2nd day Ahmedabad

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Yesterday we got up early to check out of our prime room and headed out on a MP3 guided walking tour of the old city. We felt like proper tourists with headphones on gazing up at the buildings. The tour took us from an old mansion past a really old mosque with beautiful carved windows along past some British art deco to the old town fort. At the fort the tour started to really prove fantastic as it directed us into a tiny courtyard, up a flight of stairs through as office and up to the top of the old fort. We were a little apprehensive about trespassing but the voice on the player said don't be scared you are allowed. The top of the fort was spectacular with views across the city and an amazing inlaid marble dance floor for royalty (Arnee did the moonwalk on it). IT was so incredibly quiet and clean we could hardly believe we were in the same city (we found Ahemedabad even busier and noisier than Mumbai!).
From the fort we headed down the road into the old city through the gates of tripoli and learned a lot of interesting facts about the city, its history and design. We continued on to a fruit and vegetable market and a second even older mosque (unfortunately closed) built by the same person that built the original fort. Just outside the mosque was the tomb of the king his son and grandson and the queen, beautiful. UP a side street we visited and ornately carved Jain Temple. Finally the tour took us through increasingly narrowing shopping streets into the pols (tiny narrow streeted neighborhoods each with a little water supply and square) and some spectacular but difficult to photograph carved wooden houses.

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Photos

Bird bath
As there were no trees in the Pols the people decided to build bird feeders so that the cats couldn't eat the birds

Comments

[adee]

ahh same bajai as jakarta, is that what they call them in india?