Before the trip begins, let me tell you a little bit about Gujarat.
1. Gujarat is a beautiful state. Gujarat is, in my opinion, the most diverse state in India; desert, beaches, dense forests, three prime habitats packed in one state.
Sharing its border with Rajasthan in the North, Gujarat has an arid landscape with patches of kekar, and offers its scenic beauty with the famous Rann of Katch, the white desert. Heading towards South, Gujarat is encrusted with cotton fields, salt pans and windmills. As you move down the road with salt and cotton for company one feels maybe this is why Gandhi choose Gujarat for heralding self sufficiency for the nation. South is covered with thick green forests and beautiful clean beaches on the west.
2. Gujarat is not a very touristy place. On the roads, it takes a lot of effort to find decent restaurants to halt at. It is not just the toilets that are bad, but the food is indigestible! So the one place you should look out for is HONEST. HONEST is everywhere. In Gujarat, HONEST is happiness.
3. Gujaratis LOVE sugar. Gujaratis are extremely sweet people, and this is reflected in their food. Sabsji, chutney, daal, nothing goes unadulterated. Everything must have sugar! Gujarat is one of the top producers of salt in India, but its seems as though they don't use it themselves!
Being a foodie, I wished to try food from every corner but this enthusiasm died in two days. After the fourth day we were just desperate to eat ghar ka sada khana!
Must try : Thepla, Chas, Dabeli, sweet Daal
However difficult it may be to digest the food, a Gujarat trip is incomplete without these!
4. Gujarat is a dry state. Whether that's a good thing or not is debatable. The sweetness in Gujaratis might be an indirect effect of the dryness, or it might just be a trait they are born with. But the funny part is, Diu district is wet (Diu is a union territory of India). Our visit to Diu was short, and the number of drunk people there was just amusing. Diu is a holiday home for Gujaratis and it's their paradise.
5. Gujarat is a Holy Land - Dwarka, one of the four dhams (pilgrimage sites in India widely revered by Hindus) situated in the west of the Gujarat state, is believed to be the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. We lost count of the Mandirs we stopped at.
6. Chakdas - All-purpose three wheeled vehicle with the front of a Royal Enfield attached to a cart. Gujaratis don't run Chakdas, Chakdas run Gujaratis! If there was such a thing as as a state vehicle, for Gujurat it would undoubtedly be the Chakda! It is used everywhere for almost everything from transporting goods to school kids. It can accommodate up to 30 people and is painted with psychedelic colours. This beautiful creation accompanies you all throughout the state, and is a lovely treat to the eyes.
Other than that, Gujarat is a birder's paradise, Lion's den, Gandhi's love, Modi's land. The six day trip was whiff through this vast Gujjuland, and here's a small glimpse of our trip :)
1. Gujarat is a beautiful state. Gujarat is, in my opinion, the most diverse state in India; desert, beaches, dense forests, three prime habitats packed in one state.
Sharing its border with Rajasthan in the North, Gujarat has an arid landscape with patches of kekar, and offers its scenic beauty with the famous Rann of Katch, the white desert. Heading towards South, Gujarat is encrusted with cotton fields, salt pans and windmills. As you move down the road with salt and cotton for company one feels maybe this is why Gandhi choose Gujarat for heralding self sufficiency for the nation. South is covered with thick green forests and beautiful clean beaches on the west.
2. Gujarat is not a very touristy place. On the roads, it takes a lot of effort to find decent restaurants to halt at. It is not just the toilets that are bad, but the food is indigestible! So the one place you should look out for is HONEST. HONEST is everywhere. In Gujarat, HONEST is happiness.
3. Gujaratis LOVE sugar. Gujaratis are extremely sweet people, and this is reflected in their food. Sabsji, chutney, daal, nothing goes unadulterated. Everything must have sugar! Gujarat is one of the top producers of salt in India, but its seems as though they don't use it themselves!
Being a foodie, I wished to try food from every corner but this enthusiasm died in two days. After the fourth day we were just desperate to eat ghar ka sada khana!
Dabeli : pav with sweet and spicy chutney
drizzled with pomegranates, grapes, onions
Cost : Rs 10/-
However difficult it may be to digest the food, a Gujarat trip is incomplete without these!
4. Gujarat is a dry state. Whether that's a good thing or not is debatable. The sweetness in Gujaratis might be an indirect effect of the dryness, or it might just be a trait they are born with. But the funny part is, Diu district is wet (Diu is a union territory of India). Our visit to Diu was short, and the number of drunk people there was just amusing. Diu is a holiday home for Gujaratis and it's their paradise.
5. Gujarat is a Holy Land - Dwarka, one of the four dhams (pilgrimage sites in India widely revered by Hindus) situated in the west of the Gujarat state, is believed to be the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. We lost count of the Mandirs we stopped at.
6. Chakdas - All-purpose three wheeled vehicle with the front of a Royal Enfield attached to a cart. Gujaratis don't run Chakdas, Chakdas run Gujaratis! If there was such a thing as as a state vehicle, for Gujurat it would undoubtedly be the Chakda! It is used everywhere for almost everything from transporting goods to school kids. It can accommodate up to 30 people and is painted with psychedelic colours. This beautiful creation accompanies you all throughout the state, and is a lovely treat to the eyes.
Other than that, Gujarat is a birder's paradise, Lion's den, Gandhi's love, Modi's land. The six day trip was whiff through this vast Gujjuland, and here's a small glimpse of our trip :)
