The hotel choices are much better now in Somnath than my last visit. Junagadh is a gem, but stay clear of the supposedly “lavish” Leo Resort…algaed swimming pool and mildewy rooms with weak A/C’s. The climb up Mt. Girnar is not for the faint of heart and start very early. The Gir forest preserves close in the monsoon so best time is in the winter as for anything in Gujarat.

I too didn’t know much about Gujurat until I lived there for a year. And I spent a week touring Saurashtra and we went on a “safari” in Gir and we saw a bunch of lions. The interesting thing is that it’s a preserve, so as we were driving along the highway in the evening we saw some lions hanging out along the side of the road, which was pretty cool.

When I think of Gujurat, I think of Baroda, because that’s where I spent most of my time and I think of my Kaki who has all the OG info on Guju customs and was educating me the entire year. Which was kind of annoying at the time, but now really cool.

My favorite memory by far is going to the kethi and eating raw vhudyadi.

If you are ever in Baroda you have to go the Gujurati Thali restaurant at the Welcome Hotel. It has the best Gujurat Thali hands down.

This poor treatment is par for the course…but most women bounce back…I think in her case it was schizophrenia plain and simple. Maybe combined with severe loneliness, who knows. She was one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the Indian screen. A good example of the fact that being rich, glamorous, famous, good-looking, etc. does not necessarily make you happy or lead to a happy ending. She was also very obese when she died. Very sad. Sometimes society and culture and family can fail people so badly.

on point observation Yo Dad Sahib! I have encountered too many cousin brothers waddling in the extremes. they are either in la la land singing Rafi’s Aaj Mausam or trying to write algorithms for a foolproof personality test. Attention cousin brothers! Love is not a reductionist venture!

ISHQ KIYA NAHI JATA – WOH TO HO HI JATA HAI !!

WAH!