Saturday night I was pretty nervous as to how our project is going. We had an idea that we were really eager about; however, it is not the direction we will be heading towards, so we are back to square one. I was feeling the urge to stay back and get an extra day on the project, but I am very glad we went to the spice farm.
We had breakfast at 9:30 am. I had to miss my favourite part of the day because my stomach wasn’t feeling well. After breakfast we head out to the spice farm. It took us around an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. Once we arrived, we were greeted by the owner: Chinmay Tanshikar. He had a sincere smile and welcomed us with some juice and cashews. We then got on a jeep and headed to Savri waterfalls. It was a little bit of a hike. I can tell you all about the beautiful view and how much I was enjoying it, but I think a picture will do a much better job.
While some people dived into the water right away, others laid down, put their feet in the water and enjoyed the view. It was much needed relaxation time before we are unto the last week of the program. We spent around 2 hours there then we headed back.
Second favourite part of the day. It was lunch time. The spice farm generously offered us lunch. There were so many options, all too delicious.
After lunch, we headed for our spice tour. Chinmay is such a great source of knowledge when it coming to farming. He is the fifth generation to take over the farm. Chinmay explains that taking care of a farm is labour intensive, but it teaches you how to not be selfish and be patient.
FUN FACTS:
- Pepper and salt were used as a form of money (i.e.: you can use them to pay rent)
- The word ‘salary’ comes from the Latin word for salt
- Coconut trees take 25 years to grow
- Chocolate is an anti-depressant (Hence, why girls eat chocolate when they’re sad)
- Glass doesn’t break on mud floors
Looking at Chinmay’s life style today made me think on how technology is separating us from nature. Most of our food is processed food which we have no idea what have been added to, we can’t live without our phones and laptops, we spend most of our time indoors looking at a screen instead of talking to others or simply meditating outside. Chinmay lives in a very humble house that was built over 100 years ago. There is no T.V, no air conditioner. Everything they need comes from nature. They live in a mud house, which absorbs the heat during the day light, then cools off at night which acts as a natural air conditioner in the morning. They use cow poop on floors as it keeps bacteria away. It is amazing to see people really connecting with nature and experience this kind of life.
Towards the end of our tour, Chinmay saw us how to climb a coconut tree. We all tried to do it while some of us failed miserably (me), and others were able to get a bit high.
After our tour we head back to the hotel where we had lunch, and had the evening to work on our projects.