A dirty bus to Bhuj

One day in Ahmedabad, and off again to our next stop Bhuj. But before the bus we experienced our first attempt at pressure cooking... a simple question about rice and water ratio turned into an Indian cooking lesson from Alana's neighbors, her auntie and kaka (a term of endearment and respect for the elderly). After our delicious meal, we got on a bus at midnight to find this overnight bus was not as nice as the last - dirty mats and a really bumpy ride. Nine hours later we got off at Jubilee Circle in Bhuj and met up with three more of Alana's friends, also part of the vast Indian NGO network.

Bhuj

A relatively small Indian city of 150,000 in the desert of Gujurat and home to a disproportionately large amount of NGOs as a result of a large earthquake in 2001 that killed 10% of the population and destroyed most of the town. After a great breakfast, we set out to find white clothes for Holi, although unsuccessful, Paul found a Kutch region specialty, block print lounging plants and his first Indian shirt (think India meets hippie). Paul could only take so much shopping, so we stopped and ate a veg thali in air conditioning and had a sampling of greasy and sweet Indian food, and all you can eat for two dollars (yes all you can eat is not only an American idea). While Alana's friends (Caroline, Andrew, and Gabe) finished working, we slept off the afternoon heat and large lunch.

Our First Indian Field Trip

The next day we set off on a field trip, who knew you could fit thirteen people and two babies in a jeep. We drove an hour and half through the arid semi-desert of Gujurat and arrived at a mountain (hill) with a Hindu temple perched atop. We climbed the stairs with the sun bearing down to a tranquil temple complete with its own live in holy man and puppies. After surveying the sights we unexpectedly sat down to a feast provided by the Indian families who joined us in the jeep. A mix of rice, roti, potatoes and a few fresh vegetables, all far less greasy then any restaurant choices. Everything is communal here, sharing is caring. Our picnic view was beautiful, we could see the salt flats in the distance which was our intended destination but we were unable to acquire the proper visa to travel there.

Next stop... a Hindu monastery in the desert foothills. After a quick tour of the relic temples and shrines we sat down to chai with a few Sadhus - people who denounce all material possessions in search of Moksha (freedom from the cycle of rebirth) through meditation and pilgrimage. They now have five American signatures in their small guest book. Back in the jeep to our third stop, to the most unpredicted part of the journey, a desert jungle. We all relaxed along the lake, watching the children feed the fish and enjoying the shade. On our way out the caretaker called the wild peacocks to dinner and about 30 birds came running from all over. A funny scene of camels, cows, a few cats, and tons of Morni (peacocks in Gujurati). Back to Bhuj after an exhausting, but great 10 hour trip for only four dollars. Our Indian peers really know how to make the most of their day off. We now had to prepare for Holi.

Holi Cow, They Know How to Celebrate

Holi, nothing like any holiday in the US, but it may resemble an odd combo of Mardi Gras, 4th of July and Halloween, without the booze. We woke up at 9am to children laughing. We got dressed and prepared our colorful water, bags of colorful powder chalk, water guns and stepped outside only to be ambushed by the neighborhood kids. It's much more fun to throw colors on white people. We are a blank canvas. Not even 30 minutes into it, our faces, hair , and shirts wer e tie-died. We met up with a few of the locals we joined the day before only to catch a deluge of color. Dodging water balloons and handfuls of colorful powder from the scooters and motorcycles the neighborhood youth ride around on. We then toured the city repeating the practice of colorful greetings. Even the cows had splashes of color. It was a colorful water fight and all ages participated, quite the Hindu festival. Exhausted by the afternoon, we ordered a few US pizzas, not too bad for India, and watched a movie on Andrew's computer. As much as you want to escape your daily routine, we have found you can easily slip right back in to - comfort.

Back on the bus after a southern Indian dinner of dosas, for yet another BUMPY ride to Ahmedabad (pronounced Am-da-vaad). Unfortunately my camera died for the day of festivities, but Alana got a few great shots of our colorful experience, here is a link to her Picasa (google photo album)....

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/alanakinarsky/HoliAndMyTripToKutch?feat=email#

We put our photos from the past week or so on Alana's computer and hope to be setting up our own Picasa album soon so everyone can see our photos, we'll keep you posted.