The story of how a surprise, unassuming, trip to Coorg was the perspective our family needed.
It had been only a few days since I landed in Bangalore from Toronto, Canada. I had decided to surprise my parents and land unannounced. Of course, my sister was in on it because I didn’t want it to be too much of a surprise. I couldn’t imagine appearing out of thin air to my unsuspecting family and disrupting their lives. The other reason was that I wanted to plan a little trip with them.
Every time I had travelled to India in the last 8 years, it was spent in a haze of meeting friends, family, and work-from-home, which resulted in me having barely any quality time to spend with my parents and sister. A few years ago, my sister planned a trip to Egypt where we finally had some concentrated quality time together. Ever since then, we make it a point to plan something for a few days just for us.
This time, we weren’t as well organized and were left with only a few weeks before the intended travel weekend. We tried all the usual suspects – Airbnb, Makemytrip, local travel agents – we couldn’t find anything so close to our dates. A couple of Airbnbs were available in Ooty and our nature-loving hearts were excited to learn how close they were to the Mudumalai forest area. However, like all well-laid plans, they all seem to fall by the wayside one by one.
That’s when my sister remembered Knowhere Travel – a travel company that curates experiential stays with the sole purpose of connecting with nature and indigenous practices. I’ll be honest, it is not something I would’ve chosen at first glance, considering I’m too used to the creature comforts of city life. However, my family had visited one of their stays before and had a glowing review of their experience. Since the travel company does not plan the tour themselves, we were intrigued, but also unsure. So, with much trepidation and lack of choices, we booked the only available stay they had in Karnataka – Magnolia Mist in Galibeedu, Coorg Region.
Once we booked the stay, we were met with a list of rules and things to bring:
- Bring your own snacks
- Do not wear outside shoes indoors
- Bring your own beverages
- Throw your own garbage
- Avoid geotagging pristine destinations
And so on. Now, you may read these instructions and wonder one of two things – either that these instructions are valid, responsible travel tips or they are excessive for a short three day trip. While, initially, I was in the second category, upon visiting the beautiful farm and land, I quickly moved to the first category. There is a popular Kannada saying – Desha Suttu, Kosha Odu (Translation: Travel the country, Read a book) – meaning that travelling or reading a book can help us learn. These experiences challenge our current notions, provide a different perspective, and help broaden our horizons further.
Our stay at Magnolia Mist was one such experience for me. The day we arrived, we were all full and sleepy after a delicious and heavy lunch at Thaliya in Madikeri. The spicy Bale Kai Fry (Raw Banana Fry) and the soft and fluffy Akki Rottis had almost put us in a food coma. However, as soon as we entered the property, we were met with lush greenery, a fresh crisp breeze and the sound of leaves rustling that breathed new life into us.
We didn’t really do much the first day. We had a nice chat with Abhishek and Ana, the caretakers of the estate/farm, and their adorable little daughter. We took in the beautiful views and were invited to join a lovely home cooked meal made mostly with ingredients grown at the farm. Then, we called it an early night, but not before a few rounds of card-games.
The next morning, Abhishek took us on a tour of the plantation. He walked us through the various spices, fruit and vegetables they grow. Their coffee plantation and how the process of roasting coffee works were an interesting look at some of the most painstaking processes to be followed for a little cup of joe. However, the most engaging part of the tour was the connection Abhishek and his entire family and crew had with the land around them. He told us a story of how they stop all farm activities during the rains to save a certain species of fish from the locals who come to shoot/take away the fish for ornamental reasons. The genuine passion felt by the caretakers resonated throughout their land and we were completely enthralled by not just the sights, but also the spirit with which they take care of the land.
At lunch, we were served another fantastic meal by Ana. The delicious home made fruit compotes and vanilla yogurt parfait were most delightful. Post our meal, we went to a little stream nearby and spent some time there. The wealth of natural diversity we witnessed in this short trip was astounding and, while I don’t have the knowledge to recognize the different species, this fact was not lost on me.
Upon returning, we decided to try our hand at some coffee bean harvesting ourselves. It took us almost an hour to fill just one bowl of coffee beans between the five of us. Weaving through the branches of the shrubs and making sure to not disturb the spider webs around were harder than they looked. However, our day at the farm had somehow made us all feel more connected with the land and we all felt the weight of responsibility of trying not to let our actions disrupt the natural life around.
The next morning, we bid adieu to our gracious hosts, who were so generous that they gifted various fruits grown in their garden for us to take back. We also filled our bags with their wonderful organic products and made promises to return one day.
While we had many things we discovered during our trip and the stories of farming practices that are existent world over today were horrifying, I don’t want to go into too much detail as it would spoil the experience for you, the reader. What I will say is that this unassuming farm stay, with its uniquely built cottages and basic amenities, gave us more than what we were seeking and just enough to make a lasting impression.