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Published: March 30th 2007
Father of the Nation
Gandhi's Ashram in Ahmedabad
Sion and Niki Well, the "City of Dust' certainly lives up to its name, its hot, dusty, frantic....but very friendly.
They obviously don't get many tourists in Gujarat because everyone wants to meet us, shake our hands and follow us around town...you can't shake them off! We even had two little school boys ask for our autographs today. Its very flattering, but a bit exhausting saying hello to every man, woman, child, cow, donkey, camel and rabid dog on the street. But, beware not to let your guard down too much, because whilst the people of Ahmedabad have a sweet side, it can turn nasty (think Chucky). On our first night we discovered that the beggar kids like to chase after you in hoardes pinching your arms, and throwing rocks at you, maybe they just think we're American.
We've been here for three days now (it doesn't feel like it, time is going so fast...what day is it?) and i think we've exhausted Ahmedabads tourist route, there's some mosques, some temples, some old city gates (not as spectcular as they make them out to be) and a couple of bridges. But it has been nice to relax after Bombay. Our dingy
Sion and Niki
An overly decadent couple indulging in Ahmedabad's finest cuisine atop of the House of Mangaldas, at the Agashiye restaurant. hostel room has become quite a haven, the view of the tranquil gardens and mosque is incredibly relaxing, and by chance we managed to pick the only mosque in the whole city that doesn't have prayer broadast at 1000 decbels oer the loudspeakers every three hours, so if it wasn't for the heat and the mosquitoes, we might have a nice night's sleep.
The other awesome thing about Gujarat is its food..we have been indulging on delicious thali's (an all-you-can-eat vegetarian smorgasbord of dips, roti, chappati, rice, curries, sweets, ice-cream....and all the salted buttermilk you'd ever want...hmmm, not too sure about that one.)
We went to Sabarmati Ashram today, Gandhi's home for a majority of his poltical life, the launching pad for the great salt march of 1930 when Gandhi protested against the government monopoly on the salt industry. It's a very tranquil place, full of deeply thought-provoking and insightful quotes from the Mohatma's life.
It might seem like we haven't doen much in Ahmedabad, that's because we haven't. It's too fucking hot.
Anyhoo, off on another 9 hour train journey to Udaipur, the most romantic city in India (if we don't die of heat exhaustion).
Speak No Evil, See No Evil, Hear no Evil
I think these monkey guys are actually Chinese in origin, but they certainly embody Gandhi's doctrine of non-violence. It is the start of our tour of Rajasthan, which should be amazing, so stay tuned. Also, let us know what you guys have been up to...we miss you! Also, tell Buddy he smells.
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anonymous
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Hurro
Hey Sion - glad to see you guys are having fun.... wanna detour to sri lanka and find my mum?? lolz. Take care and try not to get into dodgey taxis, check the brakes for rock mechanics.... :-)