Such a shame that my first post of the year is coming when I have been confined to the indoors in wake of the spread of the deadly virus. At this time, when the heart aches to roam around, I am reminded of the trip I never blogged about.
Weekend getaways are something we all crave, and are forever looking for places to explore within the bounds of two days. With an intent to escape the cold that Delhi was wrapped in, I chose a little unexpected destination - Puri.
Reasons:
1. Easily doable on a weekend
2. Quite connected to Delhi (details below)
3. Easier to convince parents (incentive of a pilgrimage)
Day 0: Friday, 10th January, 2020
We took an early evening flight to Bhubaneswar, landing there aroud 6.45p.m. We had booked cab via Make My Trip for dropping us to Puri (cost us around 900, with some discount). It took us slightly less than two hours to reach. We had booked a room in Mahodadhi Palace hotel (review here). The Sankranti festival had just started at the beach, right next to our stay, and was offering some good music. Tired, we had our dinner at the veg restaurant located right next to the gate of the hotel and called it a day.
Day 1: Saturday, 11th January, 2020
After a good breakfast, we set out to Konark Sun Temple. I had booked an Ola Outstation, and it is a case of pure chance whether you get one or not. Mostly SUVs ply over there, so was the case with us (even though we were just 3). We left after 10.30, and it took us an hour to reach.
At the sun temple, there is an entry ticket to visit the main complex. Apart from that, there is a beautiful museum, with an auditorium running a short film (roughly 10mins long) about the history of the place. We took a good 90 minutes or so to cover the main building + musuem.
While returning, we made a pit stop at the Eco Retreat festival going on. By the beach, they have marine drive, which is accessible to general public, and houses some food options. A part of this retreat is restricted only to the people staying there.
We were back to our room by 3.30p.m., and decided to rest for a bit. The heat can be a little pinching and tiring during the day.
At 5, we set off to Jagannath temple. The e-rickshaw took 80 bucks, and dropped us pretty close to the temple. There are shops outside the complex where you can keep your mobile phones and shoes. Some of them have an early shut off time; make sure you take that into account. It can take upto an hour in the darshan. A random stroll and dinner later, we retired for the day.
Day 2: Sunday, 12th January, 2020
We hired a taxi from Puri itself, to take us to Bhubaneswar, show around a few places and then later drop us to the airport for our 4.30pm flight back to Delhi.
We went to the Dhaulgiri Stupa first. It is said that it was here that the famous King Ashoka had renounced his worldly vices, and turned to Buddhism. Though there isn't much to look in the Stupa as such, the place offers a good view of the city below. There is also a small temple by its side.
Next, we went to the Lingraj temple. It is famous being the only temple to have Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva worshiped together. Here again, you would have to deposit your phones at the entrance.
Lastly, we went to the Udaygiri/Khandgiri caves. I did not enjoy those much, mainly due to 2 reasons: the heat and the crowd. Possibly, they are better visited during the early hours of the day to avoid the blazing sun. Since it was a Sunday, the local crowd had also come there for picnic, and hence was abuzz with people all around.
We had our lunch at Adda Unplugged, and I highly recommend you to try it out!
Post that, our driver diligently dropped us at the airport, and we headed home (there was a delay in the flight, but never you mind).
So, that was the short trip that I took over a weekend. When mentioned, people would be amazed as to how come someone traveled to Puri for a two day getaway, but when you look at it objectively, it ain't that big a deal. And the darshan of Jagannath Ji also made it more worthwhile.
FOOTNOTES
Why I didn't cover Chilika?
From Puri, Konark and Chilika are in opposite directions. Due to limitation of time, we skipped Chilika. We were also told that it takes around 4 to 5 hours to cover the lake by boat, which is pretty much the only thing to do. If you are a non-vegetarian, you may still take a chance at this place, because it is supposedly a good place for that. As for vegetarians, you may find it a bit difficult to find palatable food there. In case you have an itinerary like mine, and still want to cover Chilika, get up early and head out. The usual time for these fixed tour taxis is 8 am. Get in touch with your hotel a night before and they may arrange one for you.
Costs incurred in the trip?
BBSR to Puri: 900 (Make My Trip Cabs)
Puri - Konark - Puri: 1400 (Ola Outstation)
Puri - BBSR sightseeing - Airport: 2000 (Local Taxi Stand)
Delhi - BBSR - Delhi: 8000 (Round trip ticket per person; could be lower based on your date of booking)
Hotel: ~11,000 for two nights for three people (Again, could be lower based on your preference)
Food and local rickshaws: Extra.
Weekend getaways are something we all crave, and are forever looking for places to explore within the bounds of two days. With an intent to escape the cold that Delhi was wrapped in, I chose a little unexpected destination - Puri.
Reasons:
1. Easily doable on a weekend
2. Quite connected to Delhi (details below)
3. Easier to convince parents (incentive of a pilgrimage)
Day 0: Friday, 10th January, 2020
We took an early evening flight to Bhubaneswar, landing there aroud 6.45p.m. We had booked cab via Make My Trip for dropping us to Puri (cost us around 900, with some discount). It took us slightly less than two hours to reach. We had booked a room in Mahodadhi Palace hotel (review here). The Sankranti festival had just started at the beach, right next to our stay, and was offering some good music. Tired, we had our dinner at the veg restaurant located right next to the gate of the hotel and called it a day.
Day 1: Saturday, 11th January, 2020
After a good breakfast, we set out to Konark Sun Temple. I had booked an Ola Outstation, and it is a case of pure chance whether you get one or not. Mostly SUVs ply over there, so was the case with us (even though we were just 3). We left after 10.30, and it took us an hour to reach.
At the sun temple, there is an entry ticket to visit the main complex. Apart from that, there is a beautiful museum, with an auditorium running a short film (roughly 10mins long) about the history of the place. We took a good 90 minutes or so to cover the main building + musuem.
While returning, we made a pit stop at the Eco Retreat festival going on. By the beach, they have marine drive, which is accessible to general public, and houses some food options. A part of this retreat is restricted only to the people staying there.
We were back to our room by 3.30p.m., and decided to rest for a bit. The heat can be a little pinching and tiring during the day.
At 5, we set off to Jagannath temple. The e-rickshaw took 80 bucks, and dropped us pretty close to the temple. There are shops outside the complex where you can keep your mobile phones and shoes. Some of them have an early shut off time; make sure you take that into account. It can take upto an hour in the darshan. A random stroll and dinner later, we retired for the day.
Day 2: Sunday, 12th January, 2020
We hired a taxi from Puri itself, to take us to Bhubaneswar, show around a few places and then later drop us to the airport for our 4.30pm flight back to Delhi.
We went to the Dhaulgiri Stupa first. It is said that it was here that the famous King Ashoka had renounced his worldly vices, and turned to Buddhism. Though there isn't much to look in the Stupa as such, the place offers a good view of the city below. There is also a small temple by its side.
Next, we went to the Lingraj temple. It is famous being the only temple to have Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva worshiped together. Here again, you would have to deposit your phones at the entrance.
Lastly, we went to the Udaygiri/Khandgiri caves. I did not enjoy those much, mainly due to 2 reasons: the heat and the crowd. Possibly, they are better visited during the early hours of the day to avoid the blazing sun. Since it was a Sunday, the local crowd had also come there for picnic, and hence was abuzz with people all around.
We had our lunch at Adda Unplugged, and I highly recommend you to try it out!
Post that, our driver diligently dropped us at the airport, and we headed home (there was a delay in the flight, but never you mind).
So, that was the short trip that I took over a weekend. When mentioned, people would be amazed as to how come someone traveled to Puri for a two day getaway, but when you look at it objectively, it ain't that big a deal. And the darshan of Jagannath Ji also made it more worthwhile.
FOOTNOTES
Why I didn't cover Chilika?
From Puri, Konark and Chilika are in opposite directions. Due to limitation of time, we skipped Chilika. We were also told that it takes around 4 to 5 hours to cover the lake by boat, which is pretty much the only thing to do. If you are a non-vegetarian, you may still take a chance at this place, because it is supposedly a good place for that. As for vegetarians, you may find it a bit difficult to find palatable food there. In case you have an itinerary like mine, and still want to cover Chilika, get up early and head out. The usual time for these fixed tour taxis is 8 am. Get in touch with your hotel a night before and they may arrange one for you.
Costs incurred in the trip?
BBSR to Puri: 900 (Make My Trip Cabs)
Puri - Konark - Puri: 1400 (Ola Outstation)
Puri - BBSR sightseeing - Airport: 2000 (Local Taxi Stand)
Delhi - BBSR - Delhi: 8000 (Round trip ticket per person; could be lower based on your date of booking)
Hotel: ~11,000 for two nights for three people (Again, could be lower based on your preference)
Food and local rickshaws: Extra.
#puritrip #weekendtrip #weekendgetaway #odisha #puri #travelogue #itinerary #tripdetails
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