Dholavira - Kutchh


This will be a day wise series of the Gujarat Trip planned in the month of December. 
The days will then be merged for the final blog.

Day 8

Dholavira - Kutch

The day started by 6:15am in the tryst to view the sunrise. It was a cold December morning and getting out of the bed was difficult. However the thought of the sun rise was motivational. We got ready to reach the sunrise point which was 35kms away from our resort. Almost there, we could not spot the sun and hence thought of completing the few kilometres left of the "Road to heaven". We again stopped at the sunrise point while getting back from the end point of road to heaven, but still no signs of the sun. The kids refused to get down due to the chilly wind. Husband & I got down, went down on the sand and patiently waited for the sun to show up for around 30 minutes but the clouds won't give way. We clicked some pictures and for back to the hotel with no sight of the sun. We had breakfast at the hotel followed by shower and then started our journey towards Kutch. 
The stay in Kutch was a 90 mins drive from Dholavira. We started from Dholavira at 10:30 am. Road to heaven was again on the way which meant some more experiences. We also stopped by at a location where a local was providing traditional Kutch dresses on rent to click pictures. We experienced this as well and got some amazing pictures. Then to the accomodation in Kutch where we checked in to a beautiful home stay - White land village home stay. The rooms were nice and clean painted beautifully by the women in the family. We left for the Rann Utsav by 2:15pm. It was a 10mins drive. Proper arrangements were done to accommodate parking for all kinds of vehicles. From there, you need to procure a permit to enter the Rann Utsav. There are bar codes pasted on the walls for an online permit a few counters available who give out the physical forms, visitors fill up the forms , deposit the form and the fee to procure the permit. For adults, the permit charges are ₹100 per head + ₹40 for hop on hop off. For kids between 6-12 years, it is half the charge. We took the bus to the Utsav area. At the drop point, there were options of taking the charge free bus to the main area or a charged camel cart. We took the camel cart charged at ₹50 per person while the kids travelled free. It was again and experience travelling in a camel cart and excitement for the kids. At the main area, it was festive atmosphere all around. People were renting the traditional dresses, clocking pictures, using the garden swings , walking and experiencing the white Rann, playing, running, sitting on the sand , dancing in their own groups or to the songs of the artists performing there. A light and sound show was presented on the watch tower depicting the rich history and culture of the area.  There are 2 shows per day - 6:30pm and 7pm. It was dark by the time the 6:30pm show got over. We took the bus back to the parking. From there we walked around exploring the handicrafts' bazaar , the food stalls and the vibrance of the place. We bought a few items, had some food and finally reached back to our accommodation by 10:30pm.

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