14. + 15. December 2024     The next morning Raghu said goodbye, he had to go home urgently. The rest of us got into the car and drove quite a long way to Bhuj, the main town that belongs to the Greater Rann of Kutch. On the way, we only stopped once for a … Continue reading LRK -> Bhuj – Santa Claus in the salt desert → Read more

12. + 13. December 2024     What is grown a lot here is cotton in addition to castor oil. Most of the bolls had already cracked open and soon you could pick off the tufts.       India is known for its great fabrics and their diverse manufacturing techniques anyway. We were getting … Continue reading Muli -> LRK – The missing crocodile in the bathroom → Read more

12. December 2024     The next morning we gave the fort another chance and visited it. It had been extensively renovated in recent years and was now resplendent. But somehow the charm had been lost in the process.         But what I was really keen on were the Buddhist caves. I … Continue reading Junagadh -> Muli – The partridge was just shot without being killed → Read more

11. December 2024     But we took the cable car for the long stretch. I wanted to hike all the metres up to the 1,050 m high Girnar Hill, but had imagined a beautiful nature trail. However, as it is a pilgrimage mountain, there were only steps here too – and as you had … Continue reading Junagadh – Many steps are going up and down → Read more

10. December 2024     Diu is a small island right on the landmass of Gujarat. You don’t really realise that you are on one. Together with other small tracts of land in western India, it forms a speciality, a so-called Union Territory. These 4 areas belonged to Portugal for a long time, i.e. until … Continue reading Diu -> Somnath -> Gir – You just can have coffee with milk → Read more

9. December 2024     If you want to make a pilgrimage in Palitana, there are around 3,500 steps and 600 metres of altitude to climb! Not only many Jains wanted to do this, but we did too. The steps, not the pilgrimage. But first to Jainism. It’s a pretty strict religion when it comes … Continue reading Palitana + Talaja – The current Aeon is considered an age of decay → Read more

8. December 2024     To start with the cliffhanger from the previous blog post: the train arrived too early! Much too early! 20 minutes! I’m sure Deutsche Bahn just looks stupid! We travelled 12 hours (minus 20 minutes) from Delhi to Ahmedabad. It was my first time travelling in 2nd class, so only 2 … Continue reading Delhi -> Palitana – Experiences are lined up one after the other → Read more

7. December 2024     There are days that are really busy and yet not at all stressful. Today was one of them. The last few times I’ve been in Delhi I’ve hardly had the pleasure of travelling by metro – but today I did. My favourite place to sit is in the women’s compartment. … Continue reading Delhi – The Day of the little Pleasures → Read more

6. December 2024     It’s the run-up to Christmas. You can’t miss it at the airports. You can’t overhear it either. But I was surprised to hear that Emirates plays Christmas pop songs from the on-board loudspeaker when disembarking in Delhi and that Muslim prayers are no longer said on departure as they used … Continue reading Delhi – christmas, treetemple and alu-hats → Read more

30. November 2024     I’ve been to Gujarat only once so far. That was in 2016 – for 3 days in Ahmedabad, the state capital. I can’t remember whether I really just wanted to have a quick look or whether a plan for a longer stay didn’t work out. In any case, I’ve been … Continue reading Gujarat – Before the Trip → Read more