Taj Residency Ahmedabad

... resort I got best facilities from the cambay five star resort like golf club, swimming pool, spa and best services of breakfast, lunch, dinner, pick up from airport. I have satisfaction with staying in cambay resort.

... and took us to a working ashram devoted to a "saint" called Bapu-ji, who sadly wasn't home to welcome us. He probably wouldn't have met us anyway, as apparently he has to be kept behind glass to prevent him becoming polluted by bad vibrations. The people there were very nice and welcoming, and another visitor, who was staying there for a couple of weeks and who spoke reasonable English, showed us around. We had to walk around a banyan tree seven ...

... piles of rubbish that litter the streets in most other cities. The noise and dust are the same, however, as well as the terrible smog problem. We haven't really explored the city due to the fact that we are both very tired and have to be up tomorrow morning to catch our bus to Rajastan. Therefore, it's food and then bed for us this evening. This was really just a pit-stop on our way further north. Tomorrow we will finally arrive in Rajastan, our springboard for the north. XXX

... built in 1499. We had the whole place to ourselves and Asif used his i'm-of-the-Muslim--faith-and-wearing-th e-cap card to get us backstage passes to the small temples behind it by giving baksheesh to the guardian. The guardian guy showed us a vampire's cemetary type room where there were some tombs covered in fabric and light shards falling in rays about the room from tiny windows, creepy stuff. Next, we went to the shining jewel of Ahmedabad, the Sabarmati Ashram that ...

... me they mean hello. And macho, arrogant, disrespectful men who give me a CHHHSSSSHHTTT (the sound that means "Excuse me" in India), and point rudely for me to walk up to them (these men are rare, thankfully). Some people like to shake me hand and a few men use that to yank me down to sit beside them! It's something I've had to get used to in India. I'm for example, the 3rd white p**son they've ev** met. They often want pictures of me beside them. To show ...

... sir, what is it that you'd like? Hugh: Could we please have two toasts with butter and two teas? Room Service Wallah #4: Certainly sir, no problem. 5 minutes later our breakfast arrived - as ordered! I should also say that this kind of conversation is not unusual when ordering room service. Yesterday we went on a visit to a water-well which is 20km out of town. It was in our Dorling Kindersley India book (complete with 3D cut-away picture) and looked ...

Hello from Ahmadabad! It's been a little while since i last updated my blog, so here we go; After Jailsalmer the next stop was Udaipur, which was really good. It's a nice city around a big lake, with a couple of nice castles in it. Oh, wait, Hold on, this is for the person sitting next to me; CAN YOU READ IT OR SHOULD I USE CAPS??? Sorry, i'm sitting in an internet cafe, and i have this annoying indian guy sitting next to me, following every move i make ...

... The fact that Gene Kelly made it look so easy didn't help either. In my first three years of tap dance I struggled to find "a" rhythm, let alone my own. I clunked around helplessly, braved ridiculous costumes, all in search of a beat. Fifteen years of late night practices, refining steps I learned my first day of class, and warring with my often uncooperative feet, I can say I've finally found a rhythm-perhaps not always the right rhythm-but 'a' rhythm ...

... and made our way toward town. I was still feeling a bit odd at the idea of releasing all inhibitions and doing that which I normally wouldn't do. Mark and John suggested that we do things as simple as touch the feet of an elderly man or woman on the side of the road, but to also test our imaginations. Laxmi and I got off a few kilometers from Gandhi ashram. We were the first to get out of the cramped car. We stood there for a while, still a little dazed by what we ...