Achtung from Ahemdabad

How are y'all liking the alliterative titles?

It's about 8:45 AM in Ahemdabad and I'm getting ready to go to the Rotary District Assembly. It's been extremely hot here the last few days - over 100 degrees F. Yesterday we visited Gandhi's ashram in Ahemdabad and saw where he stayed during his time here. We also viewed some original documents written by Gandhi himself. Then, we toured a local handicraft market and haggled with the dealers to get our stuff at the best possible price.

My host has been teaching me about Hinduism and has been explaining some of his practices. He begins every morning with a prayer to the sun, Shurya, which he says brings light and energy into the life of believers when they respect and honor the sun. He showed me his daily ritual which involves offering water to the sun by pouring it onto the ground while saying prayers. Then, he goes into his prayer room and offers more prayers to other gods - primarily Krishna.

Ahemdabad is a large city, about 5 million I think and very crowded. Traffic works the same way as in Udaipur - the law of positioning and horn symphonies everywhere you turn. But there are more cars, bikes, and pedestrians to contend with here.

Yesterday, our tour van caught fire in downtown Ahemdabad. We were trying to turn on some fans to get a breeze going, and I think we overloaded the wiring. White puffs of smoke started oozing out from under the dashboard, and we had to make a quick exit at a busy intersection. That drew alot of attention, as you might expect. But, our driver got it fixed and we were on our way in no time. So, I won't have to utilize that traveler's insurance as quickly as I thought I might.

Well, guess I should get going. Hopefully, we'll visit some Hindu temples in and around Ahemdabad today. More later, PW