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Published: November 4th 2014
Current Mood: A little tired of it actually!! Thank goodness for Udaipur.
Having spent five days in Mumbai it would be easy to feel that you had seen everything there was to see India. Chances are by this time you have experienced a bad case of the trots from eating the amazing street food, slurping on street chai or could it have been the nice restaurant that got you? If you ventured down to Colaba causeway you may have ended in a great game of ‘Haggle Tennis’, where you go in low and the peddler gets twice what he asked for in the first place. Whatever your experience here, Mumbai holds so much variety that anybody would be forgiven for thinking they had seen it all and calling it a day at this point. In my case however, my bum was intact and with a ready supply of soothing wet wipes, we were ready to leave Travellers Inn and make our slow trip north towards Udaipur with a ‘dry State’ detour along the way.
We decided to take a day train for the first part of our trip which is a new experience for me as I usually like
to sleep the trip away and save on room cost. Using an app called Cleartrip we had booked ourselves four seats in an air-conditioned compartment which to be honest wasn’t really the experience I had been hoping for. The train itself felt a lot like I was riding the tube in London or the train out of Sydney, something in me had hoped for hard seats and the hustle of people selling Chai and such. ‘For Now’ I thought I would just sit, enjoy the view and type up the last blog that I’m sure you have all enjoyed. ‘Mumbai Madness’. If you haven’t, get reading hahaha x
We were heading to the State of Gujurat which turns out to be a dry State (No Alcohol), but in the Lonely Planet it states that you can speak with the owner of your accommodation and they can get you a licence for a small amount of liquor or beers on a per month basis. With that in mind the seven hour journey had a little reward at the end of it. Not too soon into the trip however we came to our first stop and in an instant the train
began to fill and the Chai wallahs began to flow. Samosa after Samosa, Chai after Chai, my belly was filling nicely and the trip suddenly became more interesting. After what seems to be a fight for already reserved seats eventually the locals all calmed down and it was as though there was a smell of Gora in the air. They all turned to notice the four whities sitting in a row at the back of their cabin. At this point the songs began, the entertainment unravelled and the food got spicier. “This is India man!!” (This saying later becomes to be a real annoyance as it eventually becomes an excuse for scary rickshaw drivers, dodgy bank notes and poor service)
Our train was to pull into Ahmedabad which is a huge city filled with rickshaws, long hot roads and some impressive rivers. Ahmedabad seems to be a place of transit where by travellers would use it to further their trip to Udaipur by bus or head south west into Junugadh and Sasan Gir national park. We would opt for the latter but decided to take a day or two to enjoy Ahmedabad and a little more air conditioned restaurant
food. Arriving at the station, be wary of the many, very pushy rickshaw drivers who will literally try to drag you into their vehicles and force you to a hotel of their choice for commission scams. Even if you use them and tell them you have a booking somewhere else (that we didn’t have) they will try to get commission on your room choice (after telling you your choice is a bad one) and if refused they get a little nasty. Aside from these assholes that we got caught with and a lengthy check in at Hotel Goodnight we shot down stairs to the basement eatery known as Food Inn. This place is a must if you visit this city. Get the Paneer Butter Masala with Jeera rice. You will not regret it! At this point we were all a little bit done with Ahmedabad and sleep was in need.
The following morning we woke after what I thought to be the best night’s sleep I had had since getting down from Annapurna. The beds in Hotel Goodnight are great, rooms very clean and all come equipped with satellite and hot water. Feeling refreshed and way more positive, the
plan for the day was to organise our train down to Junugadh. Man was this an ordeal! Diwali was in full swing over the next week and waiting lists for the trains were up as high as 200 people. We were advised on busses that go that way but we would need to be quick. Our only hope was to use one of the many rickshaw drivers that all sat with beady eyes watching as we approached. On being told by one of the train clerks the price we would expect to pay to get to the bus station, we had a good idea of what needed to happen, but the prices these lads were coming up with were unbelievable. Some as much as ten times the price. They would all laugh and snigger to each other and when refused they would follow you to tell the other guys to charge as much. It took nearly 15 minutes to get a driver and when we did we thought he was the greatest man alive in Ahmedabad. Good old Babu came sweeping in with a 40 rupee price that was a third of what we had been told. Obviously we jumped
aboard and with the address at hand he knew exactly where to take us. Or did he? It seemed that his price was a calculated one. Firstly he would take us to his mates booking agent. When he realised we didn’t want this, his price trippled and he took us to the wrong bus station to another mate. When we realised it had happened again we obviously became frustrated to which his trippled price quadrupled. “This is India Man!” leaving Babu super pissed off on the side of the street we decided to walk back with our money still in our pockets. Casey got onto Cleartrip to see if there was any way we could get out of this hell hole and to our luck Taktal tickets had become available. (Taktal is a ticket system where by seats are held back for emergency travel). The prices are a little higher but we managed sleepers. Tonight we decided we are out of here. That evening we made our way to the station, loaded up on goodies and got into our first Indian sleeper beds that were actually very good. (In fact I am sitting on one now on route to Delhi
typing this blog after a cracker of a safari on Camel back). Air conditioned with a fan to match, in most part clean sheets and private cabins we were set. After a painful day in Ahmedabad I couldn’t wait to arrive at our next destination.
Calling in at Junugadh for a few days was really refreshing. We got in very early at around 4am and had pre-arranged a room at a great place called Relief Hotel. (Perfect name under the circumstances hehe). The owner Mr Sorathia, quoted by the lonely planet as being Junugadh’s “
unofficial tourist information officer” had slept in his lobby to await our arrival and when we did he was quick to set us up with a room so that we could get some rest before enjoying this funny little town and all of his recommendations.
Waking after a few hours sleep in our new rooms we decided to take a wonder around the simple streets in search of Uparkot Fort. After filling our bellies on street sweets we finally found this great spot tucked away up on a ridge of the town. Once over grown, forgotton about between the 7
th and 10
th centuries, and
found again, Uparkot fort is now a hangout for families and budding couples hiding from their families. From inside there are great views of the city and Girnar Hill (which we plan to climb on Diwali, tomorrow) and also if you are very lucky you will escape the fort without having to pose for one hundred cameras. Bless them! After a warm few hours looking for Cannons and pretending I was at war, “
withstanding a 12 year siege” we eventually got back to reality and went in search of lunch. You must try the 100 rupee, all you can eat Thali at Geeta Lodge followed by a 20 rupee fruit milk or mango yoghurt. Suitably full we went to fill the camera with snaps and got back to our room for an early night in preparation for the 10,000 steps up Girnar hill. I’m unsure that I have rested enough since Annapurna but plan to give it a go either way.
Rising way before sunrise I splashed some water on my face, got dressed and shot out of the door to join many Jain and Hindu locals all on route to Girnar Hill for the annual pilgrimage to their
temples. 10,000 steps, winding through many settlements all selling refreshments for the walk, as it turned out wasn’t too hard. Take your time and you soon begin to approach areas filled with monkeys, sprawling views and temples that compete with some of the smaller structures at Angkor Wat. To name a few; Temple of Neminath, Temple of Mallinath and the Temple of Amba Mata. Overall it is a great morning but to avoid the heat ensure you leave early. All round the trip takes about 4 hours return and costs as much as a rickshaw ride and a packet of Oreos.
Now most people after completing a 10,000 step trek would go home and maybe snooze but before we could become too bored we decided to take a local bus with all of our gear and head for a quick look at Sasan Gir National park located in the west just a few hours away from Junugadh. Arriving at around 2pm we snagged a room at Nittins who is recommended in the lonely planet. (It seems on my trip this time, many of the businesses that make it to the LP seem to lose any sense of service and
don’t seem to try anymore as they know that they already get the custom. The excuse for a lack of prior information on park permits, filthy beds, hot water system that doesn’t work and fire crackers going off until one in the morning on your doorstep at Nittins homestay is;…. You’ll never guess….. ahhhHHAHAHAHAHAA “This is India Man!”)
Aside from the accommodation issues we did manage to get a dodgy permit outside of the daily allowance to the park to which we enjoyed very much. We got to see heaps of dear, some massive Antelopes , Monkeys, Buffalo heaps of cool looking birds and last but not last the illusive Asiatic Lion…. Well, its tail!! I have to say I was sitting on the back of the jeep shitting my pants at the thought of one of those lions coming anywhere near the back of it. I had just watched the number one Indian tiger attack on YouTube. Have a look and you will see. Poor guy on the back of an elephant… arrrgh you can imagine. After the trek was over we decided to head back to our rooms to rest in-between the fire cracker explosions and the
following morning we decided to head back to Junugadh, collect our things and catch a night train, and bus out of the Gujarat and into Rajasthan for a few beers in Udaipur that were well deserved. I was beginning to feel like I was done with India. Udaipur wasn’t to be tarred with the same brush.
Arriving in Udaipur was bloody refreshing. We hopped off of our bus and went in search of a room. Walking around is often the best way to do this, as opposed to booking in advance. You get to take a lot more control in quality and price if the guesthouses think you will leave for another venue. Not too long into our search though we came across a place called Nukkad Guesthouse just off of Udaipur Lake. Run and owned by Raju and his family for over 70 years this family orientated place really was what I was expecting in India. Raju’s famous line was “anything is possible here” and “this is your home”. The guesthouse from the outside looks very much like the rest of Udaipur but once inside you arrive in this beautiful indoor courtyard. Looking up you will see the
floors and rooms sweeping around the outside working their way all the way up to the sun deck. This place was stunningly decorated and all around you could enjoy the family photos and quirky rooms that Raju purposely leaves open. It wouldn’t be strange for people to walk into your room to have a look at how they had set up your little space. Each room offered some kind of view, be it the street or city scape of the lake and buildings and all of his room were super cheap. Ranging from 500 to 1000 rupees for the upper rooms. Chai on demand and cold beers in the fridge this is where we would spend our time for the next four days. Wondering the streets, exploring the lake, taking boat rides and sitting around the pool inside one of the palaces made me feel once again, relaxed.
From here, now we are really well rested, we plan to head up to Jaisalmer to stay inside the monster fort and catch a Camel ride for a couple of nights camping. I hope you all have enjoyed my ranting and I do plan to lighten up in the next read.
I just felt that some things need mentioning. Whingeing bladdy Pomes aye!!! Hahaha
Love to you all.
Niki
Uparkot Fort en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junagadh
Junagadh 
pronunciation (
help·
info) (
Gujarati: જુનાગઢ) is the headquarters of
Junagadh district in the
Indian state of
Gujarat. The city is the 7th largest in Gujarat, in western India, located at the foot of the
Girnar hills, 355 km south west of state capital
Gandhinagar and
Ahmedabad. Literally translated, Junagadh means "Old Fort". It is also known as "Sorath", the name of the earlier
Princely State of Junagadh. After a brief struggle between India and Pakistan Junagadh joined India on 9 November 1947. It was a part of Saurashtra state and later Bombay state. In 1960, after the Maha Gujarat movement, it became part of newly formed Gujarat state.
Girnar Hill en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Girnar Girnar (also known as
Girnar Hill or
Girinagar or
Revatak Pravata) is a collection of mountains in the
Junagadh District of
Gujarat, India, situated near
Junagadh at a distance of 327 km from
Ahmedabad.
Older than
Himalayas,
Girnar, the mountain and its range are considered sacred and it's an important pilgrimage site for both
Jains and
Hindus, who gather here during the
Girnar Parikrama festival. Significantly famous among Shiva devotees for the mystic space-time of the mountain range with known presence and turnover of different sects of
Sadhu Babas,
Nath sect, different
Jain Tirthankaras to Girnar, its typical flora and fauna, the famous
Maha Shivratri fair, Girnar hosts a number of temples and some historical spots across its range. Amidst the lush green
Gir Forest, the mountain range serves as the hub of religious activity.
For Hindus this place is considered holy as
Dattatreya stayed there. According to tradition, Pavahari Baba was first initiated into the mysteries of practical yoga on the top of mount Girnar. This mountain was considered holy to Buddhists as well.
Udaipur Palace en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Udaipur Udaipur pronunciation (
help·
info), is a city, a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of the
Udaipur district in the
state of
Rajasthan in western
India. It is located 403 kilometres (250 mi) southwest of the state capital,
Jaipur and 250 km (155 mi) northeast from
Ahmedabad. Udaipur is the historic capital of the kingdom of
Mewar in the former
Rajputana Agency. The
Sisodia clan of
Rajputs ruled the Mewar
and its capital was shifted from Chittorgarh to Udaipur after founding city of Udaipur by Maharana Uday Singh. The Mewar province became part of Rajasthan after India became independent.
Udaipur is a very popular tourist destination. Apart from its history, culture, and scenic locations, it is also known for its
Rajput-era palaces. The
Lake Palace, for instance, covers an entire island in the Pichola Lake. Many of the palaces have been converted into luxury hotels. It is often called the "
Venice of the East", and is also nicknamed the "Lake City" or "City of Lakes".
Lake Pichola,
Fateh Sagar Lake, Udai Sagar and Swaroop Sagar in this city are considered some of the most beautiful lakes in the state.
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Andrea
Fantastic! Felt like I was along for your journey.