It took 30 hours by train but the journey wasn't actually as bad as I'd first imagined. First you read, then you eat, then you sleep and then you start reading again. I travelled down with 2 other VSO volunteers for all but the last hour or so and we managed to sneak some G&Ts on board which jollied up the evening somewhat.
Dillip, my boss, is a really nice, switched-on guy and he invited me to his house last night for supper. I was introduced to his wife and and then to his children who proceeded to bend down and touch my feet which I found a tad disconcerting but hopefully they only do it the first time they meet you. Although Dillip speaks very good English, the rest of the family struggled to understand me so I think I'll have to perfect my Oriya pretty fast. The only problem is they speak a different type of Oriya from one we learnt in Delhi. From what I can gather it's a bit like learning BBC English and then finding yourself in the back streets of Glasgow. At the end of the evening I was offered a lift back to the hotel and found myself riding side-saddle on the back of a motorbike in true Indian style. It was my first ever time on a motorbike and, whilst it adds to the excitement (or terror), riding side-saddle isn't actually as difficult as it looks. Dillip might not agree however – I was holding on to him so tightly he was gasping for breath when we arrived.
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