Chandigarh: What's your sector?

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Well, I am finally on my own as Heather went back to Bombay to fly home. We parted ways at the train station in Jodhpur as I headed to the Punjab. Once in Chandigarh, I soon noticed how different this city was compared to other cities in India.

Chandigarh was created by a team of Western architects as a huge grid of large avenues intersected by parks and "sectors". The city is much less crowded and cleaner than other India cities.

Walking through the streets was confusing at first as all the roads run diagonally and look identical. Where I am staying is Sector 17, which is the main business centre. After the first day, I became more familiar with how the city streets worked and was able to better orientate myself.

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The only interesting site I really wanted to see in Chandigarh was the Rock Garden. It was about a 30 min. walk from my hotel, but it was worth it. In 1985, road construction supervisor, Nek Chand, turned heaps of debris and construction waste into a garden made of rock walls, rock figurines, and rock waterfalls. To top it off, all the arched doorways were 4ft high. At times, I felt like I was in the ride, "It's a small world" in Disneyland, as the armies of stone figurines surrounded me in almost every rock enclave.

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From the Rock Garden in Sector 1, I walked back to the hotel through Sector 9. This is where all the fancy mansion-style homes of the advocates of the High Court of India reside. Beautifully manicured lawns and colorful flowers lined every piece of property in this area.

I spent my last day in Chandigarh relaxing in the Rose Garden. The roses are in full bloom from Jan. to Mar., but there were still enough rose scent in the air to make me smile. Laying on the grass, I realized how much Chandigarh reminded me of home. The cleanliness, the climate, the Sikh population and the downtown shopping were some of the similarities to Vancouver. Oh no, am I finally getting home sick? Maybe it's a good thing I'm headed to Nepal next.