The road to Lalrinpuii’s homestay ends in a bamboo gate and a view that stretches across three ridges. Her family opened five rooms to travellers in 2020, with one condition: the guesthouse would never draw from the grid or the village spring.
Every roof slopes towards a 40,000-litre underground tank. A rooftop solar array and a battery bank power lights, fans and a water heater. Food comes from the family’s own terraced garden and neighbours’ farms.
Guests become part of the routine
Visitors are asked to take bucket baths during dry months and to switch off lights during cloudy spells. Almost nobody complains. Several return guests now arrive with seeds from their own gardens.
The homestay employs four young people from the village and buys from fourteen households. Lalrinpuii says the business model is simple: "Spend less on things, and more on people."
