My first trip to Gujarat was made very memorable, thanks to the relentless efforts of my dear younger brother, Dhruv Pande. The trip began much earlier with my landing at Ahmedabad airport where for the first time I saw what seemed like 'labourers' to me in the aeroplane as my co-passengers (was Gujarat moving towards a 'classless' society?, Nah!!). Of course I wasn't travelling executive but only economy class. It gave me a feeling that Gujarat as a state was a very good employer for a lot of people from across the country and later I realized even countries like Nepal (
https://www.gujarattourism.com/). Every restaurant I went to had a Nepali manager/employee.
The main trip began with us going to Gir Wildlife Sanctuary which was a beautiful drive from Rajkot. It took us around four-to-five hours to reach our destination at Gir (
https://lionsdengir.chobs.in/) homestay which was a lovely bungalow with two-room duplex house and a kitchen to cook in. Our family loves homestays, always! The ride was a smooth one with our driver, Mahendra Singh Kaka being a chatterbox. He shared stories from mythology to politics to travel, everything on the planet, including Modi-and-Shah. The following morning Kaka had seen a leopard close to his car in which he slept while we headed off to Ambardi Safari Park to pay a reasonable Rs. 190 each to see the Lion King. And did we see it? I almost jumped off my seat as everyone shouted 'Woh raha, woh hai Sher'! (That's the lion). We all got clicking and in half-an-hour were out of the park feeling satisfied we had had our money's worth, more than anything else!!
Next our stop was the former Portuguese colony, Daman and Diu. It was a drive of another four hours. Lovely landscapes, toor farms, acacia trees, millets in the fields welcomed us and flanked our driveway. It was the first time I did not sleep on a drive. Gujarat was so peaceful- it gave me the feeling I was travelling abroad and not in India. Gujarati villages seemed much less populated and more systematic and organized. Although we were staying at a place called Palms at Nagoa beach, a place worth trying is definitely the Diu tentcity (
https://www.diutentcity.com/). This was real excursion. It had a Goa-feel and weather was lovely as I woke up early the next day to head out to a view of the beach. There was lots of sightseeing to do- Diu Fort, Diu Museum (earlier called St. Thomas Church), St. Paul's Church, and the beach. My father, an adventurer, did parasailing where I edited his video and shared it on all my social media platforms. It was a lovely walk by Nagoa-Khodihar beach. We also visited Naida caves and Gangeshwar temple before heading out for tea at Hotel Krishna, the most popular one in Diu.
Early next morning we headed out for our pilgrimage- to Somnath temple and Dwarkadheesh. Both the places filled me with humility, courage and love. The best part was the steamer ride to Beynt Dwarka. We donated our share and collected our share of the prasad for friends and relatives before heading out for Rajkot.
Another great sightseeing was the Gandhi Museum at Rajkot which had multimedia installations, including audio-visual aids to take us through the Mahatma's journey. An enriching tour of Kaba Gandhi Delo, too, which left me even more humbled than my trip to the two temples of Gujarat.
At the end of the tour I realised Gujaratis were fun-loving people who believed in 'eat, drink and be merry' but not at the cost of work. I loved to see the work ethic and work culture among drivers, security guards and domestic help. Even a tea-seller seemed to follow a system without indulging in unnecessary PRing and 'making friends'. I hope I get some 'Gujju Gyan' to attain financial freedom and organized mindset!!
Club House at Lion's Den homestay
Parasailing by Papa at Nagoa Beach, Diu
Homestay at Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat
The lion at Gir (Front view)
