Coffee @ Coorg.......

"im really tired now,yawning on my chair,sipping my coffee,watching an IPL match..im just back after making the trip of a lifetime,bringing back lots of memories to cherish..this time it was Coorg known as the "Scotland of India",the trip happened all of a sudden,out of nowhere,seriously speaking we had no idea where to go even after reaching a long way from home..then all of a sudden,Coorg came up as it was my first time..its a long 300 plus kms from home taking around 7 hrs to reach this picturesque hill station..its misty hills,lush green valleys,evergreen forests,meandering brooks beckon nature lovers for a tranquil sojourn..mostly,its villages and small townships with coffee plantations all around,orange groves and dense forests..


we stayed at a cottage in the middle of a coffee estate,some 10 kms from Madikeri,the district headquarters of Coorg..a white bearded man in his 60's,a typical malayali owned the whole property,many acres of coffee plantations,pepper,cardamom,literally everything on world grew there..as the saying goes,"whereever you go,you will find a mallu in every corner of the world",most of the business done there are by malayalis,from petty shops to hotels..basically the Coorgs are known for their hospitality and bravery,they have a martial tradition and has many army generals,officers and soldiers..the women there are tall with nice body shapes and are extremely beautiful with a unique way of wearing their sarees..and beware,dont be stunned by their looks,their men are very protective about their women and may even risk your life..




the best thing about Coorg is the unique culture and tradition

supplemented with a cuisine dominated with meat,chicken and

pork..the rice rotti and pork curry was really a nice treat with

bamboo pickles,the foods spicy with masalas and all..





i had a relaxed day,enjoying the misty winds,all green,hills rising at some distance with a sip of coffee outside our cottage.. we started slowly the next day,proceeding to the Tibetan settlements at Kushalnagar,some 40 kms from where we stayed..one could peek into the Buddhist culture,the many monks with those red clothes who stroll through the streets.. the Namdrolling monastery houses three gigantic statues of Lord Buddha and his disciples which is as high as 60 ft from ground..the Golden temple is simply marvellous with paintings on the walls depicting the story of the life of Lord Buddha..there are thousands of monks and another thousand families living here..their prayers were strange in a way,loud chantings which i never understood,beating the large drums and those child monks looking seriously couldnt help,but made me laugh..as we drove through the fields,i could imagine the hardwork and labour put up by these wonderful people to start a new life,when they were forced to leave their country in the 60's..now they have their on land,schools,colleges,business centres,often felt like i was in a different country..on either side of the road,prayer flags of different colours decorated the trees and houses..i was greatly moved by their show of solidarity towards the fellow Tibetans with posters and writings against Chinas brutality and to boycott their items,posters and sayings of their leader,Dalai Lama were all around the streets..as we drove away,i remembered the beautiful smile of the Tibetan girl at one of those shops..


after lunch,we had a scheduled visit to one of our family friends home at Aborghate,a village some 10 kms from Somwarpet,another district near Coorg..the drive through the narrow village roads with large fields on either side,with often no signs of human life made me nostalgic..we could see a rural household once in a while,cattles strolled the roads with children amazed at the motor they see very rarely..after a 2 hr drive,twice losing the way often due to the difficulty in communicating with mainly labourers,we reached the place..there was a 10 minute walk from where we parked through steep,uneven roads where only four-wheel drives and tractors could move,crossing streams and green meadows,we reached the home.. there were fields on all sides,stream flowing along the boundary,large jackfruit trees and we sat under it on the courtyard,a typical rural household with cows,dogs and all.. moreover i was impressed at this guy who is an IIM graduate and threw away his high paid job to start farming at their ancestral home, somewhere its even difficult to reach at a time when even uneducated people migrate to cities for a better living..the drive back through the forests was really a risky affair since it was already late and elephants often strolled on the roads..


unfortunately,we had to rush back home the very next day due to an unexpected call,our earlier plans were to be dropped..our last visit was to the Rajas Seat,perched atop a hill,overlooking a wide valley where the kings spent their evenings,watching the spectacular sunset and mesmerizing view of the valley around,it gives a glimpse of the hilltops rising above the mist-covered valley to kiss the sky..after making some last minute shopping of the typical Coorg specialities of bamboo pickles and honey,we bid farewell to this enchanting beauty with the promise of returning soon.."