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Old 1st February 2011, 13:02   #31
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

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Originally Posted by MileCruncher View Post
I was checking the coordinates posted previously and it showed in the middle of a water body on the map. Would be great if you can post the actual route you took on a map.

Cheers
Here you go MC
This is our actual route map through the little Rann.
do not go by the satellite image. After monsoons, lot of small lakes form in the Rann, and by this time most of them are dry.
If you go in April-May, everything is dry, but you will be Roasted chicken by the end of your run
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1173377438_zik4yxl.jpg

Last edited by tsk1979 : 1st February 2011 at 13:03.
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Old 1st February 2011, 13:05   #32
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

Very well written travelogue yet again coupled with very interesting photos. Waiting for the next installment.

Btw I think these dogs are not Collies but they are hounds ( the long nose and the height) I think they are some breed of Afghan Hounds with the coat trimmed and used for hunting.

Last edited by deky : 1st February 2011 at 13:06.
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Old 1st February 2011, 13:45   #33
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

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Originally Posted by deky View Post
Very well written travelogue yet again coupled with very interesting photos. Waiting for the next installment.

Btw I think these dogs are not Collies but they are hounds ( the long nose and the height) I think they are some breed of Afghan Hounds with the coat trimmed and used for hunting.
For the record (and from the owner's mouth at the resort), those are Saluki dogs. (Also known as Persian Greyhounds!)

Amazing travelogue as always...and the Rann is fascinating as always...
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Old 1st February 2011, 13:55   #34
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

Thanks for the clarification!
Are they found in abundance in the region, or did the resort owner import them from somewhere?
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Old 1st February 2011, 16:15   #35
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

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Thanks for the clarification!
Are they found in abundance in the region, or did the resort owner import them from somewhere?
Google tells me that they are originally from Egypt but they have been bred in India for a while (many many years ). They have no connection to the Rann for sure and I remember him telling me that he got them from some part of India. It is a 'shaukeen' people's dog.


I have heard that Pune and its surrounding areas have some breeders. (This is non google information!).

But now we should go back to discussing white elephants!

edit: But this site is fascinating for sure: http://desertbred.org/index.htm

Last edited by genesis : 1st February 2011 at 16:19.
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Old 1st February 2011, 16:31   #36
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

Those were some really cool pics. Enjoyed watching them. In between the actress is Ragini dwivedi
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Old 1st February 2011, 20:51   #37
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

Tanveer,
An excellent TL with some great photos as always.

Waiting for the next part.
Kishore.
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Old 1st February 2011, 22:53   #38
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

FWIW - for others who may be planning to drive down there - Desert Coursers is the expensive and wrong way to enter the Rann. Its infinitely more easier to do so via Tikar (onwards to Adesar - its straight north) or just a dekko is easily seen at Kharaghoda next to Patdi. That side its much more open areas - Desert Coursers is a nice place, but the Rann that side has alot of bushes/vegetation & the route is not simple. We'd stayed at the resort in a huge group and visited the Rann in Tata 407s - the amount of thorns that hit the truck was ridiculous (Dec 05). Kharaghoda anyday unless you need to stay.

The 'royal' hospitality at DC is awesome, all the same.
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Old 2nd February 2011, 10:24   #39
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

WE did not take the route they take. The route through Jhunjunwada is devoid of any thorns. We did not have a single branch scratch the vehicle!
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Old 2nd February 2011, 11:24   #40
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

Superb pics tsk1979. Waiting to watch the 'unstuck' video.
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Old 2nd February 2011, 11:33   #41
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Bhuj

The run from the Little Rann was mostly uneventful, except for two things.
1. We discovered diesel was 42.xx/liter!
2. There was no food to be had anywhere

At around 3pm we reached our hotel, and while checking in they informed us that we will get a 10% discount..... and their restaurant closes at 3pm. It was 3:10pm already, and we were hungry.

So before getting lakhpat permits(which we did not even go to), we decided to hunt for food.

It turned out to be very very difficult, with most restaurants trying to convince us to have Pav Bhaji.

Finally a Maharaja restaurant took pity on us. They saw our number plates, and promptly restarted their kitchen.
To be frank, we have never gotten such hospitality anywhere! The food was veg(of course) but very nice, and the 80rs thali with buttermilk and unlimited custard as the dessert was simply too good a value for money.
The restaurant is among a row of shops on the bus stand road.

Next we got the permits, which wasted a good hour.
So it was past 4pm, and we had an evening to kill.

what better way than to drive to Mandvi?

So Mandvi was the destination.... and it was time to kiss the ocean!
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Old 2nd February 2011, 11:51   #42
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Ocean

The road to mandvi was a good 60kms and not very well paved. Bumpy in some places, and narrow in others, with lot of traffic.
We had the option of heading to Nakhatrana, and enter the north beach from there, but lack of time meant we stuck to the tested route.
Mandvi, straight ahead.
Finally, little past 6pm, we were looking at the Ocean.

For landlubbers like us, the sight of the ocean is something which takes the breath away every time.
And here right in front of us was the ocean.

Yesterday morning, at 5:30am, we were in a land locked state, and today, before sunset we are staring at a vast expanse of the gulf!

Then it really hits you how far have you driven in these 2 days!

We get down from the vehicle. The options to roam the beach are many. You can take the camel ride
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172345223_mdmy6xl.jpg

Or you can walk the stretch. Another option is Elephant ride. I would recommend White elephant ride, as its the most fun
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172357475_pummnxl.jpg

The pristine beach. Goa beaches weren't half as good!
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172363128_5vm8cxl.jpg

The sun was dull orange, and the sunset was without any haze. We were going to see it setting on the horizon, not in a cloud of haze above the horizon, like the way its in Delhi!
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172924921_vhqbbxl.jpg

A couple of shots of our steed
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172930298_nv74exl.jpg

We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172937590_umpv4xl.jpg

Todays high tide time was around 10pm, and low tide time was 3pm, so around 6:30pm we were somewhere in the middle, and I figured we had a good 30 minutes before it would be time to scoot.

Getting stuck here was not going to be a good idea. some driving around confirmed that the beach was quite marshy, and the continentals were leaving deep tread marks in the sand


Before I turned the car around, I decided to take a couple of sunset pics
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172939197_syqpbxl.jpg

We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172371884_pkgthxl.jpg

After that it was time to turn back, and point the safari in the direction of the exit. Makes it easy for a quick getaway. Sand here was harder..

3 shots of the WE
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172385371_a48eaxl.jpg

We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172377488_kv2inxl.jpg

Notice the tire tracks
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172380286_kjtqgxl.jpg

The sun had set, and it was time to say the final goodbye to the ocean. Too bad we were short on time,. We would have loved to come here again!
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172379780_7mfedxl.jpg
As I came out of the sand bank towards the exit to road, I needed to reverse to unlock the front hubs, and this is what the LCD screen showed

We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172944425_vhjjxxl.jpg

Behind us
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172947034_nnctzxl.jpg

The sun had set, and it was getting dark
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172947356_busmwxl.jpg

when you look back... what do you remember?
We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean-1172951280_fjxqkxl.jpg

It was time to head to Bhuj, and go to the only Veg Fast food American Pizza joint in the universe - US PIZZA!

But in hindsight, the "unlimited" pizza for 175 bucks was really not all that bad. The salads were nice, and the pizza was err.... nice?
Chicken will wait till tomorrow I guess?

But tomorrow was going to be a very different day. As we hogged on the pizza, little did we realize what tomorrow was going to have in store for us....

TO Be CONT............
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Old 2nd February 2011, 13:52   #43
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

This is strangely my first travelogue read on TBHP and I am impressed. Its a pity I couldnt join Ramky when he met with you (although I was supposed to). Nevertheless, a fantastic experience you have had here and its being portrayed equally well in words. I look forward to the sequels
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Old 2nd February 2011, 14:36   #44
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

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This is strangely my first travelogue read on TBHP and I am impressed. Its a pity I couldnt join Ramky when he met with you (although I was supposed to). Nevertheless, a fantastic experience you have had here and its being portrayed equally well in words. I look forward to the sequels
Thanks arethusa! We really enjoyed it. Gujrat is a really fantastic tourist destination!
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Old 2nd February 2011, 14:54   #45
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Re: We Ran the Rann, and Kissed the Ocean

When are you going to get stuck? I am waiting for those pics

Superb travelogue Tanveer and the last set of pics are really beautiful - especially the camel pics with the sun setting in the back-ground - it reminded me of a scene from the movie "Sonar Kella" by Satyajit Ray (though shot in Jaisalmir).

Last edited by planet_rocker : 2nd February 2011 at 14:56.
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