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Site for sore eyes
After weeks of staring at your PCs, there’s nothing more refreshing than a break in Coorg, says Reshmi Chakraborty.
The trouble with driving through Coorg is that you feel like abandoning your car at every gentle bend so you can walk. You even feel like jumping into every waterfall that comes by your way. And it’s incredibly hard to resist such cravings when the road you are driving on meanders through unbelievably lush and green coffee estates with tall teaks and silver oaks, made even greener by the creeping pepper vines.
Green is the colour of Coorg or Kodagu. In fact, after a drive through its bright emerald hills, you might get withdrawal symptoms at the sight of anything that isn’t that particular rich shade of green.
Drives here can be eventful. For instance, we made friends with elephants going on log clearing missions with their mahouts at the entrance to Coorg, near Nagarhole National Park. It was a chance encounter, but a good start to our holiday, even if it was a short one.
The planter’s life
Saraswathi Aiyappa, the elegant lady who opened up her 170-year-old home to us, was wearing a saree tied the Kodava way (across the chest with one edge of the pallu draped over the shoulder), which is rather different and unique.
Like the saree, there are several things that make Kodavas different from non Kodavas. They practice Hinduism – but not the rituals. For instance, their marriages do not have priests. Couples are blessed by elders instead and the ceremonies allow non-vegetarian food and alcohol. The Kodavas are also known to be refined and that’s often reflected in beautiful plantation homes like Mrs Aiyappa’s. And you could lead a lotus-eater’s life in a plantation homestay. Start the day with a cup of mocha and a walk around the plantation. It’s a great way to refresh your ideas of botany. We spot oranges, passionfruit, vanilla, black pepper, cardamom, arecanut and of course, coffee, which is green, hard and looks like a berry at this stage, October and November being the harvesting season.
Walking around the plantation a lot is a good thing as traditional Kodava cuisine wasn’t meant for weight watchers. Pork rules the roost in forms like the famous Pandi curry and other forms cooked with bamboo shoots. If pork isn’t your thing, you could mop up the Kodava chicken curry with some kadumputtus (rice balls).
You’ll be leading the good life if you choose to spend all your time at the homestay. It’s best done sitting by the window gazing at the endless green of the coffee plantation in front of you. If you should get bedsores from sitting down all the time, you could rouse yourself and go on a trek down to the riverside or up a hill. Or, if you’re more enthusiastic than that, then check out the Coorg Wildlife Society near Madikeri (the biggest town there) and the Coorg Adventure Club in Gonikoppa, which organise several activities, including treks and white water rafting. You could even indulge in a bit of golf, if you are the teeing type.
On the road
But the best thing to do, of course, is to drive around. The road from Siddapur, the heart of Coorg’s coffee plantations, to Madikeri (Mercara to the locals) is a gorgeous green one, with farmlands, rain soaked bus-shelters and smiling school kids adding to the charm.
On the way, we encounter a truck carrying a baby elephant, to the utter and nonstop delight of the toddler with us. The clouds are almost within touching distance, the first rain of the day seem to be starting and you’d be a complete klutz to switch on the air conditioning in your car.
It’s all rather perfect and so lost are we in the winding bends and turns of the road that we almost forget to check the signs to our destination. This is why reaching Abbi Falls is like a wake up call. The entire population of Bangalore and neighboring states seems to have gathered here for the love of chips, ciggies and chai, going by the amount of empty packets and cups lying around. Located just five kilometers from Madikeri, this roaring swell of water is located in a private coffee estate and is worth a look despite the weekend crowds.
In close proximity is Rajah’s Seat, the sunset/sunrise point of yesteryear’s rulers. A better view awaits you at Talacauvery, the birthplace of the Cauvery river about 45 km away. The beautiful drive and the view from the nearby Brahmagiri Hills make it worth every one of the panting 300 plus steps up it.
Tibetan trail
If, by this time, tour buses and tempo travellers have become anathema to you, take a coffee break at one of the numerous small shops selling steaming filter kapi. You could even stop at the East End Hotel in Madikeri and try their famous keema dosa. Then drive down to Bylakuppe for a complete change of scenary.
Home to about 10,000 Tibetan refugees, its most famous landmark is the Namdroling Monastery, which houses 40 foot high statues of the Buddha, Padmasambhava and other deities. Its golden spires glitter in the distance, surrounded by green paddy fields.
Bylakuppe is a world apart with prayer flags fluttering in the wind, signboards in the Tibetan script, chortens or stupas, orange and maroon robed monks and Free Tibet stickers. It is the largest Tibetan settlement in India with other monasteries like Sera Je University of Advanced Buddhist Studies, re-established here after the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
You could pick up Tibetan trinkets like Tangkhas and prayer bells at the different camps here or, if you are on the tummy trail, check out authentic thukpa and momo cuisine at restaurants in Camps No. One and Four. Moving around the camps in sleepy siesta hour is a different experience altogether.
Back in the saddle
Coorg offers endless sights. To be explored at your own leisurely pace. You could, for instance, spend a night at the Dubare Elephant Camp run by Jungle Lodges and wake up in the morning to help scrub the elephants by the river and even feed them breakfast!
Dubare tends to be a huge hit with kids for this elephant bathing experience. If you don’t have the time for an overnight stay, simply walk in for an ‘elephant interaction.’ After all that entertainment, head back to the homestay where you came from. There’s more coffee to be had and perhaps some apricot brandy, hammocks to be tested and crickets and cicadas to listen to in the silence of the night.
Coorg also has wonders like the Kakkabe region with its tallest peak Thadiyendamol; the temple of Igguthappa, the God of all things here; Irpu Falls and the Nagarhole National Park. But those are another story, for another lovely weekend.
