Day two, started a bit late. After we had lunch at the restaurant and tried some more fish (Parshey) and some Chingri Malai curry, we headed to the beach. Not wasting any time I was out and about in my swimming costume in the surf. It was just awesome. Then one of the local life guards propositioned that we go out into the sea with him with rubber tubes. We had actually wanted go out on one of the fishing boats, but this would do for starters. So he and another lifeguard gave us two tubes (basically Tyre tubes to put around you) which we merrily got around us and headed out over the breakers. Passing the breakers, bobbing up and down and having the waves come crashing over you is such an exhilarating experience, till you are out deep enough and its calm and you can kick your legs and paddle with your arms in the water way our from the beach. The tide carried us off hundreds of meters from the place we had originally set out from and as we came back to our starting point, we inquired about the boat ride on a fishing boat. In a jiffy after a brief negotiation, our life guard spoke with some fisherman and the next thing we knew he had commandeered a small fishing boat, more the size of a small rubber dinghy and we were on top in the middle with either lifeguard at each end. As we set out holding both side of the little boat with our rubber tubes around us, they negotiated the breakers. Each time we approached one and it broke over us, it felt like going into a wall. The waves washed over the boat and after several attempts to break out of the surf, the little boat was bobbing up and down at sea. The water was suddenly clear and we were far, far away from the beach. We went out till we could see the done of the Jagannath Temple which is situated inside the town. In hindsight I’d say we were brave to go out on a boat like that, which was so flat that we hardly had a few inches of the side to hold on to!
We were just so glad that we had been adventurous enough to get on one of these boats and head out to sea. Suddenly our main lifeguard pointed to the water and before we knew it, he had dived in and voila, he threw up a huge jellyfish between the two of us. We nearly jumped off the boat in fright, but he urged us to feel it and sure enough we did. It felt like rubber. While he climbed back up, we had had enough of that Jellyfish going from side to side between us, so I scooped it up in both hands and sent it back into the water. “That didn’t feel too bad, now did it”, I was thinking to myself. After that we headed back to the beach. If going out was tough, getting back in over the surf was worse than a roller-coaster ride. Several attempts were made, turning the boat around several times. We had to catch the right wave to get back in and avoid the boat from capsizing and getting dashed into the sand. So finally we did and once we crossed over with waves lashing us from behind, we were like a victorious crew coming in from sea after doing battle and staving off the enemy. What made it better was the full house audience we had at the beach watching us come in. They had started building up right from the time we had headed out with the tubes and then when we got into the boat it swelled some more and now it was just short of a stadium crowd watching their favourite football team in the finals. And yes we came in victorious and when we finally were back on land and had settled down on the beach, the crowd dispersed happy having seen the spectacle of two city folk on a fishing boat.
Once back at the hotel, we decided we needed to celebrate with some more and beer was still in supply in the back of the car. But the ice in the box had melted, so we headed out in search of ice. And after gathering some intelligence, we managed to drive to an Ice Factory where locals Ice-cream wallahs, fishermen, and shop keepers bought Ice. So we bought two blocks of ice (OK just to keep things in perspective, they were about a foot long each) and put them in the box and placed the beers on top of them.
While driving back, we decided to check out an eatery we had noticed on our way to the Ice factory. We stopped there and believe you me, if you’re ever in Puri, try this place out. We entered Wild Grass restaurant. It was wild in the true sense. There were Machaans with dining tables and little thatched huts with tables around the main AC restaurant with its rustic look. We decided on a Machaan and climbed up the steps into our own private little dining space for the evening. Though they don’t serve beer, it was arranged for us and we licked our fingers dry on some amazing sea-food, whether it was pomfret or prawns. The service was probably one of the most hospitable I’ve experienced in a long time. Another day of fun, food and frolic, that’s what a holiday should be.
We were just so glad that we had been adventurous enough to get on one of these boats and head out to sea. Suddenly our main lifeguard pointed to the water and before we knew it, he had dived in and voila, he threw up a huge jellyfish between the two of us. We nearly jumped off the boat in fright, but he urged us to feel it and sure enough we did. It felt like rubber. While he climbed back up, we had had enough of that Jellyfish going from side to side between us, so I scooped it up in both hands and sent it back into the water. “That didn’t feel too bad, now did it”, I was thinking to myself. After that we headed back to the beach. If going out was tough, getting back in over the surf was worse than a roller-coaster ride. Several attempts were made, turning the boat around several times. We had to catch the right wave to get back in and avoid the boat from capsizing and getting dashed into the sand. So finally we did and once we crossed over with waves lashing us from behind, we were like a victorious crew coming in from sea after doing battle and staving off the enemy. What made it better was the full house audience we had at the beach watching us come in. They had started building up right from the time we had headed out with the tubes and then when we got into the boat it swelled some more and now it was just short of a stadium crowd watching their favourite football team in the finals. And yes we came in victorious and when we finally were back on land and had settled down on the beach, the crowd dispersed happy having seen the spectacle of two city folk on a fishing boat.
Once back at the hotel, we decided we needed to celebrate with some more and beer was still in supply in the back of the car. But the ice in the box had melted, so we headed out in search of ice. And after gathering some intelligence, we managed to drive to an Ice Factory where locals Ice-cream wallahs, fishermen, and shop keepers bought Ice. So we bought two blocks of ice (OK just to keep things in perspective, they were about a foot long each) and put them in the box and placed the beers on top of them.
While driving back, we decided to check out an eatery we had noticed on our way to the Ice factory. We stopped there and believe you me, if you’re ever in Puri, try this place out. We entered Wild Grass restaurant. It was wild in the true sense. There were Machaans with dining tables and little thatched huts with tables around the main AC restaurant with its rustic look. We decided on a Machaan and climbed up the steps into our own private little dining space for the evening. Though they don’t serve beer, it was arranged for us and we licked our fingers dry on some amazing sea-food, whether it was pomfret or prawns. The service was probably one of the most hospitable I’ve experienced in a long time. Another day of fun, food and frolic, that’s what a holiday should be.
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