Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Puri - Wed 10.2.10

(ah, a good computer & reasonably fast internet for once - such a pleasure!) After a good night's sleep, unfortunately punctuated several times by some fairly hardcore mosquitoes, the day started with a juice, masala omelette, toast & coffee at the Peace Restaurant. Then, a walk on the beach, nimbly dodging shit that was quickly figured wasn't that of dogs. Still, people have to shit & if there's no where else to go ... Later, a cycle ride to Marine Parade, primarily where the Indian tourists hang out, although there were a few obvious pockets of Europeans on the beach also. It looked as you could imagine parts of the Gold Coast might look after the apocalypse ... there's little or no culture here of keeping the place clean, or of recycling or maintenance, although some attempts to try & propagate these ideas are evident in the Times of India. I've been reading White Tiger, a brutally comic critique of what the author reckons is rotten in India. Hard to know of course, but it seems to echo with my experience of the place, minus much sense of charm. Also went & chatted with Ramu, the head honcho of a local martial arts club (Panchavidya Five Knowledge Centre) that has posters plastered all over town (I think he was OK with me pointing out several gross spelling errors on the poster). I don't think business was booming for him, as he seemed a little embarrassed when I asked if I could watch a class, but he gave me a CD he's made of some of his training sessions. Areas he covers include: Meditation; Stretching; Self- massage; Self-Defence; Vayu Sadhana (something to do with breath control I think); Sword technique; Nan Chaku & Swimming. He seemed like a nice fellow.

Tomorrow, if inspired, I'll do my first bit of A to B cycling & head off to Konark, home of the Sun Temple - a short jaunt of only about 37 km. Puri is a nice place but I'm experiencing an odd combination of listlessness & restlessness, which probably suggests it's time to hit the road ... For now, it's off to eat - I don't think, for a couple of obvious reasons, that it will be at the Mickey Mouse Restaurant that I passed on my way here ...

2 comments:

Felix and Mr Pumpy said...

Ok, Mickey Mouse restaurant.. let me guess:
1. They serve mice, and
2. The name is inane.

Do I win the prize, Dave? Is there a prize?

IN the mood of things quisine, I can't tell you how nice, clean and well, smooth Thailoand is. Tonifght I went to the market and bought some deep fried chicken from the nice girl with the blue hat, and then went actoss to the cafe here in Ban Krut by the train station.
I drank a Coke with the meal, and then they made a nice cup of coffee for me. The old lady who runs the shop likes me, and insists I sit on the wooden bench by the tree, the "best" seat.
The cup was very clean. Even the dog they have is clean. I gave her a pat. She liked that.
So very very nice here, Dave.
Anyway, just thought I'd "share" all of that, mate. :)

david w said...

the prize Felix obviously is a free meal there next time you're in town
But hey, things are good this end ... see next entry (holy shit... that's if I can operate this shonky computer...)