Gopalpur on Sea is cheesy, cheesy, cheesy but in quite the nicest possible way. From its broken faux cast iron street lights to the kitch sculptures on the promenade someone has made an effort. The people are really friendly and even though I am the only non-indian tourist in town it is nice not to always be at the centre of attention. They have seen people like me before and so I am foreign not an extraterrestrial. My hotel is the Sea Breeze Beach and I have a room on the roof which is clean airy and private - the dogs. (pout toi Patricia. Je t'explique des mon retour.) Yesterday started well, went badly and got better again. Leaving my hotel in the early morning was great. It had stopped raining so was nice and cool. I bowled along for about 25 of the 90 kms I planned to do when my back wheel started to wobble. A few yards later and Bang! Catastrophic rear tyre failure again! I stopped, looked at the tyre and was just deciding that I would need a lift to the next town when a chap from the other carriageway approached me. He didn't ask any of the standard question - blessed relief - and just told me that the village 500 meters further on had a bike shop. I pushed the bike on and found a chai and puri stall next to the still shut bike shop where I had a lovely breakfast. Half an hour later a great guy opened the shop produced the exact tyre I needed and fitted it for me. In total I lost 40minutes if you exclude breakfast.
I have been reading back over some of the entries to this blog and I do seem to painting a bit of a negative picture sometimes. Well, sometimes this place makes me pretty negative. However, sometimes it fills me with warmth and hope for a truly wonderful people and country. Travelling here is a difficult and frustrating process compared to the west. Not being able to slip through life in total anonymity and to be the object of everyone's attention is for me, very hard. So every once in a while little oasis's of peace like Gopalpur are a god's send.
I have been reading back over some of the entries to this blog and I do seem to painting a bit of a negative picture sometimes. Well, sometimes this place makes me pretty negative. However, sometimes it fills me with warmth and hope for a truly wonderful people and country. Travelling here is a difficult and frustrating process compared to the west. Not being able to slip through life in total anonymity and to be the object of everyone's attention is for me, very hard. So every once in a while little oasis's of peace like Gopalpur are a god's send.
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| Indian kitch! |
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