I am just back from a beautiful- relaxing trip to chikmagalur. For those who don't know chikmagalur is a small town in Karnataka famous for its coffee plantation and Pepper. Chikmagalur got its name from "Chikkamagala Uru" which means Younger daughter's town, it was given away as dowry to the King Rukmangada younger daughter.
The booked place was Cochin -Munnar in Kerala but thanks to the landslides and monsoon all the routes were blocked and my belief of " Planning never works" got even more stronger. Chikmagalur has always been on the list but it never happened and when I didn't think of it ,I was en-route this place. Here is something I scribbled on a piece of paper I borrowed.
Its 10 pm in the night and as I sit on this swinging cane chair and try to locate some stars in the otherwise cloudy sky I am forced to compare my city Life Vs Life here.There is no network, that brings a big smile, no calls from dad/mom, office/ tele-callers etc hence the machine has been dumped away somewhere
We are staying in a Home-stay , the family has been warm and welcoming , Husband- Wife and their 2 son, the owner/Uncle of the home-stay tells me he owns a coffee estate,a nursery and now this home stay and he easily makes 20lakhs/Annum ,which is clearly a good amount for such a small town with no sky soaring cost of living expenses.
The landlady is a simple woman, a housewife and a doting hostess,she is always busy cooking, looking after the plants, talking to the people staying in the home-stay, though her mother tongue is kannada and I am just a beginner I could still communicate with her .Out of curiosity I ask her if she ever visits Bangalore, in reply she says " Bangalore is crowded, I went there last year, I don't feel at home.
I like it here, this is home."
After we finish our dinner I ask her if she had food, she says" I am waiting for my husband and kids, we ll have it together",its no big deal but I don't get to hear this
too often these days.
Its past 10 in the night and its pitch dark and extremely silent, I hear nothing except the sound of rain drops, the crickets and rustling of leaves.
The Kitchen light is still on and the helper "Lokesh" still seems to be working , he is the one who serves us the coffee and checks every few hours if we need something ,his family stays an hour away , he only speaks kannada but somehow he tends to understand what we want and oblige each time we ask for something.
The day here typically starts with a knock on my door , few cups of hot steaming filter coffee( I dont drink tea or coffee so its a bigg Exception here ) , a mesmerizing view of the mullayanagiri range , Dosa and coconut chutney in breakfast and the fact that I Can just sit and gaze at all the shades of green.Its just 10 am and there is nothing to do, NOTHING( And I cant stop smiling )
I am back to my favorite place which is a cane chair in the big balcony , I am in love with this chair,the view and the comfort it gives me.I eat, read, sleep in it and still cant get enough.
The knock is heard again and its time to relish the rasam, rice , parantha , beetroot and my favorite "the Greenest and freshest "cucumbers I have ever eaten! My friend and me engage in long discussion on life, beliefs, relationships, future till the time we both exhaust and doze off.
The day is spent catching some sleep which my body has been deprived of from a long long time.
The sky has changed color from orange to red with shades of blue and its time for long walks in unknown territory, we just keep walking and don't care about the directions , there is a kind of satisfaction in walking without maps or a guide in an unknown town . The award for those long walks is waiting for us as Our hostess serves us with Hot Onion Bhajji and the smell makes me forget the effort I put in the gym when in Bangalore. We hog on a plate full of it without any guilt .
Even before we could digest the bhajji ( pakoda) we know its dinner time and no we don't skip the meal, the cucumbers are served again with Rasam-Rice and a Dry vegetable, we eat till the time we finish everything on the table . The banana leaves are thrown away and I have mastered the art of using my hand to eat Rice-Rasam Combination!!
Its just 9.30 in the night and I am back to my favorite spot with a book in my hand.
The day ends here.
Life here is simple and different. Even if we try we cant have such a life in the city , the place, the people ,the equation changes totally that's why we crave for such retreats. It gives back the hope, the zest and the time to retrospect our lives and ourselves.
If I ever want to own a piece of land and if I ever could afford ,it would be here. Away from chaos, in the middle of nothing and everything . I never was fond of mountains , but this time I fell in Love , with the hills and Myself.
+Manisha Ramsisaria - Without you this trip wouldn't have happened, I still miss the long conversations , the walks and Your presence.
The booked place was Cochin -Munnar in Kerala but thanks to the landslides and monsoon all the routes were blocked and my belief of " Planning never works" got even more stronger. Chikmagalur has always been on the list but it never happened and when I didn't think of it ,I was en-route this place. Here is something I scribbled on a piece of paper I borrowed.
Its 10 pm in the night and as I sit on this swinging cane chair and try to locate some stars in the otherwise cloudy sky I am forced to compare my city Life Vs Life here.There is no network, that brings a big smile, no calls from dad/mom, office/ tele-callers etc hence the machine has been dumped away somewhere
We are staying in a Home-stay , the family has been warm and welcoming , Husband- Wife and their 2 son, the owner/Uncle of the home-stay tells me he owns a coffee estate,a nursery and now this home stay and he easily makes 20lakhs/Annum ,which is clearly a good amount for such a small town with no sky soaring cost of living expenses.
The landlady is a simple woman, a housewife and a doting hostess,she is always busy cooking, looking after the plants, talking to the people staying in the home-stay, though her mother tongue is kannada and I am just a beginner I could still communicate with her .Out of curiosity I ask her if she ever visits Bangalore, in reply she says " Bangalore is crowded, I went there last year, I don't feel at home.
I like it here, this is home."
After we finish our dinner I ask her if she had food, she says" I am waiting for my husband and kids, we ll have it together",its no big deal but I don't get to hear this
too often these days.
Its past 10 in the night and its pitch dark and extremely silent, I hear nothing except the sound of rain drops, the crickets and rustling of leaves.
The Kitchen light is still on and the helper "Lokesh" still seems to be working , he is the one who serves us the coffee and checks every few hours if we need something ,his family stays an hour away , he only speaks kannada but somehow he tends to understand what we want and oblige each time we ask for something.
The day here typically starts with a knock on my door , few cups of hot steaming filter coffee( I dont drink tea or coffee so its a bigg Exception here ) , a mesmerizing view of the mullayanagiri range , Dosa and coconut chutney in breakfast and the fact that I Can just sit and gaze at all the shades of green.Its just 10 am and there is nothing to do, NOTHING( And I cant stop smiling )
I am back to my favorite place which is a cane chair in the big balcony , I am in love with this chair,the view and the comfort it gives me.I eat, read, sleep in it and still cant get enough.
The knock is heard again and its time to relish the rasam, rice , parantha , beetroot and my favorite "the Greenest and freshest "cucumbers I have ever eaten! My friend and me engage in long discussion on life, beliefs, relationships, future till the time we both exhaust and doze off.
The day is spent catching some sleep which my body has been deprived of from a long long time.
The sky has changed color from orange to red with shades of blue and its time for long walks in unknown territory, we just keep walking and don't care about the directions , there is a kind of satisfaction in walking without maps or a guide in an unknown town . The award for those long walks is waiting for us as Our hostess serves us with Hot Onion Bhajji and the smell makes me forget the effort I put in the gym when in Bangalore. We hog on a plate full of it without any guilt .Even before we could digest the bhajji ( pakoda) we know its dinner time and no we don't skip the meal, the cucumbers are served again with Rasam-Rice and a Dry vegetable, we eat till the time we finish everything on the table . The banana leaves are thrown away and I have mastered the art of using my hand to eat Rice-Rasam Combination!!
Its just 9.30 in the night and I am back to my favorite spot with a book in my hand.
The day ends here.
Life here is simple and different. Even if we try we cant have such a life in the city , the place, the people ,the equation changes totally that's why we crave for such retreats. It gives back the hope, the zest and the time to retrospect our lives and ourselves.
If I ever want to own a piece of land and if I ever could afford ,it would be here. Away from chaos, in the middle of nothing and everything . I never was fond of mountains , but this time I fell in Love , with the hills and Myself.
+Manisha Ramsisaria - Without you this trip wouldn't have happened, I still miss the long conversations , the walks and Your presence.
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