It is strange how we take many things for granted in our lives. We never know the situation when one has to walk 2 hours to get drinking water from a muddy lake, watch your kids drink that and then those kids walk 4 kms one way to the village school where there has always been 1 teacher for all 7 standards and everyone squished in 2 rooms.. All this and the main occupation in the area is baval (wild shrubs and weds) cutting. Average daily wage Rs. 20 ($ 0.5) Well, that is life as usual for Okhamandal area in gujarat.

Inspite of all this, they would offer you tea when you go and insist on that. Will get chairs form their neighbours for you to sit and talk about their life in the village.

But not even for a second think that people are dull. This is a place where women of the village form Self Help Groups (SHGs) to make daily savings even of Rs 10 or so, continue to do that over a year and then give loans to those who require it and earn interest on that. Beat that!

Living life in total isolation is also therapeutic. Away from all friends (though had wonder ful company there), away from the usual haunts in cafes...But pure life in outdoors, by the seaside, a lot of think to mull things over and just be by yourself

That is probably what reminds you of vast English country sides, Sir Arthur conan Doyle's words or J R R Tolkien's imagery..

P.S. Next stop: London