17 days, West Bengal and Orissa

Ok, I think I've narrowed down WHERE in West Bengal, not so much in Orissa...BTW, this is backpacker budget...

Please shoot me down on anything that sounds not-doable! (And please give suggestions!)

This is a three month trip, but I'll be getting to Kolkata on 22 Dec. and will be flying home middle of Jan 2013. I will have been to Nepal on this trip, so I've decided I'll leave Sikkim and Assam for another time.

I'm thinking of taking a bus to Shantiniketan on 22 Dec, be at the Poush festival for one full day (23, enough time?), go to Tarapith early on 24, then back to Kolkata. I don't usually move this fast; is this going to work? What about the terra cotta temple town?

It seems there is a lot of Christmas stuff going on in Kolkata? 25, 26, in Kolkata. Thinking of a two day/one night Sunderban but...NOT the noisy cruise boat. Maybe Christmas week this is a bad idea? Let me know what you think.

29 Dec, off to Puri. I think I'm going to like it, so thought I would make it my base to see all the other nearby stuff (Konark, BBSR etc. for 5 days. Does anything happen at New Years in Puri?

Anything else in the area I can't miss? Someone said Konark at sunrise is good. Anyway, I'm not completely stuck on Puri if there is somewhere else I should overnight for a day or two.

Lastly, I'd like to take 5 days and try to find a sensitive way of seeing something of tribal Orissa...is this possible? How are the permits/closures/hassles situations going? Anyone good I can arrange this with in Puri?

Thinking of train to Delhi from Orissa somewhere. I have until the 10th to fly home. (I know, fog delays!)

Does this sound like it could be fun, or have I missed some stuff? I'm looking forward to Kolkata, don't know if the Poush festival is too touristy/overhyped. Really interested in Tarapith. (9 Lives, William Dalrymple) Sunderbans? Realistically do not expect tigers.

Thanks for all the good help I have gotten from you all in the past!

Hello Sab Kuch Milega

Few suggestions / thoughts:

a) Konarak at sunrise is spectacular, post sunset (when lit from 6 pm to 8 pm) is also not to be missed. The hours you should avoid are from 9 am (when the first bus arrives) until about 2 pm when they leave. Actually, when I was there last december (last week of december too), got very busy from 8 am or so. I wrote a bit about it in my trip report here: Trip report: Konark, Bhubaneshwar and Chilika

b) Chilika lake is a great excursion and since you're 5 days in the area (that's one more than what i spent), you may want to have a look - I went to a creek off Chilika which was more peaceful and had more birds than the open water - it's called Manglajodi.

c) I spent a day checking out small, old temples in Bhubaneswar. It's a lovely place as no one will disturb you as several temples are ASI protected monuments. Carry a good hat, lots of water and a good guidebook to explore at leisure.

d) Regd tribal Odisha, approach is straightfoward- take the Hirakhand express to Jeypore leaving Bhubaneswar in the evening (train number 18447). It's a scenic route too as you'd go through the hills in the morning (train reaches Jeypore around 11). Sometimes, due to naxalite disturbance the train will be limited to Koraput - in that case, take a bus/taxi to Jeypore. Hotel Hello Jeypore has rooms and can arrange a car+driver (http://www.hellojeypore.com/) The second option is to contact the much more upmarket Chandoori Sai guest house (http://chandoorisai.com/) and they can arrange everything for you. The third option is to contact an independent guide. I contacted a certain Mr niranjan tripathi but dont have his number any longer. Perhaps the folks at Chandoori sai may have? . Overall, the package tour operators in Puri were the reason in a large part for the curbs the government of Odisha put up - so avoid them as far as possible. Independent or semi-independent would work a lot better.

e) Return to Delhi- the BBSR Duronto express is awesome. Best train ride I've ever head (22 hours but didnt feel like it). The windows dont have bars so the view is unrestricted. I travelled 3rd Aircon. you may try 2nd Aircon if the money's Ok withyou. They have new coaches and more comfortable than regular long distance trains. It was only a half hour late as the priority level is the same as Rajdhani express.

I'll come back with more if i can think of anything else.

hope this helps!
Vaibhav

p.s. I've always liked your signature!

Take a train to Shantiniketan. Here you can find the list. Book early, for there will be heavy rush for the fair.

I will opt for the terracotta temple town (Bishnupur) any day over Tarapith. But it is only my personal choice.

If you go to Bishnupur at all, don't miss a visit to the three temples (Raasmancha, shyamrai and Jorbangla) in the evening (before 8 PM) when they are illuminated and Bishnupur Gharana music is played in the background. I hope you will enjoy that.

Puri will be overcrowded with Bengali tourists during that vacation (25th Dec - 1 Jan). If you want to cover the circuit, you can consider to make Bhubaneshwar your base, too.

If you have chosen Puri for the sea beach, then you can consider Gopalpur-on-sea alternatively. The place is much more tranquil. Direct trains are available to Berhampur (or Bramhapur) from both Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar. Gopalpur is only 16 km from the station. Even if all the hotels get full the beach never looks overcrowded, thanks to the limited number of hotels and hence, visitors. And Chilika is not too far from that place.

I second this. I met an italian guy and a woman of finnish extraction in Konarak who were staying there as there was no space in Puri! Staying overnight in Konarak is also worthwhile but the distance from the beach is painful - 3 kms.

Second this.

Bishnupur calling

Sorry to piggyback on your thread, sab kuch milega, but I am following this since I will probably be swinging through some of the same places you mention.

Thanks for the train list, biman. How are the crowds at Shantiniketan during the mela? Are accommodations available easily? Thank you.

I have never been there during Poush Mela. But There are some of my colleagues from Visva-Bharati University who told me that it's hard to get one if you don't book in advance.

Thank you biman.

I'll be a bit in front of you on my trip this winter. I'm also planning on a visit to Bishnupur and can't wait to see those temples!

I think you'll enjoy your visit to the East, sab kuch milega.

I highly recommend Puri for a nice easy rest and CLEAN AIR! Z Hotel is a great place to stay, and there's lots of grilled fish! Had a very good eggplant lasagna at the Honeybee, just down the street. And the temple bazaar is terrific!

Thanks wonderwomanusa. I forgot to mention it in my post. If one chooses a hotel on the Chakra Tirtha Road (rather than the Marine Drive Road/Swarga Dwar area where most of the hotels are), then the holiday crowd can be avoided easily.

Hi V! Great info as usual! You really put my mind at ease on a lot of things. I'll follow up your Jeypore suggestions, thanks. Also, I'm relieved that the Duronto express is a great train...I love trains, but this would be my longest ride so far. (glad you like my signature )

Biman, thanks for the reminder about holiday crowds. I think I'll go to Jeypore right from Kolkata if I can, then come back to Puri later, never thought about that at first!

Nayan, I think I will make more of an effort to get to Bishnupur, it really does sound interesting. I could take an extra day, that would put me in Kolkata on Xmas day...or should I be there for Xmas eve?

ChintamoniDhar, no problem, you had good questions!

WW, sorry we'll miss each other, thanks for the Z hotel tip, I'm sure I'll love Puri.

Cheers all!

If tribals interest you and you're not totally bent on a specific tribe say - Bonda or the more elusive dongria kondh due to their appearance, then you may consider visiting Bastar region instead. Many tourists are clear about what they'd like to capture in their images, very specific tribes, that is. That leads to some nasty situations such as the tribals demanding money for every single photo. I read somewhere that sometimes there are more tourists at the Onukudelle weekly market than tribals!.

The same train from BBSR goes all the way to Jagdalpur (former capital of Bastar). Do check the security situation before visiting (the same applies to tribal odisha). The tribes of CG are actually friendlier and best of all, zero tourists! I wrote about that part more extensively because it was such a refreshing experience. For tribal odisha and weekly markets information you may read up excellent stuff written by Jorge_reverter. He's a bit laconic but the information is spot on!

Try to book dinner at Fairlawn for Christmas; I did that one year and really enjoyed it!