Hari-Ma homestay - Coorg

It all began when we decided to do a home stay in Coorg and looked up for some options. I looked up the information on the web and read reviews from different sources and called up the home stay hosts. We zeroed in on Hari-Ma home stay close to Suntikoppa in North Coorg. Mrs Yeshu Thammaiah, the host sounded very assuring over the phone.

The place looked very much like how it seemed from the pictures on the websites. It is a beautiful  bungalow of a sprawling coffee estate owned and operated by Mr and Mrs Thammaiah. Its is about 4-5 kms off the Kushalnagara - Suntikoppa road and far far from the madding crowd. A huge open courtyard hedged by gardens led us into a front porch which has a lotus pond. The Thammaiahs are a friendly and soft spoken Coorgi couple and their hospitality made us feel very warm and comfortable.

The bungalow is two storied and houses  four bedrooms. The hosts stay downstairs and let out the two bedrooms in the first floor to the guests. A tastefully done and decorated, calm, neat and clean bedroom (with attached baths) awaited us. Separating the two guest bedrooms is a common area that opens into a terrace balcony. This is a great place to catch up with the first rays of the morning sun as it pierces the mist that shrouds the night.

It was 5 PM when we reached and Yeshu aunty treated us to a fine homemade cake, some cookies and piping hot locally produced Arabica coffee. This done, we formed a group and followed Thammu uncle into his coffee estate where he grows Arabica and Robusta coffee. He also has pepper, cardamon in his estate. We did a short estate visit with darkness closing in on us and returned back to the bungalow.

Thammu uncle had arranged for a camp fire in the open area adjacent to the bungalow and he promptly lit it up. The next two hours passed very swiftly. It was not particularly cold, chill is what I should call it. All it needs is to pull our chairs a tinge closer to the fire and keep the conversation rolling.We talked and talked and talked. Coorg is a very interesting place and Coorgis have a very long history.

Dinner was a detailed affair. Aunty had prepared a lot of dishes in traditional Kodava style. I do not remember their traditional names but there was a stuffed capsicum starter and a pepper chicken dry. Main course was roti, rice and idiyappam with sides of chicken gravy, a colocachia gravy and a mixed vegetable gravy. I liked chicken curry the best and I found Kodava style to be in similar lines to Kerala style. Aunty also had fruit salad for desert and when we finished dinner we were tired.

When morning arrived and coffee was done, Uncle took us out to a nearby backwaters of Harangi dam and it was a photo shoot spot. We started late and by that time the sun was out and we could not spend much time there and we returned to have breakfast. Breakfast was puttu but not Kerala style! It was kind of different from whatever I had had prior to this. We had puttu with peas and cauliflower gravy. Aunty suggested that I try puttu with honey and home made butter and I for sure liked this better.

All good things end and so does this home stay and it was time, we got ready packed the bags and filled up Aunty's guest book. She was so gracious to give us cuttings of a few nice flowering plants from her garden. Thus done and and a day well spent we headed back to Bangalore after a refreshing and relaxing day at Hari-Ma home stay. Wondering why the name Hari-Ma? Take a guess. 

Diwali and beyond

We have traveled to Erode for Diwali. Thursday evening we took the train out from Bangalore and by midnight we reached Erode. Spent a quiet Friday at Erode. Visited the Erode market streets in the midst of pre-Diwali shopping frenzy and it is a sight to remember.

Diwali day was spent with Pallavi's family and Saturday evening we left Erode for Coimbatore to start the wedding proceedings for Sathish. Sunday was a 'Getting-The Groom-Ready' function and my mom traveled from Pollachi to be with us for the function.

After we were done with this function, I joined my mom and Pallavi to visit Deepthy and her kid in Vadavalli. Yuvan as he is most likely to be named has already been nicknames as Chinna-Bonda. I think it is quite a fitting nickname. People who know Yuvan's dad will agree.

This Sunday has been special in more than one way. I visited the Sharadambal temple, the very location where I tied the knot more than 2 years ago. Memories came down running back as I took a walk around the temple and I should say 2 years have been eventful.

Car's first service with us

Recently we bought a used car. 2006 model white Hyundai Getz done 15k kms in good condition. Last week I took the car to the service center for the first time. It was for a general sevice - its official term is Periodic Maintainance Service (PMS). In addition I opted for wheel balancing and full interior upgradation along with under chassis protection from 3M. All together costed me 9k bucks. But going forth I think the PMS is going to cost me 3k bucks every 6 months for the periodic routine.

Lad no more

The eagle has flown. My kid brother is a lad no more. A marine engineer by choice, he has started his deputation with M/s Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL).

With great difficulty did he manage to obtain his marine engineering based certifications called CDC and Part-A. This was because of the lackadaisical attitude displayed by his college management in applying and procuring these certifications for the cadets. The role played by the college diminished to the worst possible extent when the last dues from the final year students were cleared.

But its all done and finished now. My brother has started his journey into the high seas. He has boarded his training ship from Mumbai and his first destination is Manila, Phillipines. He will be in 3 months of on-job training and will be back in Jan. My best wishes will always be with him as he starts his illustrious career.

Decided on the car

We had decided to get a car as soon as I came back from the US. While this happened on June 15th, we had not yet progressed on our decision as of the last weekend. We had been visiting dealers almost every weekend. Across Bangalore we have seen so many dealers and tried out several cars. We had it narrowed down to two models - the Maruthi-Suzuki Swift Vxi and the Hyundai Getz GLS.We had decided to go for the 2005 and 2006 models with 2006 being the priority.

Each model has its pros and cons and I would rate them as being neck to neck in totality. While the Swift surges ahead with its higher power and smoother clutch controls, the Getz has better gear shifting and offers more interior space although the exterior dimensions are a tad lower than the Swift. The Getz cannot match the higher fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs of the Swift, but it does offer a lower initial cost at the resale market.

The trick was to find a Getz car in good condition with a substantially lower mileage so as to expect reduced initial maintenance for a running period of 10-15k kms. Over the last two weekends we had checked out about 10 cars of the two models. It was extremely difficult to find a good Swift for less than 3.75L, Swift has incredibly good resale and is quite fast moving.

We looked at a 2005, Red colored Getz (the best color variant IMO) about 39k kms and tried to negotiate the price, but the deal did not go through. (Now I think that was good for us) Although we liked the car, it was not in mint condition, the interior was quite used and had substantial wear and tear. Yesterday we again went to the user car dealer - c2c cars located at Bannerghatta road opp to Purva heights.

This time we got to try out a 2006 White Getz GLS done 15k kms. We tried the vehicle and it was the best car so far. With just 15k kms that was obvious. The seller was quoting a moderately high price but we knew what was the apt price in the resale market. We negotiated the price to about 10k lesser than the correct price and got it worked out. The stand out point was that the interior of the car was in mint condition, it was as good as the running condition.

After a inspection as Trident motors on Sarjapur road, which confirmed that the vehicle was in great shape, we decided to buy the vehicle. The only decision to make was whether Pallavi would be ok with the white color. We drove the vehicle to her office and picked Pallavi up and she was also game for this car. Her inclination has always been on the Getz more than the Swift and she was happy with the white color.

So that's how it stands, I have made an advance of 10k and agreed to make the balance payment in 3 days. The car is blocked and is now stands at the garage till I make the payment. So that's how my first car buy has gone so far and it has been a rocking experience. Now on to the part of finishing off with the deal and learning how to drive the car!

I am immensely thankful to Subbu for his time and effort and his patience in trying and testing out cars for us. And also for his tips on the nuances of buying a used car. I am so glad you liked the car we picked.

Manina, without you this would not have been possible. You are the best...