The mode of transportation for most Indians is cycle or motorcycle, all appropriately dressed for riding in the rain. Cyclists with umbrellas were a regular sight. I have a tough enough time riding with two hands over bumpy roads never mind carrying an umbrella while the rain beats against my face.
Traveling through the countryside the scenery was beautiful. Lush and green fields, decorated by the most gorgeous full trees. The natural dividers separating the crops gave the illusion of a beautiful golf course, but really were crops of rice, spices, vegetated or grazing field for herds of cows or goats. The road we were traveling on was filled with potholes and mud and in some cases the edges seemed to be completely washed away by the rains. The rivers were so high that in some cases they overflowed onto the bridge. At one small village a sign was posted indicating slow to 10km, however I think we may have had to speed up to actually go 10km/hr. infrastructure, especially when it comes to roads is one thing the Indian government definitely has not focused on. So we zig and we zagged down the road towards our destination. What was a 35km route took more than 1 1/2 hours to cover. At one point we turned of the hardtop road onto the dirt path the took us through several more small villages. At this point we were traveling thru pure mud when in the middle of the road our driver stopped. Were we lost was my first thought as our host got on the phone and then conversed with the driver. Nope we would wait for the farmer to come through the field and walk us back to his home. Thank goodness for sandals is all I can say as we walked through the mud and water searching for the driest path. All the way we were laughing and enjoying the experience. Wet and muddy feet never hurt anyone! We came to learn the young farmer was a major player in the area farming four acres and employing 30-40 villagers throughout the year. He was a progressive thinker and had grown his family business considerably since taking over four years ago. He wanted to learn from us how Canadian farmers operated and was there methods he could explore for implementation here in India. Automation was the key focus for him and difference from Canada. As Randy asked questions and the farmer responded Tanmaya translated. We learned a lot from this young man, as he explained he has diversified his crops to include rice, peas, chili and fish in a manmade fish pond. Did we want to see his crop? Of course so off we went by car out to his field. Upon arriving at the field the farmer led us up a small but steep embankment to overlook the fish pond. Now we should have noted that he took his sandals off. We did not and that was our first mistake. Standing at the top of the hill our feet sunk into the red claylike dirt as we view the fish pond that reminded me a a Canadian dugout. This was the perfect spot to capture the essence of the farmers entire business. Lush green rice paddies for as far as we could see, rows of peas lining the natural dividers between the sections and an area for chilis, his main business. It really was breathe taking and I wondered how they could possibly manage the extent of the manual labour required to get the crops to market. This farmer was fortunate he had a tractor. Having taken in the sights we needed to climb back down the embankment to the road. Not so easy with a ton of mud stuck to our feet, but somehow we slipped and slid down the hill without anyone falling. We roared with laughter as each one of us carefully made the trek and then tried to scrape the mud from our sandals. It was no easy task but eventually we were somewhat clean and it was time to say goodbye to the farmer and head on to our next stop. However we had only gone a few hundred meters when the driver stops, jumps out of the car and proceeds to wash his feet in the small river we had just crossed. Seemed like a good idea to us so seconds later we were all playing in the water with the pretense of get clean. Now we were ready to head off to visit with Tanmaya's parents and see his native town about 5kms away. Before we get there I need to tell you about the farmers home. A medium size brick and mud building consisting of an entrance way and three rooms. It turned out the three rooms were filled with farm supplies including fertilizer, nutrients, chili seeds, bags etc. No housewares, no beds, no closet full of clothes, just farm supplies. The front entrance held two plastic chairs and two cots. Beyond the entrance was another room, maybe this was where the household supplies were? Out front was a big well and the woman of the house was busy sweeping of the porch when we arrived. This again is when I really wished I could speak the language as I would have loved to have had a conversation with her. We gave both the farmer and his wife Canadian pins as a small thank you for welcoming us o their home! Tanmaya was so excited to have us meet his parents. An only child it was obvious he was very close to them and they were so proud of him. As we enjoyed a cup of coffee (water for me) and snacks a parade of neighbors came to visit for a quick peek at the foreigners. We smiled as they entered, stopping to say hello and quickly moving to the kitchen where we could hear them giggle. We felt like royalty as the neighborhood came to see us. We later learned that most of these ladies may never have seen a white person before. It was so fun and we enjoyed their hospitality! Tanmaya's parents home was extremely comfortable and brightly painted. They had a beautiful vegetable garden, with a banana tree. His father runs a small grocery store from the front yard and his mother is retired from working in the medical field for over 30 years. They were amazing people and we were very honored to have been guests in their home. Now it was time to travel to our other destinations planned for the day.....
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