Himmatnagar - Day 17 - 1.25.13

Ahhhh I woke up in HimmatNagar, Gujarat feeling delightfully refreshed and ready to get on the road again!  I slept in an amazing bed with the best blankets ever and for the first time in about 6 weeks I didn't wake up in the middle of the night because I was freezing!  This is partly due to the great blankets for which I have developed quite a liking to, but also because I am leaving the cold winter desert nights.  First things first, I check my email and see that my first potential CouchSurfing hosts have replied that they are able to host me.  Now, I know I may have promised you that I wouldn't do something like this in India, but I feel such safety and comfort in India that I cannot explain.  From far away it may seem scary and unknown, but I have never felt more welcomed and genuinely cared for by complete strangers anywhere in the world than I do in India.  I have spent time with different families throughout India and have felt nothing other than genuine care and hospitality.  So feeling this, I have decided to stay with a family in Ahmedabad.  With these arrangements in place, I hit the road.

The rickshaw is surprisingly easy to start and I head out.  Without an indicator to tell how much petrol I have, I stop soon after leaving to fill up in case I am low.  I am sick of being on the side of the road, and I am determined I just won't do it today!  But the encounter at the petrol station is a confusing one, with me shouting "No, PETROL AND OIL MIX!!!!!"  louder and louder, as sometimes foreigners do in the hope that the louder one yells, the more the other person can understand the words.  The type of rickshaws driven have changed throughout every city I have been to so far.  Some are 2T mix petrol, some are diesel and look like ships, some are larger and blah blah but what I am saying is that apparently the kind of petrol/oil mix that I need is not so common anymore.  After repeating myself over and over and jumping in to drive off, someone brings out oil, exactly what I asked for 10 minutes ago.  Not sure how much to put in, I figured more was better than less and drove off in a flash.  

It was a relatively uneventful 84 kilometers to Ahmedabad, with decent roads and decent traffic.  More and more farms lining the roads, obviously doing well and thriving.  Fruits and vegetables being sold on the side of the road, and I'm not completely sure someone didn't throw a tomato at me at one point.  But it was once I got to Ahmedabad that the real fun began.  After driving in Jodhpur traffic a week or so ago, I decided that I could drive anywhere, and why not.  My host, Dushyant, told me there was parking in front of his building and should be good so I needed to drive there anyway.  He had sent me his address and I figured I would just ask for directions until I found it.  Well it turns out this is a city of about 4 million people (I'm told this statistic and wonder if it true but I am too lazy too look it up properly), so this was a challenge.  But it was a challenge I was up for!  After driving into the city, which I now know is the old part of the city that is divided from the new part by a river, I remembered that it was a Muslim festival today.  There were parades with music and…I'm not so sure exactly as I was trying to pay attention to driving.  I noticed one young boy in his early twenties was following me.  He would speed up and slow down and kept in short distance with me.  Once I realized I really didn't know where to go I pulled over and he did as well.  I could tell that he knew I was lost and was waiting until the time I needed help.  I told him where I needed to go, and he looked flustered.  He knew the way, but it was 20 km away from where we were and the directions were so complicated he didn't know how to direct me.  His English was limited, but he told me a few turns to take then told me to ask someone else.  So I would stop every few blocks to ask directions, usually from a rickshaw driver since I figured they knew their way around the city.  But most of them didn't speak English but after pointing a few times in some direction I would decide to carry on.  But I could ask 4 different people in the same intersection and none will have the same advice.  So I keep asking and driving, asking and driving.  At one point I ask get out of the tuk tuk and ask for directions.  In 30 seconds I am completely swarmed by men, arguing about the directions.  One rickshaw driver offers to drive me in my rickshaw and get a bus back.  And it was tempting, to take the easy way out, but I decided it would be more fun to see if I could make it on my own.  So instead I jump in my ride and drive away.  I ask approximately 15 more taxi drivers and finally reach my destination!  

Dushyant is my host, along with his family.  It took me so long to get here that he has left but his parents give me a very warm welcome.  Rajesh and Sunita welcome me into their home, give me chai, and we talk about my travels, their travels and such.  They are definitely proud of their where they have been, as there are large photos of Sunita and Rajesh in different parts of the western world hanging in most rooms, including in their children's rooms.  Rajesh seems impressed with the message "Save Trees" on my rickshaw, as he understands the importance of trees in life and has donated over 50,000 saplings in his time.  Their flat is absolutely beautiful, for sure the nicest Indian home I have visited so far.  They are on the top floor, with a balcony or terrace in each room.  They have 2 dogs which I am instructed not to touch because they only like family members.  But this is so hard!  I see dogs all over India that I can't touch because they are wild animals who generally want to attack me, plus they have obvious diseases.  So to be sharing a home with these animals and not be able to bond with them breaks my heart!  I originally feel comfortable in this home though, and glad I have chosen them for my first official surfing experience.  They are very open, educated and well-traveled people.  We talk more and more and finally settle down for dinner.  Sunita is a great cook, making an array of Gujarati dishes.  There is nothing like a home cooked meal, especially so far away from home.  I have been blessed to have a lot of home cooked food during my stay in India.  Food is one thing that Indians love to share and they do with a great smile on their face.  Dushyant (21) and the younger son, Jayant (20), are also home for dinner and they are very interesting boys.  Both very smart, but from first impressions they are very different.  All great hosts!  Jayant and I also went to the Khadi Exhibition where vendors were selling clothing and items for the home, but the most impressive were the khadi cotton, khadi silk and Kashmiri dresses.  Although my bags are already almost tearing at the seams, I thought buying a few more suits.  But the prices were pretty high, part of which I blame on me being a foreigner, another part on being in a big city, and yet another part on the fact that it is only the 2nd day of the exhibition and prices are high.  

This whole trips has been about firsts.  Today was filled with them.  And each time I am pushed outside of my boundaries.  I see my boundaries, I respect them, but for me in this time it is important for me to push them.  I listen to my intuition, I stay safe.  But at the end of the day I love going out of my comfort zone.  It is too easy to be comfortable in one's own space, and I know that as well as anyone else. 

Kilometers Driven:  84 km

Total Kilometers:  970 km