[Swapnil_Alto]

Just one word, WOW! The write up, the pictures, the way you expressed your experience in this thread itself says what an awesome trip it was. The Rann of Kutch is indeed an awesome place. Always wanted to visit it once and hopefully someday I will, on my bike. The desperation of visiting Kutch has increased even more after watching the jaw dropping pics you have clicked there. And moreover you did this trip solo, kudos to your effort.

BTW I noticed your car had Ranchi(Jharkhand) plates and "PRATIK'S" sticker on the boot. Do you belong to Ranchi by any chance? I'm from Ranchi and we don't have many BHPians here, Just curious to know.

Regards,
Swapnil

[swsumit]

# DAY IV : Dholavira-Bhuj

32. I left Dholavira early as I had a long way to cover and as i retraced my path towards Rapar I was feeling warm within to have been fortunate to visit places like Dholavira and Khadir bet which not only are beautiful but also have a strong historical significance.

33. Soon after Rapar I turned right towards chitrod to join NH 15 which was supposed to take me to Bhuj, which was my destination for the day. Rapar is I realized quite a prominent town considering the remaining pockets where people stayed in the region and it was bustling with activity in the morning. Another significant way point on this route is the RTO at Simalkhi. Thereafter I proceeded ahead towards the town of Bachachu where I took the bypass underneath the flyover to turn right and found myself on the Anjar bypass road , a narrow stretch which after 25 km joins with SH 46 which took me straight to Bhuj.

35. This country is so huge that in many parts people just live their lives in entirety with no consciousness of what is happening in other extremities of the country and as I travelled on these roads I was constantly remembering of my journey in secluded places like the regions of Ladakh or for that matter the forested areas of Karnataka.

36. Around 8 km ahead of Bhuj I stopped at a small village called Bhujodi which showcased the arts and crafts made by various artisans as per the geographical locations within Gujrat. The Hiralaxmi park is a must visit for the above and one can even buy stuff at subsidized rates. After spending close to an hour out here I decided to go towards Bhuj and look for a place to stay. In view of the ongoing Rann Utsav, the prices had shot up of all hotels within the city and I was lucky to find a highway hotel in the outskirts of Bhuj that served my purpose very well.

37. In the evening I went to look around Bhuj and visited the Kutch museum as well as the Laxmi Narayan temple which look resplendent in the evening.

38. As a piece of suggestion avoid taking the NH 15 towards Bhuj rather opt for the Anjar Bypass road for it will save on a lot of Kms, time and fuel.

ODO for the day 82529




HAMIRSAR LAKE @BHUJ




KUTCH MUSEUM




PHILOSOPHICAL CLICK





SWAMINARAYAN TEMPLE @BHUJ

[swsumit]

Originally Posted by Swapnil_Alto

Just one word, WOW! The write up, the pictures, the way you expressed your experience in this thread itself says what an awesome trip it was. The Rann of Kutch is indeed an awesome place. Always wanted to visit it once and hopefully someday I will, on my bike. The desperation of visiting Kutch has increased even more after watching the jaw dropping pics you have clicked there. And moreover you did this trip solo, kudos to your effort.

BTW I noticed your car had Ranchi(Jharkhand) plates and "PRATIK'S" sticker on the boot. Do you belong to Ranchi by any chance? I'm from Ranchi and we don't have many BHPians here, Just curious to know.

Regards,
Swapnil

Hii ,

well i hv relations at ranchi and glad tht u liked the write up and pictures

regards

[aktarcar]

The stills are hauntingly beautiful! Marvelous pictures and incredible write up to complement them. Thanks for taking us on a virtual trip to Kutch.

[grand@rao]

Beautiful narration BHPian. These seems another exiting travelogue, please continue your narration with some more astonishing pictures and details, I am hooked to this thread.

One of the craziest things to do would be drive across the Little Rann into the Big Rann of Kutch

[swsumit]

Originally Posted by aktarcar

The stills are hauntingly beautiful! Marvelous pictures and incredible write up to complement them. Thanks for taking us on a virtual trip to Kutch.

hii
am glad

regards

Originally Posted by grand@rao

Beautiful narration BHPian. These seems another exiting travelogue, please continue your narration with some more astonishing pictures and details, I am hooked to this thread.

One of the craziest things to do would be drive across the Little Rann into the Big Rann of Kutch

hiii ,
thanks for the encouragement , and ys there exsists a path

regards

[swsumit]

# DAY IV : Dholavira-Bhuj

Visuals from Bhujodi , this little village 8 kms ahead of Bhuj has tunred into the venue where one needs to visit on case one is interested in purchasing the ethinc products which are original to the artisans of Gujrat

[kailashnj]

very nice travelogue, I am in love with the pictures that you have clicked. Kutch is a place to enjoy and there are many interesting places to visit.

[swsumit]

# DAY V : Bhuj-Vighokote

# Today was going to a significant day as me and the INDOMITABLE were supposed to reach right up till the Indo-Pak International Border at BOP Vighakote. The route was not clearly defined anywhere and I had no references other than something known as India Bridge which was the entry point for those wishing to reach Vighakote.

# So the first way point was to reach Bhindiarya , where the diversion to the left took one to the town of Dhorodo as well as to the Rann Utsav while straight ahead if one marched , it would lead to places like Kalo Doonagr as well as India Bridge.

# By 0900 hrs I was at Bhindiarya where I purchased my entry ticket for the Rann Utsav and thereafter proceeded ahead towards India Bridge which was 40 km ahead. On this route one would reach a small town called Khavda where one has to take a left diversion.I reached India Bridge by 0945 hrs and the morning winter was stretched across the bridge onto the dried out Rann. The bridge can be visited by tourists however one is not permitted to cross the bridge without permits. The bridge is the final one prior to the international border with Pakistan hence probably it is known as India Bridge.

# As I had the requisite documents in place I was able to cross over and announce myself at the TCP on the other end. Out here after a detailed scrutiny I was asked to proceed ahead,. Vighokote lies far ahead from this place deep inside the arid lands which is dotted by bunkers all over.

# The road goes through a BSF war memorial called Dharamshala which was a reminder of the sacrifices made by so many to defend this country , the road was narrow and broken in places with the tall grasses encroaching upon the road itself.
It was a total surreal experience to drive on this part of the country with each step getting one closer to the border which was too real and not like the touristic one at Wagah or the not so distinct one in Ladakh or Himachal . Out there it was totally demarcated with definite barbed wire fencing and watchtowers and bunkers. This was real deal.

# I will not be going into specifics with respect to the details that I saw on this road as I am not sure abt the security related issues but it was the experience of a lifetime to reach right till the International Border which was merely a feet away and the highlight of the entire trip . The road was totally devoid of any kind of traffic and the red colour INDOMITABLE definitely invoked reactions from those who were guarding our borders.
It was early afternoon by the time I was back to India Bridge and thereafter I turned towards Kalo Doonagr to visit the ancient temple of Lord Dattatrey who walked this earth hundreds of years back. The route to the temple which is situated on top of Kalo Doongar becomes extremely narrow in the last 04 kms leading up to the summit and is quite tricky to drive upon. The site is also the highest point in the entire Kutch region and on a clear day one can see the entire Rann of Kutch spread out for miles around merging into the horizon.

# After paying my respects at the temple which also has a folklore of Jackals visiting this temple every day evening since the time Lord himself walked out here , I turned back towards Bhindiarya for I had to visit the great white desert.

# It was a literal race against time as I wanted to be in the white desert while the sun was setting so I gunned the INDOMITABNLE to eat up the miles ahead. Flying through the lonely road I kept my place in the race against the sun and eventually bought the steaming INDOMITABLE to a halt at the entry to the white desert.

# For those who wish to stay the night there, the government has set up tent city which caters to shelter as well as food and then we have the Rann Utsav where the entire finery of Gujrat is showcased in terms of handicrafts, clothes , food and other categories. I was interested not in this but in being with nature so I moved ahead till the people became scanty as I wanted to feel the moment of the sun setting over the horizon and the white desert change its texture and brilliance with each passing moment , neither was I disappointed with the spectacle which followed as the visuals depict.




BSF MEMORIAL









FREE SOUL





CHINKARA










ON THE ROAD AHEAD










TALL GRASSES ENROUTE

[fiesta1.6]

Awesome set of pictures and write up. I specially liked the photos in black and white. Keep them coming.

[Rev_That_V8]

Absolutely awesome!. The write up by itself urges me to visit this place!. Great travelogue

[SKavuri]

Nice travelogue and great pictures. I liked the framing of pictures with an artistic POV.
Considering this your single-man trip, could you post few lines on your pre-travel planning, arrangements - this would be inspiration for those who would like to go solo but hesitate due to many apprehensions (like me!).

[swsumit]

Originally Posted by SKavuri

Nice travelogue and great pictures. I liked the framing of pictures with an artistic POV.
Considering this your single-man trip, could you post few lines on your pre-travel planning, arrangements - this would be inspiration for those who would like to go solo but hesitate due to many apprehensions (like me!).

hii ,
glad u liked the pics and write up . well i travel solo or in a group of two's . The preparation in both cases has to be detailed to ensure that the travel is as hassle free as possible and the key to that is thorough preparation on the itinerary , route with day wise plan and the vehicle has to be prepared in addition to urself for the trip .
Do contact me for details on how to go about and i can provide

regards

[swsumit]

# DAY V : Bhuj-Vighokote

# The visuals from Kalo Doongar coming up , i would definitely recommend a visit to this place however one can do that in the morning hours before the sun starts really heating up ..



@Kalo Doongar


















temple of lord dattatrey (400 years old)









for posterity

[swsumit]

Originally Posted by fiesta1.6

Awesome set of pictures and write up. I specially liked the photos in black and white. Keep them coming.

Thank you for the encouragement

Originally Posted by Rev_That_V8

Absolutely awesome!. The write up by itself urges me to visit this place!. Great travelogue

am glad that u found it so