Gopalpur-on-sea and Chilka Lake

Alan D

Has anyone spent time in this part of Orissa? I've by-passed these places a couple of times on the way to Puri and Konark.

I have read that Chilka Lake has suffered from pollution and that the bird life is not as prolific as it was some years ago. We were also thinking of going to Gopalpur-on-sea, staying in a seaside boarding house, eating fish and chips and strolling along the pier.

Is it worth stopping next time?

Annie_T

"staying in a seaside boarding house, eating fish and chips and strolling along the pier."

Isn't that what you do in Brighton?

Alan D

Brighton is much more than a sea-side resort these days, though that was its original function in Victorian times. It's now a satellite town of London with tens of thousands of people commuting to the capital every day, and it's probably more easy to find chicken tikka massala than fish and chips there.

I associate sea-side boarding houses, fish and chips and a walk along the pier, or beach, with happy (but usually wet) summer family holidays of 50 years ago.

I'm intrigued that a place in India should be called Gopalpur- on-sea and it's probably worth a visit on that account alone. I don't think they actually have a pier, more a broken down jetty, but the place does have boarding house type accommodation and I think if we ask nicely then we might get some fish and chips. We would like a couple of days R & R there before moving on to Calcutta.

Anyone been there?

paan wallah

chandipur in orissa is quite nice..
just watchin the tides...talking to honeymooners and indian businessman...
i spent one week there in the end of march beeing the only foreigner....meeting very nice indians....
stayed at the hotel subham....very large and nice room ...only 200 ruppes...good food as well..
if you like quite places go for it...!

Annie_T

Alan D...sorry I was being a bit smart about Brighton. The name Golapur -on -Sea is a bit intriguing. I haven't seen much of Orissa apart from Bubaneshwar, Konark and Puri.

I always remember B'war for the station master. I hadn't realized that there was no tourist quota out of the railway station there and was having trouble getting a reservation down to Madras. It was raining (September) and I had seen what I wanted to see and was keen to be on the move. So I went to see if the station master could "expedite"things. After chatting about the Kent cricket club(!), he made a call and I got my reservation for the next day.

Funny thing was, as I was waiting for the train the following evening, who should come strolling down the platform but the station master, briefcase in hand, full of smiles and telling me he was glad to have been of assistance.

Imagine an Indian tourist trying that one with the station master at Kings Cross!

Alan D

No need to apologise. I asked a serious question in a flippant way and you replied in the same vein. My motive was to try and get a reply to the question but I guess not many foreigners visit Gopalpur-on-sea. We have "done" most of the must see places on previous visits to India and these days we try to put an itinerary together which includes some old favourites and some new places. We have by-passed Gopalpur-on-sea and Chilka Lake at least twice before. I now think we should have visited Chilka Lake years ago as recently the numbers of visiting migrant birds have seriously fallen - From 1.9 million to 600,000 in just a few years. Siltation and agro-chemical pollution of the lake and trapping and shooting by the locals, and strangely, but connected, the war in Afghanistan are quoted as reasons.

Nice experience you had at the railway station. We think of Khurda Road station, near B'war in a different way. We were travelling south to Madras in the early 70's after visiting Puri and Konark. A strong cyclone had hit the coasts of Orrisa and Andra Pradesh severely damaging the railway line. Very few trains were running and those that were, were taking at least twice the journey time and were totally overcrowded. I remember us waiting for hours on the platform at Khurda Road and when the train finally pulled into the station there were people hanging off every doorway and faces sticking out of every window. It seems incredible now but we did get onto it, there was no alternative. People helped us through the windows of a 3rd class carriage after we had passed our packs through. No chance of boarding the train in the normal way. There were absolutely no seats anywhere and we spent the journey upright, sitting on our packs in the corridor, in the later stages falling asleep at times. It was by far the worst journey we've ever had on Indian Railways. We were easy prey for the first hotel tout that approached us at Madras station.

I guess this illustrates the experience we have all had in India that there is always room for one or two more. Sometimes irritating if you are already on board but important if you happen to be that one or two more.

Agree with you about the Indian tourist at Kings Cross. I find myself imagining the look on the station master's face though when the baksheesh is offered!

Alan D

Thanks for the info on Chandipur. You seem to get into a lot of non-tourist places. How do you choose them -close your eyes and stick a pin in the map?

We might be able to fit both Gopalpur and Chandipur in.

paan wallah

something like this....with the pin..
sometimes I just look at the name of a place...if it s sounds funny..
I just go for it...
but mostly I speak with local people...they know about all the nice and unspoiled places..
I m really enyoying being the only foreigner at a place..
but also I m going to the more known places..some of them you must have seen...if it s only to know about them...
like this Year I was the first time in north east india..so I had to visit places like darjeeling...kalimpong/which I liked very much..I stayed 2 weeks there)
but also in this area I found some smaller and by far nicer places one of the best things in India is that there are millions of special places...I wouldn t tell anybody my number one places..
sorry for this...but as I told you I like to be the only foreigner..)
but asking local people is the best tip I can give you...
never hesitate!!
open your indian mind and your indian ass will follow!

see you in india some fine day