[ultimatechamp]

Excellent writeup. Loved reading it and nice pictures too.

I loved your writing more so because,almost every older Team BHP member in Kolkata knows me and about my frequent Puri travel by car ( I have done it 26 times till date since January 2009 ). Last time I went to Puri was in March 2015 for 3 nights.
There was also a thread on Team BHP ( now closed by mods ) about roads to Puri from Kolkata and back with many pictures. But I am too lethargic to produce such a breathtaking write up as yours.

I have also driven on the Konark Puri Marine drive and your pictures do justice to that awesome road.

Fantastic. Keep writing more travelogues .

[Samfromindia]

When it comes for vacations near Kolkata, Puri was always in the cards. After reading this excellent travelogue i got inspired and finally planned for the trip this Christmas week. Contacted AJ-got-BHP & he called me up and explained everything i needed to know in details Had a lovely time and enjoyed thoroughly. Few things i will like to mention:

• I started at 12:45 am. Encountered heavy fog in 30% of the way till 4:30 am and had to slow down. However there was minimal traffic and reached Puri at 7:40 am.
• Roads were excellent throughout, save for the last few km as you approach Puri town.
• Hotels are plenty, you can get good deals if you search around instead of blindly booking one through an agent.
• The local tour agents offer mainly 2 sightseeing packages. First is where they will take multiple points like Konarak, nandankanan etc and the second is half day trip to Chilka lake.
• You cannot park your car close to jagannath temple, its better to take auto.
• Shoes, mobiles or cameras are not permitted inside temple. They have a place near the gate where you keep your shoes and deposit your mobiles for a nominal charge of 2rs and 5rs respectively. Strangely wallet is allowed inside
• Paid parking is ample near the beach side, they normally take 20rs for short time to 150rs for whole day.

It was a foggy night


Puri !










On the way to Konarak














Konarak










Sand sculpture exhibition










Lunch break @Kolaghat on the way back

[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

When it comes for vacations near Kolkata, Puri was always in the cards. After reading this excellent travelogue i got inspired and finally planned for the trip this Christmas week. Contacted AJ-got-BHP & he called me up and explained everything i needed to know in details. Had a lovely time and enjoyed thoroughly.

Sam this could well have been a separate travelogue all together, but you chose to update my travelogue for which i feel extremely elated

Glad that you had a good time with family members on this trip !!

Your Ecosport adds that dash of contrasting colour to your photographs and makes it visually joyous for the viewers/ readers. Keep travelling and keep posting such wonderful updates !!

[mi2n]

With the impending scope for an errand during 23rd to 26th January, we were preempting a short getaway. Baruva was initially given much thought, but the fact that our daughter is just 11 months old made the thought of a 700+ km one way trip questionable. Then my F-I-L's Puri trip got cancelled for some reason and we pounced on the idea of taking him to Puri. Given that I needed a day to prepare the car, we planned for a three day trip between 24th and 26th of January.

We left home at 05:15 hours and had our first break at Kolaghat :


we cross over into Odissa and stopped to devour our packed breakfast of chicken sandwiches and boiled eggs :


soon we were at the outskirts of Cuttack :


we crossed Cuttack and stopped at PAHAL, the center of the recent Rosogolla controversy over the origin of the sweet between OD and WB :



Reached Puri at 14:15 hours taking the Konark flyover after the big bus terminus on Jagannath Sadak and joining the Konark-Puri marine drive 5 kms from Puri. This was to avoid driving through the congested by-lanes of Puri. Strolled to the beach in the evening :




The next day we started of lazily towards Konark Sun Temple and Chandrabhaga beach. The Puri-Konark marine drive is very scenic :




a possible off-road trail! Some other time, in some other car!


the full team :


at the Konark Sun Temple :




smiles that take away all worldly worries :


on the way back we stopped for a photo-shoot at Chandrabhaga beach :


We headed straight for the Wild Grass and enjoyed great food in an even greater ambiance :




That evening we went shopping at Puri :


Nobody leaves Puri without paying this fellow a visit :


he runs this joint which serves a famous delicacy :


We queued up for our turn and bought 10 kgs of his most famous offering :


We left Puri the next morning at 08:40 and stopped for an elaborate lunch at Hotel Orion, Bhadrak. After wasting nearly 90 minutes there, we raced against sunlight to reach Kolaghat by 16:30 covering 253 kms in 3 hours (excluding two 10 minute pit-stops at Jaleswar and Debra). We stopped for Ice-cream at Express Food Plaza.

The widest grin after cruising along the impecabble NH-5/6 :


Reached home at 18:15 concluding a 1140 kms drive on pristine roads.

[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by mi2n

With the impending scope for an errand during 23rd to 26th January, we were preempting a short getaway. Baruva was initially given much thought, but the fact that our daughter is just 11 months old made the thought of a 700+ km one way trip questionable. Then my F-I-L's Puri trip got cancelled for some reason and we pounced on the idea of taking him to Puri. Given that I needed a day to prepare the car, we planned for a three day trip between 24th and 26th of January.

Thanks for updating this thread Mi2n with your recent travel experience to Puri. Excellent Pictures with some good narrations !! I just relived my memories of our Puri Visit; thanks to you. Good to see the little one on board with all smiles to offer Must say that your Bleeding Blue Figo with those funky alloys looks awesome with the Chandrabhaga Beach as the backdrop. Wish you many such endless happy and satiated drives with your Ford Figo. Cheers !!

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by mi2n

With the impending scope for an errand during 23rd to 26th January, we were preempting a short getaway. Baruva was initially given much thought, but the fact that our daughter is just 11 months old made the thought of a 700+ km one way trip questionable. Then my F-I-L's Puri trip got cancelled for some reason and we pounced on the idea of taking him to Puri. Given that I needed a day to prepare the car, we planned for a three day trip between 24th and 26th of January.

Another update to the Land of Jagannath ! Like Arav mentioned it feels nostalgic while going through the amazing set of pictures you posted Your blue figo is looking stellar on the Puri-Konarak expressway with its exotic boots