Gujarat – Afterthoughts

End of December 2024

 

 

Start with what? Perhaps the way I travelled. On the one hand, it stressed me out, but on the other, it was chic and comfortable. It was a hybrid: I was on holiday, but Diamir gave me a few extra days for exploring and socialising. There are several agencies we work with in India – some have been around for a while, some are new. I already knew one of them, Ashfaq’s, or rather him and his brother. It’s always really ‘cosy’ to meet them. The new colleagues from Uttarakhand, on the other hand, travelled all the way from Dehra Dun by train for lunch. As I had already surmised from all the previous communication, I liked them. If there had been more time, it would certainly have been ‘cosy’, so it was a bit of an effort to please. And I approached Raghu, the absolute Indian wildlife travel expert, with reserve, knowing full well that I simply don’t share his passion. But what I can always relate to: I want the travellers to have a good time. And if they like something that I don’t enjoy, it’s a pleasure for me to share in their joy. And in order to be able to have a say, it’s also important for me to experience these things for myself.

 

 

This mixture of work and holiday was/is pretty ideal for me. For me, a holiday means getting to know something new, accumulating experiences and getting food for thought. Preferably in the mountains – but that wasn’t ideal in December and I also like to get to know other parts of India. I never did it any other way when I was travelling before. There were always ulterior tourist motives. What was new was that these ulterior motives were for a different company – Diamir – as I was employed. I’m not quite used to that yet and I was sometimes easily stressed by insecurities. Whether it’s OK how I (co-)organise it. How I interact with people. How I present myself/us. What to tell, what not to tell. What to find out, what would be too much.

 

 

So I had a very fully organised trip where I didn’t have to or wasn’t allowed to think about what I wanted to do or see next. That’s very different. On the other hand, it gave me the opportunity to see a lot in a very short space of time. Even though I am now missing the south-eastern part, I have seen a lot. Gujarat is a very diverse state with a wide range of things for travellers to experience. To list it again here:

• Jain pilgrimage in Palitana
• Hindu pilgrimage at Girnar Hill
• defences built by the Portuguese in Diu
• today’s defences against attacks in Somnath
• Trotting lions in Gir and wild asses in LRK
• Heritage grandeur in Palitana, Muli, Bhuj and Poshina
• Incredible textile art in various villages
• white salt desert in GRK and huge boulders in Idar
• Industry, wide roads and big trucks (I would actually have liked to visit a harbour)
• Pastel houses in Sidhpur, colourful Bhunga huts in the GRK
• Polished and ruinous Jain temples
• most impressive step wells in Patan, Adalaj and Muli
• strange temples with water bottles and horses

 

 

And then – as is typical of India – there were always these many encounters, observations and ‘little things’. It’s actually strange that so few Western travellers come here. On the other hand, it didn’t really capture my heart and I’m still pondering why. All the other faceless architecture? The mountains not high enough, the desert not desolate enough, the jungle not mysterious enough? The people not edgy, funny, warm, eccentric enough? Would my image change if I made closer contact with someone?

 

I usually only illustrate my afterthoughts with pictures of myself, but most of them have already ended up in the blog posts. But now there’s a whole bunch of food pictures here! I’ve so often received beautifully prepared and delicious food – and I’ve always taken pictures of it. Here is a whole series of pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t really understand what was so special about Gujarat’s cuisine – there were mainly curries that tasted similar to those served elsewhere in northern India. The only surprise was a dal that had jaggery in it.

 

After Uttarakhand, this area was the second in India where I hardly met any western travellers. In Uttarakhand, it is also not so easy to find accommodation where travellers feel comfortable. In Gujarat, on the other hand, there is plenty of it. And since the road situation is also very good, it is easy to organise a trip there in terms of infrastructure. What is probably a bit daft for many travellers is the frequent ban on photography. And there aren’t that many good local drivers (mine were both from Rajasthan) and guides. But something can be done.

 

Another thing that surprised me: after the 2002 massacres of Muslims, I somehow imagined there would be far fewer of them in Gujarat, but there were still quite a few that were easily recognisable and the mosque next to the accommodation in Bhuj was also very active from the minaret at night.

 

I think: I’m glad that I’ve now got to know Gujarat so comprehensively in such a short time. But I probably won’t be travelling there again for a while. And such a tightly organised trip isn’t really my thing either. Even if it was practical.