We traveled to Gujarat twice in 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed those visits. We became enamored with the many varieties of elaborate and colorful embroidies and other forms of textiles for which Kutch and Gujarat are known. With that history another visit to Kutch and to much of the rest of Gujarat seemed like a good add-on to the tour already described.
Jim left Mumbai around 6:30 AM Nov. 10, 2017 and flew to Bhuj in the center of the Kutch region. The improvements to the Mumbai airport since 2010 were very much appreciated and Jet air seems a good airline.
In Bhuj Jim was met by Salim, who would be the guide for the next 4 days. We had met him in 2010 and found him to be very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. A couple days later he said he was recognized by "Lonely Planet" as guide of the year for the region - or some similar recognition.
Jim stayed at the Prince Hotel near the center of town. We stayed there in 2010 and it has undergone a significant upgrade since then. It was a comfortable place to stay but it is run rather casually. Jim Checked in and we headed off by 8AM or so to go in search of interesting sites and very interesting textiles. We went to a few places where we had been in 2010 with friends Linn and Anita, but also a few where we had not been including a somewhat obscure small village with a very interesting embroidery style that seemed different from others we had seen.
Many of the women do this beautiful work when they are not tending to household and family chores- to make very elaborate and colorful garments for themselves and family members- and to sell. There are several "cooperatives" like Shrujan and Kala Raksha and Qasab that take much of the work of these many women and sell it in shops and give the women a fair share of whatever they sell for. Overall, this is probably a good arrangement, but the variety of work may be a bit reduced and this could be bad for the long term. This is a concern that several people acknowledged, but it does not appear to be a problem yet.
One one day we drove to the "Great Rann of Kutch". This is a low lying area to the north, west and east of Kutch that floods during monsoon season and then the water evaporates the rest of the year to leave an enormous white range of salts. When we visited in Jan. 2010 it was dry and white. In the second week of Nov. 2017 there was a lot of water, so it had a very different feel.
Unfortunately, the are now have huge "tent cities" that have been put up to encourage Indian tourists to come and stay a few days for big festivals. It was state run before but appears to be privately run now. While the road to get to the Rann is better, the rather ugly structures and tents seem like detractors compared to what seemed like a wilderness before.
On the second day we drove south to Mandvi. On the way we stopped at a 10th century Shiva temple that was in very bad shape after earthquake damage long ago- as well as more recently in the very bad earthquake they had in Kutch in 2001. Jim wanted to see the construction of the big wooden boats that are still made in Mandvi- though, apparently, fewer than in the past. We were able to drive right up to the boats being built, and, with a little permission, walk around and even inside a boat being built. These are NOT small personal boats- they are quite large and intended for hauling goods around. Apparently, the customers are primarily middle eastern coastal people and Africa. This was very interesting the see and the huge teak logs used to make the ship frames were impressive!
There was a saw mill very near the ship building and we could see very large band saw blades being sharpened. They were using a smaller saw to cut some smaller pieces of wood- the blade was probably 4 - 6" wide or deep.
After seeing the boats we drove to a village where many of the houses are owned by Jain families. Apparently these homes date from around 1900- some older and many newer- and the owners mostly live in bigger cities and come back for vacation or festivals or family events. The architecture was very nice and it was fun to see these places.
On the third day we drove to Dholavira. This is one of the Harrapan or Indus River civilization sites dating from around 1600 BCE. There are a few larger sites in what is now Pakistan, but this is the largest in India. We visited a smaller site- Lothal- in 2010. It is pretty much a full day trip to get to Dholavira and back in the same day. Salim had a rugged vehicle which was probably necessary to make the trip because the roads had been severely damaged in some areas in the rainy season and were under repair. There were a few more conventional cars on the road, but a SUV is a wiser choice. It was a rough ride! Jim's "fitbit" recorded over 15,000 "steps" for the day but only 2-3000 of those were real steps taken!
It was hot in the bright sun at Dholavira. The visitor's center was interesting and gave a good overview. Salim got a guide for us- someone who had worked there many years for the government in the past. In Kutch the local language is Kutchee while most of Gujarat speaks Gujarati ( as well as English or Hindi). To really get around it helps to know Kutchee and Gujarati! The guide spoke mostly Kutchee to Salim who translated. The site was buried for, perhaps 2000-3000 years and much of it is still buried, but what is uncovered is quite impressive! We often forget that these ancient people were quite smart and creative when it came to thinking of ways to solve practical problems like how to store water and move water to where it was needed. They had some clever ideas way back then! We did not stay long- Jim just wanted to see the place and get a feeling for how sophisticated it was. The archeologists indicated where a river once flowed near the town center here. It is widely believed that big changes to the water supply is what ended communities like this.
The ride back over the same rough roads seemed faster, but we did take a somewhat different route for part of it that the driver thought might be better. It was a little different scenery and worthwhile as it did not take longer and may have been shorter. We learned in Africa that a day of bouncing around in a car can be very tiring and this day was not an exception to that learning.
The last day in Kutch was spent visiting the Shrujan Museum, a weaver who makes rugs from Camel and goat hair, a "bandani" or "tie-dye" maker who also exhibits at the Santa Fe Arts and crafts show in the USA. The Shrujan Museum is very nicely done and the displays of many of the embroideries were soften spectacular. The building is quite large and has two large galleries- at present, only one of these is occupied.
The Driver took Jim from Bhuj in Kutch east to Wankaner the next morning where Jim was met by our Friend Chota and driver- guide Jonny. Part 5 will pickup from that point.
Jim left Mumbai around 6:30 AM Nov. 10, 2017 and flew to Bhuj in the center of the Kutch region. The improvements to the Mumbai airport since 2010 were very much appreciated and Jet air seems a good airline.
In Bhuj Jim was met by Salim, who would be the guide for the next 4 days. We had met him in 2010 and found him to be very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. A couple days later he said he was recognized by "Lonely Planet" as guide of the year for the region - or some similar recognition.
Jim stayed at the Prince Hotel near the center of town. We stayed there in 2010 and it has undergone a significant upgrade since then. It was a comfortable place to stay but it is run rather casually. Jim Checked in and we headed off by 8AM or so to go in search of interesting sites and very interesting textiles. We went to a few places where we had been in 2010 with friends Linn and Anita, but also a few where we had not been including a somewhat obscure small village with a very interesting embroidery style that seemed different from others we had seen.
Many of the women do this beautiful work when they are not tending to household and family chores- to make very elaborate and colorful garments for themselves and family members- and to sell. There are several "cooperatives" like Shrujan and Kala Raksha and Qasab that take much of the work of these many women and sell it in shops and give the women a fair share of whatever they sell for. Overall, this is probably a good arrangement, but the variety of work may be a bit reduced and this could be bad for the long term. This is a concern that several people acknowledged, but it does not appear to be a problem yet.
One one day we drove to the "Great Rann of Kutch". This is a low lying area to the north, west and east of Kutch that floods during monsoon season and then the water evaporates the rest of the year to leave an enormous white range of salts. When we visited in Jan. 2010 it was dry and white. In the second week of Nov. 2017 there was a lot of water, so it had a very different feel.
Unfortunately, the are now have huge "tent cities" that have been put up to encourage Indian tourists to come and stay a few days for big festivals. It was state run before but appears to be privately run now. While the road to get to the Rann is better, the rather ugly structures and tents seem like detractors compared to what seemed like a wilderness before.
On the second day we drove south to Mandvi. On the way we stopped at a 10th century Shiva temple that was in very bad shape after earthquake damage long ago- as well as more recently in the very bad earthquake they had in Kutch in 2001. Jim wanted to see the construction of the big wooden boats that are still made in Mandvi- though, apparently, fewer than in the past. We were able to drive right up to the boats being built, and, with a little permission, walk around and even inside a boat being built. These are NOT small personal boats- they are quite large and intended for hauling goods around. Apparently, the customers are primarily middle eastern coastal people and Africa. This was very interesting the see and the huge teak logs used to make the ship frames were impressive!
There was a saw mill very near the ship building and we could see very large band saw blades being sharpened. They were using a smaller saw to cut some smaller pieces of wood- the blade was probably 4 - 6" wide or deep.
On the third day we drove to Dholavira. This is one of the Harrapan or Indus River civilization sites dating from around 1600 BCE. There are a few larger sites in what is now Pakistan, but this is the largest in India. We visited a smaller site- Lothal- in 2010. It is pretty much a full day trip to get to Dholavira and back in the same day. Salim had a rugged vehicle which was probably necessary to make the trip because the roads had been severely damaged in some areas in the rainy season and were under repair. There were a few more conventional cars on the road, but a SUV is a wiser choice. It was a rough ride! Jim's "fitbit" recorded over 15,000 "steps" for the day but only 2-3000 of those were real steps taken!
The ride back over the same rough roads seemed faster, but we did take a somewhat different route for part of it that the driver thought might be better. It was a little different scenery and worthwhile as it did not take longer and may have been shorter. We learned in Africa that a day of bouncing around in a car can be very tiring and this day was not an exception to that learning.
The last day in Kutch was spent visiting the Shrujan Museum, a weaver who makes rugs from Camel and goat hair, a "bandani" or "tie-dye" maker who also exhibits at the Santa Fe Arts and crafts show in the USA. The Shrujan Museum is very nicely done and the displays of many of the embroideries were soften spectacular. The building is quite large and has two large galleries- at present, only one of these is occupied.
The Driver took Jim from Bhuj in Kutch east to Wankaner the next morning where Jim was met by our Friend Chota and driver- guide Jonny. Part 5 will pickup from that point.
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