I don't usually prefer spending a lot on vacations, but this trip was different. After leaving Tars at Pups N Cups (where he had a great time with the other dogs), Hemanth and I went to Evolve Back, Coorg.
The resort is located inside a huge 360-acre coffee estate bordered by Dubare Reserve Forest on one side and River Kaveri on the other. We stayed in a room with a private pool. Since it was the off-season and had few credits, we managed to get it without the usual guilt that comes with paying huge sum for it. The weather was pleasant and doable, with misty mornings and cool evenings.
What I liked about the stay was that, the hospitality there felt less like luxury and more like people paying attention to the place they are part of, and making sure you notice it too. There was a certain ease in how they took care of things. Nothing felt overly performative or forced.
At 7:00 AM we went for Bird Watching with a naturalist. Turned out to be one of our favourites. Since the resort is in the Western Ghats, it is home to many unique birds. They handed us binoculars to see them up close. Even though it was too misty for Hemanth to take perfect clicks, the variety we saw was incredible:
- The Oriental Magpie-Robin and Red-whiskered Bulbul in the trees, with the White-breasted Waterhen and White-browed Bulbul on the fields giving us nice poses.
- The Racket-tailed Drongo with its long ribbon-like tail swaying above us while copper-winged Greater Coucal (Baradwaj) were making noises showing its large body.
- Colorful Plum-headed Parakeets which we happened to realise was different than a regular parrot, the loud Malabar Grey Hornbill showing us its big beak, jungle crow waiting to hunt, while hearing the calls of Southern Hill Myna at the backdrop.
One of the most fascinating things we learned was about their preen gland. All birds have a small gland near the base of their tail that produces oil. They use their beaks to collect this oil and spread it across their feathers, which helps keep them waterproof, moisturised, and even protected from the sun. So when they turn their neck and seem to be plucking at their feathers, they are often not just cleaning themselves, but actually moisturising and caring for their feathers :).
It took me a day to adjust to how naturally the place carried its own sound. On the first evening, I instinctively played music out loud in the backyard, forgetting for a moment that we were in the middle of a forest. By the next morning, esp after the event, surrounded by bird calls and the rhythm of the trees, it felt unnecessary to interrupt it. I stopped using the speaker after that, especially in the mornings.
The Sidapur Coffee & Culture Museum was my personal favourite. We attended a session called "Coffeeology," where a guide walked us through the history of coffee in Coorg. Even though I acted like an expert, there was so much to learn about the "seed to cup" journey. We spent an hour tasting different gourmet brews and learning how different techniques change the flavour profile of the bean.
Between the long walks and slower evenings, we ended up getting a massage one afternoon at Vaithyasala. Sometimes you don’t notice how much your mind and body has been holding until it finally gets a chance to slow down. The next morning made us feel lighter.
We spent our final hours in the Reading Lounge, which sits on stilts overlooking the paddy fields, and browsed the local shops on the premises.
It was a balanced trip, we learnt new things, enjoyed the outdoors, and had our rest.