Gujerat was an unexpected addition to my journey. I went to spend a couple of days with UK/Indian friends in Baroda to see the kite festival, and ended up spending a couple of cruisy weeks exploring the joys of this rich and pleasant State. Took a bus to Palitana -a Jain pilgrimage site where the first Tirtanthika was enlightened. It is a hill dotted with 900 temples and many people climb the three thousand neat and orderly steps up to the temples at the top, with a glorious view of the surrounding plains. On the way down a group were washing pilgrims feet, and the cool milk poured over my hot feet was most welcome. They also gave us 5 rupees - the first time anyone in India has given me money!
The there was a five hour bumpy bus journey to the ex-Portuguese colony at the south of Gujerat - a lovely peaceful place called Diu where Indians go to drink (the rest of Gujerat is dry) and Westerners go to enjoy the beaches, beautiful churches, good food and relatively hassle-free atmosphere. There are plenty of peaceful places, including some Buddhist caves which must date from about two thousand years ago, and nice fellow travellers who are escaping the dust and chaos of India. I
had no idea this place existed but it seems to be a smaller, less well known, less accessible Goa. I swim in a clean-ish sea every day, eat tasty fish and have a sea view from my shower!
After more than a week of pollution-free breathing my cough from Pune had nearly gone and I decided to return to the mainland for the joy of visiting a lion sanctuary. Linked up with a cheerful Croatian woman and took the toy train to Sasan Gir. The train was so slow that we had given up on ever arriving when some kind local called us off the train. We couldn't even read the station names. The Asiatic lion was hunted to the verge of extinction with twenty beasts remaining when Lord Curzon set up a reserve with the local Nawab and now there are more than 350 lions expanding beyond the reserve land. There was a fascinating BBC film about their lifestyle showing at the local Wildlife centre - clearly a highlight for the locals who crowded the steps, chatting away in Gujerati until the lion sex scene at which point they all collapsed in giggles.
Six Westerners squeezed into an open topped jeep the next morning before dawn to take one of the three hour routes through the reserve. There was the magic of listening to the landscape, eyes adjusting to the growing light, and then three lions on the road, approaching. The senior female sloped off but the two year olds prowled around, large enough to raise the heart rate as I was eye-balled by this young male (mane less pronounced than the African lions, but impressive muscles none the less) We also saw many deer and an amazing array of birdlife, as well as the indigenous tribespeople who continue to graze their buffalo in the same forest area.
