On the day we flew to Bhubaneswar, we had some time in the morning for a quick adventure. Tish was suffering from Delhi belly and Murray needed to pack, so Deb and I hired a taxi and off we went to see the Lotus Temple. The Lotus Temple is a B’hai Temple that was built in the 1980s. We had heard that it would take a while, but the only thing to do there was enter the temple where you could pray in silence. The temple is an architectural feat and is all marble on the inside. While at the Lotus Temple, we saw another temple and asked our driver if he could take us there. He agreed and off we went. All day he had been driving us through parts of town we might never have seen, as much of it seemed to be off the beaten path. This is where you see the true Delhi – small shops, street vendors, bikes, carts, rickshaws and, as always, millions of people. The temple we went to see was a Hindu temple called Ishkon. We were allowed to enter and take pictures. The temple was quite interesting. Outside is a bell people were ringing as they entered and inside were three shrines as well as three musicians singing and playing sacred music. The atmosphere was loud and almost raucous. The temple was very busy with busloads of school children on field trips. At least ten busloads of children were there. They were very friendly, and chattered away as all groups of students do.
Our taxi driver was a young man who happened to have a brother in Canada studying. From what we could gather, he is the youngest son which means he won’t be going to get an education like his brother. His path is to drive taxi. We really enjoyed him and were sad we hadn’t met him earlier in the week.
After our adventure we gathered at the hotel and began our trek to Bhubaneswar. Our flight was a bit bumpy but we arrived safely and early. It was a balmy 27 degrees when we arrived. We were met my the president of the local teachers’ association and driven to our hotel – Hotel Sishmo. Once there, the check in ceremony began – lots of sitting on couches, having tea, and not really doing anything at all while the staff got our things organized. The hotel is a bit sketchy, but the rooms are clean and the restaurant is awesome!!! The beds in the rooms are like rocks, kind of like sleeping on your box spring only. The hot water is only on from 6-10 a.m. Our hotel is right in the center of the non-tourist part of town. Traffic never stops and the beeping goes on forever. We were a bit concerned about the restaurant at first because it was dark and gloomy. That all changed after we got our food. It was amazing. We’ve been back for every meal since.
Today was our opportunity to go see where we will be working and do some planning. Before breakfast I walked down to the street to see what the neighborhood was like. Our hotel is on a dirt street with small shacks/shops scattered here and there. About 100 yards north of the hotel is what seems to be a shack village where people are living. While I was snapping a few photos another young boy came by and made me take his picture. As soon as he started calling all his friends I made a retreat into the hotel.
We can walk to the hall, which is in another hotel. The trick is crossing the street. Deb is terrified, but Murray and I have learned to use the locals for cover and cross when they do. The hall is very big and will suit our needs just fine. There seemed to some controversy over getting tables, so we’ll see what happens.
It is wedding season in India. Our host’s daughter is getting married on the 23rd and we’ve been invited to attend! We received a formal written invitation. Murray had the opportunity to attend an Indian wedding last year and it is quite an experience. We will be attending the reception in the evening. The wedding is a two day affair with the actual wedding taking place in the afternoon on the 23rd. There will be over 2000 (not a typo) people at the reception and over 85 food items to sample! The bride will arrive with an entourage of about 500 people making music and setting off firecrackers. We are extremely excited to attend. Talk about a once in a lifetime opportunity!
After our meeting at the hotel, we returned to our hotel to do some final planning. After that we had lunch, a quick nap and Murray and I went for a walk in the neighborhood. There are no sidewalks, open sewers and tons of little shops everywhere. Feral dogs and cows are everywhere. We stood out like two snowmen! There are no tourists in this part of town. We checked out a few shops, found a modern grocery store and tried to find a pencil to buy – easier said than done. In fact, still not done. As we reached the hotel, Murray spotted the army of cab drivers (who never have any fares) playing cards. He went over to see what game they were playing:
After that we were picked up and taken to see some temples. Most of the temples in Bhubaneswar are around 1000 years old. We weren’t allowed to enter the first one but it was quite amazing. The detail in the stone carving is amazing.
After taking some pictures we spotted a shop selling hand made fabric crafts. We went to inquire about the price and the fellow traveling with us proceeded to get in a huge argument with the shop owner over the price. Lots of near shouting in Odia (their language). Our guide huffed off, so we connected the dots that this was not the place to shop. He later told us that the man was charging too much. Below is a picture of his shop and the one next door.
There were a good deal of cows in the neighborhood as well:
We then went to the Siddheswar-Mukteswar temple which was built in the 9th century. We were allowed to enter this temple. Here’s Tish at the entrance to the temple to give some perspective:
Here is some angle parking India style:
Next, we were off to the Rajarani Music Festival. What luck to be in town when it was going on! We stayed for the first performer and part of the second. I had an opportunity to talk to the tabla player. He is a master player and has performed all over the world. The violinist is his daughter and she has a doctorate in music and teaches at the university. The festival was set in a park with at 1000 year old temple in the background. They were burning great amounts of incense to keep the mosquitos down, which simply added to the entire evening. They were incredible players. I have some great video of them playing. Interestingly the violinist played her violin essentially upside down. While they were performing, an artist was on another stage off to the side painting what the music inspired him to paint. It was very interesting to watch him work while the music was playing.
The park was lit up as was the entire street on the way to the park. While we were entering the park some wires were shorting out and making huge sparks. People ran over, grabbed the live wires and pulled them apart. The next thing we saw was a young man with pruning shears cutting the ends of the live wires – absolutely heart stopping.
That was our first full day in Bhubaneswar - quite a day!. Tomorrow we start the first day of state level training and Tish is officially on holidays.
More to come!
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