COORGS OR KODAVAS-NOT COORGIS
Or so the book on the coffee table informed me. (The tiger’s tail and other stories by C.M. Belliappa to be precise!!!). I filed that bit of information away for future use to try out on my Kodava friends-hopefully they do not resort to anything violent nothwistanding their martial heritage.
Snapshots of my weekend trip to Coorg:
-A lovely house right in the middle of a coffee estate-a homestay-(or was it an estate stay since there wasn’t a family living in with us?) with two Bengali cooks. Needless to say we were not treated to native fare, but the food on the table at each meal time was simply scrumptious, so no complaints there.
-Pretending to be planters-long morning walks through the dew-soaked flora -keeping a sharp lookout for leeches. I can’t stand the things-both the animal and the human varieties. Back after a tramp in the hills and sitting down to a huge breakfast-true planter style. It was mind boggling the amount of food we managed to put away!!!!
-Spotting fire-flies in the night. The last time I must have seen this beautiful sight must have been during my childhood days in Bangalore-and that definitely was a long time ago.
-The East End Hotel-a hotel with a difference. Made up of a group of quaint, old-fashioned houses with red tiled roofs, red oxide flooring and airy verandas, it was packed to the gills, attesting to its popularity. The menu card was even better! For the first time ever, I spotted honey and cigarettes on the menu, but of traditional Kodava cuisine, there was nary a mention.
-The above situation, combined with the Bengali cooks, forced us to venture out in the evening, in a car full of kids and three adults (we were suckers for punishment) in search of local delicacies . A friendly local pointed out “Coorg Cuisine”, a hotel that served traditional Kodava fare, but was surprisingly empty. We practically bought everything on the menu, the Kadam puttus (rice dumplings), the nool puttus (the Kodava version of rice noodles) and last but not the least, the famed “pandi curry.”
-Nights so dark, you could cut it with a knife. Stars so brilliant you could not help but stop and stare. (All this stargazing led to a heated discussion on Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Resolution required a google search on hubby dear’s mobile!!!)
-Hubby dear, in order to keep all the hyperactive kids occupied, started an impromptu reciting session. Eensy weensy spider seemed to be the hot favorite with almost every kid reciting it at least once. Appu, who had never heard the rhyme before then also jumped into the bandwagon with “Eensy weensy spider, sat on a wall” and couldn’t understand why all the adults were holding their sides and rolling with laughter!!!
-One bounce out cricket: Are the T20 organizers listening? Here is another very popular version of the game, atleast judging from the decibel levels of the players
-Return trip-Stopover at Ranganathittu. A lovely boat ride on a glassy green lake, the only sound the gentle slapping of the oars in the water. Slightly marred by a Titanic-style collision with another boat. The only human voice heard being one of the zealous moms pointing out sights to the kids. This, after all the kids were threatened with dire consequences if they so much as sneezed!!
-A alligator sunning itself on a rock, so quiet and still we decided it was a mummy posed for the tourists' benefit, much to the indignation of the boatman. Our theory put to rest when we saw a couple of beady eyes and the very tip of a snout glide soundlessly by a little later.
-After two days in idyllic surroundings, we were brought back to earth with a resounding thud- a traffic jam that started 60 km away from Bangalore.
Yes, we didn’t get to hit the popular tourist destinations-Nisargadhama and the Tibetian monastery. But then, that’s the perfect excuse to go back!!!
Snapshots of my weekend trip to Coorg:
-A lovely house right in the middle of a coffee estate-a homestay-(or was it an estate stay since there wasn’t a family living in with us?) with two Bengali cooks. Needless to say we were not treated to native fare, but the food on the table at each meal time was simply scrumptious, so no complaints there.
-Pretending to be planters-long morning walks through the dew-soaked flora -keeping a sharp lookout for leeches. I can’t stand the things-both the animal and the human varieties. Back after a tramp in the hills and sitting down to a huge breakfast-true planter style. It was mind boggling the amount of food we managed to put away!!!!
-Spotting fire-flies in the night. The last time I must have seen this beautiful sight must have been during my childhood days in Bangalore-and that definitely was a long time ago.
-The East End Hotel-a hotel with a difference. Made up of a group of quaint, old-fashioned houses with red tiled roofs, red oxide flooring and airy verandas, it was packed to the gills, attesting to its popularity. The menu card was even better! For the first time ever, I spotted honey and cigarettes on the menu, but of traditional Kodava cuisine, there was nary a mention.
-The above situation, combined with the Bengali cooks, forced us to venture out in the evening, in a car full of kids and three adults (we were suckers for punishment) in search of local delicacies . A friendly local pointed out “Coorg Cuisine”, a hotel that served traditional Kodava fare, but was surprisingly empty. We practically bought everything on the menu, the Kadam puttus (rice dumplings), the nool puttus (the Kodava version of rice noodles) and last but not the least, the famed “pandi curry.”
-Nights so dark, you could cut it with a knife. Stars so brilliant you could not help but stop and stare. (All this stargazing led to a heated discussion on Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Resolution required a google search on hubby dear’s mobile!!!)
-Hubby dear, in order to keep all the hyperactive kids occupied, started an impromptu reciting session. Eensy weensy spider seemed to be the hot favorite with almost every kid reciting it at least once. Appu, who had never heard the rhyme before then also jumped into the bandwagon with “Eensy weensy spider, sat on a wall” and couldn’t understand why all the adults were holding their sides and rolling with laughter!!!
-One bounce out cricket: Are the T20 organizers listening? Here is another very popular version of the game, atleast judging from the decibel levels of the players
-Return trip-Stopover at Ranganathittu. A lovely boat ride on a glassy green lake, the only sound the gentle slapping of the oars in the water. Slightly marred by a Titanic-style collision with another boat. The only human voice heard being one of the zealous moms pointing out sights to the kids. This, after all the kids were threatened with dire consequences if they so much as sneezed!!
-A alligator sunning itself on a rock, so quiet and still we decided it was a mummy posed for the tourists' benefit, much to the indignation of the boatman. Our theory put to rest when we saw a couple of beady eyes and the very tip of a snout glide soundlessly by a little later.
-After two days in idyllic surroundings, we were brought back to earth with a resounding thud- a traffic jam that started 60 km away from Bangalore.
Yes, we didn’t get to hit the popular tourist destinations-Nisargadhama and the Tibetian monastery. But then, that’s the perfect excuse to go back!!!
posted by newatthis at 6:48 PM
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