[cyberhippie]

A big thanks to the guys on the 100 trips thread, I decided to start a new thread as I've sidetracked leith's excellent thread enough I think.

Thanks guys I will try to cover Sidhpur as well. as you suggested
Here is the proposed itinerary
The destinations marked in red we'll cover by taxi.
Where's the best place to spend the night between Patan, Sidhpur and Modhera?? Is it better to stay in Vadadora or Champenar
Our route is as follows, is the ferry acroos the Gulf Of Kutch Running, as then I could add Jamnager and Dwarka.


Bhuj
Nalia
Mandvi
Ahmdebad
Nalsarovar
Modhera
Patan
Sidhpur
Taranga Hill
Vadadora
Champenar
Bhuvnagar
Palitana
Junagadh
Girner Hill
Dui

[jyotirmoy]

Dear cyberbhai,
Patan is a historical city. Once Muhhamad Ghori attacked Patan, the then king Mularaja who was just a young boy along with his mother Naiki devi dealt a  crushing blow to Ghori and he fled. He never dared to come back. How ever Alauddin Khilji sacked and destroyed the city later on.
Do visit the wonderful step well dating back to Solanki period.

[iwanttogoback]

the carving of the stepwell wall is amazing. i have posted some photos somewhere.

[WonderWomanUSA]

Try to get to Dwarka, even if you have to go "the long way around" -- it's a sweet little town and they will let you into the temple! (Don't donate more than Rs100).

[AlanD]

Hello Cyberhippie

Although I've been to some of the places you are planning to visit, like Bhuj, Mandvi, Palitana, Dwarka, Bhavnagar etc I'm afraid my info may be well out of date. Things change very quickly in most of India these days. However, we did spend a few weeks in January of this year in Diu and found it, as ever, a very pleasant place to be - not too hectic, equable climate, good food and good lodgings.

We stayed at the Apana Hotel on the waterfront where we paid 700R's for a room on the second floor, attached bathroom, TV and with a balcony which looked out over the channel between Diu and the mainland. The balcony was a great place to have early morning tea (the temperature was in the mid to late 20's C) and bird watch at other times of the day. The Apana's restaurant was always busy with visiting Indian tour groups or Indian families touring on their own and we ate almost all of our meals there. As you would expect they served a lot of seafood - prawns (Karai, Sweet and Sour and Goanese)  and Kingfish and Pomfret fresh from the fishing boats at the nearby quay. Their chicken dishes were pretty good too. When we were there it seemed to be the only place that was doing a lot of business. You can also have a beer with your meal, you just pay the waiter and he goes and brings it from an off licence a couple of doors down. A bottle of beer was about 40 R's.

If you want to travel around the island or head back onto the mainland, scooter hire is about 150R's per day and traffic is pretty light on the roads.

Another good place to eat is the Hoka Resort at Nagoa Beach run by Aditya Dogra - they also do tasty seafood dishes for about 150 R's per dish.

Up at the old Portuguese church which is now a museum there are also some rooms to let. We had a look up there but some of the rooms on the roof looked as if they would be very hot during the day. The young couple who run it usually have a fish barbeque every other night just outside the church for about 150R's a head.

No matter where you stay I'm sure you will have a great time - Diu seems to retain its laid back atmosphere over the years.

If you make it to Mandvi try to pay a visit to Zorba the Buddha restaurant, just inside the city walls - they do great vegetarian thalis.

Our photos of Diu and the other places in India we visited on our last trip are at

Edited by AlanD, 04 October 2009 - 02:33 AM.

[iwanttogoback]

the apana, and diu, sound wonderful alan.

[cyberhippie]

Thanks guys, I agree the Apana sounds just the ticket. Happy to hear the food was good on Diu as we'll likely spend a week to ten days there scooting around.
What about a spicey breakfast, what do they eat on Diu for breakfast??

Alan you are the second respected travller I know that has told me good things about Diu. So Now I'm really looking forward to it.

WWUSA I just don't think I'm going to make Dwarka this time around. As it's a pain to get to from Bhuj.

Look out for the photos

Yours are great Alan D  

[cyberhippie]

Dang Alan your photos just make me want to throw my stuff in a rucksack and go, Now, Naggar and Rewalsar Lake especially.

Dui looks interesting and your shot of the waterfront from the Apana balcony, is a clincher!

Any book shops Alan we'll be low on supplies by the time we get to Diu I think.

[WonderWomanUSA]

Quote

WWUSA I just don't think I'm going to make Dwarka this time around. As it's a pain to get to from Bhuj.

Yes, it's a pain; I think it took us around 24 hours back in 1989, but was well worth it! But then, I do love pilgrimage towns.

[WonderWomanUSA]

AlanD, on Oct 3 2009, 01:50 PM, said:

Our photos of Diu and the other places in India we visited on our last trip are at

Lovely photos, Alan!

Sorry that I lost track of y'all when I was ill...but I've enjoyed the pictures very much.

[cyberhippie]

Ill!!!   I hope you are better now then WWUSA, I would dearly like to fit in Dwarka, I like pilgrimage towns too.
But such a lot of traveling from Bhuj and not really good to saddle onto the Northern/Southern Gujarat part of our trip.

There was a ferry service across the Gulf of Kutch, to Jamnagar, but I can´t find out if it´s still running.

IWTGB
The stone carving in Gujarat has generally caught my eye, it's a hard, more geometric syle than others I've seen but very beautiful.
I feel like I'm entering a new era in artisanship on this upcoming visit.

The step wells, temple architecure, it´s very localised. Similarities for sure, but a Guju stamp is there I feel.

I'm also interested in this. Did the trader concept of Daewoo, vohra houses, reach Kolkata, I've not seen this up close but there is Architecture in Kolkata that is similar, or was that purely born in the time of the British Raj???

Jyoti Da strange question but I thought maybe a connection or not.

[jyotirmoy]

The word 'Bohra' comes from the Gujarati word 'Vohra' meaning trader. Although the Dawoodi Bohra community is one of the branches of Shiite Islam but  in Gujarat we can see not only Shiite Bohras but also Sunni Bohras . A major split among the Bohras in the 16th century resulted in the formation of the Dawoodi sect. Now most of the Bohras in India are Dawoodis.
Though the Dawoodi Bohras originated in Gujarat and their mother tongue is Gujarati, many of them migrated to various other parts of India. Thus, we find Dawoodi Bohras in trading centers like Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Calicut and Cochin.
Dawoodis came to Kolkata from Surat in mid-19th century. Once quite liberal in their outlook, the women were never in purdah, and stood out on account of their dress — ghaghra and odhni draped over their heads. The more Anglicised ladies were clearly more at home with English than their vernacular Gujarati.  They mainly traded in fabrics, coal etc. and were quite affluent. They had built grand mansions and trading houses some of which you can still find in Kolkata.
Just like the Parsis this community is also dwindling on account of intermarriage.

[cyberhippie]

Thank you Jyoti Da, did I tell you lou live in the most facinating of countries

[jyotirmoy]

Thanks dear cyber bhai. The huge diversity of my country is definitely fascinating but politically it is completely another story. Sad to say but and you know how frank I can be so let me tell you that there is hardly any one who can be called an INDIAN.

[kullukid]

cyberhippie, on Oct 4 2009, 03:57 AM, said:

Dang Alan your photos just make me want to throw my stuff in a rucksack and go, Now, Naggar and Rewalsar Lake especially.

Agreed, great pic's Alan. Good to see they've finally got that huge statue of Padmasambhava painted, I've been watching it slowly materialise over the last 3-4 yrs. I see you went up to Padmasambhava's caves as well, did you get a clear view of the distant peaks??
Here's my pic's of Rewalsar; http://picasaweb.goo...ey=1uCtozrD8Ok#

[noflylist]

Gujarat was a sanctuary for religious minority. Parsees were invited, Bohras flourished far away from Delhi sultanate.

Another fascinating group I would like to know is Siddies, the slaves from Africa who adopted Gujarati culture.

[iwanttogoback]

there is an exquisite siddi mosque in ahmedabad: siddi sayed. i have posted a picture here, trying to show the gorgeous stone carved window tracing, but it's not a really good photo.

i just did a quick google, what an interesting story!

[AlanD]

Hi Cyberhippie

I am in Istanbul at the moment so just a quick note.

Yes the Apana does paratha curd and pickle for breakfast. Enjoy your trip.

[torryquine]

Enjoyed those photos Alan