Travel - International Indian

RIGHT: Naomiat Irupu FallsBELOW:Shyam walkingus through SpiceGlade withNathan‘‘Homestaysare verycommonand thebest wayto experiencetheculture,traditionandessence ofCoorg.‘‘its thick foliage and wildlife.So, we headed straight to Kutta, SouthCoorg stopping over at the Tibetan Monasteryand the Dubare Elephant Camp on our way.The drive was beautiful since Coorg covers anarea of only 4,102 sq km and is known for itsscenic beauty, coffee and spice plantations.I had never been to a Tibetan monasterybefore and could not imagine a settlement orcommunity of that size right in southern India.The Dubare Elephant camp was a pleasantexperience, as we landed there just in time formy children to bathe the elephants.After a really picturesque journey andsome exciting sightseeing, we arrived at SpiceGlade – our plantation home-stay that wouldbe our abode during our time in Coorg. Homestays are very common and the best way toexperience the culture, tradition and essenceof any place. Besides, we wanted to experiencetrue Coorg hospitality instead of staying ata you-know-what-to-expect star hotel. Ourhosts were Shyam and Jeswin Cariappa whowelcomed us tired souls that evening withfreshly brewed Coorg coffee and chocolatecakes. In the coming days, we were trulylooked after with utmost care. Their hospitalitywas better than that of any five star hotel!At Spice Glade we had a cottage toourselves, just a few metres from theCariappa’s home and surrounded by 36 acresof plantations. We walked around a bit andrealized that Spice Glade was engulfed byexquisite flora and fauna! We had neverseen so many flowers all in one place –bougainvillea, roses, anthuriums, crab claws,musanda, gerberas, birds of paradise, hibiscus,cyprus, powder puffs, xoria and others. After ahearty dinner and a hot shower, we were readyto rest our tired bodies in the stillness of Coorg– the only sound that broke the silence of thenight we discovered were the crickets and thefrogs croaking. Tomorrow was another day!Day Two and we were awakened by thechirpy sounds of birds and after a good Coorgbreakfast we decided to explore South Coorg.The day’s agenda included a visit to Irupu Fallsat the Brahmagiri Forests and then a drivethrough the Tata Tea Estates. Never have I seensuch sprawling, never ending tea plantationswith long never ending windy roads. By 3pmwe were ready to devour eveything on themenu at Café Robusta – the only restaurant inSouth Kutta - which served the most deliciousbutter chicken and Kerala parathas. We decidedto make this our regular get away for lunch.THE PLANTATION WALK!Day Three and Shyam decided to showus around his beautiful plantation. Pointingto a sturdy tree where he intends to build aTree House one day, Shyam shared with usthat after his education, he was given theresponsibility of looking after this plantation byhis father. Their main occupation is growingRobusta Coffee but it is also natural to growfruits and spices which work alongside thenatural habitat. We saw huge ant hills whichShyam mentioned were also important as theyate insects and protected the plantation.Fruit is grown in abundance and we keptThe International Indian 63