We arrived in Bhubaneswar last night on KingFisher Airlines -- the flight was uneventful and Mary was the only caucasian on the flight. English is not spoken by many in Orissa as compared to Delhi. There have been lots of nods and smiles!
Of the 28 states in India, Orissa is one of the poorest. Mining and Agriculture are the primary industry. Now is the harvest time for rice (which is harvested 2x a year)....we noticed many women working in the fields -- WHERE are the men?
Bhubaneswar is the city of temples -- there are 57 temples within 10 kms and most are to the God Shiva. We were not allowed into the temples because we are not Hindus but we were approached by a "priest" next to one of the temples : He could take us into the temple but first we needed to make a "donation" for the new "roof" -- see the pic!
The roof looks pretty solid?!
The hotel:
The Trident is the only 5-star hotel in Bhubaneswar, note: the star rating is relative. Its clean, the tap water is filtered but we continue to drink bottled water; the grounds are beautiful with flowers and vegetable gardens; the pool is in the center courtyard and in good shape. But the tennis courts look very old and are of an odd size.
Here are some pics of Bhubaneswar of the short excursion from this morning : our progress was halted by an accident on the road. We are surprised there aren't many more accidents?!
Read the reference to Tiger Woods -- its an advert for food!
Is there a subtle message by this driver?
?
It was great to talk to you guys yesterday. Remember to take time to sleep. You have both been through a lot lately and a whole lot more is obviously to come.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the above photo at the reconstruction site stating "work is in progress." That is some very inexpensive maintenance of traffic. If only I could specify such minimal traffic protection on my projects.
Speaking of reconstruction, our upstairs bathroom is now complete and working. I finished putting the door pulls on the vanity at 10:30 last night. We are now officially ready for your arrival on 12/23. Our tree will be decorated by the end of today.
I simply cannot wait to see you guys with Maggie.
I look forward to seeing a photo of her. Good luck tomorrow. I will light a candle for you three tomorrow. Stout hearts!
ps. 2-4" of snow is in the forecast in Minnetonka tonight. Then it is back to below zero night time temperatures and single digit day time highs. Could it be a white Christmas this year??
Paul
Good luck tomorrow! I hope you are both well asleep at the moment so that you will be fresh when meeting Maggie tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the pictures, we really enjoyed watching them.
Warm wishes to you and good luck tomorrow!
Saskia & Jan
Can't wait to see pictures of your new daughter...we are following your journey eagerly!!
ReplyDeleteCindy
Thom,
ReplyDeleteHave you found the local golf course yet? Good luck. We're enjoying your posts.
Robert and Pam
VERY FUNNY!!! :+)
ReplyDeleteGolf in Bhubaneswar Orissa will surely be an oxymoron.
Mary and Thom
Its nice to see all the pictures. Even though I have not been to Orissa, the pictures bring back lots of memories. The roads and scenery remind me of the small towns (even some part of Goa is like that). Although a lot more people speak English in Goa.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a wonderful time in Bubaneshwar.
We will remember you all in our prayers.
God Bless!
dom
As I am reading this, with the time difference, you may be meeting Maggie! This is so exciting! Thanks for taking the time to post to the blog and for adding so many pictures! It's like being there with you!
ReplyDeleteThom and Mary, thanks for sharing the pics and the blogs with us. This trip was long overdue and I am sure you are elated to see and hold Maggie in your arms. Very soon we all will the opportunity to hold dear Maggie. Enjoy your days there and keep on posting. Talk to you tomorow. Love Gabe
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