It’s a simple experiment, but if you haven’t tried it yet, you’re missing out! When you bring travel and friends together, the experience is awesome. I had this opportunity recently on a road trip to Daman-Diu and Little Rann of Kutch. Vacations with family, traveling for work, and a trip with your female buddies are three different things and altogether different experiences. The first two have always been a part of my life but the third one was on my list of “40s Onwards”.
It came true after meeting Medha Jain, an avid traveller, an excellent master photographer, and a humble human being. It so happened that we met at an HR Conference, and she told me about her road trip to Gujarat and Little Rann of Kutch. After I decided to get back to my job after successfully branding my family venture and supporting my husband in kickstarting our company, I needed a break before I take this huge plunge of starting my second innings. I wanted to get on my feet to face this new world. Thus, without any second thought, I grabbed the opportunity to enjoy this road trip. We were 4 girls’ gangs (Me, Medha, Unaiza, and Mangal) with not everyone knowing each other to the fullest. I, Medha and Mangal are a part of Lean2Lead Pune – a community of working women professionals. This was an adventure trip to some known and some unknown places exploring something new. No pre-bookings at any place were a thriller for me. Though I was a bit scared I had complete faith in my friend Medha who has been Solo travelling for the last 23 years.
Our journey started on 26th Jan early morning from Mumbai, enjoying the serene beauty on the way. We were supposed to go to Silvasa, and we somehow diverted via Nasik crossing Palghar. This was through villages and farms on both sides, and we stopped our car and clicked pictures in the middle of the road…we were pakka roadies😊
Exploring places like the Jai Vilas Palace which I am sure I would have never known, we reached Silvasa. The butterfly park and Vanganga jheel gave a wonderful insight into the entire Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman, and Diu. The Dhudhani lake was beautiful with an island in the middle. We took a boat to the island; it was a place of Solace. I could feel the calmness in my heart.
While we travelled, we noticed that Narayani temples are every 2-4 km. We visited one of the Narayani temples and then left to hunt for a hotel to stay in. I had one of my friends from Navsari suggest us a beautiful resort “White Feather Resort”. Our tired souls had a calm sleep, and we were all fresh in the morning for the next exploration.
We went to Daman the next day and on our way, Medha and Unnaiza searched for an unknown place. It was a pit lake formed by mining. It was a blue-green water lake that reminded us of “Drushyam” 😊 It wasn’t a tourist spot, so we were 4 wandering souls on this unknown lake clicking pictures. I swear I would have never found such a beautiful “secret” place.
Surrounded by the magnificent Moti Daman Fort was the quiet Moti Daman beach and Lighthouse. A peaceful place away from the hustle-bustle. These were the best moments as we spent a lot of time here watching the sunset. With the sun setting, we now had to begin our search for a place to stay.
From Sunrise to Sunset was our daily routine, we left early 6 am the next morning to reach Little Rann of Kutch. That journey was again an adventure as it was planned to reach the sanctuary before it gets closed. And YES!! Nothing is impossible if we women make up our minds! We reached 4.50 pm to the “Bajana Wild Ass Sanctuary” Gujrat which is the largest wildlife sanctuary in India. We had an awesome guide with us, thanks to our travel master Medha, she has her connections at every place. We saw some beautiful species of birds, “Greater Flamingo, Spoonbill, Painted Stalk, grey wings Falcons, Imperial Eagle, Common Crane, and many more…For the first time, I saw a “Wild Ass”. These are called Ghudkhur in Gujrat.
Sunsets are always surreal, and it is a treat to the eyes. We had been so fortunate to witness sunset every day at different places. Enjoying the sunset, we left for the “Rann Bhavana Resort & Farm”. Delicious authentic food and lovely “Lippan art” huts made us feel like we have come to a typical village farmhouse. We did not even miss the Gujaratis Garba, a few Gujarati students from Chhattisgarh had come to explore and understand their culture. What energy these youngsters had while performing garba!! Amazing!!
It was now the last day of our tour, and we still had the craving for the sanctuary. Next dawn we went back to the Banjana Sanctuary to breathe the fresh air, watch the beautiful birds, and say goodbye to this mesmerizing magnificent Little Rann of Kutch. Later, we left for Ahmedabad, and on our way, we visited “Sun Temple and “Rani-ki-Vav”. The water architectural style of Rani-ki-Vav reflects mastery of the complex technique used and the great beauty of detail and proportions. What a great artistic and aesthetic sense!
Capturing this beauty in our cameras and moments in our hearts we reached Pune. I call it a “Back Home Journey with New ME” As I got back on my feet (literally and mentally), the connection between female empowerment and travel fully manifested for me.
We travelled 2000km on road with two of our best drivers Unaiza and Mangal. Awesome girls!! You inspired me!! We did not buy a single mineral water bottle, so no plastic buying!! Kudos to Us!! What an amazing journey!! Let’s Keep travelling and exploring new places and ourselves!
Thank you, Lean2Lead Pune, for bringing us together😊
Gitanjali Thite