Coorg - Or - What is your Mojo Plantation?

"Why you not here Monday?" It was more of a demand than a question from our yoga teacher, Saraswati, when we decided to miss class on a Monday a few weeks ago to add an extra day to a Moon Day (no yoga on full moon and new moon) and take off for the hills for the weekend. "Holiday?" Erik tried guiltily, but she wasn't impressed. And since we don't have the courage to argue with a 72 year old, strong-as-an-ox Indian lady (yes that's our yoga teacher) we have decided to stay in town this full moon day. Which gives me time to write about the last trip.

Can you spot the coffee, pepper, bananas, mangos?

Eager for fresh air, greenery and some quiet space to go walking, we went to the Coorg (or Kodagu) region a few weeks ago. It was everything we'd expected: beautiful scenery, gently rolling hills, covered with lush green deep rain forest, layers of vegetation hosting the brightest birds and the prettiest butterflies.

A punk-rocking coolwoodpecker

Kingfisher - the bird, not the beer this time

Picking pepper

The region is known for its food plantations. Out walking with our guide Ravi we saw more groceries than at Tesco's/Fairway/ICA (chose as applicable depending on your country), except the groceries were there growingfresh rather than wrapped in plastic. Coffee, tea, mango, papaya, bananas, pineapple, oranges, lemons, spices galore, vanilla, cardamom, pepper and more.

Bananas never looked so pretty

Growing pepper

We decided to stay at the Raiforest Resort, home to the organic Mojo Plantation - and this proved to be the highlight of the trip. With it's logo "Don't panic, it's organic" the resort is primarily an ecological plantation of 25 acres, with a couple of cottages and tents for guests and a simple but pretty common eating/socialising area.

In the lovely Mojo plantation

The Indian couple that run this plantation are utterly passionate about what they are doing. They quit their careers as molecular biology lab researchers 18 years ago, moved South, bought this coffee plantation, and set out to convert it into an organically-run sustainable plantation. Appalled by the over use of pesticides in Indian farming, they were determined not to use any on their own land, and poured their energy into making their sustainable farm a reality.

All guests are welcome at the Rainforest Resort

Drawing on their scientific experience, and that of their friends, they spent years experimenting and testing to identify which plants help others grow, or which plant attracts a particular kind of pest or predator so that the desired crop can be pest-free and grow without the need for artificial chemicals, and so on. Since they were relying on the help of friends to work it all out, they needed to house the friends while they stayed, and that is how the cottages were built, and the resort began. 18 years later it's a flourishing coffee, vanilla and cardamom plantation, which also grows enough other crops to feed its guests mostly organic, and delicious, food.

Permanent watch-guard on our cottage porch

We learnt all this on our first evening during a two- hour plantation tour given by Sujata one of the owners who also fascinated us with the healing properties of many of the plants around.

Learning about sustainable farming

I swear, I could never have imagined being so excited about the molecular cell workings of this or that plant, but Sujata spoke with such enthusiasm and passion about her work, that Erik and I came away almost wanting to start our own sustainable coffee plantation in the hills! 

How can this not be calming?

Sujata and her husband gave an aura of contentment and were such an inspiration. They transformed their lives to be able to build something that they so strongly believed in - even though it took them totally out of their comfort and knowledge zones. Not only that, but they are clearly very keen to share what they've learnt (through the eco-tourism and programmes with schools and universities) so that others can also benefit and make a difference. And they are very happy - at least from what we could see.

Erik and I couldn't help but come away wondering what our own life's "Mojo Plantation" will end up being.

Sunset over the hills of the Western Ghats