TRIP TO PURI | BABYMOON | TICTALKTOE TRAVELS | ORISSA | ODISHA | SHORT VACATION | BENGALI TRAVELER | CHALO LETS GO
“What you seek is seeking you” – the things you desire will always find a way to come to you!
We had last travelled to Puri in March, 2019. You may want to read my Travelogue HERE. Right after I took a break from my job at a Law Firm, I was craving for a vacation, and Puri seemed to be the most viable option for us at a short notice. This was also the first family vacation with both set of parents traveling with us. We had even celebrated Mr. Pal’s 37th Birthday in Puri, and honestly, if you ask me, a Bengali will never get tired of visiting Puri. There is something for everyone. Beaches for the laidback, Jagannath Temple for the religious, sight seeing for the adventurous, simple home cooked meals. Nobody ever gets tired of visiting Puri.
Come 2021, and it had been over a year since we had a vacation. With Covid and pregnancy in tow, a vacation seemed to be the last thing on our mind. I had proposed for a staycation on an extended weekend knowing fully well that the next few months would be busier, both for me and Mr. Pal. However, Mr. Pal never liked the idea of a Staycation! He would rather sleep in the comfort of his bedroom than sleep somewhere within the city. Feeling very dejected, I woke up early on 1st April, casually browsing through the Indian Railway’s website, knowing that there would not be a single ticket that could take me to Puri or even Digha! However, I chanced upon something known as “Premium Tatkal” for the very first time, and voila, I saw 5 available seats for the night train to Puri. My sleepy brain immediately sprung up and I hurriedly pestered Mr. Pal to lend me a ear. He too seemed very surprised and shocked, but somehow agreed (am sure he too was craving for a vacation). We judged all the pros and cons of travelling in the 30th week of my pregnancy, without hotel reservations or a return ticket at such a short notice, and finally booked the tickets via premium tatkal at quite an exorbitant price! However, once the tickets were booked, I had a wide grin on my face. Puri is it!
However, the wide grin on my face was short-lived. The moment we announced our trip plans to our family, they began sulking! “How will you travel? Why are you risking your life? It is not a good idea to travel at this stage of your pregnancy“, and so on! But trust me, a mother knows the best for her baby, and I was completely fit to travel. I was very confident about being able to make it to Puri, and so was the one in my womb. What next, we decided to take their advice with a pinch of salt and move on!
It is sheer destiny that on days that I have to travel for a vacation, I miraculously have truckloads of office work to complete! It so happened on my trip to Tajpur in 2013, where I was working till 2 am and had a train at 6 am. Somehow I confided in my Manager about the trip and let her know that work would not suffer (since the next day was a working Friday for us). I would be carrying my laptop and could conveniently work from the Hotel. At around 6 in the evening, I wrapped up my work and started packing for the trip. Coming to the hotel booking part, all beach located hotels were already full (thanks to the extended weekend). After a little bit of research, we settled down for Hotel Pushpa which was barely a minute away from the beach. The Hotel was not very fancy, but was extremely neat and clean. It also had wi-fi and we settled for the basic AC rooms. Check in at 9 am, and check out at 7 am. (They even gave us an early check in at 8 am). Highly recommended for budget travelers who want to stay close to the beach.
We reached Howrah Station well before time and I felt so elated to see the Railway Station again! Earlier, we would always indulge in 2 long trips and a couple of short trips annually, however, 2020 was a complete miss. The stench of the bathrooms did not bother me anymore! I was more than happy to see the train and the station, and my excitement knew no bounds. The train departed on time, and Joy Jagannath, early next morning we were in Puri. We checked in to our Hotel and decided to hit the beach.
Once I felt the sea waves lashing on my feet, all my worries seemed to have vanished. We rented chairs on the beach for an hour and spent a good time watching the sea from a distance. We saw the more adventurous and enthusiastic ones bathing in the sea. Families were enjoying, couples were having fun, friends were pulling each other’s leg, Puri was all about positive vibes! After an hour, we returned to our hotel and freshened up. Next we took some rest and went out to lunch. We hit Victoria Club Hotel, and had the simplest meal. Rice, Egg Curry and Chicken Curry. It was delicious and the pocket pinch was Rs.500 for two. We headed back to our hotel and I settled down with a few office calls on my laptop. I completed my pending assignments and then went off to sleep for a while. Mr. Pal was obviously not sleepy. He headed to the beach on his own and got me some snacks in the evening. 
It was sheer coincidence that a huge gang of Mr. Pal’s office colleagues were also in Puri at that time. We caught up with them for dinner. We had Chinese at one of the most popular and old restaurants at Puri, Chung Wah. The day ended on a sweet note and we had a lovely time reuniting with them.
Day two, we headed out to a local eatery for breakfast and again hit the beach. Repeating on loop – rented chairs – watching the sea from a distance. Our group of friends also joined us, and they decided to take a dip. Mr. Pal joined them while I watched from a distance. We spent a good two-three hours on the beach. We headed back to the hotel and I changed in a saree. Lunch was at Dalma, one of the popular chain of restaurants for Odiya Meals. I settled for a chicken thaali, while others opted for mutton thaali. The food was simple and delicious. We hit the beach in the evening again, and ventured out to buy khajas and gamchas for our families at night. Time flew before we could even realise, and next morning, it was time to bid goodbye to Puri.
Next morning, we checked out of our hotel at sharp 7 am. We could not manage our return tickets via tatkal. Thankfully our huge group of friends were God sent! We travelled back with them, via road. Started at 10 in the morning and reached Kolkata at around 11 pm. Took washroom and lunch/tea breaks in between. The road was very smooth, barring few diversions for road repairs. Overall the trip was a huge success and a big breather for both Mr. Pal and me.
With that, we have already decided Baby Pal’s first vacation destination – Puri!Disclaimer: This post, by no means, is encouraging you to travel during pregnancy. We did so at our own risk, and thankfully, came back safe. Always seek your Doctor’s opinion in case you are doubtful about traveling.
Also, the current situation is quite risky, and once again I would urge my readers not to think of this as a post that encourages travel during pandemic. Please treat this as a post penning down my Babymoon experiences.
Mind-blowing 🥰
Thank you so much!
Travelling seems like a dream now.. so happy you got to enjoy your trip!!
Absolutely! Who knew we would be back to where we were again?
It’s good that you enjoyed a lot😍
We were just lucky Krishna di!
Thik bolecho. Only a mother knows the best for her baby.
Great write up
Thanks a ton dear! Somehow I felt that I would make it through, and I was lucky 🙂