Scintillating Bhuj.. on a Shoestring Budget

I have always believed that India is extremely rich in cultural heritage and its history is extraordinarily deep and interesting. The state of affairs as it exists today has its roots embedded in its long and varied historical lineage. Indian history is something I believe must be taught and passed on to each and every citizen of this country, especially young children.
Recently, I was on a two day trip to Bhuj to see & witness nature’s inexplicable beauty in the form of White Desert in Rann of Kutch. It is simply breathtaking and its vastness would definitely make you speechless.
So, here is my journal capturing the entire trip which might be useful for anyone planning a trip to Bhuj, (which you should definitely do):
I. Reaching Bhuj

Your first stop should be to reach Bhuj. It is well connected by Road, Railways & Air. However if you are on a budget (like I was), I would suggest to book a train to Bhuj station. For reference, I booked Kutch superfast express from Bandra Terminus which departs at 5.30 PM every day and reaches Bhuj station at 9 am the next day. A sleeper class ticket would cost around Rs.500. If you prefer AC, then it might cost you anywhere between 1500-2000 per person. So we reached bhuj in 1000 Rs.

II. Getting Around Bhuj
• Once you reach Bhuj station, it would be time for breakfast. I suggest you stop at Hwa Mahal (yes hawa without a) restaurant for some piping hot breakfast. It is just a 5 mins walk from the station. Options might be limited but they do have some really delicious parathas which will go perfectly with the morning weather. It would cost you anywhere between Rs. 100- 200 depending on how much order. Our total bill was just Rs.300!!!

• Although Bhuj has public transportation like buses and rickshwas, but I would recommend you to rent a two-wheeler/four-wheeler, which would be extremely convenient for travelling especially to Rann of Kutch.
For renting vehicles, I would highly recommend “Dharmi Bike & Car Rentals”. It is run by Mr. Nilesh Joshi, who is extremely friendly and would help you in any way possible.
A scooty (Activa/Access) would cost you Rs.800 per day + petrol charges Rs.500 and pre-booking is recommended by paying Rs.500 in advance to confirm your booking.

Pro-tip: Make sure to call Nilesh Bhai a day prior to your arrival and confirm about your booking and ask from where to take the delivery. Sometimes due to high demand, he might not have vehicles at his office but he would have at his residence, which is about 10-15 mins from his office. So make sure to check it before hand to avoid extra travelling.

III. Places to see in Bhuj:
1. Rann of Kutch – Nature’s white beauty

• We hopped on to our Activa and left for Rann of Kutch by 11.30 in the morning. The total distance between Bhuj & Rann of Kutch is approx 80 kms which would definitely take you around 1.5- 2 hours (add another half hour if you are travelling by scooty).
• The route is fairly straight and the roads are in excellent condition. You would not find any roadblocks in between but you will most definitely find awesome views on both sides of the road.
• Permit requirements –
A visit to Rann of Kutch requires a permit to be obtained. You can easily get it online or at the designated check posts. You can get it online on www.rannpermit.com.
If you want to get it at check-posts there are couple of places from where you can get it. Either you get it directly at the check-post near the white desert or you can get it at a check-post in Bhirandiyara, enroute to Rann of Kutch from Bhuj.
Cost: Rs.100 per person & Rs.25 (Two wheeler) & Rs.50 (four wheeler)
• Accommodation-
Expect to shell out anywhere between 3k-5k for a private tent, which will keep on increasing as you go nearer to the white desert. Tent city charges around 10K per person for a tent for one night.
However if you don’t mind staying in a dorm room kinda set-up then it will definitely save a lot of bucks. We stayed in Nova Patgar Tents which is just 3kms away from the main desert. A single bed in the dorm tent costs around Rs.550 per night.(Rs.1100 for 2) You can check them out on Booking.com or www.novapatgartents.com. At just Rs. 200 per person we enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal and Rs. 100, for breakfast the next morning.


• Sunrise & Sunset:
If there is something I would definitely recommend people to do in Rann of kutch is to witness the beauty of desert during sunrise & sunset. It is beyond words….!!!! The view would just take your breath away..

You can explore the various stalls set-up on the way to the dessert which has yummy food stalls, handicrafts, sarees, dresses, souveniers etc etc.


2. Padharo… Jamwa Beso..!!!!
After witnessing the white beauty, we head straight for lunch at “Neelam Hotel”.
Gujarat mei aao aur thaali naa khao..aisa kaise ho sakta tha…
To our surprise we found this restaurant serving authentic gujju thali. A wholesome sumptuous meal is indeed foodgasmic and will fill you to the brim but it wont burn a hole in your pocket. It cost us only Rs.600 for both of us.


3. Vande Mataram Memorial

• Back in Bhuj, I would highly recommend everyone to visit Vande Mataram Memorial in Bhujodi.
• It is a lesser known treasure in Bhuj about which I was not aware of till I visited this place. It is a beautifully built, state of the art memorial dedicated to the entire freedom struggle of India. They have split the entire freedom struggle into 17 episodes/shows right from arrival of East India Company in 1602 till 15th August 1947
• Each episode/show is a visual treat which highlights critical periods or events in the freedom struggle. The entire show runs for a total of 1 and half hours and the tickets were Rs.200 for both of us I was amazed by the entire concept and it made me aware of many lesser known parts of our history.
• The best part of it was that it was entirely visual which creates an interest and makes a lasting impression on our minds. The moment I came out, I thought to myself that what an interesting way to make people aware of our rich history and appreciate it even more.
• I wish if children were taught history in a similar way which would make them understand about India better and respect our heritage and struggle. I wish if we could replace just the textbook form of learning and think out of the box to teach history to children in a more engaging and impactful manner.
#JaiHind…#VandeMatarm…!!!


4. Aaina Mahal & Prag Mahal
Aaina Mahal & Prag Mahal is located just next to each other. We could not visit the aaina mahal as it was closed at the time we reached there but we did visit the Prag mahal.
It is a palace which is converted into a museum depicting the history of kutch and consists of artefacts,clothes, coins and everything related to the era of Bhuj which was ruled by a maharaja.

5. Ghar Wapsi
With a heavy heart, it was time to bid farewell to this hidden gem of India. Post dinner (Rs.300), we leave for Bhuj station for our return journey in Bhuj-Dadar Superfast express costing Rs.800 for two.
All in all, this entire mesmerizing trip only cost us around Rs. 6925. Bhuj is in all sense – truly Indian..!!!