The Ship Building Ports of Mandvi - II

Continuing from the last post, more 'pirate ship adventures' from Mandvi, Bhuj. After we climbed across the river onto the boat across a think plank, I really thought - wow! what a day! but clearly there was more adventure in store for us. Sharing with you pictures of the next port we walked into. Here there were real 'ships', far larger, being made & after walking around, we suddenly figured we could actually get 'into' these huge wooden guys. Taking you through ships we climbed into and the unforgettable sights we saw.

Even for a city dweller like me, used to constantly seeing all kinds of construction work at huge scales, I had never seen anything like this. So much wood. It felt like I had walked into another century.

The many square wooden pegs make for unlikely yet effective design embellishments. Form & function :)

The ship rose above us intimidatingly

Climbing into this ship was not as simple as it looked. But the workers were co-operative. Clearly they didn't have visitors too often & they were really sweet to us, and helped us clamour into the huge ships in the making.

This is the sight that met me as soon as I got in. The side walls of the ship.

I cannot describe what it felt like to stand inside here. To see the men dwarfed by the huge ship they were creating all around them, peacefully and quietly working.

Do check out the huge nails that hold the plank on which the man sits.

Stepping out was as tricky as climbing in was.

Whats a port without its life gaurds & anchors. But true to its location, everything here was weathered rusted & looked like it had survived a century and seen sights which it would probably never see again.