Where do we go? Can we go for a short vacation? These were the questions that we asked ourselves when we had 3 days available to us.. Well, the options were not too many, given the number of days available.. We zeroed in on Coonoor, and were benevolently offered a place to stay, with the rider “If you have the courage to stay there, you can. You will have wild animals like a wild bison, a tiger, a bear or even a mongoose coming outside the gate”. The only information we had was that this place was in the middle of somewhere and that it was self sufficient with its own kitchen. No wifi and no TV and wild animals at the doorstep..  Exciting combo indeed!!!

We started in the morning of Friday, the day of Ugadi. What we perhaps did not prepare ourselves for, was the traffic that was moving out of Bangalore, in a similar direction as we were. Toll gates were packed with vehicles that took almost 20 – 25 minutes to clear and two such toll gates were enough to test our waiting threshold. As for the hotels to stop by for breakfast, many of them were bursting with crowd and one literally had to stand near a table, to occupy that, lest someone else beats us to it J.. I

Asking for directions, looking at boards and at the distance markers, we finally reached the foothills of Nilgiris (which houses both Coonoor and Ooty amongst a few other places)  by about 4.30 in the evening.. Now started the hair pin bends. Monkeys at every turn, and of all shapes and sizes and ages.

There were tiny monkey tots that were clinging on to their mothers.. There was one monkey that was trying to open a plastic bottle and one that was trying to tear a plastic cover (don’t we have a rule not to throw plastic around? I guess we do but there are these rule breakers too).. It seemed to me that every monkey was looking at me (Did they see me in them? Perhaps wondering how one of them is travelling in a car J).. Many a hair pin bend rule was being broken by the vehicles that were coming down from Ooty or going up to Ooty.. But the scenery around was so lovely to look at, that no discomfort stayed for more than a few seconds.

There was still daylight when we reached the cottage at 6.30 PM and the approach to the cottage, the surroundings  and the cottage itself made us gasp. There was no looking at any other option after this..

As we were standing outside, there was a mist that suddenly surrounded us and in about 30 seconds, it was misty all around with minimum visibility. In a few minutes however, the mist cleared. It was the the first experience with nature that unfolded and set a prelude to what maybe in store for the next two days.

Dinner at the friend’s sister’s house which is in one of the 450 villages in Nilgiris was just too yummy with chapathi, a simple vegetable made of fresh green peas and another of kidney beans and potato, rice and rasam.. We were later taken on a car ride round the hills of Coonoor where we spotted a wild bison which was as big as an elephant. The disadvantage of being in the city is being in the shackles of comfort.. Darkness just raises the goosebumps and the fear of the unknown just scares the wits out of us.. With a bit of pushing, we managed finally to get into the darkness and walk around, enjoying the fine breeze and the night that gave us a glimpse of the shining lights of the towns below.

We passed thru some closed shops on our return back to the cottage. Most villages do not have any tea shops or even hotels within the village. Every few villages have one junction where one would find tea shops / hotels. Why is that so? The villagers feel that if tea shops and hotels are started in villages, people especially the men folk will eat less in their homes  and hence this would not be healthy for them.

After a good nights sleep, I was the first one to be up at 6. The day and the sight outside was too tempting to be lying in bed. So I was off for a nice walk around the cottage, exploring nature and myself in the process. I have always wanted to let my feet sink into a bed of grass ever since I read about this in many books. Here they really sunk in, giving that ‘oompf’ feeling, though it was guiltily so, thinking about the insects and the grass that I would be trampling on. My guilty feeling made me to quickly step back to the walking pathway.. It was just me and nature and a lot of talking to myself – asking questions and seeking answers. A one hour tryst with nature..

Back to the cottage and time to get ready to go sightseeing for the day, after a sumptuous breakfast. It was actually a gruelling 2 hours spent in the car wading thru the traffic to reach Ooty. Halfway thru to the first stop, we realised that to reach that place will take us another couple of hours and we will lose the entire day. We changed plans, cancelled a couple of spots and went to the botanical garden first. Whew, this place was crowded too. Many people inside were either taking selfies or eating food. This garden did not seem much different from Lalbagh as far as the trees go, though the lawns and the shrubs were a beautiful sight to see. Well manicured and well maintained, despite the crowds that throng (though here also there were rule breakers, messing up the lawn with food covers).

The next stop was for lunch and then on to sightseeing once again but after some home made chocolate buying, at this shop called Jai’s King Star who give small pieces as samples to customers, to help them buy the chocolate they want. Tasting them was more yummier than buying them. Just when I wanted to say no, there comes a lady who looks at me and says “Taste this ginger chocolate and mango chocolate. They taste really good”. Well, it was ok to be a passive person at this time and just say a yes J..

It was then time to be off to see the Kodanadu view point and one had to pass thru acres and acres of private tea plantations, one of them also had a lake inside, a private heli pad, multiple gates and fenced protection. We also saw a small and the only vegetarian hamlet of the Thoda tribe. Well, we also passed by Vijay Mallya’s house called San Remo and wondered how much the house would fetch if it was sold and if that could pay off the salaries of some of the people who worked for him.

We passed by a Thoda community temple. What we heard was that the temple priests are around 12 – 15 years of age when they are initiated to be a priest in the temple. They live a life of discipline. The food that they eat is grown by them in the fields. It is just rice that they can eat that is mixed with the milk that is got from the cows they rear. They cannot eat anything that is not grown by them. The ghee that is used for lighting the lamp in the temple is made from the milk that they get from the cows. Only the priest can get into the temple thru the small opening that is in the temple. This priest may stay on till he is around 20 years of age and then another young priest would take over. The temple is fenced tightly so that no one else can get in.

We finally reached the Kodanadu view point that gave an aerial breathtaking view. There was this huge cliff that looked imposing enough and a wild bison that was happily lying on a huge rock, that were the attractions for me. How did it climb right up there? Is there no fear in the bison?  Well, to have just five senses has its own advantages, doesn’t it?

Time to head back and after a refreshing cup of tea, tea cakes and sandwiches, we were off to see a village which was another desire of mine. We were taken by this friend to his relatives’ house in the village. Community living personified it was!! A row of about 7 – 8 houses in one stretch, with the people living there related to one another. Everyone knows everyone else in that stretch. All doors are open and people just walk in and out. All of us went around a few streets in the village taking turns. I was taken around by this charming 12 or 13 year old, who spent around an hour walking in that stretch with me, taking me around and sitting with me on the platform (called ‘thinnai’ in tamil). Her patience to explain about herself and her community was truly amazing. At one place in the village, it was pitch dark and there was not a person there other than us. This 13 year old was striding so confidently on that path and when I asked her if she was not scared and she said, “No.. If I shout I will have all the people coming to help. My father does not want me to come this side because wild animals can come in the dark.” As we walked up and down the stretch talking, people inside the houses stepped out to meet us, invite us for a cup of coffee and went back inside when we declined the offer. The hospitality they showed is something I have not experienced before. They belong to the community called Badugas who constitute about 50% of the Nilgiri population. Information has it that in the many villages here, they cannot marry anyone from the same village (as they are all considered as brothers and sisters to one another). They also are not allowed to marry from a different community and if they do, they are ostracized. The latter though is slowly changing. Some houses do not have pipes in their houses and take the water needed from the common taps outside the houses either thru big pots or thru a removable pipe. Many houses have a ladder inside the house that takes them to the attic. These attics were used to store grains for the year but now are used as children’s sleeping areas. One of my myths that came down shattering was my thought that people in the villages are not English savvy. Some of the people spoke such fluent English that for a few minutes, I was speechless. The people in this village live ‘Athithi devo bhava’ (guests should be treated like god) !!

With much reluctance and a commitment to come back soon, we left from there for dinner at a restaurant with a French name..  Good food, lovely ambience and lots of chatter.. It was 11.30 PM by the time we reached the cottage and we expected to see some wild animals waiting to greet us at the cottage. But no, we were not fortunate enough 🙁

The next morning also was an early rise for me but with a difference. I just sat in the thinnai outside the cottage with a hot cup of tea and looked all around. My talking with myself, asking questions to myself and seeking answers continued. It was just me and my time with myself. We certainly can be the best company to have, to ourselves!! Then slowly the others in the family were up, in time to have the breakfast that was brought –  Hot puris with a vegetable made of beans and another with the traditional side dish made of potato and onion. The breakfast was made by the friend’s sister, once again. Just finger licking tasty. After some interesting conversation, it was time to pack and leave for Bangalore.

It was tough to leave this place which was home for a couple of days. A home that gave so much of serenity, peace and silence.. A home that was soothing in the place that it was set in.. A home that was ensconced in nature’s lap.. A home that I hope I am given an opportunity to return to many more times..