Ahmedabad, the Good and the Ugly
The pace of week three of the RSBA slowed down a little bit, but it was no less memorable. We finished up our exploration of Rajasthan with two more iconic cities, firstly Jodhpur (otherwise known as the Blue City) and then Udaipur, city of lakes.
Whilst clambering up more ancient forts and getting lost in the myriad narrow corridors of the millionth royal palace, the searing heat piercing through our skin, I must admit that our inner adventurers were growing tired and in need of rejuvenation… cue the wonderful Udaipur, offering us a calm and relaxing respite from the chaos we’d become accustomed to. One of the big learning curves of the RSBA so far has been that we are NOT on a weekend city break, where we have to cram in every “must see” spot that a city has to offer. Instead, we spent hours sitting at a roadside cafe overlooking the lake, whiling away the hours people watching, nature spotting and working our way through the cafe’s offerings including Udaipur’s famous kulhad coffee, creamy rabdi, kulfi, and all manner of street food snacks. What is all this you ask? Let’s just say that the holy cow is not only revered on the roadside, but its precious milk is used for pretty much everything in India. Not for the lactose intolerant. The atmosphere was chilled and the sunset sublime. These small moments are what make you appreciate life and all its beauties and made us remember the reason why we became Resignated Survivors. Sometimes the best things in life really are free.
Continuing our journey, we crossed another state border into Gujarat. We were fortunate enough to have a taste of some homely hospitality staying with friends in Ahmedabad, the state capital, and home to the famous ashram where Gandhi spent the vast majority of his later years. Indians hold Gandhi in very high regard, to such an extent that his birthday is one of only four national public holidays and alcohol is banned from being sold or served (even in hotels) on this day. We found this out the hard way, and even our usual tactic of offering an under-the-table incentive wasn’t enough to procure us a couple of beers. Thank you, Gandhiji, happy birthday. I forgot to mention that Gujarat is a dry state and we’ll be spending another week here…
More on Gujarat next week, where we will report back on our experiences of going back to our ancestral roots, and meeting relatives new and old. The Resignated Survivors had to come from somewhere, obviously.
Much love,
The Resignated Survivors
Highlight of the week: Strolling through the old town market in Ahmedabad, only to stumble across a seemingly unremarkable argument between two female street vendors and witness it escalate into the mother of all b*tch fights. Shoes were the missile of choice, hair was yanked out and the upcoming festival of Navratri meant there were plenty of dandiyas (wooden sticks) to go around. We later discovered the perpetrators were mother and daughter. Nice.
Other notable things: We were barged out of the way by a silly cow (no, I mean an actual cow) that clearly didn’t care for such obstacles as people in the road. And in keeping with the theme of animals ruling the roost, we were barked at by a stray dog, and so as if the tables had turned and the dog was in fact our master, we immediately turned back and walked an extra mile the long way around to reach our destination. Not the best example of being “Survivors”. Oh well, it’s only week three.
Lessons learned: Gujaratis are generally the butt of other Indians’ jokes (mostly in relation to the food). “Oh, you’re Gujarati? – dhoklaaaaa, fafdaaaa, theplaaaa, gathiyaaaa…”. Thanks, we get it.
Hahahaha dhoklaaaa, fafdaaaa, theplaaaa hehehe…. cracked me up. And the mother daughter fight?! Say what? Glad you guys have taken some time to relax. Do whatever fits your mood on the day… stay safe and happy xxx
Love Benny
Oh and you never mentioned what the red traffic lights are meant for??!!!! ??? and the fab names you found for your 2 dogs….great the ambudo fight found its place in the blog ?? look fwd to reading the nxt one.
Love..
Your very very Gujarati friends from Amdavad
The stray dogs in India are vicious, I often have to run from them or ask a local to get them away from me.lol. I hope you go to a few Navratri nights this coming week it will be interesting to hear about it if you do. Have a great week ahead in Gujarat (best place in the world imo). Jay.
Another enthralling instalment..looking forward to joininh you on your guju part of your adventure..sounds like you have had an interesting week. See you guys soon
Mum xx
I love reading all your posts, I feel like I’m travelling with you both! And those sunsets look so beautiful! As for the b*tch fight, that sounded entertaining — Did you step in?
Seriously though, I look forward to your next post, hearing about Navratri and rest of your time in Gujarat. Stay safe and enjoy! xxx Sital
Hi, I just started reading your blogs and they are incredibly well written and entertaining. The photos are stunning too. Keep posting and I look forward to ‘accompanying you’ on your adventure. Makes me want to travel 🙂 All the best and be safe! Pragna
Hey guys – hope you guys are enjoying your trip – btw great photos and experiences – enjoy the family gathering or re-union in navsari (gujrat) . Regards to you all ( bhav, dip, Bharat, Rekha). Look fwd to next blog . Stay safe lol nilesh and bharti??
How did I miss this instalment from the RS. Maybe I was being a lazy GuJu. Once again echo all previous comments that it’s an awesome read and Fab pictures to accompany the blog. Nothing beats a good champal fight. As always keep safe.