I spent my first saturday in India at Chilika Lake, about a two hour car ride from Bhubaneswar, along the eastern coast of the Odisha Province. Chilika Lake is the largest brackish lagoon in Asia and the second largest in the world and it fed by the Bay of Bengal. As it is the winter season in India right now, it is the perfect time to go to Chilika Lake, as it is home to the largest population of migratory birds on the Indian continent, where over 160 species come from as far as Siberia. Also, a very productive eco-system is at home in Chilika Lake and the rich fishery provides a great deal of fresh prawn and crab to be exported throughout the country.
A group of my classmates and I chartered a boat to take us to do some bird watching as well as to visit a remote island in the middle of the lagoon with a temple, that is considered to be a destination spot for the locals. When we made it to the middle of the lagoon, we quietly watched thousands of birds peacefully resting on the surface of the lagoon, it was an extraordinary sight. As well was the island, where a loud speaker was bellowing chants and prayers from a man seated beside the structure, for the entire island to hear. There were mothers whom had brought their entire kitchens and were cooking lunch for their children, what I would consider to be the Indian version of a picnic. Imagine: Women in the most beautiful, luxuriously bejeweled saris bent over the smoke and flames, stirring fragrant dal and scooping the steaming hot contents with their hands into banana leaves to hand to the next hungry mouth. On this island, I passed by a stand with a bowl of cucumbers and a small dish of a red mixture, and with one point the man was pealing and slicing. After half of a minute, he handed me a cucumber that has been rolled in chili powder and salt. The juicy nature of the cucumber coated with the salty and spicy chili mix made for a mouth watering treat and the perfect snack in the beating down sun.
Once we returned to shore, we went a short ways to a traditional restaurant that served the prawn and crab that had been caught in the lake. I ordered prawn curry, which was served beside a bed of steamed rice and yellow dal. The prawns were so incredibly tendered and cooked in a (Very!) spicy curry sauce, along with green peppers and onions. I also tried a piece of the crab, which was boiled in a spiced sauce until cooked and it was incredibly succulent, with traces of the spice beneath every and between every space of the shell. We were the only non-indian customers in the restaurant, and were video-taped by the wait staff while we enjoyed our meals. Although it can be frustrating, I understand how it can be feel to be so overwhelmed by something so foreign and how I am no different with the constant shutter clicks of my camera as I explore the country.
In total, the day trip cost around 20 USD, including transportation, the boat, snacks, drinks and food. A pretty incredible value.
A group of my classmates and I chartered a boat to take us to do some bird watching as well as to visit a remote island in the middle of the lagoon with a temple, that is considered to be a destination spot for the locals. When we made it to the middle of the lagoon, we quietly watched thousands of birds peacefully resting on the surface of the lagoon, it was an extraordinary sight. As well was the island, where a loud speaker was bellowing chants and prayers from a man seated beside the structure, for the entire island to hear. There were mothers whom had brought their entire kitchens and were cooking lunch for their children, what I would consider to be the Indian version of a picnic. Imagine: Women in the most beautiful, luxuriously bejeweled saris bent over the smoke and flames, stirring fragrant dal and scooping the steaming hot contents with their hands into banana leaves to hand to the next hungry mouth. On this island, I passed by a stand with a bowl of cucumbers and a small dish of a red mixture, and with one point the man was pealing and slicing. After half of a minute, he handed me a cucumber that has been rolled in chili powder and salt. The juicy nature of the cucumber coated with the salty and spicy chili mix made for a mouth watering treat and the perfect snack in the beating down sun.
Once we returned to shore, we went a short ways to a traditional restaurant that served the prawn and crab that had been caught in the lake. I ordered prawn curry, which was served beside a bed of steamed rice and yellow dal. The prawns were so incredibly tendered and cooked in a (Very!) spicy curry sauce, along with green peppers and onions. I also tried a piece of the crab, which was boiled in a spiced sauce until cooked and it was incredibly succulent, with traces of the spice beneath every and between every space of the shell. We were the only non-indian customers in the restaurant, and were video-taped by the wait staff while we enjoyed our meals. Although it can be frustrating, I understand how it can be feel to be so overwhelmed by something so foreign and how I am no different with the constant shutter clicks of my camera as I explore the country.
In total, the day trip cost around 20 USD, including transportation, the boat, snacks, drinks and food. A pretty incredible value.