Tuesday, January 29

Tuesday, January 29, 2008
This morning we had breakfast at our host’s home and went to Susan’s host home. Her host is the minister of tourism, living in a government provided home, and had arranged for us to see some of the special sites in the city. Both Susan and Molly were not feeling well, so Dani’s host gave Susan an acupuncture treatment to help settle her stomach. He put several very small, thin needles in her hand and told her to keep them in for about half an hour. Our first stop of the day was a hotel management school where we were given the grand tour—complete with several photographers recording our every move. They had a number of “classroom- kitchens” where they were making a variety of dishes, cooking in huge wok-type pots over gas stoves. They also provide training on table setting, bar tending and hotel administration. After the tour we were served a number of dishes that they had prepared. Molly and Susan were still not feeling well, and trying more food with a variety of unique tastes and smells was just about the last thing that they were interested in. Not a comfortable position to be in as a guest.

The next stop was at the only drycleaner in town and it had only been in business for 20 days. Outside I was thrilled to see a beautiful kingfisher—Susan was able to get a terrific photo which I will try to put on the blog. The next stop was lunch at another club—again more food. The first course was a mild soup that we all liked very much—mushrooms, carrots and a onions with no strong unusual seasoning, which was a welcome relief to our stomachs. After a bathroom stop (we are learning to use the western toilets whenever we can), we headed to the Khandagiri Udayagiri caves. The caves were small natural ones in reddish colored rock and came complete with monkeys. We were thrilled to see monkeys—up close. Our guides warned us not to irritate them or get too close because they have sharp clothes and sometimes a mean temperament. Molly really got an up-close and personal view when one monkey unexpected hopped on her back—wow!

The views from the caves were terrific, it is nice to see the city from above, and the cave formations in the rocks were fun to climb around. We were also able to climb up to another temple. As is the custom we all had to remove our shoes, and this time we also had to have our feet rinsed off before we could proceed up the steps to the temple. At the temple we could ring various bells, and build rock piles asking for various blessings. By the caves there was also a place for blessing where a small rock is tied to a tree with bits of cloth or paper.

Our next stop was a local crafts market where we were—yes you guessed it given tea and various sweets, and were able to do some shopping. Orissa is known for its artwork—especially tribal artwork and there were beautiful carvings out of wood and stone, along with colorful fabric and framed prints.

After changing at our host’s homes for the Rotary meeting we gave our presentation for several clubs. The district governor was also there, stopping on his way back home from the district conference. After the meeting we all had a meal and then returned to our hosts. Dani’s host went to both Susan and Molly’s host homes to give them an acupuncture treatment before bed and they both said that they slept very well and fortunately felt much better the next day.