"This won't kick you"

Before I write about where we are right now, I'd like to just write a quick note about the fantastic hosts we've encountered so far. Our first host was Ravi, a friend of Ritchie Yanowitz (a family friend of mine), who lives in Bombay. Ravi was so kind to set us up with an apartment for our first two evenings, take us out to dinner, and provide us with a driver (the fantastic Maruti who could navigate the insane Bombay traffic with ease and a thousand horns). I am still overwhelmed by his generosity, but I'm realizing that in India, it is not so unique to be this generous! From there, we stayed with Aparna, our first couchsurfing host who was so passionate, lively, energetic, and welcoming!! If you have a chance to couchsurf with Aparna in Bombay, you must do it.. She's the epitome of couchsurfing philosophy..

Yesterday morning at 5am, we left Aparna's beautiful apartment in Bandra, a suburb of Bombay, and took a train called the Gitanjali Express to Nasik, a small city about 3 hours north of Bombay. From Nasik, we jumped on a bus at the Thakkar station to Niphad. Right around Niphad, I started realizing that the only thing written in English were the signs for Coca Cola. There was no way to tell where we were going had it not been for the amazing people in the town. It's crazy.. We knew we had to go from Niphad to the village of Kothure by auto ("auto" is a three-wheeled rickshaw run by an engine), but we didn't know where to get the auto or even how to pronounce Kothure! It doesn't help being two blonde-ish, white, foreigners with gigantic backpacks and bags. Once one person would stop to help us, about 30 more would gather around. Finally, someone knew where we needed to go, and took us to his auto where we climbed in with a small family. The trip was short, but enough to realize that we were not in Bombay anymore. Straw huts, clay houses, and tent cities were scattered all over the landscape, along with cows and goats. The air felt so much cooler. The traffic was still crazy! But not as crazy... Finally we made it to the house. The auto driver knew who we were staying with, so he drove us directly to the door. We stepped out, and realized that we were getting more than just the change of scene we needed from Bombay; we were getting a 180 degree shift.

Since yesterday we have been staying in the house of Dr. Barve, a man I met on hospitalityclub.org. Dr. Barve is a retired engineering professor, who lives in the village of Kothure in a GORGEOUS house with 2 of his brothers. The house has been in their family for SEVEN generations. The whole family has traveled a great deal, and they all seem to be somewhat involved in academia, and it makes converation really lively and interesting... First we atelunch which was the most local meal I think I've ever had. Nearly everything they eat comes from their farm which is a mile and half up the road. The milk comes from their cow (and it's boiled) and we've been drinking water from a double-osmosis filter (made in USA). I'm still kind of in shock... Dr. Barve took us on a tour of the farm (about 7 acres) and showed us all different kinds of fruits, herbs, and vegetables.

*Side note! You know those rough sponge-y scrubbers that are sold in Whole Foods for about 20 bucks? They're actually dried out zucchini! If you properly dry out a zucchini (or let it sit on the root in the sun) and crack it open, it is the same material as those scrubbers!

We walked back to his house to the setting sun and I actually thought of my own haiku (Jake is rubbing off on me):

Candy apple sun
drips gooey threads down the sky
coiling into dusk

Photos don't do it justice... Upon arriving home, we ate an incredible meal prepared by Dr. Barve's younger brother's wife. The food is so delicious, I feel bad I can't eat more. Jake and I have our own room (with internet), which is surreal in a house where the electricity goes out every day from 9am to 2pm, we wash with a bucket (and pump our own hot water!!), and there are cows and chickens and goats everywhere. We didnt have internet in Mumbai, but we have it here!

Today we woke up to a wonderful yoga class in Prana (breathing technique), delicious breakfast, and a visit with Sir Paunch, who governs the town. We drank sweet coffee and talked about the differences and similarities between India and USA. We are also trying to learn some Marathi, which is the state language of Maharashtra, which is where we are now. We're learning a few words, and everyone smiles and laughs when we great them by saying "RamRam" or "Nameshkar".

A funny thing... Everyone here thinks I'm Dr. Barve's daughter! He is married to a Russian woman and they have a daughter in her thirties, so everybody thinks that I am her!!! Some people are surprised I don't recognize them, and everyone kept asking him or his brother if I was the daughter. Hey, if it means I can inherit the farm, I'll say yes to that!

This afternoon, we rode on motor bikes (my first time on the back of bike, YAY!!) to the river and saw the Hindu temples in town. Everything here is just so colorful and gorgeous. Jake is writing some pretty gorgeous haikus about our time here, so I'll let him 'exact the moment' so I don't ramble too much.

I still can't get over how amazing our hosts have been... We're eating such good food, having amazing conversations, and they've told us to feel at home, which we are doing happily. Bombay was a lot of fun, and we had a spectacular time with Aparna and her friends, but the city was very chaotic. This place is a breath of the freshest air, and on American Thanksgiving, I really couldn't be more grateful...