24.1.2015 Coastal Trekking from Puri to Chilika Natural Sea Mouth 33.5 km It was a golden sunset at Chilika and Bay of Bengal confluence at the natural sea mouth at Dhalabali, when we reached after trekking for about 33.5 KM along the coast of Bay of Bengal from Puri to Chilika lake. The sun never looked so beautiful on a pristine beach surrounded with blue water on three side with Bay of Bengal on the east, Chilika lake on the west and the about one kilometre long mouth on the south. We sat on the tip on the golden sand surrounded with deep blue water just to admire the golden sun going down. It was fifth day of Hindu month of Magha and the five day old moon had replaced the sun in no time. A full moon day would have been the ideal day to come to this place. As members of Bhubaneswar Cycling & Adventure Club, we had planned to do the coastal trekking on the beach from Puri to Chilika lake. We started googling and found Youth Hostel to be organizing such trek. But they were organizing five days trek and not as per our route. Also they were taking two days up to Luna Pani about 28 KM from Puri and they had not organized any trek till natural sea mouth. The Google map also showed that we had to cross river Dhaudia after five KM. Local people of Puri also told that we had to cross another river near Baliharachandi. We could get connected to a guide associated with Youth Hostel treks. On 24.1.2015, I along with ten members of BCAC started from Bhubaneswar on car and reached Puri by 7.30 AM. After breakfast and little bit of preparation we were ready to trek from the beach near Jamindar Palace around 8.15. The guide discouraged us that it won’t be possible to do that distance in a day and advised us either to start from Sterling resort about five KM away or to close the trek at Luna pani about 28 KM away. However we went ahead as per our plan and started our walk at 8.15 from the beach near Jamindar Palace. We moved through the crowded beach of Puri from Digabareni to Light House for about three kilometers. This is the dirtiest part of the sea beach we came across with danger of stamping on human excreta all over. It gives a feel that tourists and locals to be using the sea as a open toilet. May be absence of any Sulabh Sauchalaya (public toilet) on the beach might have aggravated the situation. The beach was bustling with activity, with people taking bath on the waves of the sea, worshiping Varun the god of ocean, taking ride on the camel and horses, sipping tea and just strolling on the beach. After the light house the cleanliness improved drastically and after covering little over five kilometres in an hour we reached the mouth of river Nuanai (Google map denotes this river as Dhaudia) near Sterling resort at about nine. To our surprise there was no water at the river mouth and we did not realize that we had already crossed the river mouth. We came to know that the river gets connected only during high tide and at that time you have to cross the water of about 2/3 feet depth in winter. After this point we did not see any human being or civilisation on the coast for next ten kilometres. The tide was rising and the beach had slope towards the sea side. One has the choice to walk on the flat soft sand on the side or the harder sloppy wet sand near the water. Walking near the sea on a slope was putting extra pressure on the left leg and you have to be extra vigilant on not getting your shoes drenched by the rising unpredictable tide. So one has to cleverly mix both the options. But the sighting of large number of olive ridley turtle all along the coast was quite depressing We reached the coast near Baliharchandi after covering 15 kilometres at about quarter past noon(this point one kilometer ahead of the spot mentioned in google map as Baliharchandi). Our support team had reached with lunch pack, water after crossing the river by boat at Baliharchandi and walking for about half kilometer. We did not finish the entire lunch pack at a time and conserved fair amount for next few hours. We also took three water bottles for the next 18 kilometers trek as there was no more support available en route. At this point of the beach we met a few tourists and locals. Some local person also informed us that we had to cross a river after two kilometers. Also we wanted to get a boat confirmed at about six in the evening at the sea mouth. But we could not get telephone signal of either BSNL or Airtel. We were in two minds whether to proceed towards sea mouth or to trek back to Puri. We realised how the mobile telephone has become in our life next to water and food. Our guide offered his services to receive us with a boat at the sea mouth and he left by vehicle via Brahmagiri. He also informed that there was no more river to cross till the sea mouth. We started on our post lunch phase two of 18 km. The beach was very clean and beautiful. But most of us were wearing running shoes with net type material on the top. The sand got inside the shoes and it was quite irritating . As water was receding due to low tide in the afternoon, the slope of the beach was flatter near the water line and it was easier to walk. The chance of getting your shoes drenched was also less. When we covered about 20 km, we could see Chilika lake on the right with a thin strip of sand separating it from the sea. I took out the shoes and walked barefoot on the wet sands near the water, It got some relief to the aching feet. After crossing about 28 km we reached Lunapani and we were happy to see our guide there with a boat and refreshing drinks. He informed us that we could take the boat from there or we could further walk about five kilometers to reach sea mouth at Dhalabali. All of us chose not to avail the boat. All of us took out our shoes and started walking. The sun was down and it was much more pleasant with the light breeze. As the water had receded we got almost flat hard sandy surface as bonus. I along with Manoj Ahuja jogged this last five kilometers at pace of ten plus kilometers per hour as icing on the cake. We were just in time for few snaps at the natural sea mouth at Dhalabali. Our mapmyride navigation clocked 33.5 kilometers in six hours seventeen minutes of trekking time at the speed of 5.35 kilometers per hour covering about forty seven thousand steps. Chilka Lake is a brackish water lagoon connected to the Bay of Bengal by a sea mouth. It is spread over 1,100 square km and about 52 rivers & streams flow into the lake. It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world. A new sea mouth was dredged in front of Sipakuda village in September 2000 in order to improve the salinity as the earlier natural mouth near Manikpatna was closed. Between 2009 to 2013, three natural mouths have open to the sea with the mouth at Dhalabali on the north. I must thank my BCAC members for their support, motivation, encouragement to cover 33.5 kilometers of coastal trek in a day from Puri to Chilika. mapmyride/workout/853338475
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 10:46:15 +0000
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