Balasore – Baripada – 58 km
From Balasore, the route to Nepal veered inland, turning away from
the coast. The scenery instantly changed, and the countryside
became far drier.
Baripada was a hive of activity and security forces lined the streets.
The chaos was due to the Chief Minister being in town and a podium
was erected on the main road from where he addressed the people.
Due to these activities, rooms were scarce, and we had to wait an
hour until one became available. While waiting, youngsters
befriended us (and in true Indian style, we were addressed as
“Auntie” and “Uncle”). Then, they treated us to beer, proudly pointing
out I was the first woman ever to frequent the bar. At least, when all
else fails, I’ll have that incident to add to my resumé!
Baripada – Ghatsila – 99 km
While crossing from Orissa to the little-visited Jharkhand, the
landscape became slightly hillier with even fewer tourists. Few
travellers ventured to the state of Jharkhand, immediately evident as
villagers stared nervously without as much as a wave.
In Ghatsila, we found lodging with curious onlookers in close pursuit.
We had to close the bedroom door and windows to get privacy. The
Indians are such a curious bunch, and I guess they wanted to see
what two foreigners were up to and what was in those panniers. As a
guy pointed out, the panniers were most likely to carry rice and
water.