Autumn in Puri

I arrived back in Puri on 8th September to a very warm welcome from all my work colleagues and 4 strong men to help me move out of my old flat into the new one I am sharing with fellow VSO volunteer Stephanie. I wasn't looking forward to the move after 24hrs travelling and sitting around at airports, but it went very smoothly and Stephanie had prepared a lovely meal for me too!

It is now late October and the weather has certainly changed - less humid than when I returned to the UK in July but it's still very warm. The rainy season has come to an end and after months of wading through troughs of water and flooded roads it has now dried out and the pot holes/craters caused by the torrential rains are being filled in.

My first few weeks back were spent catching up on developments - there have been some staff changes, and 3 of the children who could not walk, have started walking, just before my return! This shows how effective my CBRWs management has become (personal pat on the back too!). It is however one of the most religious times in the Hindu calendar - Festival of Lord Ganesha - meaning 10 days of celebration which was preceded by fasting. There are many more festivals on the Hindu calendar between now and the end of November. This will mean squeezing in the training where ever possible for maximum attendance.

I hadn't been back very long when I had an invitation from fellow VSO Volunteer and friend Rosie to visit her in Ranchi and then go for a few days to Varanasi. As I had not yet had much opportunity to travel in India my NGO said it would be OK and I arranged the ticket to Ranchi, Rosie arranged everything else. Including a lovely party for her birthday when I was able meet her lovely Indian friends and visit her club too.

The day after her party we had an early start to visit 3 waterfalls in 1 day - they said it couldn't be done but we did it! The rains had finished so perhaps they weren't as full as they could be but it was still beautiful and a lovely day out. Rosie had arranged a hired car and a picnic lunch of Chicken Chow Mein.
There were 3 other VSO volunteers with us called Fred, Joel and Paul all based near Ranchi but working for different NGOs.


from left ot right: Joel, Paul, Rosie, Me and Fred

 

That same afternoon Rosie and I had tickets booked to Varanasi on the overnight train so it was home for a quick change then a lift to the station. It was a fairly comfortable journey and I think the fresh air and exercise at the Falls helped me sleep. We arrived at Varanasi and were met by someone from  the hotel. I thought at first this was a bit unnecessary but soon discovered I was wrong. The Autorickshaw could not get all the way to the hotel as it was in the old part of the city and traffic was restricted. So we had a long walk along smelly windy narrow alleys before finally reaching our hotel - certainly would not have found it without our guide! The room was basic and the hotel was right on the banks of the Ganges so ideally placed.



View from our room at Hotel Alka onto the Ganges





Sunrise on the Ganges



 

We were lucky to have about 3 trips on the Ganges River but the most memorable one was the dawn trip to view the Burning Ghats. We woke at 4.30am and went down to the river to get a boat before the crowds arrived. early morning is the time when the bodies of the dead are cremated along the banks at specific areas called Burning Ghats. There are bathing, washing laundry and boating Ghats along the shore of Varanasi. The Ganges is a holy river and of great importance to the Hindus as a last resting place and return of the spirit to be reincarnated.



Washing hotel sheets in the Ganges



Rosie and I had a few lovely trips out and enjoyed a few Kingfishers watching the prayer candles float down the Ganges in the evenings. We managed to stay out of the very mirky dirty water until a fish decided to jump out of the water right next to our boat blessing us both in Holy Ganges Water!

Rosie and me returning from a trip to the Fort.

 

Travelling on the local ferry to Ram Nagar Fort

 One of our trips was across the Ganges to the east bank and a visit to the Ram Nagar Fort. We travelled with the locals and I think we were a somewhat unusual sight for them!

Varanasi is certainly an unusual city even by Indian standards and I recommend a visit if anyone intends to come to India!

After 3 nights in Varanasi it was time to return to Ranchi. This was now the start of the Durja Puja festival and an important holiday in the Hindu religious calender. It was good to return to the relative calm of Ranchi. I still had a few days left to enjoy the sights before returning to even quieter Puri. So I saw my first Indian movie at an Indian cinema 'OMG'. Even though my Hindi is rather poor the acting was so good I understood the story well. We also visited Rosie's club - they were having Puja celebrations and her firends invited us along and even provided transport!

So I could not refuse when invited to take part in the stick Dance!

Sunday night I left on the 15 hour journey back to Puri. I slept ok and it was good to get back to the fresh air by the sea! I had caught another cold in another polluted city! I think I am allergic to cities !

Now it's nearly time to draw my placement to a close - I leave around the middle of January and have a lot of training, assessments and reports to do before then. Watch this space for my trip to Goa and Mumbai.......