After spending quite a bit of time in Mumbai trying to get a grasp on all that India has to offer, we decided to make our way to the state of Gujarat and it's capitol city of Ahmedabad. Most tourists seem to pass quickly through Gujarat on their way North to Rajasthan, but we wanted to take a slightly different path. In fact, there were many things about the state that appealed to us... the small island of Diu with it's Portuguese influence sounded like a nice alternative to Goa, and the wildlife and small villages sounded superb. We'd  have loved to explore this lightly touristed state,... if only we had more time! Perhaps on our next trip....

Still we did want to leave Gujarat our completely, so, we decided to take an overnight train to Ahmedabad, Gujarat's capitol city. India's rail system is the world's largest employer and their train network is phenomenal. However, that doesn't make it particularly easy to book tickets. The number of classes and different fares is mind boggling and in order to book a ticket at the tourist counter, you have to bring with you a large number of personal documents and visit about 4 different individuals. We somehow finally managed to make a reservation in a 2 tier air conditioned sleeper carriage. With the exception of a few rude carriage mates, it was an uneventful journey.

Ahmedabad is a frantic, polluted place... auto rickshaws, cars, bicycles, and trucks whiz in all directions at all times of day and night. Bovine residents seem to be in higher numbers than in Mumbai.  People are everywhere. This city feels a bit crazy, but it's alive... and it's friendly. People genuinely seem interested in us... who we are and where we come from and we're as curious about them as they are about us!

Our real reason for coming to Ahmedabad was to visit the Sabarmati Ashram. Just outside of the town center, the Ashram was Gandhi's headquarters during the struggle for Indian independence. It now houses an interesting museum about Gandhi's life and explains a bit about his philosophies. We both learned a lot, but we also enjoyed the visit as the Ashram sits in an leafy green area with views over the sabarmati river. It's a nice cool Oasis away from the hot, dusty city.

From here, we'll continue north to the State of Rajasthan.