Blogs from Gujarat, India, Asia - page 25

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Asia » India » Gujarat » Ahmedabad February 21st 2006

After another night sleeping while traveling (this time 14hrs on a bus) I arrived here early in the morning. It's a random and typical Indian city which doesn't recieve many tourists. Apparently Mahatma Gandi's asram is here but I don't feel interested in that right now. I checked my backpack into the station locker room and headed for the city centre where there is a big open area that could loosely be called a park. When I arrived there was several cricket games being played and as I walked into the park I was quickly accosted by some bloke about my age who jumped off a moving bike and basically said 'I'm going to buy another cricket ball, when I get back you're playing so wait here'. A little confused I took a seat and went ... read more
Ahmedabad train station lobby

Asia » India » Gujarat » Ahmedabad February 4th 2006

We just left Mount Abu which was absolutely beautiful. It was peaceful and calm and pretty much hassle free. We did a trek yesterday for 12 km / 5 hrs around the mountain and through the nature reserve. We saw monkeys, wild boar and lots of birds and found out loads about the local area. Our guide Charles was great and even invited us back to his house for a drop of rum and to listen to his bad danish music and generic chart dance (Saturday Night by Whigfield!). But we realised if we stayed much longer then we wouldn't leave! It was quite strange being in Mount Abu mainly because its really a resort. Its kind of like Rhyl or Skeggy for Indian's. Peddalos on the lake, amusment arcade and ice cream shops on top ... read more

Asia » India » Gujarat January 26th 2006

Day 5. We met the sun that morning on a bed of clouds. An orange searing red flame; the day's orb caught between the gossamer tails of passing sky. All of us, peace-walkers in heart, felt the surrealism of reality, its magic and its unbelievability. It was a bridge, a long bridge, crossing the Mahi River which divided two districts of Gujarat. And it was Day 5, day five out of seventeen, on the Dandhi Yatra, a peace walk retracing the steps of Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March. Here, on this bridge we witnessed another morning begin. And together with the passing cyclists, lorry-drivers, and white kadhi-clad Jain pilgrims, our group of forty rediscovered Gandhi in the presence of the sun's soft smile. This was one out of many experiences that white-washed the superficial pains felt from ... read more
Sabarmati Beginnings
Gandhi with Gandhi
The Women of the Desert

Asia » India » Gujarat January 11th 2006

After leaving Bhuj we made our way to the Southern Gujurati Saurasthra region in part to climb the 10,000 steps of the Jain pilgrimage route at Girnar Hill (near Junugadh). We hoped that our Nepali trekking experience would carry us through but that trial was fading from muscle memory. Apart from Junugadh we also paid a visit to the last place in the world where the Asian lion is still untamed and extant. Did we see one? Did we come across this king of the animal kingdom? Did we see it bounding towards our broken down jeep with terrifying speed and menace in it's eyes? No, as it happens, we did not. We saw other wildlife but no lions (or tigers or bears haha) at all. 'Crave not' my Vipassanna sage whispered. And somehow it was ... read more
Junugadh
Chowpatty 2
Junugadh

Asia » India » Gujarat » Ahmedabad January 10th 2006

International Kite Festival, Ahmedabad ‘dheel de, dheel de de re bhaiya…’, the popular number from Bollywood’s basket aptly sums the excitement and thrill in the kite festivals held across the world, and delves into the Indianised face of the grand fiesta. The most renowned kite festival of India takes place at Ahmedabad on January 14 to coincide with uttarayan and Makar Sankranti. But it was as early as 200 bc, that Huen tsang of China flew a kite at night to scare the army of the Han dynasty. In the 930 Ad its Japan who first mentions ‘shiroshi’( meaning paper bird) which is considered to be the predecessor of the modern day Kite. China took it up as a popular sport between 960-1130 AD. China also attached some myth with the flying of kites and that ... read more

Asia » India » Gujarat December 28th 2005

So we are heading South. Originally we were trying to get to the former Portugese colony of Diu but due to the extortionate prices being demanded for accommodation over Christmas we changed tack and ventured out into the Kuutch area of North-Western Gujurat. We passed through Ahmedabad and after visiting Gandhi's famous Sagarmati Ashram made our way west towards Bhuj which was so horrifically destroyed by a huge earthquake back in 2001. We stopped at Mandvi for a few days before going to a Nature Cure centre called 'Navjivan' for 10 days. Yes, we are really slowing our pace of travel down after Nepal where we were constantly on the move. Mandvi was just lovely. We met so many really genuine and friendly people there and enjoyed just hanging out on the uncrowded beaches and walking ... read more
Faces of Gujurat - Than 2
Faces of Gujurat - Than 3
Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad

Asia » India » Gujarat » Ahmedabad November 20th 2005

We came to Ahmedabad to spend a couple of days with some Indian friends. Kirsi's uncle gave us their email and they invited us to stay with them although we had never met them before. We arrived to Ahmedabad on a bus that dropped us off somewhere outside the city although we had been told that the bus would take us to the city center. When we got off the bus we were immediately surrounded by 20 rickshaw drivers offering us a ride but we had no idea where we were or should go. We called Nilendu and he told a driver where to take us. We drove through the crowded and polluted city on a rickshaw, the exhaust fumes giving us a headache and horns honking all around us making us partially deaf. But when ... read more
The streets of Ahmedabad
Sami playing chess with Nilendu
Gandhi's room

Asia » India » Gujarat November 17th 2005

So much has gone on since my last entry. i am now in bhavnagar after finishing a 10 day vipassana meditation course in jaipur. that is right kids. meditation. me not talk for 10 days or look anyone in the eye. up at 4 and meditated for a total of 10 hours a day. by day six i went to my room and packed my bag and was ready to leave. all the crazy talk that was going on in my head was driving me mad...and then that night at the nightly discourse with goinka he totally described what i was feeling so i stayed. i was not going crazy althogh the rules of this place were a little much for me...but i think what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. i am so fucking strong ... read more

Asia » India » Gujarat June 15th 2001

Domkhedi, India, June 2001 (I think) As the song goes, what a long strange trip it’s been. I’m in Domkhedi, I’m groggy from another night sleeping (if you can call it that) on the rocky ground. Domkhedi is a tiny little village a very remote area of Gujarat in the Narmada River Valley. This is one of more than 100 villages that will be destroyed if the government of India goes ahead with building a series of big dams along the Narmada River, and it has become the local headquarters of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (movement to save the Narmada). The NBA has been waging a 15 year struggle to stop the dams and to promote an alternative model of development that uses more appropriate technology and allows people of the valley to retain their ... read more
Temple threatened by dams
Village leader
Teacher and daughter




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