Today's plan was to travel to Ahmedabad and take a break. Started
from Surat at 7.15 AM. Didn't wait for the complimentary breakfast at
the hotel but had cup noodles for breakfast. Cup Noodles are huge
timesavers when you travel.
The route till Baroda was again spent behind trucks. There seem to be a large number of trucks on roads always. In Tamil Nadu most of the heavy trucks travel at night and take a break in the morning. May be it is different up country. There was a 1 km queue at a toll before Baroda that took nearly 25 minutes and tested our patience.
We were supposed to take the National Express Way (NE 1) from Baroda to Ahmedabad, but missed the turn so continued on our way in NH 48. That was a blessing in disguise as we saw Anand (the town) on the way. Anand is the headquarters of Amul, the dairy co-operative behemoth that rules the Indian dairy market.
Factory visit was only between 2-4 PM. Since we were there by 9.30 AM had to be satisified with having a Amul icecream right outside the factory gate.
From Anand, we entered the NE 1 and zipped through to Ahmedabad. NE 1 is well maintained and a pleasure to drive. Can't say that about Ahmedabad though. The city is dusty and traffic is helter skelter. Noticed that about Surat too. The signals are treated like serial light decorations, no body bothers about them. People keep on moving whether it is Red or Green in the signal. And if you expect the BRTS (dedicated bus lane), to look like any of those whatsapp forwards, you are in for a surprise.
Checked in at a hotel and went to Sabarmati Ashram. The Ashram has a calming effect on one. Even though we know almost everything about Mahatma's life, to see the spartan room where he stayed and to read his quotes in that surrounding makes one contemplative. The museum at the entrance of the Ashram, designed by architect Charles Correa, is aesthetically pleasing.
From Sabarmati, we went to see Adalaj Vav - a 4 storeyed step well built in 1555. The decorations on the steps of the well are a sight to behold. The step well offers many selfie taking opportunities and was full of youngsters with their cameras and phones. I too joined the multitudes.
Total distance travelled so far : 2206 kilometeres
The route till Baroda was again spent behind trucks. There seem to be a large number of trucks on roads always. In Tamil Nadu most of the heavy trucks travel at night and take a break in the morning. May be it is different up country. There was a 1 km queue at a toll before Baroda that took nearly 25 minutes and tested our patience.
We were supposed to take the National Express Way (NE 1) from Baroda to Ahmedabad, but missed the turn so continued on our way in NH 48. That was a blessing in disguise as we saw Anand (the town) on the way. Anand is the headquarters of Amul, the dairy co-operative behemoth that rules the Indian dairy market.
Factory visit was only between 2-4 PM. Since we were there by 9.30 AM had to be satisified with having a Amul icecream right outside the factory gate.
From Anand, we entered the NE 1 and zipped through to Ahmedabad. NE 1 is well maintained and a pleasure to drive. Can't say that about Ahmedabad though. The city is dusty and traffic is helter skelter. Noticed that about Surat too. The signals are treated like serial light decorations, no body bothers about them. People keep on moving whether it is Red or Green in the signal. And if you expect the BRTS (dedicated bus lane), to look like any of those whatsapp forwards, you are in for a surprise.
Checked in at a hotel and went to Sabarmati Ashram. The Ashram has a calming effect on one. Even though we know almost everything about Mahatma's life, to see the spartan room where he stayed and to read his quotes in that surrounding makes one contemplative. The museum at the entrance of the Ashram, designed by architect Charles Correa, is aesthetically pleasing.
 |
| Statue in the Ashram |
 |
| Gandhi's Signature in various Indian languages |
 |
| Mahatma's office room. Significant decisions of Indian Freedom struggles were taken here |
From Sabarmati, we went to see Adalaj Vav - a 4 storeyed step well built in 1555. The decorations on the steps of the well are a sight to behold. The step well offers many selfie taking opportunities and was full of youngsters with their cameras and phones. I too joined the multitudes.
Exquisitely carved Adalaj Vav (Stepwell). Built in 1555.
Total distance travelled so far : 2206 kilometeres
No comments:
Post a Comment