Gopalpur – Balugaon – 86 km
Aided by a good tailwind, the ride became most enjoyable.
Unfortunately, unforeseen expenditures at home left me broke,
requiring for even stricter economising than before. In Balugaon, our
accommodation was along Lake Chilika. The next morning, the plan
was to take the ferry across the lake to Satapada.
This brackish lake is one of the largest in India and well known for its
migratory birds. So, instead of taking a tourist boat at Rp 600 each to
see the spectacle of million-plus birds coming from as far afield as
Siberia, we decided to take the public ferry to Satapada at Rp 40 (on
the opposite side of the lake).
By evening, Ernest made a substantial potato dish.
Balagoan – Puri – 169 km
We were up at 5h00 to catch the ferry at 6h00, but to our surprise
found no ferry, just a tiny fishing vessel loaded with ice and other
fishing paraphernalia. The price shot up to 250 rupees, and we gave
up and cycled around the lake to Puri. I was disappointed as the
distance was not simply substantially farther than I wanted to go, but
the lake had been listed as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Still, the weather was scorching and the landscape not as exciting as
we’d become accustomed to.
Due to the long distance cycled, arrival in Puri, situated along the Bay
of Bengal, was late. Nevertheless, I discovered a decent abode with a
shared bathroom and a hot shower, precisely what was needed after
such a long day. After easily cycling such a distance, I assumed a
broken axle was not such a disaster.