Chilling on the Vadi

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Well here goes, first entry on my travelblog. Not sure who I'm writing this for just yet, ie you my merry audience, so maybe i'll write for myself and see how things pan out.

The unforgettable smell of hot humid tarmac that is Bombay airport. Ingrained in my memory. Only this time the air conditioning is so efficient inside even the domestic terminal that waiting all night for the mornings connecting flight was cold. Not an experience i had expected on my round the world adventure seeking warmer climes - I had to put my woolly sox on. And no, before you ask no i dont have a picture of me at Bombay airport with my woolly sox!

A week on the Vadi. For those that dont know this is the farm my grandparents started in the 50s. At first there was really nothing, just a small building with a room or two, no electricity or water or toilet. Its now a massive building with more than 8 bedrooms and different wings and open spaces and the ubiquitous roof space - just right for that crazy western tradition of a sunbath. Everyone else hides from the sun if at all possible.

The hinchka - or swing - the perfect place to experience the vanishing bubble of rural timelessness. The place to chat or read or think or drink tea or eat breakfast or just sit and watch the world and generally do very little while having the excuse of being on the hinchka.

PS For those random readers, no TravelBlogger had yet made an entry for Bhavnagar and I had to ask for a new location. There is a reason for this: I would not recommend it as a tourist destination. I like to visit my family though and adjust to India in calm and peaceful rural environment where everything is fresh and I have no chance of losing any weight on my aunt's cooking.

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Photos

Kamalfaiba
my aunt

On the Hinchka
...still jetlagged

The new colour scheme
With Maganlal in teh foreground