My Recent Travel to Gujarat: Discovering the Famous Gujarat Model

A new journey to a new state in India. To be honest, I have never been to Gujarat. I am a frequent visitor to Mt. Abu, Rajasthan, which is very close to Gujarat, but I have never visited Gujarat in the past.

It's not that I haven't had the chance to visit; many times, I got the opportunity to go to places like Ahmedabad, Somnath, and Dwarka. However, I was never able to decide whether I should visit these places or not. This time, things were different. I had the chance to visit Gujarat, which I had been planning for a long time due to some business activity. So, it's more of a business trip rather than a normal travel trip for exploration.

So my trip started in April and ended after four days. My experience was awesome. To be honest, most of the things were unplanned, yet I managed to explore both sides of Gujarat: the good and the bad, the prosperous and the poorer areas too.

So How Did My Trip Start?

In April, I visited three places in Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara (or Baroda, as the locals call it). I had to visit these cities for business activities. Later, I decided to explore if I had the time. However, as you know, when you're visiting a place for business or work, it's hard to find time for anything else.

The same happened to me, but the entire journey was full of learning. Despite the rush, I managed to taste the food from different places, and everything was worth the effort and the pain of the journey.

On April 6, I booked my tickets and hotel for Ahmedabad through Agoda. The next day, I boarded the train from Agra Cantt (Agra Chawani). Since I had an AC 3-tier ticket, I decided to reach the station early and explore the much-talked-about IRCTC waiting lounge at Agra Cantt Railway Station. After reaching the station, I visited the lounge, but all my dreams were shattered. The lounge was not properly functioning, and the AC was not working. It was hotter inside the lounge than outside.

After sitting for 10 minutes, sweat started rolling down my face, so I decided to leave the lounge and wait for my train at the platform. One positive change after IRCTC's involvement is that the stations are now much cleaner and safer. I noticed the difference because I've been visiting the station since early 1999, and I've seen how it has transformed. Today, it is much cleaner than ever before, although there are still many areas that need improvement.

For example, the seating arrangements for passengers at the station could be improved. I understand that it may be tough to manage in a highly populated country, but I think genuine efforts can be made to provide adequate seating for passengers.

Finally, My Train Arrived on Time and I Got Onboard

My experience inside the train: As it was a night journey, I spent most of the time sleeping. I had an upper-side berth. I just got on my seat, and then I received a blanket and other resources provided by IRCTC to their AC passengers.

The wagon was clean inside, and my seat was also neat and tidy. After reading "How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes," I had a call with my family and then went to sleep.

Next Morning: I woke up and went to the washroom. It wasn't fully clean, but it was decently clean, probably messed up by the fellow passengers.

My journey was 16 hours long, so I decided to sit near the window seat and observe outside through the window. As I mentioned, this was my first time traveling to Gujarat.

While watching outside the window, I saw fields of castor. I was not aware before that castor was produced in large quantities in Gujarat. Later in my journey, someone informed me about the numerous benefits of castor, which I will mention as the journey progresses.

So, it was around a 6-hour wait after I woke up to reach my destination. I kept watching outside the window and saw farmers of Gujarat farming on land full of rocks, all in the heat of summer.

Their lives seem to be tough because there are hardly any proper facilities for them to farm. Perhaps they have been doing it for years and are now accustomed to these conditions, so they no longer care about what they have and what they don't have.

This is very concerning. It makes me feel like we are living among the garbage, and it's piling up so quickly. That's why we can clearly see so many plastics around the railway tracks. No matter where you go, you always find them.

After witnessing all this and listening to my playlist on Spotify, my journey to Ahmedabad was about to end. Finally, I reached Sabarmati Junction Railway Station, where someone was waiting to receive me.

The train stopped at Sabarmati Junction Railway Station, and I picked up my luggage and got off the train. I quickly started moving towards the exit point at platform number 1. I should mention that the station and its surroundings were clean.

Entering Ahmedabad, the Land of Chaniya Choli: As Mentioned in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah

When I entered Ahmedabad, it was my first experience. I had only heard about Ahmedabad before from the show Tarak Mehta, which described the city as awesome. My experience matched what I had heard. I only have a few days to explore.

I wasn't able to explore much, but the nightlife of Ahmedabad is awesome. The city feels quite safe and easy. I haven't visited tourist places due to lack of time and work commitments, but I did explore at night. I was traveling alone around 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on the road. I was nervous, but everything went all right.

The city looks beautiful at night, and people are very generous. I met only a few of them, but they were nice to me, so I can say that the people are sweet, just like the food of Gujarat.

I stayed at the Radisson Blu Ahmedabad. The staff was nice, and everything was awesome. I felt very comfortable there, and my three-day stay was great.

Before reaching the hotel, I also explored the metro, which didn't seem too crowded. Some city metros are not as crowded as the Delhi metro, and the same goes for the Ahmedabad metro. It's not that crowded, but it's good, and I traveled on it. Another thing I found great about Ahmedabad is its bus service.

The buses have proper stops like the metro, and you can get on and off at designated stops, which I found different from other cities and quite convenient.

I stayed in Ahmedabad for three days, and then I traveled to Vadodara and Surat to explore the textile industry. At night, I explored the nightlife of Ahmedabad, which was good because people were awake until 2 AM, which surprised me because in my city, people usually sleep around 10-11 PM.

I didn't have much time to travel, so I hardly explored some sections, but I was able to get a glimpse of both sides of the coin. As with every city, there is a luxury side and a more modest side.

I was able to get a glimpse of both sides, and I was not too surprised because, in India, most cities are like that. One part of the city can be called developed, while the other cannot. Additionally, people often try to hide the less developed side of the city.

But we should explore the both sides to know the reality of the city and state.

In this article, I might not be able to cover too much about the city, but whenever I visit it again, I will surely explore more about the city.

After Ahmedabad, I spent time in Surat, and it was my first time experiencing the ocean.

I will share my Surat city experience in the next one: a day in Surat.

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