Today we rode 112 km in hill country on back roads, mostly in forest reserves. We saw people living by very self sufficient means. It felt like we were riding through one of those "open air" museums which displays old farms and ancillary equipment. Except this was real life. I saw a group of people winnowing; men and women were passing home-made wooden trays filled with grain to an elderly man standing on top of a platform. I didn't think it was appropriate to ride in there to take a picture; I might have done so if I could speak some Gujarati.
There were lots of all-wood ox carts, and places where hay was stored on roofs or on platforms out of reach of the cattle.
Villages we have passed through to date tend to be centered around the road. They are not like towns in Mexico or Europe which have main squares. As we ride into a village, we see increasing density and then we see the main bus stop, where there are people sitting around among stores selling snacks and refreshments. In larger towns, the center involves a market that spreads out into the street.
Today's ride ended with a long climb up to a "hill station", I.e. a resort village high enough to be a cool destination in the hot months. A totally different world.
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