A Spanish tourist who planned to spend a week in a village in northeastern India's Assam ended up staying for seven months owing to the COVID-19 induced lockdown. On September 22nd, everyone from Bokotial in Sivasagar district turned up at Simaluguri, the nearest railway station to bid him an emotional farewell.

Manuel Rodriguez pedalled into the Assamese village on February 14 earlier this year. The 41-year-old Spaniard who worked at a hotel in Spain for 10 years had planned to cover most Asian countries on his bicycle.

Last year, he flew to Tokyo and cycled around Japan before reaching the India-Myanmar border on January 27 via South Korea and the Southeast Asian countries.

A villager named Biswajit Barbaruah then happened to meet Rodriguez in a youth festival and invited him over as he was interested in exploring the local culture. He showed up a few days later after touring other parts of the state.

During his extended holiday, Rodriguez stayed with the Barbaruahs. He helped them with the chores, learnt paddy farming and took part in community fishing and other village activities. Apart from this, he also taught the children of the village to play the guitar and speak Spanish.

Videos from his stay show the Spaniard feeding cattle and cooking. He can also be seen fooling around with the kids.

Mr. Rodriguez said that his visit to Bokotial on Valentine's Day could have been predestined. He stated how he fell in love with the village and can never forget the hospitality of the people.