Gujarat!

Night buses are usually our preferred method of transport around India, as it is cheap, relatively comfortable and means that most importantly we don't waste days of our journey on the road. The trip to Ahmedabad however was one of our worst. The bumpy roads meant we were constantly being thrown around and there were several occasions I feared I would actually be thrown off the top bunk of the bus. When we woke up properly from our restless nights sleep we woke to what seemed like a different era. Instead if the British-Indian style architecture and hustle and bustle of the busy modern streets of Mumbai there were people riding camels and horse drawn carts. We  were knackered, and relieved when we found a cheap, clean, quiet hotel. After finding some food we retired to our room to watch a film and drink the small bottle of Indian whiskey we had smuggled into Gujarat. (It is a dry state- no alcohol)
The next day we travelled to Bhuj in Kutch. It is renowned for it's handicrafts, so after seeing some amazing things being sold all over India from Gujarat we wanted to see where some of it was made and meet some of the talented workers. On our first day we saw some villages which are government funded to give people living in rural places which used to be self sufficient a place to trade their work and keep their culture alive. 
We rented a moped and went on an adventure which took us to an ashram hindu temple. We sat under a tree in the shade and drank chai tea whilst chatting with the people who lived there. They offered us food and to sleep there, but as kind as their offer was we had to refuse as we wanted to continue exploring the area, and the next day we had a camel ride in the desert booked. 
The camel ride was amazing. We rode out to the white desert; White because the ground is rich with calcium chloride. It looked like snow under our feet. We had a guide who led the camel out, but on the way back we were left on our own a be jumped in a car and left us to it on the way back. Afterwards we saw some more villages but it can feel awkward walking into somebodies home, often whilst they are busy working, eating, or looking after children, and so as we had such an early start that morning we called it a day to get some rest before our journey to Rajasthan.
Gujarat was an amazing experience. We saw beautiful things and great people.