The tour ( I am bored with the running a marathon header).

The first stop is a beach stop, the Indian families stock up on pakoras and samosas, having already eaten their food packaged for the trip. I notice that there are hundreds of dragon flies hovering around the beach.

The one thing about India is the extreme numbers.India is about "extremes", extreme poverty and majestic wealth, extreme numbers of people so little sanitation. There are always thousands of everything, more than you can count. There are however fewer vultures, apparently due to a government move to worm domestic cattle with an insecticide, it worked well however a side effect was that when the cattle die, they are left  out in the open to be fed on by vultures. .However the insecticide has killed 80% of the vultures population, the carrion now rots. Vultures have a fierce stomach culture, which when they excrete, all micro organisms are killed, their excreta is free of germs. With their rapid demise, the carrion is now eaten by feral dogs, with no microbiological killing system. Just thought you would like to know..

Konark "Sun Temple" its a real wow. So glad I have at last got to see it in its full majesty. The concept is a large stone cosmic chariot to the sun god Suriya. Built by King Narashimhadev 1, (with a name like that was there a 2nd King) a 750 years ago, the Orissian king beat a large muslim army and to commemorate the victory, built this huge edifice. Its 200 feet high at a guess, built of sandstone from Bhubeneswar 50 miles away hauled there by elephant. Iron key bars hold the rock blocks together, there is a very powerful lodestone at the top that magnetically holds all the iron rods in place.

The solid block chariot is pulled by 7 huge horses, (3 on one side 4 on the other) the chariot has 24 large (8ft high) cart wheels. Each wheel  is beautifully carved with 8 spokes, each spoke segment is 3 hours, the rim has 180 (3hour x 60 mins) square holes that represent minutes, the hub casts a shadow on the rim, it was spot on at 11.4am. The whole building is covered in carved facades. You can see giraffes, (trading with Africa 750 years ago) Japanese sandals (trading with the far east). A woman using a mirror to place a bidi on her forehead. A woman standing over a sandlewood fire, apparently a cleansing effect for when one has given birth.

Then there is the erotica, for which Konark is famous. Scenes of monogamy, polygamy  and obigofme, which is where woman have more than one man. Sorry do not no the correct term, o big of me, is not correct. Apparently
"doggy style" is not as effective in trying to conceive. The bas reliefs are spledidly explicit, the detail is still very fine even after 750 years. Children thrill at the naughty bits. So did I.
Lunch is masala dosai, the choice meal if I had to only one meal for the rest of my life. Have been totally vegetarian since leaving England. The samba is delicious and hot, the coconut chutney has lots of curry leaves in it, but the mango pickle is sublime, Sharwoods have a lot to learn. We drive through Bhubeneshwar, the traffic cops are all in white. Actually they are wearing  white 10 gallon stetsons ( note to self, what is the measurement in Europe 50.8 litres? ) white button down shirts and white trousers and shoes. A bit like security staff at an Elvis Presley "look alike show". We travel on to the Jain monastery, room size caves cut into the mountains 4000 years ago. On a mountain peak there are several large caves, with rocks cut in the shape of large tigers. Beautiful relief carvings above doorways depicting day to day life, carved calligraphy over a door 4000 years old..

The trouble with visiting hindu shrines is the need to take your shoes off, holy cows seem to know this and leave  traps for the barefoot unwary. On my way back to the Hotel there seems to be a mothers meeting of local holy cows, having a girls night out. They flock around my hotel, they are docile, but you need to move very fast if they lift their tails to salute you.

I actually get a good nights sleep.

Tuesday 16th 7.00am go for anothe body surf, water warm less surf. Pack bags to leave for Bhubeneshwar Station. Tomorrow by train, further South to Visakhapatnam.