Go back in time at Udvada

International travel is still off the table, but it’s nudging me towards unique places and unexplored towns near Bombay, or in India at least. Udvada ticks all those boxes, and I’m both surprised and relieved that it still remains largely undiscovered. We spent 3 days in August and approximately INR 15,000 between the 2 of us. This includes the fuel, and the money we spent buying pickles, masalas and bakery goods.

Udvada is a small, Parsi coastal town situated south of Gujarat. It is considered to be the holy pilgrimage centre for Zoroastrians, and a food lover’s paradise for the rest of us. Udvada is important for Parsis because of the Iranshah Atash Behram, the oldest fire to continuously burn in a fire-temple (it is said to be burning since the 18th century).

Easily accessible by road and rail, the drive from Bombay takes only about 3 hours. If you leave early in the morning, you can have breakfast at Ahura. Ahura is a popular breakfast stop for bikers and families alike. We didn’t stop there because it was extremely crowded. Parsi da Dhaba was also an option, but when I looked it up, it was listed as closed.

Coming from Bombay, Udvada was a breath of fresh air. A sleepy town where lazy is a way of life. And leisure is on the to-do list for most days. Time stands still. Dilapidated cottages and bungalows that would have been charming and palatial back in the day line the narrow lanes. Covered with creepers and vines, as if slowly being swallowed back into the land. Every time you walk around town, you are reminded of an era gone by.

Where to stay:

There are only 3 hotels in Udvada - Bawa Inn, Globe Hotel and Hotel Ashishvangh. Each has their own charms. There are not a lot of pictures and details of the rooms available online. They have their current numbers listed on their Facebook pages, not Google. Bawa Inn is a modern building, while the other two are built like rustic row houses. After much deliberation, we ended up staying at Hotel Ashishvangh. The owner, Mr. Merwan Godiwalla (99255 58138) takes bookings himself. The prices per person differ on the basis of AC/non-AC rooms or with meals/without meals. He told us the weather would be great and AC wasn’t really required. We paid INR 1,200 per person for a non-AC room, without meals. And if you go there and change your mind about the AC or the meals, it’s completely fine. They just add it to the tab later. No booking amount is required, and as Mr. Merwan told me, “Badhoo hisaab pachithee karsu, su jaldi che” (we can calculate the costs later, what is the hurry). Which is the essence of this town.

The rooms here are basic, nothing fancy, and the bathrooms are clean. There are no toiletries and towels available, you have to get your own. We stayed on the first floor, which I’d recommend. The view is spectacular. Outside each room, is a dining table with chairs where you can have meals. They have badminton rackets and a couple of dogs; playing one and petting the other is all it takes to burn off the Parsi bhonu.

Things to eat:

After meticulously reading menus and blogs online, we decided to try out a different place for every meal. We had breakfast at Ashishvangh - akuri and kheema. Straight out of a Parsi home.

For lunch we went to the much talked about Cafe Farohar, right next to the Sohrabji Jamshedji Sodawaterwala Dharamshala. Run by the adorable Hilla aunty and her son Shehzad, this is one place we kept coming back to. Although expensive, some of the food is well worth it. Have the fried boi, the sizzling prawns and the salli boti.

We returned for dinner the next day and had Russian cutlets, kid gosht and patra ni macchi, they weren’t the greatest. However, we planned to come back for breakfast the day we left, and we wanted to taste the famous doodh na puff, a glass of milk froth chilled in an earthen pot overnight topped with nutmeg and cardamom.

Hilla aunty told us that they have to be ordered in large quantities and she was sweet enough to squeeze in our order with the rest of her guests. So the next day, we started our morning with 4 glasses of cold doodh na puff. And then had poro, a fluffy Parsi omelette, akuri and aleti paleti (a toss up of chicken organs). It was easily one of the best breakfasts I’ve had. The food at Cafe Farohar pairs best with Hilla aunty’s spicy stories and warm company.

The other place we went to quite often was Globe Hotel. They mostly have a set menu for lunch and dinner that costs about INR 500. They’re far more affordable and just as yummy. For breakfast, we had akuri, fried eggs and Khurchan (a mix of goat organs). The dishes weren't fancy but they were full of flavour.

The day we went, it was Parsi New Year, and the lunch menu was the classic New Year bhonu - prawn patio, dar, fried boi, chicken ni curry, lagan nu achar with roti and rice.

A meal fulfilling enough to send you straight into a happy cat-like siesta.

If you’re not already in a food coma, try the famous Sancha ice-cream. Sancha is a technique used to make hand-churned ice-cream, and it’s usually served from the backseat of a rickshaw. The rickshaw-wallas turn into ice-cream vendors in the afternoon (Disneyland has nothing on Udvada). So when you hear the familiar ‘tring tring’, you know the Sancha is here. The flavours are seasonal, you’ll have mango in the summer, strawberry in the winter and sitaphal is available throughout.

Things to buy:

Right outside Bawa Inn, you’ll find Irani Bakery. They have the best mawa cakes and freshly baked batasas (biscuits made with the lightest pastry dough and lots of butter). We didn’t get a chance to buy it (the store was shut due to the new year festivities), but I hope to have it when I come back.

Pick up pickles and masalas, you’ll find plenty of old Parsi men selling them in the verandahs outside their homes. We picked up lots of pickles and masalas from a gentleman sitting right outside the Iranshah.

Women gather around in the many alleys and sell fresh peppermint, thin papads in many flavours, and larger-than-Bombay lemons. The lemons are different here, they’re green outside and orange inside, the flavour is sour but with a hint of sweet citrus. If you must come back with one thing, make sure it’s the lemons.

Things to see:

Good thing Udvada has enough space to walk off the Parsi bhonu.

Even though non-Parsis aren’t allowed inside, walk to the Iranshah Atash Behram and admire the impeccable architecture and design.

One misty morning, we walked to the Zoroastrian Museum and Information Centre, a quiet place where you can read all about the history, food and culture of this quirky community.

We stumbled upon the Bhikaji Unwala Library on one of our walks. I was taking a picture when the gentleman invited me upstairs to see the library. He turned out to be the librarian, and incidentally, wasn’t a Parsi. He was full of stories and told us that there were now less than 30 Parsi families living here.

In the evenings, we would head to the beach to watch the sunset. There is no particular entrance, you just have to walk through the many by lanes inhabited by the fisherfolk.

On our way back, we made a quick stop to Udvada lake. Serene waves lapping up to the borders, surrounded by a promenade and walking track dotted by trees and bright yellow flowers. This lake is a haven for bird-watchers and peace lovers alike.

Udvada is a quaint town, paused in time, full of old-world charms. The lanes are dotted with cottages, with old Parsi men and women whiling away time in their wooden rocking chairs on the verandah. Shops are merely extensions of family homes, and there are more cows on the road than cars. A few steps in and you’ll find that it’s a sanctuary that fiercely preserves lazy mornings with pudina ni choy, languid afternoons spent eating bhonu, and siestas that meander well into the evening.