Porbandar - The land of farms
An early start to catch the 7.15am bus from Dwarka to Porbandar. We walked to the bus station and the bus came on time.
We stopped half way for refreshments. The scenery was full of wind farms, rivers and farmland.
When we arrived in Porbandar we waited for our transport to our accommodation. It was the son-in-law who collected us and first took us to his house to freshen up and have a cup of tea. Next we stopped off for mango lassi, which always goes down well.
The journey took us through beautiful farmland and we soon learned that most of it was peanuts! We stopped off to see some peanuts being harvested which was really interesting and everyone was keen to show us what was happening. Snakes are often seen whilst out in the fields!
We eventually arrived at our accommodation and met our host. We had a lovely lunch of dhokla, samosa, chutney, mango curd and buttermilk - the last two being made from the cows on the farm.
After lunch we chatted with our host, his wife and their son (on Whatsapp), who is in Leicester!
We also called their daughter who is in Israel. Unfortunately, Israel is now at war. She said she was ok and was waiting for news of a flight back to India. She has a bomb shelter at her home so is ssfe.
We took a ride in the 2 day old Mahindra Jeep through the countryside, passing many cotton farms, to a beautiful desert oasis. Well, that is what we thought. We were told it was a reservoir but surrounded with cactus and all sorts of wild animals. Snakes, leopards, wild pigs to mention just a few!
We visited local farms growing all sorts of goodies. Mangoes, vegetables and soya beans. It was pretty incredible. We met geese, goats and water buffalo. We even rode a horse. No saddle required! We met the local villagers with traditional tattoos, gold earings and traditional dress. Wow, this experience was priceless!
We ate snacks, drank Thumbs Up (coke) and watched the Navatri preparations in the village unfold.
Evening on the farm was spent chatting to so many visitors. We used Google translate when language problems existed. Christine helped make chapatis on the open fire. All of the chapatis were perfectly round except Christine's. Hers was a kind of Mr Blobby shape. We ate like kings and enjoyed eating far too much delicious food, including fresh milk and curd.
We played with the 2 beautiful dogs and went to bed early. We have to prepare for a very early start tomorrow.