The ride started before the sun woke up as the day was going to be very long. The first stop was Dhordo, the site for Rann Utsav. Dhordo is a small village connected with a small road, full of mud huts intended for tourists at the end of which there is a huge tent city- colorful, informative, comfortable. The compound gives a glimpse of Guajarati culture, a museum explaining Gujarat’s wildlife and geography, ample opportunities to shop and some adventure sports. Also, the tent city is eco-friendly; it provides bicycles and battery-operated vehicles for roaming around.
The next thing I noticed was the Afghani names & culture of the local people. The area was largely populated by Afghans who migrated in the 16th to 17th century and were largely employed in the local army. In the 17th century even the generals of army were from Afghanistan.
Just 2 kilometers ahead is the famous White Rann of Gujarat but to go there a pass is needed. So, after getting the pass and crossing a checkpoint I reached the view point for White Rann.
The land is obviously white as far as eyes can see with patches of brown created by tourists, camel owners offering rides, a guy with a traditional setup of village house offering pictures and a huge staircase which gives the entire view with fast blowing salty winds into your face.
After enjoying the view for an hour, I left and met the army personnel at the check post who had asked me from where I was, what I was doing & to meet him begore leaving. So, we started talking and he mainly wanted career advice for his son. The conversation soon ventured into drug problem among youngsters, hardships of army life, controlling kids etc. and I felt like I have turned into an adult coz I was apparently adult enough to advice on kids matter. After two hours of discussion and lunch I left for Kalo Dungar- The highest and the best point of view in Rann. On the way to Kalo Dungar I saw two Indian wild asses so I stopped but when I reached closer, I realized they were horses of the same color as the Indian Wild Ass. Still, clicked some pictures and rode ahead.
The uphill ride to Kalo Dungar is scenic, containing steep hills and valley with beautifully shaped deciduous trees and some shrubs and view point was storming with hawkers providing traditional dresses on rent for photographs. The view from there was phenomenal, it appears like a lake with its edges perfectly frozen and surrounded by dark brown hills.
After enjoying the view at Kalo Dungar I searched for the shortest route to Ekal and started riding via a shortcut and found that the route being shown by Google was a road for just 25 kilometers, after that a dried-up seasonal riverbed full of sand. Initially I tried to ride though the river but soon realized that the effort was useless as the sand made me drive at walking speed. So, I traced my route back and rejoined the highway which wasted one hour of precious time. Hence, it was too dark when I reached Ekal Mata Mandir, attended the aarti there and found out that Chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Mr Yogi Adityanath had stayed there for some time and his very old photos were hanging there. From there I moved ahead on the mud road to the salt march to find a place to pitch a tent.
The next experience started at new heights, it was a full moon night and I was at the side of salt marsh which was shining due to the moonlight and felt like walking on diamonds. So, it seems salt crystals also diffract light beautifully. But I was disappointed as I was unable to photograph that brilliance under moonlight and was afraid of using flashes as I was not sure if tenting was allowed or not. Also, I had seen lights moving over the water and I assumed them to be BSF patrols. Nevertheless, I pitched the tent and slept.
Roughly around 10 PM I woke up upon hearing a child crying, then some people started talking and then the dogs started barking. So, to assess the situation I walked towards the source of the sound leaving my tent and bike but was pretty afraid that I will not be able to find my tent and bike if I lost visual contact which was moderate due to full moon. But I had to decide if it was safe to stay or not. As usual the adventurous me took charge and the tent’s location was marked using stars; took valuable items like camera, phone and wallet and the knife with me and started walking towards the source of the sounds. After walking for roughly half a kilometer I saw some tents and animals of local nomads/shepherds. Now, I was relieved and as I started walking back, the dogs probably found my scent and started barking. Now, in my mind everyone knew that I was there as the barking continued for long and I could hear the chatting sound increasing. So, I retraced my footsteps following the stars with my heart pounding with the fear of not being able to find the tent and getting stuck. Soon I had that feeling when you had tortured yourself with the idea of being stupid but you prove yourself utterly wrong; I had followed the perfect path to the tent. So, filled with confidence and pride I decided to leave the place and challenge the night.
By 10:40 PM I had packed up and started riding towards Bhuj-Ahmedabad highway. The plan was to find a hotel on the highway or keep riding through the night to reach Ahmedabad. The road at night was captured by wildlife including deer, foxes, wild cats etc. After riding with the wildlife for one and a half hour I reached the highways and by the time I reached it, the time was 12 midnight. Despite being too late I was a little relieved on the highway, so had dinner at a small dhaba as I only had an emergency snack (light weight sugar rich emergency snacks eg Honey & peanut, snickers etc) since lunch. At around 1 AM, I found a hotel near Samakhali and decided to end the long day and rest.
