Gujarat and back
After we left Jodhpur it was time for a little business to mix in with all the swanning about we've been doing in Rajasthan. Two days of meetings in Bhavnagar were followed by a 24 hour lay-over in Ahmadabad before an overnight train to Udaipur.
Bhavnagar is not a tourist destination. At best it's a jumping off spot for nearby wildlife parks and, if you're a little more daring, the strictly prohibited ship breaking yards at Alang. Ship breaking - what a remarkable concept. Every time I've ever seen cruise liners or a huge cargo ships they've looked like the most solid, non-destructable pieces of equipment that you're ever likely to see. Perhaps a ship could sink but I've never been able to comprehend them being stripped down like an old car in an auto wrecking yard. But that's exactly what they do at Alang.
By far the biggest ship breaking yard in the world, Alang, serves at the final resting place of most of the world's greatest ships. Uniquely situated on mud-flats which have a high tide only once a month, the ship breakers of Alang start from the front and work their way back through the hulls of these massive vessels, tearing out every fixture, fitting or raw piece of steel for resale and recycling. Just like meat ants on an animal carcass.
We hired a car after our meetings were done in Bhavnagar to take a look. As the entire area is off-limits to tourist we weren't able to get as close as I would have liked but we did see the boats off at a distance plus we passed by the hundreds of stalls set up on the side of the road selling the booty. There are stalls for toilets, kitchen fittings, life vests, diesel engines, mirrors, lounges, mattresses, and every other possible piece from the ships. Alang is truly a remarkable place.
Ahmadabad was all about resting after arriving at midnight and leaving again 24 hours later. We were lucky that the hotel offered 24 hour check-in and out plus they had the HBO cable channel so movies were the order of the day. There really wasn't a lot more to recommend the hotel which featured some of the most creative plumbing in the bathroom I've ever seen. Still, the aircon worked and the movies included several Van Damme classics so it was all good.
Actually we did venture out for lunch to a place around the corner from our hotel recommended in our travel guide which was really good. Some of the best food we've had in India.
The other memorable moment in Ahmadabad would have to be the trip from the hotel to the train station. Yet another auto-rickshaw which is hardly out of the ordinary but there was one intersection just as we reached the station which was completely surreal. Its close to midnight and there are thousands of auto-rickshaws, pedestrians, buses, trucks, cars and pushbikes around. And they all want to cross this huge intersection simultaneously. Traffic is crazy at the best of times in India but this was truly insane - absolutely nobody was giving way to anyone else and there were no lights, round-abouts or policemen to assert their logic onto the scrum. This was the traffic equivalent of dreadlocks and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself for the full 10 minutes it took to cross to the other side. There would be a public outcry replete with angry letters written to the local member and flames posted to Column 8 in the Sydney Morning Herald if this was Australia :)
DM
Bhavnagar is not a tourist destination. At best it's a jumping off spot for nearby wildlife parks and, if you're a little more daring, the strictly prohibited ship breaking yards at Alang. Ship breaking - what a remarkable concept. Every time I've ever seen cruise liners or a huge cargo ships they've looked like the most solid, non-destructable pieces of equipment that you're ever likely to see. Perhaps a ship could sink but I've never been able to comprehend them being stripped down like an old car in an auto wrecking yard. But that's exactly what they do at Alang.
By far the biggest ship breaking yard in the world, Alang, serves at the final resting place of most of the world's greatest ships. Uniquely situated on mud-flats which have a high tide only once a month, the ship breakers of Alang start from the front and work their way back through the hulls of these massive vessels, tearing out every fixture, fitting or raw piece of steel for resale and recycling. Just like meat ants on an animal carcass.
We hired a car after our meetings were done in Bhavnagar to take a look. As the entire area is off-limits to tourist we weren't able to get as close as I would have liked but we did see the boats off at a distance plus we passed by the hundreds of stalls set up on the side of the road selling the booty. There are stalls for toilets, kitchen fittings, life vests, diesel engines, mirrors, lounges, mattresses, and every other possible piece from the ships. Alang is truly a remarkable place.
Ahmadabad was all about resting after arriving at midnight and leaving again 24 hours later. We were lucky that the hotel offered 24 hour check-in and out plus they had the HBO cable channel so movies were the order of the day. There really wasn't a lot more to recommend the hotel which featured some of the most creative plumbing in the bathroom I've ever seen. Still, the aircon worked and the movies included several Van Damme classics so it was all good.
Actually we did venture out for lunch to a place around the corner from our hotel recommended in our travel guide which was really good. Some of the best food we've had in India.
The other memorable moment in Ahmadabad would have to be the trip from the hotel to the train station. Yet another auto-rickshaw which is hardly out of the ordinary but there was one intersection just as we reached the station which was completely surreal. Its close to midnight and there are thousands of auto-rickshaws, pedestrians, buses, trucks, cars and pushbikes around. And they all want to cross this huge intersection simultaneously. Traffic is crazy at the best of times in India but this was truly insane - absolutely nobody was giving way to anyone else and there were no lights, round-abouts or policemen to assert their logic onto the scrum. This was the traffic equivalent of dreadlocks and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself for the full 10 minutes it took to cross to the other side. There would be a public outcry replete with angry letters written to the local member and flames posted to Column 8 in the Sydney Morning Herald if this was Australia :)
DM
posted by Leden at
3:23 pm
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