BHUJ — 23.2420° N, 69.6669° E
Bhuj, the stepwell
— India
Stone steps going down into the ground, and the coolest air in Kutchh.
11:00. Forty-one degrees on the street. Twenty-something at the bottom of the stepwell. Architecture as air conditioning, worked out centuries before anyone had the word.
11:20. Sat on the lowest dry step and listened. Pigeons, the city a long way up, my own breathing. Someone had scratched a name and a date into the stone, 1987, which made me think about the tiffin.
12:10. Back up into the heat, slowly.
Worth remembering
- Go down the steps slowly; the bottom ones are worn smooth.
- Bring water. Then bring more water.