I am amazed at how much India has to offer. This time my travel destination was Ahmedabad – my first tryst with the state of Gujarat and it did not disappoint!
Three things that stood out for me on this trip were – history, food, and shopping – well, not surprising I guess!
History to begin with – how can one not start with the Sabarmati Ashram, a magnificent reminder of Gandhi’s contribution to India’s independence, mostly depicted in pictures. The best part about the ashram is its construction, open and breezy, calm and serene – except some noisy children who had come for a visit from their school! Very close to the ashram is the historic Dandi Bridge, a not to be missed site!
A key highlight for me was the Adalaj Stepwell (vav), so intricately carved and five stories deep – my first. I was enamoured by the architectural design, simply splendid! What I didn’t have the time for on this trip was visiting the Rani ki vav in Patan (it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and apparently bagged the title of ‘Cleanest Iconic Place’ in India at the Indian Sanitation Conference (INDOSAN) in New Delhi in October 2016)
In terms of sight-seeing,
- There are several temples in the city – must-do’s are the Akshardham Temple (a visit should be coupled with a mandatory click and the water show), the ISKCON Radha Krishna temple and the Hathisingh Jain temple, each beautiful in its own right
- Best place for a peaceful morning walk is by the Sabarmati River, at the waterfront. One can spot a picturesque sunrise, children and teenagers playing in the nicely maintained gardens by the riverfront, bikes available for rent for one to cycle by the river. And the best place to hang out in the evening, post sunset when the lights come on, is the Kanaria Lake. A must-do is the train ride, that takes you around the lake (which is surrounded by a zoo, a childdren’s park, an amusement park, food stalls, etc.)
Sabarmati river front
Beautiful sunrise
Kanaria Lake night view
In the train, at Kanaria- I also made sure my cabbie drove past IIM A – come on, I had to see India’s best MBA school. After all, it was my dream college at one point – no shying away from that 🙂
When talking about food,
- The main highlight was Manek Chowk. This is a fruit and vegetable market in the morning; converts into a gold jewellery market during the day, and eventually transforms into an eatery at night. Wow, now how dynamic is that! There are several food stalls (serving a diverse range of food – from pao bhaji, to chocolate sandwiches, to tava ice-cream rolls to the more traditional kulfi). Well, the food is awesome but what’s even better is the ambience and buzz of that night market. It’s outdoor and you share your table with complete strangers (what they call community tables in the West!).
- Other must-do eating places are The House of MG. While one can stay there (it’s a beautiful heritage property, centrally located) and enjoy a traditional Gujarati thali at their restaurant called Agashiye. I did visit the property and enjoyed clicking pictures there, but ate at another restaurant of theirs called ‘Green House’, which had a lighter and healthier menu, relatively speaking 😉
- However, when in Gujarat, how can you miss having a Gujrati thali. My choice of restaurant was Toran Dining Hall. A small, unassuming restaurant, with a garden view. Ofcourse, as most buffet places, sharing wasn’t allowed. The servers would stuff your thali (reminded me of Chokhi Dhani in Jaipur!) and it would be hard to say ‘hey, no, stop, I’m done’. They expect you to eat ALL that food, real fast. I stuffed myself & was out within an hour, phew!
- And how can you return from that city without getting khakras for all your relatives. My go-place was Induben Khakhrawala
When in Gujarat, one cannot skip buying some traditional things. While there are several local markets that you can visit for textiles and fabrics, I have to admit that I ended up going to the more popular stores like Deepkala, Asopalav, and Nalli. A must buy is a patan patola sari, so thrilled to have added it to my collection! And last but not the least, for home décor and artefacts, Kapasi is the ‘go to’ store.
I was accompanied by my mom and sis on this trip. Hyatt Regency was our home for these three days. The breakfast buffet was nice and the coffee shop convenient. It was easy to get Ubers for travel within the city, and cab rentals for destinations outside the city.
I hope this blog was helpful, and gave you some motivation to make Ahmedabad your next travel city in India! Do not hesitate to get in touch in case you have any questions. Happy to help!
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