Of silver mist and clouds at the Silver Brook Estate

The Silver Brook Estate as we make an entry....

What a backdrop!

The narrow trail, with thick foliage on either side of it, takes one deep, deep inside. The gradation is quite discernible as we drive downhill and then slightly up on to a neat pathway. The red tiled driveway takes us inside The Silver Brook Estate. And there ends our journey. Yet, another visual journey awaits us from here. This, being our fifth trip to the Scotland of India,we came with no ready made plan this time. It was simply a trip to unwind,as the past few weeks had been rather heavy for the man of our house. He had been travelling on work and this time needed a little break for mental relaxation. And what can be more beautiful than Coorg, that is within limits for a quick gate away! Acres and acres of coffee plantation,each one belonging to a different family,with the names written on the pillars of the gate, a neat little garden in front of the bungalow, the misty mountains providing the backdrop to a beautiful painting, is pretty much the scene one is greeted with as we come to Coorg. The Silver Brook Estate lay nestled within a coffee plantation with Silver Oak trees surrounding it. A tiny brook flowed within the estate, making a very pretty picture.The sound of it made music to the ears! The main bungalow was built in Chettinad style with ornate wooden pillars, a sloping tiled roof,the flooring in colourful Attangadi tiles, exquisite wooden furniture and sported a garden with all kinds of flowers and trees. The owners of the estate,Revathi and her husband, Yogesh seemed to have maintained the place really well. We met Revathi, who hosted us with great care and looked after her guests. As we chatted up, she introduced us to her place. It was then that I got to know the story behind the name they chose for their estate. The estate, she said, was 6 years old. These city bred people took great pride in managing the place with elan! One need not do anything here, just laze around in an armchair or on the swing that I did not let go of from the time we set foot in the estate. It became my property from then on! With a cup of strong filter coffee, listening to the merry gurgling of the brook, the tweeting of the birds and watching the play of the clouds against the mountains was all I did since the break of dawn. The whistling lazy boy entertained me with its human-like whistles! This was something I had never heard before! The yummy local Coorgi cuisine added to my long list of likes. Noolputtu, a dish prepared with rice, along with chana curry was the right kind to go with the setting. Like I have always felt, our country has so many diversities in everything. The serenity all around was something we miss in our city life and this has been our reason to take these short breaks to charge us up with a dose of restful days; to look for a lesser known place that did the trick of rejuvenating the mind completely. The evenings were spent playing Antakshari with the other guest since outdoor activities were not possible because of rains. These are experiences to cherish; some of the extra fringes of living in an estate as resorts and hotels certainly do not give such moments of bonding. The misty evenings were times to relax, unwind over cups of filter coffee,read one of your favourite books, listen to the murmurings of the brook or simply do nothing! Leaving you with these mesmerizing images of greenery,peace and beauty at its best.

amidst the thick foliage

And what a riot of colours!

And my favourite spot! Amazing backdrop!

There flows the little brook,gurgling and murmuring along its way......

The simple joys......

A very common sight in Coorg.............

misty mountains.......

the warm interiors.......

My favourite spot in the bungalow......the swing!

the moist evenings...........

That's how the evenings would look!