Weekend getaway

I just spent the weekend at Sunti koppa, a small village to the northwest of Mysore, in Kodagu, a.k.a. Coorg, district. I was there with my relatives – six of us in all – and we were put up at a homestay in the middle of a coffee and pepper estate. It was my first vacation in three years and although it was only 48 hours long, it was splendid. As travellers to the area will be familiar, there are lots of places to visit in the area. We ourselves visited the KRS dam, Brindavan gardens, Namdroling monastery, Mallapalli falls and the Dubare elephant camp. However, the highlight for me was the homestay itself and its situation in what city-dwellers would know as the Middle of Nowhere.

Our homestay is to the left of this picture. The path here leads to the quarters' front door. The structure visible ahead is the kitchen, and to its right the staff quarters. Around the perimeter encompassing these three structures, a coffee plantation 65 acres in area stretches on all sides. Our homestay was managed by Mr Cariappa, the owner of the plantation. We had a cook at attend to our food needs and another person who helped keep the place clean and running.

Mr Cariappa was also there frequently, talking to us about the area, discussing must-see places nearby and making sure we were comfortable. His house, where he stayed with his mother, brother and a dachshund, was located a few hundred metres away, right of the kitchen in the photo above.