Coorg

This was supposed to go in a travel magazine but ...

A near death experience, acute bacterial stomach flu, delirium, parents rushing to meet their son, imagining the worse. But the recovery is fast, in a weeks time I am driving my folks from Bangalore to Coorg to drive out the sick cells and breath in Coorg, not heeding the monsoon thunderstorm warnings.

Last year I had found myself in Scotland, and was smitten. I heard mention that Coorg was sometimes referred to as Scotland of India. The bar was set high for Coorg.

A hurried call on the penultimate day assured us rooms in his home-stay, a coffee cum spice cum honey estate near kakabe in Coorg aptly named Honey Valley Estate. Coorg offers the whole gamut of lodging options from ultra-luxury to spartan, we had opted for the later. It is an excellent destination for immersing oneself in dense forests sprinkled with coffee and tea estates with a good amount of spices and honey thrown into the mix.

The whole geography is part of the Western Ghat ranges with mist covered green mountains, and plenty of water bodies in the form of lakes and rivers. Needless to say we did plenty of nature gawking and hiking. If you are the kinds to rather be inside the water than look at it, white water rafting is available on certain sections of the Kaveri river, fishing and boating are popular as well. The Kaveri emanates from a mountain peak called Bhagmandala, the top of which has an excellent temple around the holy kund. Though when we went there it was shrouded densely in mist.

Besides nature, the other charm of Coorg is the culture. It boasts of an excellent indigenous cuisine, very friendly laid-back attitude to life. Plenty of religious structures – temples, mosques and churches – done with intricate detail to complement the natures bounty. The most surprising part is a Buddhist monastery with a large Tibetian exile settlement, accompanied as usual with many shops for Tibetan artifacts.

I was reluctant to hit Madikeri – the largest town in Coorg – assuming it will be a regular commercial hill station with overcrowded alleys, but it proved to be a really neat town with some impressive panoramic view points from the Raja's seat.

And if you like rains, then Coorg would surpass all expectations in the monsoons, not just the heavy downpours, but the nature is at its lushest – a true rainforest.

The excursion really got me back into the grove from the weakness that had been lingering from the stomach infection. On a mental and philosophical note, three days in spartan quarters amidst dense forests was great for unwinding and realizing how little is required to be truly happy. And though my folks cursed me (playfully) for all the hiking I made them do in leech infested jungles, it left us with great memories of togetherness in a beautiful place we will cherish for a long time to come. Some tangible stuff I got back was 5 litres of honey, a litre of amla oil, other homeopathic oils all 100% natural and straight from the source.

For all you guys out there still undecided, there is one last attraction in Coorg that will seal the decision – the coorgi women – they are known far and wide for their beauty. Though they are known to be pretty tough, so better not presume anything from their coyness. And yes, carry some salt for them leeches.

My four day trip did not do proper justice to what Coorg has to offer. It is a a gem of a place and the best thing about it is the relative lack of marketing and commercialization.