Chennai, Odisha Tribal Region and Puri

Posted on 3rd December 20189th December 2018 by Andy

On the drive to Chennai we stopped at the Chennai Snake Park, to witness a venom milking of the cobras and crate snakes. They also have crocodiles and there were thousands of those in various enclosures, but it had started to rain and at least the snake milking was undercover. There was a pit about 4 foot deep and about the size of a small swimming pool containing about 200 terracotta jars in which the snakes were kept. There were 5 cobras and 3 crate snakes that I could see coiled up on a table. The guide would pick a snake up by the head and squeeze it gently but firmly until it showed its fangs, which look like needles, and then positioned the snakes head by a jar with a rubber seal on the top. The snakes fangs were pushed through the rubber, simulating a bite reaction, which in turn allowed the venom to flow. The snake produced about 15-20ml of venom and the guide told us it would be enough to kill about 20 people.

While we were watching the snakes the heavens opened. Within seconds the roads turned into rivers. Honestly, you would be drier if you fell into a swimming pool with the amount of rain coming down. The truck was parked about 200m from the snake park and because of the rain, we all ran back. I can only imagine the terror for anyone passing by, assuming that all the snakes and crocodiles were escaping, seeing tourists run for their lives.

Didn’t really do much in Chennai. The hotel wasn’t great, nor was the food but was completely soaked through. There were options to go and see various temples or museums but by this point I really couldn’t be bothered. So I just explored the surrounding streets which looked pretty much like any other Indian town, with the same advertising hoardings, litter and smells. The station in Chennai looked a little like a smaller version of St Pancras.

Once out of Chennai, the north east side of India really started to improve. Instead of being dusty, dirty, and crowded, it was becoming far more lush with a lot more vegetation. The twisty roads were becoming narrower as they rose up into the mountains, with small remote villages dotted along the way. The air was starting to feel a little cleaner too. Pretty soon jungle started to hug the mountain side and it felt a little cooler in the shade of the trees, but it was still in excess of 30 degrees. It’s weird, but I had a feeling of being ‘alive’ whilst here. Some of the turns on the road were so tight, that the truck could not make round in one go so we ended up having to do a 5 point turn just to make it around. At one stage the hairpin was so tight that we all had to get off the truck just case the turn wasn’t successful. It was quite an achievement but it was a good excuse to stretch the legs and have a jungle loo stop.

We were now entering the Odisha Tribal region of India were very few tourists visit so it was as real privilege to be able to go here.

In Goudaguda we stayed at the Chandoori Sai Guesthouse which is owned and run by an Australian guy. The food were was terrific and it was a pleasure to eat some ‘western food’. Roast Chicken dinner with chilled wine and apple pie for desert – it was just what my taste buds needed.
We were here for a couple of nights but I could have stayed much longer. During the days we walked to and around local Paroja, Mali and Kondh villages which were lovely and are renowned for earthen pottery.

We watched them effortlessly create the most ornate pots within seconds from nothing more than a lump of clay collected from the river and a spinning wheel controlled by the operators feet.

Diwali, the festival of light, happened while we were in this region. Originally were meant to stay in Baliguda but due to some local political disruption, we weren’t able to make the planned accommodation. I don’t actually know where we ended up staying but it was relatively off the beaten track and know the lift played really loud music when the safety doors were open which you could hear in the room. For Diwali people were letting fireworks off in the street left, right and centre. Health and safety was right out of the window, just like some rockets and bangers… Some landed really close and my ears were ringing from the bangs that I could hardly hear people shouting’ “Happy Diwali!” These are much louder fireworks than the ones you get back home. There was a meal laid on in a street side restaurant and one of the highlights was ‘chicken 65’, very similar to a Chinese sweet and sour chicken and very nice.

The next few days were in a town called Puri, one of the holiest pilgrimage places in India. We arrived mid afternoon but it seems most shops and restaurants close after lunch and re-open in the evening. I was really hungry but the only thing I was able to find to eat was a packet of crisps. Still it tidied me over until dinner later that night. The hotel had a pool, but my room wasn’t near it or that great. The bed was warped and the mattress U-shaped. I was on the front, ground floor of the hotel right by the road side so had car horns going off until the very small hours and despite travelling since July, this is the first and only time I have had a squat style toilet in a room. I tried to change rooms but there was no availability.

Late in the afternoon, we had a cycle rickshaw ride to visit various Ashrams, temples, monasteries which was nice. I did feel sorry for the guy having to pedal me around but I guess they are used to carrying two people in the rickshaw.

We stopped at one of the craziest markets I have ever been to and it was pandemonium. What should have been a 5 min walk took 45 mins, due to the volume of people and beggars, to get to the library where palm leaf manuscripts are kept. We were able to access the roof here and see the Jaganarth temple at sunset. Not being Hindu, were not able to access the temple itself.

The next day was fun and very gentle. It was a 1 hour minibus drive to Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in India famed for its birds and dolphins. We boarded long tail boats and had a very pleasant ride with everyone keeping an eye out to see if they could see the dolphins but no joy.

Soon we arrived at, not sure if it was either an island or a spit of land on the other side, but we disembarked and had a nice walk for a few hours and saw various wildlife including kingfishers, eagles and water buffalo. There was a very nice BBQ lunch laid on which had all the usual suspects there including giant prawns. However not liking fish or seafood, I donated my share to the group who were grateful. A quick hop onto the boats for the ride back to the minibus, once again everyone was keeping their eyes peeled for dolphins and this time it paid off, albeit far off in the distance.

The last day in Puri was a cycle ride. Initially we were all apprehensive about cycling in India due to traffic, cows, the state of the roads etc. but the route itself was off the beaten track and on quiet well maintained roads and cycle paths and was really enjoyable even with speed bumps that I would take quickly as if I were still riding at Swinley Forest. At one stage we got stopped by the police, not for dangerous riding or anything, but they just wanted to have a selfie with us. Seemed bizarre, but not going to argue with the Indian police. The ride lasted all morning but I could have quite happily rode all afternoon too, but we were there to visit the UNESCO world heritage site of the Konark Sun Temple, conceived as a giant chariot, believed to be one of Indias greatest temples.

Goa, Hampi and sore in Mysore

Posted on 26th October 201828th October 2018 by Andy

It was an early start, leaving the hotel at 05:00 to catch the 07:12 train to North Goa. There was a little contingency built into this time which was lucky as a few of our group got separated on the way to the station and were dropped off at a different entrance, but we met up shortly after following a frantic search.

The train was over 1km long and had several classes but fortunately our A1 carriage wasn’t at the other end of the platform. The train took 15 hours to reach North Goa and although it was a ‘day train’, there were bunk beds in our air conditioned carriage so I was able to catch up on some rest.

Surprisingly the train left on time, was smooth and wasn’t overcrowded which was all unexpected but it seemed that every 5 minutes, someone would walk down the carriage selling various food items from “chicken lollipops” to “mixed fruit” and “chai”. All of which looked and smelled very good. I had some mixed vegetable noodles for lunch which were nice and not bad for 70p.

The time passed quickly on the train, even with two 1.5 hour unexpected stops along the way. I couldn’t help wonder how people would have reacted back home with these added delays. No doubt people would have taken to social media citing ‘outrage’ and ‘travel chaos’, and demanding compensation but here it’s part and parcel of the adventure and we didn’t really notice the delays.

Arriving in North Goa in the dark, we got taxis to the hotel which should have been a 45 minute journey, however the taxi driver must have thought he was on a Grand Prix circuit as it only took 20 minutes. We dropped our bags off at the hotel some of us wondered up the street to a little restaurant called The Mango Tree which had a good mix of food on offer. I ordered a margarita pizza as I just fancied something simple and plain. When it arrived there was hardly any tomato on there and it had at least a 1.5cm thick covering of cheese all over. I managed to eat about half of it but had to admit defeat before retiring.

Next day we walked to the fort above Vagator beach which was ok, very hot and sweaty. You could see several beaches from the fort but the smog seemed to dull the colours a bit.

Walking back to the hotel later, we went a different way passed some local houses and down some steps to cross a small river. Five people had crossed ahead of me and then it was my turn. Just as I was about to cross the river something caught my eye to the right, a movement in the undergrowth, now at head height. It was a snake! I only saw it because it moved. It was about 2 ft long and about an inch thick, brown with a yellow stripe the length of its body. Googling the description when I got back to the hotel, the closest I could find that resembled it, was a garter snake which are usually found in USA. But the good thing is nobody got bitten and it was non venomous.

A couple of days later, we caught a bus to South Goa and to perhaps one of India’s finest beaches (so they say), Palolem Beach.

We stayed in beach huts that were set back from the beach in a holiday park resort complex but they were more like portacabins than beach huts. Still, beds were comfy and the air con worked. I think we are about a month too early to see it at its best but even with slightly overcast weather and sand in suspension in the sea, it was pretty nice. There were two fantastic beach front restaurants though and the caipirinhas were excellent 🙂 We had no plans here, it was just free time to relax so had a wander up and down the beach and went for a paddle. Red flags were flying so couldn’t go for a swim even though some locals did.

While having lunch and overlooking the beach, I downloaded the November 2018 edition of Wanderlust magazine (the 25th anniversary edition) and was flicking through and was pleased and surprised to see me on the top left of page 9. I had submitted a photo to their ‘from the road’ section and they published it. 🙂 There’s also an article about Dragoman in their – one of their guides won guide of the year, an article about Mumbai where had just been and a few other articles about either were I’m planning to go or when I have been so quite an enjoyable read.

Was actually quite glad to move on from South Goa, it wasn’t as stunning as I expected, maybe various brochures had built it up too much. We left South Goa at a reasonable time after breakfast and we split into two buses to take us to Hampi. While we were on the train from Mumbai to North Goa, the truck developed a couple of technical issues which couldn’t be fixed roadside which is why we are using chartered buses. It was another long drive but the seats were large and comfy and there was ample leg room too so the journey wasn’t too bad.

Once again it as dark when we arrived in Hampi, but the restaurant at the hotel served good food and beer. The rooms were little round bungalows with thatched roofs and a hammock on the porch. Small but comfortable and the beds had mosquito nets which worked and were necessary. In the morning we walked down a little lane, crossed the river, which looked as if it belonged in a Tarzan film, in a little boat powered by a spluttering outboard motor and visited the ruins of Vijayanagara which was the ancient capital of the Vijayanagara empire, now a UNESCO world heritage site. The site as huge and took until mid afternoon to explore.

On the way to Mysore, we stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant, like we had most drive days, and I ordered a paneer tikka masala. But on the bus later in the afternoon I didn’t feel quite right. There had been a cough going around over the last few weeks and I was fortunate enough to not have it but suddenly it started. Still full from lunch, I skipped dinner and went straight to bed, but at 02:00hrs was up with sickness and diarrhoea, mixed with a cold and a fever now in full swing. Needless to say I got no sleep and with energy levels depleted, I just stayed in bed switching between full sweats and uncontrollable shivering with visits to the bathroom. I took various medications but my body just rejected them, so it was a case of let it settle for a bit and then take some. Even a week later am still ‘delicate’ and I have got some strong cravings for some English food, or anything without a curry flavour. Just the thought of curry makes me feel sick still, which is frustrating as still have over a month in India to go.

So didn’t see much in Mysore, only the hotel room and that wasn’t much to write about. But I seem to be on the mend now. Am able to keep food in and am keeping hydrated. Still, given I have been travelling since the beginning of July and have been in India for over a month already, this is the first time I have been what I’d call ill which isn’t bad.

Round and Round…

Posted on 19th September 201819th September 2018 by Andy

It was an early start to get to the station for the 07:30 train to Fujian that meant getting up at around 05:00 to check out of the hostel and get on the Metro for about an hour or so (and it was already busy) to ensure we were at the station in time for boarding the bullet train. It was a long sitting down journey, trying to sleep, at least for the first part. The train although travelling at close to 250 km/h in between the endless stops, didn’t arrive in Fujian until about 16:30. The cost of these bullet trains is ridiculously cheap, only about £16 for effectively a 1st class comfortable seat. Every time we came out of a tunnel the scenery changed from a flat urban landscape into more mountainous regions, it was quite a sight.

Waiting for us at the station was the next guide and a small, cramped mini van which had barely enough leg room for a dwarf. On the 2 hour journey to the dinner stop, the guide insisted on playing really bad R&B, shitey, whiney karaoke music. I honestly do not know how the diver could concentrate with that blaring out… maybe I am just too old? After dinner we were squeezed back into the van and it was another 40 minutes of that music to put up with as well as lots of twisting and turning roads until we reached our guesthouse. The guesthouse was something very different indeed. It was a Fujian Tulou, basically a large mud round house with 4 or 5 floors in which the Hakka and Minnan ethnic minorities still live in, with each family occupying a floor. Some of those families offer rooms to guests and tourists so it was a pleasure to stay there. They even had WiFi.

The village is fairly quiet and remote with a few hotels and bars, and a river flowing through it. I couldn’t see much at night but we wondered down to a bar and had a few drinks where they made a really nice passion fruit cocktail with local plum liquor and whisky too. Somehow it tasted just like sherbet lemons.

Next morning after a decent lie-in we transferred to a different guest house where we had breakfast of steamed buns and scrambled eggs, orange juice and bizarrely Coca Cola. Then it was a short walk to another round house to sample about 10 varieties of tea. Some were really nice like the green tea, burdock tea and black tea, whilst others such as the Jasmin tea tasted like a pot-purri air freshener. The ground floors of these round houses tend to be small shops and family run businesses whilst the families live on one of the floors above. It was here that I realised why people looked at me oddly when I asked for coffee at breakfast as this region is famed for its tea growing. I also tried some variation on peanut butter sweets and also some sesame seed jelly which again were really nice.

After a quick walk around the UNESCO world heritage site village and taking in some of the views, it was back to the guest house for a little rest before a 20 minute walk to a quiet spot in the river where we could have a swim. There was a pool being filled with a natural waterfall surrounded by gentle rocks and forest. The water wasn’t crystal clear but it was clear enough and shallow enough in places to lay on the rocks and let the cool water flow over but equally deep enough in places that you could jump in of the rocks and not touch the bottom. It was a great way to spend the afternoon cooling off.

Before dinner, we got into the van and drove up the mountain to watch the sun set over the tea plantations. However a storm was imminent, and clouds with thunder and lightening blocked the view so it was really a wasted effort.

Next morning, the sky had cleared and it was a perfect day for a quick bike tour. Fortunately is was mostly downhill and there was a support van with us carrying water, etc. Stopped off at a nearby village and visited its temple and then carried on for another hour or so until we reached the biggest roundhouse in the region. Just time for a quick walk around and then press on to the village for an ice cream and to meet the van which would drive us back to the guesthouse.

The afternoon was free time to sit and relax before catching the night train to Guangzhou East where we would board a public bus to take us to Zhuhai, the border with Macau. It was a bit of a rush to get from the night train to the bus and we barely made it. Crossing the border was straight forward enough and I got the exit stamp in my passport.

In Macau, we dropped our bags off at one of the huge casinos and then explored a couple of them which seemed a hybrid of casino, shopping centres and hotel. Visited Galaxy and the Venetian both huge complexes.

Fortunately here in Macau the public transport is free, all paid for by the casinos so it was easy to get around. If I’m being honest I could have done without all the casino faff as super typhoon Mangkhut was about to hit Hong Kong and Macau. Lots of the building were preparing for the worst and applying tape to the windows. Only had a few hours here and in the old town but that was more than enough. At around tea time, we caught the hydrofoil ferry back to Kowloon and although they issued typhoon warnings and advised to expect a rough crossing, it was actually really fast and smooth. It only took an hour and there was plenty of space.

So back in Kowloon where my China adventure began and checked into the the same hostel as before. During the night you could hear the winds getting up but the worst of it was to hit the next day. I checked out of the hostel early and made it in time to a hotel, just 2 minutes walk away, but already the rain was lashing down and the winds were strong, blowing signs and trees over. Disaster struck as my umbrella I had borrowed from the hostel blew inside out and then was wrenched from my hands by the wind. Fortunately my room was ready before the scheduled check in time and was able to stay safe up on 17th floor, away from any flooding. However when the winds blew, the whole hotel began to sway and I could see the light fixtures and coat hangers swing too. Looking out of the window I could see various objects being blown around and tiles dropping onto car windscreens. Luckily the night before I had bought some provisions from a local shop so was quite happy.

The typhoon passed south of Hong Kong so we missed the worst of it. The following morning there were lots of trees down and mess everywhere but the clean up operation began almost immediately and life returned to normal.

I have done a complete circuit of China now, albeit spending a brief amount of time in each place, but it is a great place to visit and I would recommend it to anyone.

Really pleased I got to see the pandas, the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall but there is so much to see and do. Couple of advisories though, bring a roll on deodorant as any flammable spray ones or insect repellents are confiscated at the metro stations with airport style security and try and avoid August / September as it is so hot and humid. I really want to return, but perhaps in winter.