Kutch in 2015
I know I know.This is becoming like a travel blog. But it’s nice so we’ll just read ahead ok? Great.
Three generations of my family took a girls trip to Kutch in February, 2015. Haha, the nani, the mother, the sister and I. I’ve talked about my mum being a traveller. My nani is her baap (ironic, lol). Well, for those who don’t get it, what I mean is that the traveller’s soul is genetic and my mom’s got it from my nani. What an adventurous pair they are!
We took a train from Mumbai to Bhuj which took about 17 hours. It’s the fastest way to get to Bhuj after a flight which is just ridiculously expensive last minute. It was a crazy journey with tons of food going around, Gujaratis being Gujaratis, and one less berth :’(. I had to share one with a woman who was soooooooo big, that I finally understood the lyrics ‘Jiski biwi moti, gadde ka kya kaam hai!’ (my sister’s joke). Non-english speaking public, that literally translates to “What use is a mattress for one whose wife is fat?”.
The train was average, no food on it, no hawkers. I had to run out to the stations 3–4 times to arrange for tea. Know, that a train journey is incomplete without the consumption of at least 394503 litres of tea. We crossed the Narmada river at about 1930 hours which was sooo beautiful and long. The 2 bridges built to cross it (one with a train track, and one road for cars) stood strong and looked pretty magnificent.
We got to Bhuj station at about 0730 hours and to our hotel by rickshaw. The city has bounced back after the earthquake! It was impressive. Apparently it became much better after it. It was a good feeling. Our hotel had a good location — right in the middle of the city. So it was convenient and safe as well. It was a very simple hotel but the room was clean, spacious and met our needs.
We decided to go to Dhola Vira — an archaeological site which dates back to c.2650 BCE. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. History fans. It was a long drive from Bhuj and took us about 3.5 hours by taxi — we even passed some salt lands on the way.
It had one of the most advanced and well-planned drainage systems -
We also went to a temple full of peacocks. You see a peacock and realize why it is the national bird of India. It’s really stylish, I’m telling you.
On the way, we stopped a fort which recorded the names of their martyrs carved in stone. See -
We went to a handicraft village on our way back and shopped a bit — shawls, clothes etc. It was cute and open till quite late.
We got back to Bhuj just in time for dinner and went to Veeram Garden for a traditional Gujarati dinner. We ate, among other things, Bhengan ka Bharta, Bajre ki Khichdi, Moong Daal ki Khichdi, Aloo Methi, Lasan ka Paratha, Chaas. Food was superb and not at all heavy (even though it seemed really oily and ghee-ey). I strongly recommend it for anyone who visits Bhuj! -
We went to a million places the next day!
Kaladungar — A hill which makes for a nice tourist spot. On a clear day, you can see the stretch of the salt lands so white till as far as you can see. It wasn’t a clear day that day though. Here’s some of it for you -
India Bridge — Our taxi driver took us to India bridge, it’s very well constructed and civilians can’t go beyond it. It’s about 70 km from the India Pakistan border. Photography wasn’t permitted so sorry no photos!
Gandhidham — A local handicraft village which sells clothes, blankets, bed covers, wall hangings etc. It was really cute.
These local village girls, excellent salesgirls I tell you! They kept yelling “Didi meri dhinkli le lo please didi please didi” (Sister please buy my dolls please please!) in these shrill, cute voices. We ended up buying like 20 dolls from them. Smart.
It was really fun though. They all dress so stylishly! Loved it -
Rann of Kutch — It was a 2-hour drive from Bhuj to Dhordo — the village from where you get to the Rann. Bhuj has an Air Force Station which we passed as well. You have to get a permit to enter the area since it’s on the border of India and Pakistan.
The Rann is unbelievably beautiful. It’s salt which has formed over the months and starts melting in April I believe. It looks magnificent (yes, this word) in the sunlight. See for yourself -
These players were singing some local Kachchi songs at the Rann -
It was calm.
The Rann Utsav was on when we went. There was a Tent City set up in the middle of the Rann with tents of different tariffs depending on how luxurious they were. You can’t enter the Tent City unless you have a confirmed booking. There were stalls for food and shopping as well. We shopped a lot — tshirts, bags, knives and wallets. It’s exciting bringing back souvenirs from your travels right?
It was a full moon night, the best time to visit the Rann of Kutch. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a clear night and we couldn’t see the Rann shine under the moonlight. It seems the whole of the white glows under the moon if the air is clean.
Coincidentally, Mr. Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India, was visiting the Rann the very same day we were there. The security was tight and vigilant. There was a special programme organized for him at night in the middle of the Rann under the full moon. Dance troops from different parts of Gujarat — Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, the tribal areas, put up fantastically choreographed performances which was open to the public as well. We had good timing I guess and got to witness some really nice cultural dances.
My mum and I ventured into the Tent City (yes, we’re daredevils remember?). It was made really well. We’d walked only 300m before security asked us to leave politely. Here’s what I could get -
It was a long, tiring day, but so satisfying.
The next day was amazing too. We went to SO many different places! My Nani wanted to visit a few temples so we did — Ashapura, Koteshwar, Swami Narayan. Some were really beautiful. The Koteshwar temple was by the beach and was really beautiful. Pakistan is a few kilometers away. Some images for you -
They had a tree with a lot of bindis on it. Some tradition I suppose, it was pretty.
The Swami Narayan Temple is very well constructed, white, clean and big -
We then went to the most famous sweet shop — Khavda and picked up some Kachi Peda, Chorafalli and other famous Gujarati delicacies.
Mr. Ansari even followed us to Aaina Mahal :P. They wouldn’t let us enter because he was visiting then, so we had to come back. But it was beautiful, Aaina Mahal and it’s clock tower -
You can even see the ruins from the earthquake in this image -
Went to the Bhuj market, shopped a bit, and headed to the station to take our train back to Mumbai.
It was an action packed holiday, with a lot of history, architecture and nature. It’s amazing how my grandmother (she’s over 70) had the energy to do it all. Impressive.
Gujarat was beautiful and fun. The people were helpful. The vibe was safe. The roads well made.
You realize HOW much there is to this beautiful country that’s undiscovered and worth spending time, effort and money on. Travel India. It makes you proud.
More later. Cheers.
Originally published at wickedchip.tumblr.com.
