On paper, Ahmedabad should be a boring place to visit. Alcohol consumption is prohibited in public places, most restaurants serve strictly vegetarian food, and there are no major tourist attractions to visit. However, I had a great time there; proof that the people play such a major role in any travel experience.
The excellent hospitality began from the moment I arrived at the airport on Sunday evening, when one of the local team members was waiting there to escort me to the hotel. I got an upgraded room on the top floor and it was stocked with some nice amenities (non-alcoholic, of course). My view this week? Motorbikes.
The first day of the project is usually a long one, but I happily finished at a normal hour because I was invited to dinner at a really unique place called Rajwadu. The restaurant is almost completely outdoors and it is set up to resemble an Indian village. (Personally, I thought it resembled EPCOT center at Disney World). Before sitting down to eat, we saw a Rajasthani puppet show and lady dancing around with bowls on her head.
Within two minutes of sitting down to eat, our table was swarmed by several waiters that spooned at least 12 different items onto our plates. As if that was not enough, they also placed more bowls of food in the center of the table. I didn't feel obligated to eat everything on my plate, which gave me the chance to try what I wanted and avoid the things that did not appeal to me. Overall, it was a really unique experience and much more memorable than any standard restaurant.
One of my MBA classmates lives in Ahmedabad so, of course, I had to find time to see him. His girlfriend was hosting a party on Thursday night, which was a great opportunity to usher in the weekend a little early. I discovered first-hand that alcohol restrictions do not extend to private residences. I also learned that Indian people love whiskey.
On the way home (at 2AM), I discovered another interesting aspect of the city: stray dogs. They were literally everywhere and they had absolutely no fear of being hit by a car. Between the animals and the police checkpoints, drunk drivers do not stand much of a chance in Ahmedabad.
It was not so easy to drag myself out of bed on Friday but the lack of sleep was totally worthwhile. At this point in my job, I can wrap up my projects like a pro - even without sufficient sleep - and still rally for another night out to celebrate. On Friday evening, the entire team went out for dinner at a revolving restaurant called Patang.
The excellent hospitality began from the moment I arrived at the airport on Sunday evening, when one of the local team members was waiting there to escort me to the hotel. I got an upgraded room on the top floor and it was stocked with some nice amenities (non-alcoholic, of course). My view this week? Motorbikes.
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| Plenty of motorbikes in Ahmedabad |
The first day of the project is usually a long one, but I happily finished at a normal hour because I was invited to dinner at a really unique place called Rajwadu. The restaurant is almost completely outdoors and it is set up to resemble an Indian village. (Personally, I thought it resembled EPCOT center at Disney World). Before sitting down to eat, we saw a Rajasthani puppet show and lady dancing around with bowls on her head.
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| Not gonna lie - she freaked me out a little |
Within two minutes of sitting down to eat, our table was swarmed by several waiters that spooned at least 12 different items onto our plates. As if that was not enough, they also placed more bowls of food in the center of the table. I didn't feel obligated to eat everything on my plate, which gave me the chance to try what I wanted and avoid the things that did not appeal to me. Overall, it was a really unique experience and much more memorable than any standard restaurant.
 |
| Here's what the table looked like after the tornado of waiters stopped by |
One of my MBA classmates lives in Ahmedabad so, of course, I had to find time to see him. His girlfriend was hosting a party on Thursday night, which was a great opportunity to usher in the weekend a little early. I discovered first-hand that alcohol restrictions do not extend to private residences. I also learned that Indian people love whiskey.
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| ESADE reunion in Ahmedabad India |
On the way home (at 2AM), I discovered another interesting aspect of the city: stray dogs. They were literally everywhere and they had absolutely no fear of being hit by a car. Between the animals and the police checkpoints, drunk drivers do not stand much of a chance in Ahmedabad.
It was not so easy to drag myself out of bed on Friday but the lack of sleep was totally worthwhile. At this point in my job, I can wrap up my projects like a pro - even without sufficient sleep - and still rally for another night out to celebrate. On Friday evening, the entire team went out for dinner at a revolving restaurant called Patang.
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| Amhedabad's revolving restaurant: Patang |
The panoramic views from the restaurant more-than compensated for the water-tower looking exterior, and the whole experience made me feel like I had been transported back to a banquet hall in the 1990's. It was interesting to look out the windows and see so few lights on inside the homes - a reminder that I am in a developing country where electricity is not such a commodity.
Saturday morning finally gave me the opportunity for some alone time and I soaked up the beautiful weather at the pool. I must have been wearing a tracking device because, within ten minutes of sitting down, another staff member came up to invite me to lunch.
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| Oasis in the heart of the city |
The team decided that I cannot leave Ahmedabad without some sightseeing, so one of them took me out for the entire afternoon/evening to learn more about the local culture. Our first stop was to the home of Gandhi, which is now a museum filled with photos, artifacts, and even this cool sculpture of the man, himself:
To be honest, I don't know much about Gandhi, other than the fact that his face is plastered over Indian currency. His role in India's struggle for civil rights was honorable and the museum does a good job at sharing some of his greatest moments without providing an overwhelming amount of information. What I will remember most about him is that he got married at age thirteen! (My colleague confirmed that it is now illegal to marry in India before the age of 18).
From there, we ventured further outside the city to Akshardham temple. I thought it would be a quick visit, but the temple is surrounded by several exhibit halls with countless displays to walk through. The whole experience reminded me of the cheesy "Ripley Believe it or Not" museums, except that everything was in Hindi and I had no clue what I was looking at. The final stage of the exhibit presented a movie (also in Hindi) that told the story of a boy who I assume was depicted in all the plastic exhibits that we had just walked through.
The final event of the day was an outdoor water and laser show that, again, told a story in Hindi. However, unlike the exhibit halls, the special effects were so good that I was entertained.
Unfortunately, a terrorist attack in 2002 resulted in extreme security and I was not even allowed to bring my camera inside. I did, however, manage to find this youtube video that shows highlights from the water and laser show:
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| Visiting Gandhi's house |
To be honest, I don't know much about Gandhi, other than the fact that his face is plastered over Indian currency. His role in India's struggle for civil rights was honorable and the museum does a good job at sharing some of his greatest moments without providing an overwhelming amount of information. What I will remember most about him is that he got married at age thirteen! (My colleague confirmed that it is now illegal to marry in India before the age of 18).
From there, we ventured further outside the city to Akshardham temple. I thought it would be a quick visit, but the temple is surrounded by several exhibit halls with countless displays to walk through. The whole experience reminded me of the cheesy "Ripley Believe it or Not" museums, except that everything was in Hindi and I had no clue what I was looking at. The final stage of the exhibit presented a movie (also in Hindi) that told the story of a boy who I assume was depicted in all the plastic exhibits that we had just walked through.
The final event of the day was an outdoor water and laser show that, again, told a story in Hindi. However, unlike the exhibit halls, the special effects were so good that I was entertained.
Unfortunately, a terrorist attack in 2002 resulted in extreme security and I was not even allowed to bring my camera inside. I did, however, manage to find this youtube video that shows highlights from the water and laser show:
I hate sounding like an anglocentric tourist, but Akshardham temple could have so much more appeal if they just added english subtitles to their films. That said, it was nice to visit a place that remains largely undiscovered by international tourists.
As I reflect back on my week in Ahmedabad, I am reminded that any place can be fun with the right people. I really enjoyed my short time there and I am grateful to everyone who showed me that Ahmedabad is not just a boring city filled with vegetarians who don't drink alcohol!
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