A crazy Thursday night, soaked in the stress of Bangalore’s
traffic and lying down half asleep on the couch- I declared – I need a break….
Vinay rightly agreed and we began to look for a place on google. 10 best
holiday destinations around Bangalore, stayzilla, trip adviser and what not. We
finally decided we would drive to Chikmanglur. The first homestay in the list
is where I said I wanted to go and dozed off.
Stress had mooned us. We hardly had a glimpse of each other
on weekdays and the weekends swiftly passed by. We needed some time. Sometime of just
him and me… Next day morning Vinay called the homestay guys and confirmed our
booking….. We started off by 10 and drove to the land of coffee… Chikmanglur. We
headed to Thotadahalli homestay.
250 kms of velocious drive on the Bangalore Hassan road. Our
first long drive in our new car(Beauty , I tell you!) A sudden venture, a
spooky adventure, crawling in the steep roads of a 75 acre coffee estate - one
could surely sense the enchanting vibration of the woods.
Nature teaches us the best ways… there were a hundred shades
of green, some tall tress , some short and some that grew in the shade and some
that provided the shade. It speaks beyond boundaries to stretch, to never give
up, to stand out unique and then to be there for each other. The swishing of the
leaves, the woodpeckers whacking at tall trees and drilling unique holes in
them, series of chirpy calls that lasted a few seconds, the humming and buzzing
of the queen bee and the awe-inspiring western ghats. The sun drenched hills
kissing the breezy waves created a dense land of wondrous ecstasy!
Another thought that reflected my mind- food for thought for
sure! The aromas of roasted grains, sounds of the coconut grating, the smell of
the delicious onion being fried in a sizzling glob of desi ghee and the
innocent faces of the malnad women chuckling their beauty and adding a handful
of love to make some exquisite scrumptious meal.
We had the yummiest masala dosa and hot jamoon as early as 6
am in the Town Canteen. Vinay went all nostalgic remembering his grand dad visiting the same place way back then. This was the only
other outing those two days. We decided to dedicate our entire two days just
thriving to relax and forget the routine.
We spent hours soaking ourselves in the finesse of the
handpicked interiors. The brass pots shining in the east end of the stay, the
reflecting mirrors that told untold stories of visitors, the stone sculptures
reminding of the strength within and not to forget the plentiful varieties of
Bonsai that the lady of the house caressed with pure love and warmth. He and I
shared long lost stories of our first days together – of days we laughed, we
learnt and were immersed in the love that we believed would get us here today. I
chuckled as we told each other of how we grew up together as I rested my head
on his brawny arms. The swing moved back and forth and all I saw was his
sparkling eyes radiating the warmth and fading the aura around us. This was
what it was meant to be.
“We are all we need….”
