Kutch Travelogue: My Week Long Trip To Kutch, Gir and Diu

Last week, I and my husband went on a vacation to Kutch. It was a nice trip and I think it would be good to share my experience in this post here.

Let me give the due credit to Mr. Amitabh Bachchan first, as it was his persuasive statement 'kuch din toh guzaro Gujarat mein' that prompted us to plan a trip to Kutch.

I had always wanted to travel to Gujarat. The colorful land seemed too tempting to the traveler in me. Thus, we set off for the trip on 14th Jan. It was a long journey from Mayabunder to Bhuj (nearest airport to Rann of Kutch).

Outside View of Bhuj Airport

Right at the arrival at the Bhuj airport, we forgot about our long journeys and reveled in the beauty of Kutch culture.

We spent the evening lazily in our hotel room and had a family dinner at my cousin's place who currently lives in Bhuj. It was Uttarayan that day and the entire city market and other places were closed. So, we practically had nothing to do or visit that day in Bhuj.

Next morning we started off for Rann. Kala Doongar is on the way and about 80 kms from Bhuj while Rann is about 150 kms from Bhuj. But since the roads are nicely built and the traffic is minimal, one can reach Rann in about 2 hrs or slightly more.

Thats Kala Doongar on a Hill Top

We stopped by Kala Doongar and I loved the place. It is basically a hill top which gives a panoramic view of Rann. Kala Doongar is a hill top and thus cool breeze greets you there with full warmth.

It was quite mesmerizing to sit there and look at the vast spreading, non-ending Rann. From the hill top, the horizon actually looked like the 'end of world' to me similar to the one shown in the Hollywood movie 'God Must Be Crazy'!

Rann of Kutch as seen from Kala Doongar

From Kala Doongar, we had a drive of another hour or so and we reached Rann festival. Just a few kilometers away from Rann, Gujarat Tourism department holds a camp with few tents and that is the very famous Rann festival.

Way to the Rann Mahotsav

In the Rann festival camp, tents are built for a day or 2 days stay and there are couple of stalls that sell snack items and handicrafts.

Handicraft stalls at Rann festival

As outsiders, we were not allowed to enter the tent area or click its pictures but I clicked few pics of the Mahotsav. Honestly, I am too impressed by the Mahotsav.

Initially, we had also applied for tent booking for 2 days through a travel agent but he informed us that he could not get the tents booked as they were running full. It was a slight disappointment for me but when I reached Rann and saw the Mahotsav, I realized that for a person to see Rann and Kala Doongar, one day is more than sufficient.

Exhibition at Rann Mahotsav

If you are planning for a trip there, make sure to get the bookings done as soon as possible. From the Mahotsav, we headed to the Rann. It was magnificent. A vast spread of white dry salt. No wonder it is called the salt desert. For almost half of the year, the area gets covered with water and turns into an island and that is why it is shown in dotted-dashed lines on Indian map!

Way to the Rann

The 'Rann of Kutch' is fascinating. One gets spell bound by its vastness, seclusion and enormity. It is also well known for its sun set view but we had to rush back to Bhuj, so we decided to watch the sun set at Kala Doongar. 

Getting Clicked at Rann

You can also experience the joyful ride on a camel's back in the Rann and that is an absolutle traveler's delight.

Camel Ride at Rann of Kutch

On our way back to Bhuj, we went back to Kala Doongar to spend some time on the hill amidst sun set and a charming breeze. But to our utter disappointment, we couldn't watch the sun set as it got cloudy and Surya Dev refused to show us his glowing face!

The cloudy sun set at Kala Doongar

We reached back Bhuj and took a long sleep only to wake up next morning to get ready for Gir! To be continued in the next post.

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Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on His Death Anniversary

Mahatma Gandhi on his death bed

On my last trip to Gujarat and on my way to Dwarka from Diu, I stopped by Porbandar to visit revered Mahatma Gandhi's birth place.

Mahatma Gandhi's ancestral house

Porbandar is a small town, just like any other Indian three-tier city. As I entered the city, I continuously had images from the cult movie 'Gandhi' directed by Attenborough, flashing in front of my eyes. Since childhood, I have been fascinated by Gandhi's lifestyle and his ideology. I admire him not only for what he did for his country but also how he did it.

On entering Porbandar, I was surprised or rather disappointed to notice that there was no sign of any of Gandhi's picture or the mention of his name anywhere. Throughout Gujarat, one gets to see the respect for respected Patel but hardly of Gandhi.

In entire Porbandar, the only place where I saw Gandhi's statue was right outside his house at a circle.

Well, why Gandhi is not so famously popular in his own state of birth is another topic of discussion and though I have much to say about it, I leave it for some other time. As of today, lets just pay our homage to the great man who gave us what we needed the most - peaceful independence.

These are some of the pictures that I clicked during my visit to his place, which is now like a museum of his pictures.

To begin with, let me first show you the picture of Mahatma Gandhi's birth place. In his house, the exact place where the man first saw the world is marked with a Swastik, holy sign in Hindu mythology.

The exact place where Gandhiji was born

The picture that comes to one's notice upon going upstairs in his ancestral house where his pictures are kept is this one -

Gandhiji with Kasturba in their younger years; photo taken in 1914

These are couple of other pictures that I captured.

One of the last photographs of Mahatma Gandhi; he was walking to a prayer meeting at Birla House- Delhi; Photo taken on 29th Jan, 1948

Gandhiji with Charlie Chaplin; photo taken in London, 1931

Gandhiji with 6 yrs old Indira Gandhi; photo taken in 1924

Jinnah and Gandhiji in Mumbai in September 1944

Gandhiji's last prayer at Birla House, 29th Jan, 1948

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My 11 Days Stay In The Woods At Seliger, Russia

The tents in the woods

Last year, in July 2011, I got the awesome opportunity to spend 10 days in the woods! Yes, you read it right. In the woods. I was part of the Indian delegation that represented India at the reputed International Youth Forum, Seliger, 2011.

Rafting in the lake Seliger

Seliger is a lake situated in the centre of Russia between Moscow and St. Petersburg, amongst the forest territory of Valdai Hills. The lake is a big and beautiful system of lakes linked together with many small islands and is surrounded by forests of pine wood. Even though the scientists also can not give the exact number of islands on the lake, it is estimated that there are about 200 islands on the lake. The crystal clear water of the lake that gives a transparency for as long as 5 meters and probably that is where this beautiful lake has derived its name from. Seliger is a Finnish word that means ‘clear lake’. The Seliger lake is in the Tver region that falls in the northern part of Russia about 350 kms away from Moscow.

Exit from the Moscow airport at night

I, along with about 11 members of Indian delegation, reached Moscow on 2nd July after our flight was delayed by more than 24 hrs! A member from Russian Seliger team was awaiting our arrival at the airport. From the airport we boarded the bus and headed to the venue of the forum. Thus began the incredible journey of 10 days that involved meeting with some creatively genius minds from all over the world, staying in the tents, bathing in the fresh and chilled lake water without any bathroom and eating the raw-est food I have ever had. It was like a big-boss house! Not in the scary way. Confined in a pine jungle, staying with national and international strangers and no connection with the outside world – but the overall experience was far better and cherish-able than what the inmates of the BB could have.

Tents spread all across the woods

We all lived in small tents and slept in the sleeping bags provided by the forum organization committee. It was this wholesome experience of living in woods that has made the trip worthwhile. Starting our mornings with Russian national anthem and then some hummable nursery rhymes, we would head to the main stage where we had aerobics lessons from the pros! Then was the breakfast time. And later to the education hall. This was the hall where all of us gathered for the classes. I would not say much about what classes we attended and nor I would comment on the level of education or learning in the forum. All I would emphasize here is the life changing experience people carry off from this place.

That is the education hall

I met some amazing people, leaders of the future. Indian delegation itself consisted of some creatively distinct minds and it was intellectually pleasant experience to interact with many of them. One such person was Mr. Dilli Bhattarai from Nepal. We all know what state Nepal is in. But it was indeed motivating to see a candidate from Nepal who had come all the way from Kathmandu to attend the forum. Talking to him made me realize that a nation’s instability does have lasting effects on its citizens. In the words of Mr. Bhattarai himself ‘“Living in small country is one thing but living in a country with full of problem and uncertainty is really difficult. But problems and difficulties make people perfect. In the world great leaders and great people are mainly from such environment where there were full of problems, uncertainty and difficulties. Napolian would not be so famous if there was not any problems in his time. Gandhi would not be real Gandhi if there were no British in India. B.P. Koirala would not be famous in Nepal if there were no Rana Regime in Nepal at that time. So, there are many opportunities in developing countries where people can develop themselves as a great one. But only it needs inner feelings and desire’. Personally, I liked the experience of being in nature. Though, even in Andamans I bask in nature’s glory but seliger was different. There were no fancy beds or bathrooms or lavish bungalow to stay.

The lake Seliger beach!

My 10 days stay in Seliger taught me the basic lesson of going minimalist and how convenient and simple it makes life for us. Getting up early in the morning with the birds chirping all around and coming back to the tents for lunch. Evenings were mostly spent in taking a stroll along side the beautiful lake and watching the sun go down.

At the beach that was also the bathing spot

In some happening tents areas, sunset marked the dawn of dance and fire as you can see in the picture below. One of the most memorable events from the forum was the international events day! On this day, several countries put up small stalls that show cased the culture of their country. It was an experience that is almost impossible to find anywhere else. Seliger, being an international youth spot, gave us the opportunity to witness many different cultures at one place and on one single day. And finally what came as a lovely surprise was the wedding day! On the last few days, there were several marriages that took place in Seliger.

Grooms lined up; waiting for their brides at the wedding venue of the forum

In a nutshell, those 10 days of the forum were like a whole short life well lived!

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1 Day in Moscow and Why I Think Moscow Is Not A Friendly City

St. Cathedral Church, Moscow

In my previous post, I told you that I was in Russia for about 10 days when I stayed in the woods. After our stay in the camp was over, I had one day to explore Moscow. From Seliger I boarded the bus at 10:00 am in the morning that dropped me at the Moscow metro station at about 4 pm. That evening and the next day I spent in exploring the famous Red Square of Moscow.

Kremlin across Moskva River

I could not go to distant places in Moscow and had to stay around Red Square as the place where I was staying was near to Red Square. I travelled a lot around the place and even saw a biker’s show on the road.  

A biker doing stunts at Red Square

Russia is a beautiful place. Full of natural wealth, beauty and a historical charm. Though I liked Moscow as a place but I would state that Moscow is not a friendly city and may come across rude to visitors. For example, when I was at R.Sq., I asked couple of Russian women passing by if they could click my picture but to my utter surprise, they refused! Similarly, I spotted a man dressed in warrior like dress outside a shop. He was sitting with some people who were clicking pictures with him. When that session got over, I went upto him and asked if I could get a picture clicked with him and he bluntly said ‘NO’! He then disappeared inside his shop. I have been to several countries in the world and Russia was the only place where this happened to me. For about next two hours I could not dare to ask anyone to click my picture. Finally, I saw some Chinese who wanted to get clicked with me and they were generous enough to click my pictures.

The group that helped me in clicking pics

This is the group of the people I got clicked with. I wish I had noted down their email id and wish I could contact them.

Thats Kremlin on the right side

I desperately wanted to see Kremlin but there was a huge queue waiting at the ticket counter and thus I could not dare to waste my entire day to enter the building. I, instead, decided to walk around the place and feel it. Yeah! I call it feeling a place when you engage in conversations with strangers, bargain with local shop keepers and walk around noticing small, little things.

Local shop selling Matriyoshka dolls

I roamed around the small road side market named and even bought a Matriyoshka doll for my young doll. And yeah, you must bargain at the local market here. Initially, the shop keepers would hesitate but with a bit of effort you can bargain and get a good deal.

A biker's stunts in front of the famous Gum Mall

Moscow is expensive! By far the most expensive place I have been to. And a person like me should not even think of buying anything from the most famous Gum Mall.

Inside of Gum Mall

It is arguably the most expensive mall of all the malls all over the world, though the mall is a visual treat to eyes. There are brands of all kinds in this multi storey mall and simply walking in the mall gives a sense of luxury.

And the O hostel is on the left of this road

I stayed in O hostel that is within walking distance from Red Square. This hostel is a perfect place to spend a few days in the city. It offers comfortable accommodation at affordable prices and is very near to Tretyakovskaya metro station. The hostel has several options for dormitories – double bed, eight beds, female only wards, male only wards etc. The supervising staff is also friendly and fluent in English speaking. You can check out the details of the hostel here.

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