When you think of coffee, you think of it as an antidote to sleep, an energizer, and a mood uplifter but for me traversing through the lush plantations and winding roads was a portal to slow travel.

When I first visited Coorg or Kodagu, I was in my teens. Excitable, full of beans (no pun intended), and eager to explore the usual haunts the scenic Kodagu had to offer. Cut to 2024, a visit to the landscape offered me a chance to revisit memories of the local haunts, but instead, I decided to spend it in solitude. With a cup of coffee in my hand, most of my mornings in Coorg were dedicated to walking down the road surrounded by dense plantations, breathing in the clean air, keeping an ear out for the flapping of wings overhead, especially that of the Grey Hornbill, watching the steam from the coffee cup entwine itself with the morning mist, and marvel at the surroundings shake and stretch itself to life.

When you deliberate on slowing down, you often don’t with the pressure of achieving the said decision, but when you are here, Coorg, helps you do that. A gentle pat on the back lent by the passing wind, landing of a fresh dew drop on the cheek or the head- a gentle assurance and the roar of the Cauvery - a nod to the importance of being aware of one’s surroundings.

As I take the off-beaten path, the terrain changes from the dense forests to the stoic paddy, and the region introduces you to a different life. From the dense of the plantation – forest, you are welcomed by the gentle lapping of water against the paddy. Following the flight of the Egrets as they take off like elegant drones over the crop, I stumble upon a basking Monitor Lizard who sprints past as I occupy its place in the sun. Taking to the fields, it disturbs a flock of White- breasted water hens who are on an expedition of the irrigated lands as part of their morning patrolling. As I admire the expanse of the fields, the Malabar Parakeets screech overhead competing with the happiness of the school-going children as they walk past chattering away about the day ahead, with freshly combed hair complete with a generous amount of oil, and a shy smile. Their uniform, a red, not very different in colour from the brilliant red beaks of the said birds.

As I watch the happy flock of students depart now singing away, the gentle morning haze is substituted by the bright sun setting the fields and landscape ablaze in colours of green and gold. The sun seems to recharge the butterflies, as they flit around flirting in the sky. The Common Crows and the Blue Tiger, The Bush Browns, and the Grass yellows make for a merry morning and their dance is interrupted by the waking up of the villages nearby. The people set off on their morning chores, some towards the river, some on a stroll, and some hum happily as they wave in my direction. With the onus of humming passed down to me as the people disappear down the dusty road, I hum rather tunelessly and turn to go towards my start point, past the fields, the forest and the plantations, the mighty Rosewood trees, the Wild Ginger plant and the coffee and pepper bushes. As I stop by the coffee bush, I notice that the blush on the coffee pod is slight yet evident awaiting the December bloom. Admiring the hue, as I restart my wandering a sudden movement mid-air catches my eye, a stunning shimmering pink-red dragonfly.

Commonly known as the Ruddy Marsh Skimmer, it lands only for a second next to the coffee bush and as if energized by that brief rendezvous flies up, its wings illuminated by one single ray of the sun sneaking in through the foliage. As I sigh happily, ready to take the last sip of my coffee, a perfect blend created by Arabica and Robusta beans (both of which are grown here), I realize it's time for a refill and relive the beauty of slow travel one slow step at a time!

Bhavna Menon

Bhavna Menon is an independent conservationist and a freelance writer. Having worked in the conservation sphere for almost 15 years, she has been in charge of planning and executing projects in line with conflict mitigation, creation of alternative livelihoods in tandem with community members living around protected areas and capacity building/training with the Forest Department frontline staff.

She also contributes to different publications, with a strong focus on covering conservation stories and people. Apart from working with organisations in the capacity of a Communications Consultant, she has been appointed as the Director (conservation) at Aaranyachar, a wildlife tourism outfit where she is in charge of promoting and curating ecotourism activities (community related) for guests travelling to different protected areas.

Coffee and the art of slow travel

Bhavna Menon