Priscilla Kibbee: Planning a Trip To India

Its a blizzard out there. Well, ok, its just some snow. Time to plan yet another trip to India. As usual I will start off in Delhi...mostly because I know the city well and its usually a good jumping off point for where I want to go...either Nepal or Rajasthan. This time I'm not going to either place but the flight was quite cheap. $960 on Northwest Airlines. I usually like to take either Continental or American Airlines to New Delhi as they have a direct flight from New York. But I found I could save around $150 by going through Amsterdam and I like that airport anyway. And now Continental is charging $50 for the second bag on International flights. I'll only arrive three hours later. Not a big deal.

My new favorite hotel in downtown Delhi will send a car to pick me up for 550 rupees (around $13) and after a good sleep and breakfast on their rooftop (the eggs and toast wrapped in a napkin) I will take the First Class overnight train to Kolkata (Calcutta) I have become addicted to First Class trains...so pleasant and with comfy beds. Plenty of space for my usual packed suitcases. Four to a compartment...free food and a waiter who brings you a rose and tea. They even serve you ice cream! I will be taking three First Class overnight trains. First to Kolkata, then to Puri and then from Bhubaneswar back to Delhi. The total of all three is about $100. Distance wise it is the equivalent of traveling from New York to Miami, back to Chicago and then back home. And it saves me three nights of hotel costs as well as expensive taxis to the airport. And I don't have to worry about overweight baggage as internal country flights are usually restricted to around 44 pounds checked baggage.

In Kolkata I am staying at one of my favorite hotels, the rather funky Fairlawn. It is like something right out of the Raj era. It has beautiful lawns and gardens, right in the downtown area. The rooms are rather old fashioned and they announce meals with a gong. You are served by waiters in traditional garb and white gloves. And in the afternoon they serve you a formal tea in the garden.

The place is full of bric a brac and photos.

If you saw City of Joy with Patrick Swayze this was the hotel where he stayed .

On my way back to Delhi I will stay a couple of days in Bhubaneswar, a small city full of temples . Its not far from Puri.

But my main destination in this area is Puri. A beach town which comes alive in the summer when thousands of pilgrims descend on the town for a festival. They come to visit this temple.

I will be staying on the beach and visiting several towns known for their needlework. The entire trip with airfare, three trains and hotels will cost me around $1400. I already have my visa which is still valid from my last trip in September.

One of the main towns I want to visit is Pipli, a village of artisans about 15 km from Puri . This village is famous for its colorful appliqué textiles, a craft that originally served temples. Using some of the same techniques and vivid color combinations, Pipli artisans create garden umbrellas, wall hangings, bags, and hanging lanterns/wind socks. Common motifs include the wide–eyed face of Lord Jagannath, peacocks, birds, flowers, animals, children, and radial designs. The style and subject matter depiction on some of the wall hangings and bags reminds one of Hmong Story Cloths, with a rather “folk art” style, a combination of appliqué and embroidered enhancements to the village or animal scenes.