Tripadvisor came in handy and off we went to Linger at Balur Estate, a serene plantation in the Mudigere District of Chikmagalur.
There is something very comforting about road trips, those excited high-pitched conversations, those stopovers for hot chai and breakfast, the super-saturated greens in paddy fields, the roadside mounds of just harvested golden corn, those "Please stop stop, I need to click" to Mr. Husband....
A good 6 hours later with two super quick stopovers, we reached Linger at Balur Estate tucked amidst deep green coffee plantations. The byline at the plantation says 'Just do nothing'.
Excited at the prospect of doing just nothing we entered this 150 year-old colonial bungalow with cool terracotta tiles under our feet.
Lovely huge windows that seem to be framing the beauty of the plantation and also an easy outlet for my daughter to sneak a few pieces of biscuits to the friendly estate dog~ Raja and his unnamed furry friend.
Raja waiting for biscuits under the window...
Beauty in what remains;-)
Bulbuls, barbets, drongos, swifts seem to be welcoming us with their musical chirps. It did take me a while to tone down my city-bread high frequency to a more nature inspired one, but I did get there soon:-)
A lovely cupboard filled with books...
We had the whole place to ourselves with Ratnamma, the hospitable lady cooking us simple home-ly meals, she could have been your ever smiling relative in your ancestral home with whom you would hang around in the kitchen helping her cut vegetables or learn the local recipes. Only here she spoke to me fluently in Kannada assuming I would reciprocate with enthusiastic Kannada jargons. Enthusiasm intact I struggled with my spoken Kannada, with few words of Telugu, Tamil, English thrown in and a good measure of sign language!
...and we communicated.
She made us cups and glasses of chai while we read, watched & dreamed...
The ever smiling caretaker Amza who is called Azma due to a spelling mistake. The Kannada speaking Nepali watchman Prem Bahadur, the dog, Raja who took the 'Just do nothing' byline of the estate too seriously. All of them played a part in making our stay at the estate an enjoyable one.
A few breath-taking frames from the 400-acres of the estate and what little we did at the estate...
Our morning plantation walk path...
There are many streams criss-crossing the estate...
Fresh green pepper vines...
Balur Estate Bungalow at a distance...
Glistening dew drop...
Coffee berries...
Wild ferns...
I am not much into nature or macro photography but the place was so beautiful my camera seemed to gravitate towards these treasures of nature :-)
My daughter with a beautiful flower...
With cold hilly stream caressing our bare feet we decided to return to the estate soon....
15 comments:
Love the pictures, it captures the quietness. I love your work Archana, you are something else with the camera.
Very nice pics Arch. I love that beautiful flower. Mallika's feet are bigger since I last saw them in a pic and I really dig the henna design on your foot.
Love the photos- the soft light, the trails, the green pepper. Ethnically, I come from Southern Karnataka. Several of my vacations were spent on estates such as these :) If they didn't grow green pepper, they grew areca nut :)
Thank you for taking me on this wonderful trip:):)
lovely pictures as always, archana (the last one being absolute favourite) i love the way you guys set out to explore so many off-beat places around :) :) here's to many more such 'just do nothing' breaks ;)
pssst..that mehendi design on your foot looks very very sensuous!
Thank you Ladies:-)
Divya~ How cool. Must have been so much fun growing up amidst such beauty of nature:-)
Priya, crypticrow~ The mehendi design is a remanent of the festive season;-) Glad you liked it:-)
Hi Archana, this blog has become my guide for getting to know newer vacation spots. Since i'm fairly new to B'lore, this blog comes real handy :) My next trip would definitely be Linger.
Love the pics... so beautiful.. it feels like I am there with you guys..
so beautiful! it's amazing how much hawaii is like india :) i can compare notes now from your pix here & my recent ones...i'll have to put this on the list for a future india trip.
Beautiful pics. Nature pics are my fav. It reminds me of my recent trip to Munnar in Kerala among the luscious tea estates. PS: I am a bit surprised that being a Bangalorean, you don't speak fluent Kannada. It does seem like one hears all other languages but Kannada in BLR these days.
Oh Arch... brought back such great memories of this estate when we were there this weekend :) I am already missing Ratnamma and her food :) She and her food both are addictive ;)
I love how you bring India ( especially south of India ) to my desk ! I love going in the dream world and travelling with you through these photos. Love your work Arch !
Lovely post with great captures!
Hello archana. I just fall in love with your blog! First I came across with rang decor...and now I just love your all blogs. Your photography is amaizing.
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