Weekends over weak ends - Orissa getaways - Chandipur, Devkund via Shimlipal.

Recovering from a bug bite (the travel bug of course!) is often something that involves sound sleep. Some sounds affect that elusive sound sleep, but then, recent delusion and disillusion(ment) meant that elusion - of sleep or anything else will just have to be put up with.

Mohalla tripped to Chandipur via Balasore and then went to Shimlipal/Devkund before returning to Hijli.

Day 1

Balasore is where you train to for about 2.5 hours from Hijli and then you hit the road to Chandipur, about 16 kilometres away. Mahindra Autos and SUVs - take your pick/pic depending on wallet and group sizes.

The ride from Balasore to Chandipur is somewhat like that Roadrash road - countryside. And look up Roadrash if you never once played it when you should have...

Aah...That Balasore is actually a degradation of Baleshwar is what you will realise when you get outta the Balasore/Baleshwar railway station...

We missed the sunset at the Chandipur beach, but walked for a total of about 1.5 hours (to and fro) in the dark, wanting to see the water that weirdly recedes 5 kilometres every now and then...Orissa tourism says that Chandipur is that beach where the visitors wait for the waters instead of the other way round..

The moon (crescent) and Venus looked good during the walk, letting one think or dream of anyone else in another part of the world, near or far, distance and otherwise, who could potentially be looking at it at the same time and plausibly remembering or forgetting you.

Food at Shubham Hotel's Swagath restaurant was good, and while yours truly appreciated the Paneer Capsicum and the Egg pudding, others of the Mohalla fedback about the Pomfrets and prawns. The feedback was that the latter dishes were "amazing!!" !!

Day 2

The drive from Chandipur to Balasore is best undertaken in a commercial vehicle like a Jeep or an SUV and we did accordingly.
We didn't really spot tigers at the Shimlipal Tiger reserve. May be that was because we really only wanted to get to this place called Devakunda and Shimlipal was the means.
Not wanting to get into the debate of what amongst {ends, means} is superior morally or otherwise, let me move on to Devakunda that was certainly our means to enjoyment. "Getaway" is the one word that captures the feeling, personally. Trek up the hill, stop points with a temple thrown in. And water of course! We got to see water at three outta the five points there are..
Whatta trek! And what an "Escape" from all kinda thoughts that one gets and originates...Philosophy definitely has its origins in the hills. Things become as crystal clear as the water that flows down the hills. Even a pseudo-thinker and pseudo-psychological ( I always thought I was only being an amateur and original, building up on what I had learnt through reading and listening...but then, no one wants to be pseudo-anything, so, I should just get over this taunt anyway!)


Hope the prayers at the temple work. Injuries of all kinds seem to be happening in spite of prayers to all kinds of Gods.
Even the Nimishamba temple near Mysore has ignored similar prayers.
And idiots like me always get away lucky to enjoy everything. Pressures, elementary or alimentary don't really come in the way of the "enjoyment".
"Escape" if I can insist.

Looking forward to Hijli Break. For reasons of feeling good and bad. Good about the past and the possible future. Bad because of the lost future and the present which will soon be lost...
88 days...at once seems too few and too many...