Some 120 km (but five hours by bus) South of Mumbai, down the palm-fringed Konkan Coast, lies the town of Alibaug. Really the collective name for the series of nearby villages, Alibaug serves as a quick-and-easy weekend getaway for Mumbai's upperclasses. Today, vacation bungalows and holiday retreats are tucked into the bylanes running off the single-lane highway stretching down to Goa. But 2000 years ago, the Konkan Coast served as the site of a historical shipwreck, stranding seven Jewish couples who survived and multiplied into the Bene Israel community of today. The early community settled into rural life in their new home, many becoming oil-pressers, a trade that perseveres until today.
I had planned to spend four nights in Jaisalmer - two days to explore, a day for Shabbat, and one more day at the famous Jaisalmer Desert Festival. But after an overnight sleeper train from Jodhpur, a quick nap, a visit to Jaisalmer's intricately carved Jain Temple complex, and an hour wandering the sandstone lanes, I realized I had just about seen what there was to see. I found myself an empty rooftop cafe with a view of the setting sun, and waited out the rest of the afternoon with a fresh lime soda. I was looking for somewhere a little bit less touristy to spend Shabbat. The Lonely Planet had a tiny mention at the bottom of the page of a place called Badal House in a village called Khuri,
