Wildlife of Orissa

Well this will be my penultimate post, yes the Olympics are almost ready.  Judging by the current British weather everything is set!  All of this means I've only got three weeks left in India, again another year whizzes by.  All good blogs should have a wildlife entry - and so should mine, so here goes:

Languishing langur monkeys near Tamana (on my way to school) 

Harmless sand boa snake - on my way back from the mess at night

Common macaque monkeys raid the office for mangoes

Large "hand size" beetles make an appearance at night after the rains

It turns out to be a rather venomous common krait snake (top four killer)

Not really Orissa - Macaque from Tamil Nadu enjoying a coconut

Friendly lizard from Puri

A chameleon lizard from our mess, moments later it turned black

Rather a large golden orb silk spider, directly outside the office

One of the many butterflies

Now we're talking, scorpion season has started again - they're everywhere

I've also seen silver jackals on my ride back from school, peacocks & hens, large fruit bats and a mongoose or two.  Still to see a sloth bear, elephant (wild) or leopard!

How to escape the heat - head to Ooty!

At the end of April my wonderful girlfriend would head out from the UK to join me.  As a fellow VSO from The Gambia, Lucy didn’t hesitate to help me with work at Kankia School.  We headed to school by bicycle - temperatures were still in the "cool" 30s.  We arrived without mishap, despite the trucks, although I think Lucy would have preferred to have travelled on her VSO motorbike!

Off to school, cool hat there Ms. Hepburn!

"The Boy Who Cried Wolf" proved very popular

Pottery made by the students after an amazing lesson - check out the elephant!

After a few days at school it was time to head off travelling.  April and May are the worst months for high heat in Orissa - my plans were to head somewhere cool and that would mean finding a hill station. The closest (and highest) was Udhagamandalam - or more sensibly known as Ooty (from it's colonial name Ootacamund).  We would get the overnight Coromandel sleeper down the coast to Chennai (formerly Madras), before flying across the state of Tamil Nadu to Coimbatore.  Chennai is a hectic coastal city with a population of over nine million - I think every one of them seemed to be on roads as we drove across town to our hotel.  After freshening up we headed to a tapas bar for calamari, tenderloin steak, chorizo and a mojito or two.  

After a lazy day (including a visit to the oasis that is the Amethyst Cafe for scarf purchasing) we took the short flight to Coimbatore.  The following day we would make the train journey up to Mettupalayam (the names don’t get any easier) where our hotel would pick us up.  The original plan was to get the mountain railway to climb up the 7,000ft - but the fact it takes five hours to cover the twenty eight miles (and my lack of planning) meant we settled for a taxi, which took an hour and a half instead.  In fairness the driver wasn't that crazy (by Puri taxi driver standards) - we only occasionally overtook on blind bends!

Our hotel in Ooty would be a former tea plantation owner's house - The King's Cliff.   All rooms in the hotel were "themed after Shakespearean plays" (I think that was pushing it - name after would be more realistic).  We were lucky enough to get “Midsummer” with its own fireplace (and daily supply of logs).  At night you definitely needed the fire, the temperatures were refreshingly cold.  Fleeces were needed during the evenings/mornings (thanks again to Lucy).

Always happy with a real fireplace in the "Midsummer" room

The King's Cliff Hotel in Ooty

During the next four days we would visit the local rose garden, the botanical gardens (very busy when we actually found it!), the mountain railway (for a shorter one hour ride) and the neighbouring town of Coonoor.  My only hiccup in the whole trip (bear in mind this is India) would be arriving at Ooty train station a day early.  Only when the ticket inspector checked our tickets did I realise the goof - and I almost got away with it!

Ooty Rose Gardens

A true rose among roses

Nilgiri Mountain Railway, the drivers are getting a lot younger!

The trip to Coonoor (by mountain railway on the correct day) allowed us to enjoy lunch at the Taj Garden Retreat before heading to the Lamb's Rock - a viewing point right on the edge of Nilgiri Mountains.  We headed out by auto-rickshaw and then decided to walk back through the amazing tea plantations, stopping off for a refreshing coconut drink (monkeys permitting).  Near the end of the walk I wasn't too sure of the route into town, so I flagged down an auto.  Lucy carried on walking oblivious to my plan (I hadn't shared it to be fair).  The look on her face as we pulled along side her and asked if she wanted a lift, priceless!  On the return mountain railway journey we experienced the strange phenomena of Indians cheering every tunnel we passed through - and also taking photos of one another!  I’m sure there are tunnels on the regular railways?

At Lamb's Rock, Mettupalayam 7,000 ft below

A refreshing coconut drink in the tea plantations

After our time in Ooty we headed home via Mumbai with a brief stay in Puri.  Planes in India are becoming more like buses.  Our flight from Coimbatore was destined for Kolkata with stops in Mumbai and Bhubaneswar (where we hopped off).  Our hotel in Puri (The Kandhara) was an amazing oasis only a few metres from the bustling main road, we pretty much had the whole hotel (with pool) to ourselves.

Gandhara Hotel in Puri, our very own little hotel

The best way to escape the 40+ degree heat

We headed back to Gram Vikas a day early as Konkia School were holding a Parents' Day; I was urgently needed to help edit a five hour epic video down to a more watchable one hour for the parents. As a heat-wave had moved in (temperatures in the 40s) I decided against cycling to school, instead catching a lift on a motorbike.  Despite the knowledge we were heading to Kankia my project co-ordinator friend managed to forget his passenger and we sailed past the school.  After a kilometre or so I managed to make contact with Sarat and we returned back to school.  My return journey would also be fun - the local GV nurse wondered if I could ride her scooter back (with her riding pillion).  It was fun whizzing back down the road, dodging water buffalo and cows while receiving commands to "use horn" or "go slow".  We made it back in one bit.

  

Lucy originally planned to return home after three weeks - but as the real trooper that she is she extended for a further week to help out with the teacher training workshop.  Had she known the temperatures would keep soaring (and the power supply become more intermittent) I'm not sure she would have been quite so keen to stay (although she did get to spend more time with me).  Her primary school expertise was ever so valuable - a room at Kankia School has now been named after her.
(I made that bit up)   

Lucy helps Debendra with an ice-breaker, or is it the start of the hokey-cokey?

To finish off the trip (and to escape the temperatures) we headed to Bhubaneswar for the last couple of days - a hotel with a swimming pool and air conditioning was in order and one that sold model Ganeshas! The Trident Hotel was perfect with excellent service - we even had a decent bottle of chilled white wine!  Thanks Lucy x.

March Madness

March began with two celebrations - Holi, the festival of colours and my birthday.  They were on the Friday and Saturday - ideal for a fun weekend.  I celebrated Holi at school - where better to be for a crazy paint-powder throwing extravaganza!  The festival celebrates the arrival of Spring - it is the one time in the year when the students can throw paint powder at the teachers - and also douse them in water!

Debendra and yours truly - post attack 

Hands up who threw the paint

Little cherubs - troublemakers more like

For my birthday we headed back to Gopalpur-on-sea, the nearest "resort" to Berhampur - more of a last resort really.  I hadn't been back since my first weekend in Orissa - I still managed to enjoy another Cornetto ice cream.

The lighthouse at Gopalpur 

The following weekend would be St. Patrick's Day - another chance to visit Calcutta - and this time I'd visit the Victoria Memorial properly!  I'd been invited by my Irish friends (the hard working Joanna and Laura) - what I didn't realise was that I would actually attend the Irish embassy do - very fancy!

Very Grand Oberoi Hotel in Calcutta

Ballroom filled with food I could only dream of in Mohuda

My most recent trip was one I've been wanting to do for a while - visit the sun temple at Konark. It's not too far away - just 30km north of Puri.  The temple was constructed as a chariot (a strange looking one I'll admit) and is covered in carvings depicting activities from the day and night (I'll leave it at that).

Hindu sun temple at Konark

The temple symbolises a chariot - with wheels at the front and rear

Each wheel depicts activities during that part of the day and be used as a sun dial.

Can't remember what was going on here - nice photo though

Havelock Island

When I was offered the chance to visit the Andaman Islands in February I couldn't book it quickly enough - just the name of islands conjures up images of white sandy beaches and a turquoise sea.  Air India would be starting a new service from Bhubaneswar - a return flight for £80!  In case you wondered the islands get their name from the skills the islanders have gained over the years. Carpentry, metal working, plumbing, roof repairs after cyclones etc. - you know the "Handyman Islands"! Sorry that's not really true, I apologise. Thousands of years ago the islands were only populated by women and then one day a plucky chap turned up and claimed the islands for Britain - that's how the "And-a-man Islands" really got their name.

I'd be joined in my Andaman jolly by Joanna & Laura - two hard working development workers from Trocaire (the Irish arm of Caritas).  We'd also be meeing up with a couple of VSO volunteers - Orla & Juliet.  I would be seriously outnumbered by girls - but I'm not grumbling.

As the flight would require a 7am check-in I made my way up to Bhubaneswar (BBSR) the night before - it's still a three hour train journey.  It's strange how this now feels like a local journey - back home that would take me from England to Scotland! (although the distance in Orissa is only 100 miles).  I've found that Indian trains are reliable and mainly on time.  They are behemoths that ply their way across the subcontinent usually on journeys that last a couple of days.  The one thing they are not is fast!  Even though they're called an "Express" or even better "Super Fast" - rarely do they average much more than 40-50mph.  I say reliable; on my journey to BBSR I would now experienced a rare delay of one hour at Khurda Road Junction, putting the curry that Joanna had prepared in serious peril.  On arrival I then had the misfortune to get in an auto rickshaw driven by a moron.  It's quite common for drivers to be so keen to pick up a fare they won't actually admit that they have no idea where you need to go.  After much stopping to ask for directions I made it just - directing the taxi myself for the last mile or so.

Documentary evidence I'm only 36

We had no such problems getting to the airport the following morning. After the customary seven security checks: (i) ticket checks when entering the airport building (ii) entering the departure area (iii) getting baggage screened (iv) checking in (v) entering security check area (vi) going through the gate and then finally (vii) getting on the plane - we enjoyed a very pleasant 90 minute flight to Port Blair.  We had arranged a transfer from the airport to the ferry that would take us out to Havelock Island.  Of course when we arrived at the jetty we were told they only had one ticket - and it was for a forty year old lady called Mrs Joneso. Suspecting this was a scam we held our line until two further tickets arrived, without any additional cost - my name was spelt correctly but all of sudden I had become 36!

The government ferry took just over two hours to head the 50km north to Havelock.  The sea was completely serene apart from the flying fish that would leap from bow of the boat and cover a distance that must have been several hundred feet.  While scanning for fish we witnesses a pod of dolphins just behind the boat - by the time I'd switched my camera on they had almost disappeared.

When we arrived we had to once more endure a security check - this time all foreigners had to wait for their visitors' permit to be manually entered into a journal.  As this was being done the names of the latest entries were called out for collection - complete confusion ensued.

The beach, only a few feet from my hut

We then headed off to our accommodation - from the pictures we'd seen we knew the Emerald Gecko would be special.  I would be staying in a small bamboo hut - one room/washroom downstairs and then a bedroom on top.  The hut was little more than seventy feet from the sea.  As we'd had a busy day travelling (and there would be a birthday party the following evening) we decided to have an early night.  I was also planning on a dawn sun rise beach walk - I wasn't sure how realistic this would be.  As the islands are so far east (and that they also share Indian Standard Time) sunrise would be just before 5am.  Surprisingly I did manage to wake (bamboo huts aren't the best for keeping light out) early and then spent an hour or so exploring the beach - with the local stray dogs.  It was quite misty so no luck with the sunrise photography.

Hut number five, my home for two nights

One of Havelock Island's claim to fame is the location of the "best beach in Asia" (or at least one of them).  We headed out for Radhanagar Beach first thing - it didn't look too far on the map - maybe 15km so we toyed with the idea of renting bicycles.  Good job we didn't as the scale of the map was misleading - not to mention the climb over Saddle Peak, 732m!  All the local auto drivers know this and charge a handsome price for the 15 minute journey - 350 rupees!  When we arrived at the beach we weren't disappointed - amazing white sand and turquoise water for miles - the outline of the beach marked by huge Jurrasic looking Mahua trees.  We had been told that elephants swim on the Andamans - I think this is more of a tourist attraction than a recreational sport (I guess they'd never forget their trunks). In the end we did see an elephant in the nearby jungle, not quite the same as a swimming one, as this one was busy providing rides for people.  One other animal that we had to keep an eye out for was the salt water crocodile.  Sadly in 2010 an American snorkeler was killed by a 20 foot croc on!  There was a sign on the beach warning people of a recent croc sighting and that swimming was not advised - I got the message.

Radhanagar Beach, no crocodiles in sight (not many people for that matter).

An elephant on the Andamans, unfortunately not swimming

Majestic mauha trees, a few feet from the beach

That evening we would all be celebrating Laura's birthday - we'd have a little party at the Emerald Gecko's restaurant (the food so far had been amazing - lime garlic red snapper, huge grilled tiger prawns and even lobster!).  Party poppers and Indian champagne (not bad either) had been specially flown in from the mainland by Joanna.  A chocolate fudge cake arrived from the kitchen covered in candles - well just a few.  Quite why we then decided to explore the sea by head torch still remains a mystery - the tide was out so we could walk a fair distance.  The rock pools were full of life - crabs, sea cucumbers and other sea beasties.

A sea cucumber, in careful hands   

We had only managed to acquire single tickets from Port Blair two days before - something we would soon regret.  I now have a saying: "The fewer times you have to deal with Indian bureaucracy the better" - and ticket offices are their bureacratic temples. We tried to get ferry tickets the night before - "no we don't sell them come back in the morning" came the reply.  We returned the following morning - "we sell the 3pm ferry tickets at 2pm come back then" and then at 2pm: "We've sold out of the 3pm tickets comeback later for the 4.30 ferry tickets".  Again complete chaos.  In the end we managed to get two tickets on the privately run high-speed ferry - the same ferry company that had told us they were sold out the previous day!

After an unremarkable stay at the clearly non "Eco Palm Grove Resort" (and we're using the word "resort" very loosely) in Port Blair we flew back to BBRS on Monday morning.  I think this is the first time I've managed to sit in seat 1A - our flight would be continuing to New Delhi.  As we deplaned (that's a proper word) I'm sure I heard an Indian say "you are getting out at the wrong airport".  Bhubaneswar isn't really a tourist stop.

Andaman Islands or Work

The panoramic view from the headteacher's office

Should I update you on my Andaman Islands trip or share the improvements I've made to my classes?  Work first I reckon.  What do they say about assumptions?  Well this applies even more so to India.  When you arrive customs should stamp your passport with a reminder.  I assumed my classes would alternate between boys & girls; that the same students would return each week.  How wrong was I - the knock on of this is that I've have students who've have had five lessons mixed with ones who hadn't had any.  So when I asked the class "Does everyone understand?" half the class would say yes, the others would just looked confused – a bit like me.  The same thing was also happening in the teacher's training sessions; certain staff members wanted to skip sections as they clearly already held degrees in computer studies and knew everything!

I was getting cross-eyed; you could say I was losing control of my pupils.  A meeting with Urmila (GV Education Manager) was quickly arranged and we spent all of Saturday ironing out the problems; one great big staff meeting.  I felt a bit guilty as Urmila set about chastising the teachers in Oriya - the key words I could understand as they were in English.  It sounded like I was being very critical – I’d only raised a couple of points.  By the end of the day we'd agreed that all year nine students would attend my classes, the teachers would be split into two groups and that I'd also start teaching all the year five kids too (a crafty move that I completely missed).  To be fair it meant that I'd head to school straight after lunch for three, hour long lessons.  I never really managed to get anything started in this hour at this office. I'd also get a translator for the times when my Peter Sellers impressions didn't work.

Oriya script in a PowerPoint presentation, not as easy as it looks - which it doesn't

Another improvement would be the supply of a projector for lessons.  I would connect it to a PC and project my course notes - goodbye whiteboard and wonky writing. I was also getting through a serious number of marker pens; my full stops were probably way too big.  I made a few visits into Berhampur to find the correct model - we settled on a Sharp XR50S (it has a DLP (digital light processing) so has got to be good).  The other plus would be that I could start using animations to make my lessons really "jazzy".  I wanted to try my hardest to spark an interest in computers with the children.  I accept that listening to boring old me waffle on can’t be that inspiring.  I then found BrainPOP.com - an amazing website jam packed with educational animations - perfect for the students.

BrainPOP animations - all about software

During February I've also helped out with science workshops at Kankia, created by Geeta from our Bio-diesel department.  Again the new projector helped us, this time by allowing Oriya script to be used in PowerPoint.  If the students and teachers could type in Oriya then this would be an amazing step forward - lesson notes could also be bilingual.  After much grief I managed to muster-up a virtual screen keyboard and the necessary fonts together (Oriya script is rather neglected in Microsoft's world - a bit like Orissa in reality).  At lunchtime we've even managed to start playing Oriyan music videos - not my cup of chai as there's way to much whirling about in fields - but it does guarantee a full house.

Science workshops - batteries, bulbs, switches and wire     

Cycling to and from the school is still great fun - the temperatures are slowing rising (we're hitting 40 degrees this weekend).  Heading off at 2pm does mean I'm in the hottest part of the day - plenty of water drunk and factor 25 applied.  The wildlife has been improving too (or I'm becoming more observant).  During the last few weeks I've seen my first proper big snake (4-5 feet), a mongoose (probably after said snake), three beautiful golden jackals, and a peacock (with the noise it was making a certain supper for the jackals).  Scorpions have also been on the increase, accidentally I cycled over one on the way to the mess (very messy).  I think I’ll also take the plunge and buy a bicycle – one I can then donate to GV in July.  With gears I’ll easily be able to beat 14 minutes 52 seconds… 

Scorpion season - UV light really helps

Saraswati Puja

Time for a few more photographs from Kankia School. A few days ago we celebrated Saraswati Puja, one of the most important festivals of the school year. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts and science - so no wonder she's celebrated so enthusiastically! I'll let the photographs do the talking, as to be honest I didn't really understand what was going on!

The shrine to the Goddess Saraswati

The pupils take a hand in cooking the food - for five hundred people!

Gifts are placed in front of the shrine

A little bit too much incense at this point

People touch the flame in hope of improved knowledge (didn't help me)

At the end of the celebrations we enjoyed a wonderful feast, presented on a customary banana leave. The festivities weren't exactly over as pupils were then given coconuts to smash on a rock near the shrine. As a teacher I also took part - it took me two whacks to break my coconut!

A Puja is a Hindu day of worship - the children took weeks to make the shrine