Orissa

Tabby and I sat in the waiting room until daybreak. The sign said Ladies Waiting Room, but everyone was there. People were sleeping on the floor or on chairs. We whiled away a few hours and then hired a rickshaw to take us to our accommodations, which ended up being quite nice.

We spent the day exploring temples in the city, and then visited the Global Fund for AIDS office. We were having a lovely time, and the woman who worked there arranged for us to have a driver the next day who would take us to all the places that we wanted to see. Then, we got the call, saying that we would no longer be able to stay there after tonight. There was an issue with our visas, and we didn’t have the right kind.

We made a few phone calls, and a new plan was devised. However, the plan was now a lot more complicated and involved losing some time, so we had to adjust accordingly. I found myself frustrated that the plan was revised without input from us about what was most important. Someone else was in charge of arranging the hotel and driver, and I did not know if that person would choose what we wanted. I ended up seeing most of what I wanted, yet, we hardly had any time at the beach, and I wasn’t able to see the artist villages that the area is known for.
 

 

In Puri, we went to see the Jagannath Temple. As non-Hindus, we weren’t allowed in, so my guide book suggested going across the street to the library for a good view. I saw the library sign but not the entrance. A man approached us, saying he would led the way to the library, but he was pointing to another building. We looked to see where he indicated and he wanted to take us through a maze-like path through buildings. He said the library was closed already. I wasn’t liking the looks of things and got out my book, which mentions a scam by the nearby hotel where they charged a large sum for entrance. Sure enough, he was suggesting we donate to him. So, we ditched the guy, but he was annoyingly persistent. We wandered around, trying to find the doorway to the library, but there was a lot of chaos, so we doubled back. Our friendly helper appeared again and because now we were standing right near the doorway to the library, about to discover it, he opened it up, saying he helped us find it and pestering us. I was so annoyed I gave him 20 rupees to leave us alone for good.

Upstairs, a man sitting at a desk was saying that he was the official librarian and we had to be  aware of all the scammers outside. He whipped out a photo album with pictures of the group leader of the scamming gang and sure enough, it was our helpful friend! The librarian also requested a donation and I couldn’t help but think he was also in league with the scammer downstairs. He had a long spiel urging us to donate large amounts. He had not one but two registry books. Perhaps one was official and the other, his own sly method of scamming visitors. I imagined that once we (or other tourists) appear in town, a network of calls go out to keep track of our whereabouts and alert interested parties to be on the lookout for us. Or, maybe I am just getting paranoid. Could it be the malaria drugs?

Konark Sun Temple was dazzling. Unfortunately, my camera lens has gouges scratched out of it so many of my pictures have glares in non-artistic and distracting places. We also visited rock cut caves and a Peace Pagoda, as well as a grove of statuary artisans along the side of the road.

The last night in Bhubaneswar creeped me out. We had an early morning train so we stayed close to the station after our lovely day of sightseeing. Again, this hotel was not chosen by us. Someone had recommended it, but it was not a happy experience. Our room had roaches, lots of roaches, even in the daytime.

We went downstairs to eat dinner in the restaurant connected to the hotel. I didn’t even want to think about the roaches. Our waiter inquired as to where we were staying and what room number. I thought he would charge the bill to our room. Later, when we asked about it. the answer was no, of course not, the hotel is separate from the restaurant. Then why did he want to know our room number? Great, now someone knows where we are staying! Tabby and I were both thinking the same thing, that the waiter was informing his friends that we had left the room. The waiter ran out for a minute. The bill was taking a while. A plan to stall us? Tabby decided to go back to the room to make sure everything was okay, picturing slashed backpacks. I heard Tabby in the hallway frantically asking how to get out of there and into the hotel. Had they locked the door? I wasn’t just worried about theft, but also a midnight knock on the door or window.

Back at the room, everything was fine. No intruders. Nothing but cockroaches. We were laughing at ourselves, but we slept with a chair barricaded against the door, just in case.