Monday 22 November

Oh my......what a night.  Not sure how much sleep anyone got but we arrive not so fresh faced in Bhuj.  We head to Khamir to freshen up and have breakfast.  Khamir is a crafts resource centre in the Kachchh region of Gujarat.  Set up after the devastating earthquake in 2001, Khamir is an NGO and 'works to reposition craft and folk music in Kachchh and to revitalize Kachchh’s creative industries'.  Meera, one of the Directors, outlines how they work alongside other organisations in the region to build capacity and offer support to artisans in the area. 

We head out to the local police station to get permits for out later visit to Shaam-e-Sarhad Village.  It feels like we wait around for forever but we eventually get the permits.  It is now raining very very heavily and there is some doubt about whether we can stay at the mud huts tonight.  We set off for some lunch to discuss what we might do tonight.


After lunch we decide to go with the plan just now but with the proviso that all might change due to the weather.  We head out to the countryside and lots less bustle and horns.

We meet up again with Meera and head to a pottery village that works with Khamir.  Again, we are welcomed into a family home and treated with such warmth and hospitality.

We now head off to check out our accommodation for the night.  When we arrive it is raining and dark and we have been told it looks unlikely that we will be able to stay.  We all jump out the taxis and slosh into the village resort.  Oh my goodness, what a place.  There is no electricity and therefore no lighting and limited water supply. The tents are soggy and it is all a bit damp but it is amazing.  The fighting spirit comes out of us all and collectively we throw a tantrum to stay.  We love it.  The bhungas are warm and snuggly and we are more than happy to sleep four to a room.  The poor hosts are keen not to give us a bad experience that they are nervous about us staying but we persuade them and it is on.  Yippee.  5 minutes after settling into the electricty comes back on.  Yippee squared.

Dinner, local music and candle light.  Just lovely.