india travel diary 2007 to 2008

We wake up with the first light at around 6.45am, in our hut in a misty, dewy field surounded by rice paddies.

I have a quick wash in some freezing cold water, then we walk over to the house.  For breakfast the lady has cooked us some kind of ricecake, like idlis but denser, thicker, heavier.  They're fried too, which gives them a sticky, crisp edge.  We also get a bean curry, which is dark and smoky.  It's so rich and meaty that we have to ask if there's any meat in it.  But we have some language trouble asking the question.  Just then Nachappa turns up at the door and translates into Malayalam for us - he confirms there's no meat in it, only veg, and it's a dish from Kerala.

We pack our lunch that the woman has made us - more beans, wrapped up in rotis - and head off to climb the highest peak in the Coorg.  Tadiandamol is 1750 metres high.  Nachappa says mol means hill in Malayalam.  Tadiandamol is set in the middle of dense forest containing tigers, elephants and deer.  Although we don't see any tigers or elephants we do see lots of deer.  We also stifle laughter as Nachappe points out 'forest cocks' in the darkness of the trees.  As giggly as we already are we've got tears in our eyes when he starts trying to attract them - by loudly blowing raspberries.

The climb is hot and steep, but worth it.  We sit with shaky legs and devour our lunch, which tastes even better than it did this morning.  We can see hazy, bumpy hilltops all around us, smooth rippling earth like a green moon.  We can even see all the way to the Kerala backwaters on the horizon.

We sit for a long time.  On thw way back down we walk through miles of plantations again, and Nachappa points out cardamom and pepper, mango, coconut and betel nut trees.  We stop in to see a retired army captain, who has a beautifully tended garden, a patio filled with vines and trees - vanilla, oranges, lemons.  He also keeps honey bees.

The last few days have shown us a region which is lush and alive, not the sort of landscape either of us expected to see when we came to India.  Nachappa was a friendly and knowledgable guide, and I recommend him and Friends Tours in Madikeri.

We get a bus back to Madikeri.  The driver has a tight perm, and along with his moustache this makes im resemble a comedy scouser.  On the relatively quiet roads back to Madikeri we nevertheless notice that he has a choice of two differently pitched horns, available via two different levers.  There doesn't appear to be a pattern to his honking.  It's mostly repeated, short rude bursts sporadically interrupted by a jolly, tuneful fLourish.

We stay at the Cauvery Inn, an old time hotel which has a carpet that you'd rather not step on.