Coffee and spice country

After Bangalore, we retreated to the serene hills in the mountains. I've been trying to muster the energy to write about our incredible experience, but sitting in a hot internet cafe staring at a computer screen is quite a stark contrast to the beautiful landscape we were experience....but here goes.

We made our way up into the Western Ghats again to do some trekking in the Coorg region. It is one of the world's biodiversity 'hotspots'--a very rich area, biologically speaking, that is home to a diversity of flora and fauna. We arranged to trek with a guide for 3 days, staying in homestays each night. We spent our days hiking through rice paddies just being harvested, coffee and tea plantations interspersed with cardamom and peppercorn...and we hiked through dense green forests, displaying every shade of green imaginable. Our guide, Vijayakmar, was a wise man whose knowledge of the area was great. He has been guiding for 20 years, and although he hasn't ventured far from the region, he had a worldly knowledge about him. As we grew to know him better, we also fell into conversations ranging in topic from religion to the world economy. And, he had enough trivia questions to stump us throughout the trip. In his polo shirt and polyester bell bottoms, he was the tortoise setting a constant pace whether hiking across a rice paddy or up a steep hillside. 

Each day it was a long busride to get to our hiking destination for the day. We would cram into the local bus, but it was quite carefree just waiting for Vijak to say the word that we had arrived at our destination. The music would whine loudly as the bus slowly chugged up the hills with great effort, and raced down them with reckless abandon. But once we climbed off the bus, we would see few people aside from some workers out in the fields. 

Our first night we stayed with an older couple that had a small coffee plantation (the plants full of the bright red fruits) surrounding their house with white washed walls and clay tile roof. Interspersed with the coffee plants were banana trees, bamboo, cardamom and pepper vines creeping up host trees. A lone mango tree stood proudly over the other plants. The smiling couple proudly brought us a cup of coffee upon our arrival. Coffee beans were scattered on a tarp in front of their house drying, which became a familiar sight as we ventured through the area. Our lunches were prepared for us, wrapped in a banana leaf inside a newspaper. Each day we anxiously unwrapped our lunch, eager to discover what was inside. At meal time, there was complete silence as we adeptly use our right hands to shovel in rice and curry sauces into our mouths. Once satiated (and quite happy!), the conversation resumes.

The second day of hiking, we visited an incredible waterfall. From the top of the waterfall, the small stream fell more than 100 ft and the mist played around in the wind. It felt as if we had the lush valley all to ourselves. Vijak patiently waited until we had our fill and we continued on. That night we stayed in a hut, which was part of a 'campground'. Apparently we were outside the high season, as we were the only ones to stay there. The three of us slept on a long platform bed that creaked and moaned with every small movement we made. Our light came from a small propane lantern, and it was the ultimate escape from the bustle of the city. We are our meals at a woman's house just up the road from the huts. When we wandered up for dinner, it was already dark and the room was lit by a small candle that sent light dancing around the room as the wind blew in through the open window. She and her mother worked busily in the kitchen and brought out an amazing meal. Communication was minimal, but we exchanged many smiles to express our gratitude for the wonderful food. Although she was cooking these meals to supplement her income, she had a warmth about her that made us feel very welcome in her modest home. The long wooden table was pulled up next to her bed, which served as a bench for us to sit on. She brought out half of a big beautiful squash to show us what we were eating for dinner. Once again, the food disappeared quickly from our plates, and we said goodnight so that the two could enjoy their dinner also. As we stepped out of their house under a blanket of twinkling stars, tears came to my eyes from the woman's warm smile and warm food. It didn't matter that we couldn't speak her language or that she does this for the money-her sincerity and kindness overwhelmed me. As we returned to the sagging bed in our little hut, the kerosene lamp hissing as it cast its light on the small room, I felt happy and fulfilled. 

Our last day of trekking, we had a different guide and two Indian tourists also joined us. Although it was tough to adjust to having a new guide (who smiled a lot but shared very little about the region), the couple had much to share about the region. Coming from Bangalore with an interest in science and ecology, they shared so much with us about the region. We hiked up through dense forests that opened up on a grassy ridgeline, where the wind swept past us. In all directions you could see the layers of hills, seperated by lush green valleys. The hills faded away into the hazy horizon. 

Each day of trekking we ventured to a different part of the region and thus further experienced the diversity of the area. It was a highly rewarding couple of days that showed a very different side of India from much of what we have experienced thus far.