[Adriane&Salvador]

Hi everyone!

We have an appointment in Bhuj in 2 weeks, and then we'll be in Mandvi.  After that, we need to go to Mumbai.  And I've got a ton of questions....

What is the best/ fastest/ cheapest way to get to Bhuj from Udaipur, Rajasthan?  Is there a night train?

Does anyone know how far apart Bhuj & Mandvi are?  Is there a bus?  Anyone know about accomodations in either of these places?

Is it possible to go by sea from Mandvi to Mumbai?  It is crazy expensive?

Thanks!  And congrats on the new site!

[Anindya]

Hi Adriane&Salvador

As of now there is no direct train between udaipur to Bhuj, the only train you can get is 4311 ALA HAZRAT EXP that runs from Delhi to Bhuj via Jaipur, it runs on Mon, Wed, The and Sundays.

The distance between Bhuj and Mandavi is about 50-60 Km, the state Govt run buses ply between the two and it takes about 2 hours to cover the distance. In the Bhuj you can get couple of hotels but don't expect good ones. The Mandavi is a sleepy little town more of a big village actually, so you'll get a few shabby lodges.

There's no passener ferry between Bhuj and Mumbai and you can't hire one also. You can either travel by Train from Bhuj or Gandhidham (60 Km) to Mumbai. Or by bus via Ahmedabad (not recommended)
Hope this helps!  

Anindya

[BlueRose]

Hi, I made this journey in last year. Mandvi is a place where they are building ships by hand. Other than that I wasnt particuarly thrilled, however I did visit some craft villages in the area as I was interested in that. If you can go north from Buij and check them out. I have some more info and photos and if you are interested just holler and I will post them.
There are a couple of decent places in Buij, and one is called the KBN hotel on station road.  There is another hotel across the street from that , I think it is called the Prince. You can purchase alcohol there (after appling for a permit as Gujarat is dry) and the restaraunt is good.
There are some incredible textiles in the area. A good start is the curator of the museum in Buij, he knows the area quite well and is very pleasant.
Ahmedabad is the start point for train to Buij (overnight trains run to save your daylight hours) , and I then hired a car to see around the different villages. Thre are lots of places off the beaten track in this area and I am glad I took the time to explore them.
Hope this helps, oh and as I said before on the other site~ there is a great place to eat in Ahmedabad and it is called the house of MG, I had one of the most interesting and delicous meals of my life there. Have a great time!

http://www.houseofmg...nhouse_food.php

[Adriane&Salvador]

BlueRose, on May 11 2006, 03:45 PM, said:

I have some more info and photos and if you are interested just holler and I will post them.
There are a couple of decent places in Buij, and one is called the KBN hotel on station road.  There is another hotel across the street from that , I think it is called the Prince.

Thanks, yes, I'd be really interested to see your photos.  Also, about the hotels, are they decent?  AC?  About what do they cost?  We're definitely budget travellers.... but we don't want to melt!

Great info, both of you, thank you so much!

[BlueRose]

Hi A&S, I cant remember how much I paid for KNB hotel but it was cheaper that the prince and it was very nice, clean and had AC.  You will find that hotel as it is on the way into town on the main street. The prince hotel is the first one on the right and the KNB is a little further down on the left. Buij is a dusty town, and noisy from what I remember.  According to my lonely planet 2004 the cost for the prince was 750 -1200 ruppees, it is not cheap so you may want to look around. There wasnt a plethora of places available while I was there so I settled with KNB and was very happy.

I am going to upload a few of my photos so you can see. Just go to member gallery and those photos will be there. I primarily was interested in the arts of the region so I toured different craft villages. Kutch was very interesting. What brings you there? Why Mandvi?

Hope this helps and do ask if you have more questions.

[vespar]

You can catch shared jeeps to Mandvi from Bhuj.  This is a quicker way to go.  If you like more room you can purchase extra seats and have the whole back seats to yourself.

We loved Bhuj and returned for our final week in India.  We had an amazing time of crashing a wedding and attending a festival with all the different tribal people.

We stayed at Gangaram Hotal which was great.  It was close to the Palace and the streest are great to explore.

In Mandvi we stayed at Rukmavati Guest House.  It was once a hospital.  The owner is amazing.  He supplied us with a computer print out of what to do and were to eat in Mandvi.  

Also if you are looking for info on touring the villages at Bhuj go to the tourist information office at the palace.  I forget the mans name but he can arrange everything for you.  

In Bhuj don't forget to go to Greens Hotel as this is the best thali's in India.

[BlueRose]

I have just found a book of all things about Buij and Kutch. Please check the thread in the Gujarat section for more information.
Thanks!