coffee country- kodagu land

Coffee country - Kodagu land
Just back from Coorg, an offsite as it is referred to these days.Five or six hours by road from Bangalooru and you reach the famous coffee land. If you think that aroma of coffee beans will be wafting and you will be dragged into the lap of pristine coffeeland, you will be wrong. These people have no clue how to brew coffee!Long long ago, some migrant countryman brought coffee seeds to this land and the climate and topography was ideal for its cultivation. And cultivate very good and quality coffee beans, they did; they stopped there, perhaps thinking this far and no further.So the kannadigas from the plains, took it upon themselves to churn out aromatic coffee out of these coffeebeans.MTRs still serve the finest coffee that i have ever tasted, of course, the kumbakonam degree coffee comes a close second(highly recommend the first dicoction coffee from the hotels immediately off kumbakonam station at 4.30 am!)
Orange county resorts is some 30 kilometres before Madikeri and set in the most idyllic spot. The entire resort is planned beautifully with period coorg villas.For the really keen nature lovers, there were a series of tent houses.Some of my colleagues were not too sold on being 'so close' to the wasps and insects;some leeches it seems appeared and we were told that a curious snake peeped in and finding nothing interesting slithered out. When this story was narrated, he was told that he is lucky to be in the 'ultimate luxury accomodation' that the resort could offer. He generously offered to exchange 'ultimate luxury' with something far less exotic!But there were no takers there.
The weather was extremely balmy and light woolens made one very comfy.The independent villas were very very spacious and built in typical coorg style.Had 'tinnais' in the drawing room corner, with a awning opening out into the sky and greenery seeping in.Even the bathroom had an opening into the secluded courtyard which again had plants with rich green foliage.Had an equivalent experience to bathing by the well, with lots of mango and banana trees for company!The villa had a private swimming pool and jacuzzi in its backyard.All sorts of birds were chirping and talking in the early morning that i woke up; absolutely no other sound.The mist was overhanging the swimming pool and the tall pine trees were just dimly visible.I was sitting in the most cozy grandfather easy chairs that one could think of in the spacious verandah and it was bliss.Slowly the sun was peeping out and i was changing my posture to suit the sunlight warming my feet. I reluctantly came out of the magic spell.