The Great White Rann

It was just one post on FB which prompted me to add Rann of Kutch in 'must visit places for me'. The endlessness of white patch on earth was fascinating and I knew I had to visit! 

As luck would have it, I landed in Gujarat for an official trip which made my travel to Bhuj extremely convenient and slightly easy on my pockets too. I took an overnight bus to Bhuj after shopping in Ahmedabad.

One thing which striked me at Bhuj was the “vibes” of the place. It felt so warm and secured and after staying in Delhi and Mumbai for years together, it was a weirdly nice feeling! 

Cab is a must at Bhuj and we headed to that straightaway.  We struck our deal at the station. 

The Black Mountain

The view of the Rann from the Kalo Dongar is breath-taking! The vast stretch of white from the mountain looks like a ocean. In fact, its impossible to believe it isn't the ocean! I guess that's why the mountain is called “black”. Because against the giant whiteness, anything which exists will look black!

View from The Dongar

There is a small temple at the mountain where meat is given to animals as a tribute. It’s a very small ceremony, but has been going on for a very long time. The story is that of a saint who used to pray at Dongar. But since it’s a very dry area, the animals also did not have enough to eat. Overcome by grief for the animals, the saint cut off his arm for the animal to eat. It is said that since then this tradition has been going on. At times wolves come down to have their served meals by humans.

After this enchanting visit, we drove to our Resort at Dhordo. The 1 and half hour drive had only the long dry barren land. The small villages which we passed had a small habitation of about 20-30 people whose main occupation is selling milk. We wondered where did animals drink water from. Unavailability of water is the main challenge in the area.  Even in a city like Bhuj, water scarcity is very high. People’s income is spent most on the procurement of water for daily sustenance.

We were famished by the time we reached our resort. Since the dinning timings are fixed, we rushed to take our food before time ran out. And it was a very wise decisions. The food here is wow! While eating, I wished my stomach was an endless pack where I could keep putting in food to satisfy my taste buds :P

After a sumptuous meal, we headed to our respective rooms to crash! (Dhordo has a accommodation facility for drivers. Their stay and food is a part of the package. Awesomeness!)

The Great Rann of Kutch

We experienced the magical play of lights against the white space of whiteness. The beauty at that time is just to behold.

                                         

The magical colurs of the Rann

The white ran is just the  dried salt. After walking for a bit, we also saw patches of water. Our driver told us that the area is filled with sea water in monsoon. We were glad to see bits of it!! We returned to our resort completely sated.  

We were welcomed to bajra rotla, baingan sabzi and some other typical gujju dishes which were mouth-watering.  This was followed by a musical night of local folk music. We retired to our beds happily drained.

The next day after breakfast, we headed to the city of Mandvi. On our way we visited the Vijay Palace. It’s a beautiful structure but after visiting the forts in north, it just another structure for me. 

We did not visit the Mandvi beach as it was afternoon time. Our driver then asked us the kind of lunch we preferred. And our obvious option as a typical gujju Thali (we couldn't get enough of it). He took us to this place called Osho hotel. After about 10- 15 minutes waiting, we were asked to share our place with another family. It was awkward in the beginning, but the moment our thalis were placed before us, our focus was to just eat! For Rs. 100, you get unlimited food at Osho hotel. People there love feeding you, so they make you eat till you are on the brink of bursting! The food is just delicious and the people warm. Its a must visit place if you are a veggie foodie!
 

My favourite eatery!

We then visited an extremely boring museum and then to Godhra to visit the Vaishono Devi temple. This temple is made like a micro mini vaishno devi temple. Fun visit!

Visit to the temple

The Kutch is a must place to visit at least once! Remember that the Rann closes down post March. So plan your days accordingly! Drop in a mail if you want the contact of the driver. He was really good! 

How I planned my trip
1. Reached Bhuj and booked a cab for 2 days (mail for details on the cab)
2. Went to the dongar in the afternoon and crashed at Dhordo Resort (check their website)
3. Visited the Rann in the evening
4. Day 2- We covered the morning Rann and a camel ride
5. Enjoyed the Palace, and temples nearby and headed back in the evening