The streets of Ahmedabad

Saturday 24th May

- goodbye and good riddance to Hotel Shonky
- the streets of Ahmedabad

for all of its inadequacies and faults, the Ajanta's powerful AC unit remained its one good feature. 10 hours of solid and overdue sleep were pummelled into us by the unit and we awoke refreshed and determined to have a better day, both mentally and in terms of what we did. this new, better day started by leaving the Ajanta and its miserable, half-arsed organisation.

loaded up with all of our gear, we squeezed down the grubby staircase and through the perpetually open lift-cum-corridor to reception. we had not told the manager that we were leaving, but he did not react or even acknowledge our presence when we hailed him with a 'Namaste' and placed the key on his desk. we've been lucky enough to have some great hoteliers in our time in India, such as Raj in Bundi or Colonel Lamba in Agra. this guy was only playing at running a hotel.

we endured the walk along the heaving Dr Tankaria Road to the Hotel Good Night as it was a walk to freedom and comfort. we checked in with the professional staff and lay down for a while under the ceiling fan, staring at the finished edges, painted walls and occasional nice fitting. it was - ridiculously - actually cheaper than the rent we'd paid for one night at the Ajanta, no AC notwithstanding. it felt like we had splashed out on unfettered luxury.

in an ironic twist to our new contentment, the first time we attempted to leave the room, the lock stopped working, so we had to change up one floor to its duplicate. then we were off and out to explore the area and try to find some of the positives that Ahmedabad must have to offer.

first off was a bit of a yo-yoing trudge up and down the poorly named Relief Road for Philippa as she hunted down a bookshop for some new reading material. to the casual observer, Ahmedabad's appearance is best summed up by the ruined and abandoned carcass of a four story building in a prime spot on the road. on the front is one word: Harrods, a fine example of the gulf between its aspirations and reality.

Mr Al Fayed will see you now.

mind you, this is pretty good, too.

the people were, as usual in Gujarat, friendly and full of greetings. we finally found a bookshop, although its range was predictably limited. from the autoparts district in which the Ajanta was located, we now appeared to be living in an area populated solely by tailors and the largest number of leather belt and sunglass stores in the world.

the chaotic streets of Ahmedabad city

our new hotel had recommended an internet cafe and, although first impressions were hardly positive, the tiny space with its cube farm of 8 or so work stations was the cheapest one we've yet found in India, at R15 an hour, even if we still could not upload any images to the blog (as it was still 'forbidden'). Philippa discovered that one of her best friends may be moving abroad only days after we may be returning home, putting extra pressure on whatever turns out to be our final return date.

The Food Inn - a practical name is nothing else - again served as the venue for our lunch and daily Watch the Customers Eat session for its underused staff. we quickly trotted across the main road again to the STD ('standard trunk dialling'!) stall to ring our parents, all of whom were of course out, as well as to try and book our accommodation on the island of Diu, who told us just to turn up without booking, which did not ring true. the afternoon heat in Ahmedabad is debilitating at this time of year, so we retreated for a later jaunt to our hotel, proud owner of some of the best showers in our Indian adventure so far.

come 5pm and we were ready for a more extensive local tour, even if it was still impressively hot. earlier in the day, Philippa had arranged to specially pick up some camera batteries tomorrow and the shop owner had said that it was 42C. it had been hotter in Jaisalmer, and elsewhere, but Ahmedabad felt a great deal more stifling, possibly due to the effects of its pollution. our tour started by crossing the road to the traffic island, believe it or not the site of Sidi Sayyid's Mosque, a dark, squat structure without minarets. women are not allowed in, but this did not truly matter as the 16th century mosque's defining attributes are clearly visible from outside. it has ten incredible jali (stone lattice work) screens on its upper storey. two in particular are amazing; floral designs and organic patterns in such detail one would assume it was ironwork if it was not so obviously crafted in a reddish stone. the effect was very un-Islamic, and may be a result of Hindu and Jain craftsmen being used in its construction.






we rounded the island and headed off East. as a major Indian city, Ahmedabad has a sizeable population living in poverty, with considerable numbers eking out an existence on the streets in a poor condition the likes of which we had not seen for what seemed like some time. most of them at least called out to the rich Westerners in their midst and, even after yesterday, it was difficult not to feel a tug on the heart strings again.

a large market spilled out across the roads around Bhadra Fort, a small and really rather unimpressive structure after all of those that we had seen in Rajasthan (it's not open to the public).

the market was chock full of stalls and masses of the public, buying mostly tat, it seemed; cheap jewellery, key rings and, of course, cricket bats.

275 not out

the road bent around past some more quite physically attentive beggars to another unusual, dark brown stone, minaret-less mosque. set in attractive and remarkably peaceful gardens, Edd was surprised by the sheer numbers of pillars inside, as well as the degree of ornate carvings. it was a quiet and reflective place, a brief salve to the punishing traffic outside.


our furthest destination was SEWA, one of the bases of the Self-Employed Women's Association, a brave and pioneering organisation set up to offer women low interest loans, bank accounts and insurance, all of which were fairly innovative concepts in India. interested in seeing if we could support them through purchases, we only found one scarf that we had to pick up immediately, but were impressed with their range of block printed and hand-made items, as well as the proactive and professional staff. SEWA has been a success thus far and deserves to continue to thrive.

colour in Ahmedabad's streets

the final step in our local tour was the Victoria Gardens, a small park opposite SEWA and across yet another wide main road. full of tall trees and grassy areas, most of the benches and green spaces were taken up by lolling men. the gardens were filled with more active life, however, with green parakeets and the ever present hyperactive squirrels jostling for attention among the usual plethora of calling birds.

as well as the vermillion blossom that you often see in India, there were trees with broad leaves and white, yellow-centred flowers that emitted a fabulous fragrance, a total contrast to Ahmedabad's general perfume of exhaust. Philippa thought that it might be gardenia.

homeward bound, we slaked our thirst from one of the very few drinks stalls we have seen in the city; we cannot account for their apparent absence. winding our way through the bustling market again, Philippa picked up a new wallet for the trip, as hers had finally died, another victim of the India Effect on possessions. as evening hastened in, we thought we'd try the Green House restaurant just along from our hotel. it was affiliated with the House Mangalda's hotel, home of the R4,000+ per night rooms, but was supposed to be a cheaper offshoot. however, there's nothing cheap about a R65 lime soda or R400 'authentic street snacks'! so we took up option two, the Paramount, requiring a bit of backtracking towards the market and aggressive beggar evasion. the unprepossessing blank door in a plain wall hid a gaudily decorated room and uniformed staff - efforts had been made, here! best of all was another Indian first for us - curtained booth dining areas. for once, Philippa could eat without being stared at, which made a huge difference. the food was fine, too, and noticeably cheaper than The Food Inn. decisions, decisions.

the hotel room was welcoming, but very warm, when we got back. we found it difficult to escape the conclusion that Ahmedabad is not a very nice city, despite fine architectural flourishes here and there. the day had been an immeasurable improvement on yesterday, though, and tomorrow's visit to Ghandi's Ashram should be a fine way to conclude - and then leave - this place. all we needed to do was somehow get to sleep in a room as hot as a sauna.

all our very best

edd & philippa