A
day in Ahmedabad
First of all, I am not much of a
writer. This is my first attempt to pen down the experiences I had on a trip.
This is about an unplanned solo
journey to Ahmadabad. I work at Umbargam, Gujarat for Maha Kaali
Serial aired on Colors TV Channel.
More than 4 months of continuous work, no week off, no holiday, no nothing…
sounds a lot right? Even I had the same feeling. After such prolonged tedious
period, a day off from work by the Production Schedule sounds worthier than
anything else. I wanted to utilize this break by making a trip to this famous
city.
I
was to make an overnight journey but the shooting continued till dawn. So, I
boarded a train ‘Saurasthra Express’
around noon hours at Umbargam. This part
is an important one as it formed the shape of my tour. After I took the window
seat, luckily 3 girls came to sit around me. After long time, it was my chance
to talk to people outside work so I initiated conversation. They were returning
from an engagement function of a friend of theirs. Their names were Bhavisha, Teja and something of the 3rd one. We had a lot of talk
on sundry, pleasant enough to make the available time good. They were natives
of Gujarat. As such they, especially Bhavisha guided me about the places I
should visit in the time limit that I had. I was to de-board at Ahmedabad, but
she suggested me Maninagar Station
instead. I got off the train along with them. In return for their guidance, I
invited them to come anytime and watch shooting of TV Serials at Umbergaon. As
it was time to get apart, we bade adios
amigo. It was nearly 7 pm by this time.
Outside
Maninagar Station, I took an
auto-rickshaw to Kankaria Lake. It
took about 10 minutes to reach there.
It
is a beautiful place with flood of light around the lake. People can be seen
boating to enjoy the evening. This place looks like a fair. There are lots of
food stalls. I took a taste of a number of snacks before setting my foot
forward for Manek Chowk.
Manek Chowk is popular for its street food. There I had a sandwich and mocha. My watch had struck 10.30 pm by then and as I was told there is nothing much for a nightcrawler in Ahemdabad especially if one is travelling alone, I felt that I should take rest till the next morning. On taking some strides, I found a hotel Radhe Palace where a room with double bed was available at Rs.600 only. After watching TV for sometime, I fell asleep.
Next morning, I woke up around 7.
In a while, I took bath and got ready to
take the maximum utility of the
day. I charged my body with chocolate and milk (I usually carry these). I had
breakfast at a nearby restaurant.
Henceforth, I took an auto to Chand Kheda and then to Adalaj.
This place (Adalaj Vaav) has a famous temple and nearby you will find stairs leading to a well inside its premises. I spent around half an hour clicking photos of this beautiful place.
Then, I moved on to Sabarmati Ashram riding an auto. What a
great co-incidence. It was 2nd October.
You can understand what it means to be in this Ashram on this day. Bapu was being remembered through many programs and contests. Food fest, handicrafts sale, brochures distribution, etc were going on simultaneously. I stayed there till 1 pm.
By
that time, I started feeling hungry. I took an auto to Patang Hotel.
It is famous for its structure as it looks like a tall Water Tank and the sitting area keeps revolving gradually giving a scenic view of the city and the Sabarmati river and riverfront. For lunch they served only buffet including Continental, Chinese and Indian food. They charged only Rs. 650 for it which I believe is reasonable given its uniqueness and quality of food.
Nearby is Sabarmati Riverfront but instead of getting there in such scorching heat, I felt the need to find a cooler
place to spend warm hours. Nothing better could have clicked than watching a
movie. I went to Miraz Cinema to watch Judwaa
2 as “garmi ki na hogi tension,
theatre hai pura air condition”. I got to watch a movie in a theatre after
nearly 5 months. After watching the exhilarating movie, I ate a pizza in the same campus.
By then, it was time for the Sun to
say goodbye for the day. I walked to Teen
Darwaza.
It has its historical importance. However, these days it is one of the major place for shopping in this city. I am not much of a shopaholic, I just wanted to see the place.
I boarded Saurashtra Express to
return to my shooting world.
In a nutshell, it was a delighting
and wonderful experience of spending nearly 28 hours in this beautiful city. If
you feel the urge for a change from your daily life, you can explore this city
on low budget. My spending was around Rs 3000 on this trip.
I had no specific idea as how and
what to visit in Ahemdabad but thanks
to Bhavisha, Teja and the 3rd girl, I had one of the best of
time on an unplanned trip.
You can reach Ahmadabad by roadways and airways as well. This city has a lot of
historic, religious as well as modern institutions including Akshardham Mandir, Zoo, various markets, food
streets, etc. Depending on the time you have here, a tour to this city will
always be a memorable one for anybody.
You can reach Ahmedabad by Airplane, Train, Car, Bus etc from different places throughout India depending on your budget, distance and route.
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