Salopek continues to head south in Rajasthan, making slow but steady progress. He has been struck by how many of those he meets along the way are engaged in hard manual labour, from working in stone quarries to toiling in the fields.

On October 23 he hit milestone 59 for his journey. This denoted mile 5,800 (9,335km) and day 2021 of the expedition. As always, he approached the first person he encountered for a short interview. A young farmer named Sushila Bairuwa invited them into her yard, gave them well-water and a seat in the shade. Salopek asked her where she was going. “I'll still be here in 5 years or 10 years or more,” she said, “I only wish there was more water access here.”