Bhubaneswar, July 18: The distance between Honolulu in Hawaii and the holy town of Puri is more than 11,600km. For Emme Veronica and Atmarama Diaz, this was no reason to miss the Nabakalebar experience, that too for the first time.

The couple, who came all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the shores of the Bay of Bengal, were overjoyed to see the car festival up close.

"We have never seen something like this. We have been following the festival on the Internet and this was even more grand than what we'd expected," said Veronica.

They came to know about the festival from Diaz's mother who resides in Vrindavan.

"My mother has been living here since long and I first came to India when I was about three-and-half years old. I love this country for its cultural vibrancy and I have been to a number of places. But, visiting the country once again for a festival like this has its own charm," said Diaz, whose mother has also come to witness the grand event. Diaz is a yoga teacher in Honolulu, while Veronica is a dancer. They have been married for five years.

For Veronica, this is her first visit to India. "My husband has been telling a lot of things about the country. I did not know anything about the concept of Nabakalebar. On hearing it, I was extremely fascinated and decided that there could be no better time to visit India," said the 27-year-old artiste.

She has also joined the troupe of Mahari dancer Rupashree Mohapatra to learn some traditional steps. "I love to dance and am acquainted with the popularity of Odissi," said Veronica. She will be in Rupashree's team for a few cultural nights in Puri this week.

When asked about the best thing that they have noticed about the festival, Veronica said: "We saw thousands of people swarming to the city to have a glimpse of the Lord. At first, I was really scared about the crowd but after the festival was over, I realised that making way through the crowd to see the deities in their chariots is actually an art. It was fun."

"We have been planning to come to Puri during this time, for over a year. We had booked tickets six months ago and arranged for accommodation," said Diaz.

Visitors from countries such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, US and Canada were seen in large numbers. "This was a lifetime experience for us. We will cherish the memories throughout our lives," said Michelle Rodrigues, an American from Minnesota.