Everything that we tried was excellent.

The next morning we spent by the pool, and having massages. In the afternoon we again ventured out to Konark Sun Temple. En route our guide asked if we wanted to detour to a fishing village. We were game. Apparently, these “fishermen” were refugees from somewhere. I thought he said they were from Tamil Nadu but my husband thinks Bangladesh. Anyway, incredible poverty everywhere. When we arrived, they were manually bringing the boats to shore which is no easy task. It took about 10 of them to carry one of these boats. We gave out everything that we had ( which was plenty) but still not enough. We stopped at a small hut where the woman was selling small articles, and bought tons of soap. When the people saw my husband buying the small soaps, they hoarded around him. He couldn’t break lose, so he handed them to me. I was instantly surrounded by hundreds of people. A bit frightening but I managed to give the soaps out.

En route, the guide wanted us to stop at a “stone carving shop” and if you have traveled you know what that means. So, we did our obligatory stop, one of us bought something as a gift, and we were off to Konark.

To go to Konark, you have to go early in the AM or late in the day due to the heat. The Sun Temple was very impressive, and a World Heritage site. Parts of it are being renovated, but it is like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. The stone work is beyond impressive in terms of detail, and reflects HIGH erotica. Even the spokes in the giant wheels had miniature examples of the erotic carvings found all over the temple site. Spent a few hours there, and back in the car.

It was dark by then. It always fascinates me how they can drive at night. They rarely use their headlights except to flash for passing. There obviously is some system, but it is foreign to Westerners. We “almost” hit a cow who was crossing the road. At this point our guide discussed the penalty for hitting a cow. Apparently, it is a grievous offense in this culture. The offender must keep straw in his mouth for a week, eat cow manure, sleep with the cows, and feed the village. There was more to the story but you get the picture.

Puri had many fascinating moments. We were invited to a few weddings, danced in the street at local “street procession weddings”, and partied at the hotel at an IT affair. I guess in this part of India it’s a novelty to see Westerners. Culturally, it was great.

The next day we were leaving for Bhubaneswar which is about an hour or so from Puri. En route we stopped at an “untouchables” village, and donated more trinkets, pens, soap, shampoo etc. This was more manageable than the Fisherman’s village owing to the fact that there were fewer people, and our guide put all the items in a bag, sat us down, had the people line up, and we doled the goodies out that way. The orderly line didn’t last long as their curiosity got the better of them. We went to another temple, got a “ blessing” and were off to Pipli. which is a small town that you have to pass through to get to Bhubaneswar.

Many of the shops in Pipli were closed because it was the last Tuesday of the month or some such nonsense. But, a few were open. The shops sold very ornate, appliquéd work. After we perused the merchandise, we decided that we really didn’t need any. We would probably put it on a closet shelf once we were home.

The hotel in Bhubaneswar was the Mayfair Lagoon which is truly a 5 star hotel
( for details of the stay the reader is referred to Trip Advisor.) Bhubaneswar is known as the city of temples and for a good reason, there are thousands of them here. They are not of the Konark Sun Temple variety. Rather, they are small, and similarly built. Our guide “guilt tripped” us into seeing several hours worth as well as Bindusagar Lake, which is a holy reservoir believed to hold water from each and every holy river and lake in India. However, we had the most fun at a local festival. At this traveling festival, there were stands with merchandise representing many of the states of India. So, you could get merchandise from other states without having to leave ORISSA!! Plus they had great food stands there. While I am not an adventurous eater ( food from street vendors), I did try a masala dosa stand, and had one of the best masala dosas of my life there!

Then we went to the Ekamra International Food Festival. All the top hotels had stands there so we thought we would try it. It was just “OK” We had had some incredible meals while in India, and maybe if this Food Festival were in the states once we got home, we would think it was great food. But, not while in India.

The next day we woke up, had a massage, and spent time lounging by the magnificent pool until the early afternoon. This is when we did our “temple touring.” What I found fascinating was some construction work that was going on around Bindusagar Lake. There was loads of HUGE marble/stone boulders lined up on the street, and these two “little guys” with chains and a bamboo pole were lifting these boulders and carrying them on their shoulders. We were mesmerized by this! My friend tried to lift one with the help of one of these “little men” and he couldn’t. Then, my husband tried, and he couldn’t either . My husband said it was BEYOND heavy to lift. One of the men had an unbelievable callus on his shoulder that reminded me of a camel’s hump.

Back to the hotel, and to the English “pub” while we waited for our daughter who took the longer “temple tour,” and our friends who were at an Internet café trying to find a room in Delhi( as we were all leaving the next day). We went to check out the villas at the hotel, which we had contemplated staying in. If you can afford to stay in one, then do it. The one we viewed was luxurious, and could’ve easily accommodated the five of us.

We decided to take our guide and driver to dinner, so they picked a place. The food was good and somewhat expensive. I was a bit alarmed that our driver “had a few” beers considering he had to drive us back. But we got back to the hotel safe and sound.

The next morning we were up and out of the hotel by 11. After a teary goodbye to our British friends, we were at the airport in no time as it is virtually “right there.”
Our Indian Air, 50 minute flight arrived on time, and it took us longer than that to get back to the Oberoi but ………..)

Overnight at the Oberoi, and we were out the next morning by 8:30 AM to catch our Jet Air flight to BKK. It arrived on time, and I was pleased to see many monks were on board ( don’t ask me why but it always gives me peace of mind to see people of the cloth on airplanes with me).

We got into BKK, spent time waiting in line at Immigration, got my boarding pass for that night’s flight out, and headed to the taxi stand. I had posted online ( Fodor’s.com) for restaurants in BKK, and was supplied with many good choices. We decided upon Harmonique because the poster indicated that it was right off the highway, and we wouldn’t have a hard time getting a taxi back to the airport. As it turned out, we hired our driver for the night, as it was just easier that way. I am thinking it was $50 US including tip to do this. I had printed out what to order at Harmonique as someone was kind enough to list what they had tried and loved. It took a bit of finding but our driver eventually located it. The food was MAGNIFICENT. Thank God we had arrived when we did ( about 5:30) because as soon as we got there, within a half hour, the place was mobbed. So if you are going there, do call for reservations, if it’s dinner you’re looking for. Of course I had no map of Bangkok on me and our driver spoke no English. I had wanted to go to a market. But couldn’t get him to understand. I managed to find a street vendor and bought my annual allotment of Ralph Lauren knock off sleeveless shirts, and bought some silver hoop earrings at a silver store. I figured the place was legit as there were three Englishmen there on a jewelry buying trip. They come to this store every year to replenish their inventory.

Then, we went to a “girlie” bar show to kill some more time before take off --which won’t be described here  And, back to the airport. Getting through Immigration was a bit tortuous this time. It took close to 45 minutes to check out. Once that was over with, we shopped for a bit, and headed to security which was a breeze to get through. The Thai Air plane was on time leaving BKK and thank the LORD they had a functioning television and audio system for the flight home.

What an interesting report! Please post the name of the tour operator!

The company was http://www.helptourism.com/

Asit was my initial contact there and was very helpful. He travels alot for the organization so you will have to deal with his co-workers. But all of them are great, especially Debotosh.

I just found his direct email address:
[email protected]

Thanks!

I am going to link the first part of your report here, just to keep things together:





http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35117987

nice report...

Hi ekscrunchy

For some reason yesterday I couldn't fit the entire report on one posting. Thanks

Thanks for posting the Scottish couple sound ghastly!