A night on the farm
Trip Start
Jan 29, 2009
1
13
Trip End
Mar 19, 2009
Basi, Rājasthān, India
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Unfortunately as we set off the sun was setting and not long later the moon rose and darkness fell and I was unable to appreciate the places and villages through which we traveled however under the cover of nightfall the villagers take to the roadsides for their daily toilet break and as we drove through the numerous villages from Bali to the Farm the roadside were littered with people squatting down their eyes being lit by the car head lights. Other than the women who moved to cover their heads no-one seemed to be bothered by the fact that we could see exactly what they were doing by the side of the road and I guess when you have no other option and this is what you have always done then someone seeing you doing it is not a big thing...
The farm was quite a drive away and despite it being dark it was obvious that we were traveling further and further into rural Rajasthan. We passed through one village where it was clear that there had been some kind of celebration perhaps only days before (although as Indians seem to have a distinct dislike of cleaning up after themselves it could well have been months before) The street were lined with paper lanterns of the Chinese variety that have become so popular the world over and brightly coloured paper flowers and garish lights that looked like they had come from a box of Christmas decorations from the 1970's along with the usual streams of litter (which is usually only plastic bags as the cows and pigs have demolished anything of any remote nutritional value) and it had clearly been some party. This village/town was pretty lively and I would guess that it was perhaps a hub town where people go to trade as the centre was a large open space which would perhaps during the day have housed some kind of market. The bright lights of the town disappeared as quickly and they came and soon we were driving down what seemed to be a dirt track - there was certainly no visible sign of any permanent road and as we got closer to the farm Parineeta explained that the farm was purchased because it was difficult to find due to its remoteness. For a while I began to panic, I knew that she wasn't staying at the farm as she had already told me that she had too much work to do, and I really didn't fancy being stuck out in the middle of no where on a farm alone. Thankfully Tej from the school hostel was there and it seems that when he isn't at the hostel (which is quite a lot of the time) he is at the farm doing some sort of building work.
Sadly as the sun had long disappeared it was hard to appreciate the farm in the dark but Tej insisted on showing me around. The farm house is nothing like a farm house in the UK it is built around an enclosed garden that houses a pool. Both Parineeta and Tej were quick to point out to me the metal cage doors which covered every door way and explained that Leopards are very common around the farm and it was important to always keep the doors shut even if the inner door remains open....I never really fancied coming face to face with a leopard first thing in the morning!
The view from the roof of the farm is....well pretty black.....there was not one single light to be seen anywhere and the only light came from the stars - apparently when the family first bought the farm they used to sleep on the roof top under the stars (and mosquito nets) whilst the building was being renovated
Compared with the place where I was staying in Bali this was like a super 5* hotel - there was even a Western toilet and a shower that was fixed to the wall an working and the bedding was clean! Given the isolation of this place it was hardly surprising that the whole place is powered by a generator that is turned off at night and so my shower was taken by candle light which was actually a really relaxing experience and despite being pretty much alone ( I have no idea where the men disappeared to) I felt completely at ease and slept far better than I expected.
In the hope that I may see a leopard from a safe distance I did wake at 5am, sadly I didn't see anything other than a herd of deer from the safety of the veranda of the farm. Breakfast was a traditional Rajasthan cereal...the only thing that I can liken it to is Bombay mix only served in a breakfast bowl with sweet chai! I think my stomach has become accustomed to the food finally but I do crave something plain and simple like rice with nothing added to it!
In the daylight the farm's beauty is quite something....as with most buildings in India I feel like I want to put a fresh coat of paint on the outside of the building but its amazing.....the views stretch unobstructed for miles and the family, to their credit, are trying to preserve the farm land for the wildlife.
Sadly I was only able to spend one night at the farm and we had to leave shortly after lunch only this time we (me & Tej) were getting a bus back to Bali but in order to get the bus we had to get to the main road which meant quite a long walk back up the dirt track but through all the little villages and huts that probably not many other people have had the opportunity of having seen...of course I became a main attraction and by the time we actually reached the main road we were accompanied by a gang of children.
The kids, albeit happy and running about like normal healthy kids clearly weren't in the best of health all of them were far too thin, dressed in clothes that resembled rags and were filthy dirty and most of them were looking after smaller siblings and one girl in particular was carrying a baby that couldn't have been more than a few months old. The kids stayed waiting with us...after about three hours wait Tej finally established that perhaps the bus wasn't coming and that we would need to find an alternative means of getting back.
After numerous discussions with various passing cars (all of which were crammed full of people and obviously had no room for anyone else) he finally managed to negotiate us a lift to the next town on a tractor....my seat was on the mud guard over one of the massive wheels.....thankfully there was no time to think about whether or not this was a good idea as I had to concentrate on actually climbing up on this thing in India clothes without falling flat on my face in front of my audience. White Knuckle ride springs to mind and it probably would have been had I actually had anything to hang onto! after what seemed to be an eternity of pot holes, stray cows and dodging running kids we finally arrived in the town which we passed through on the way here with all the decorations and after further negotiations Tej managed to get us a lift back to Bali....in hindsight it was probably quite exciting but I was so glad that the journey was over!!
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THANK YOU VERY MUCH YOUR WAS SO GOOD