Suresh dropped us and our luggage off at a poorly marked canoe dock. The lodges are across a river from the main road and are not accessible by car. Someone was there to meet us, and we got across to the main office right before the rain started falling.
It was late in the afternoon by the time we were checked in and settled. We spent the rest of the daylight that day exploring camp.
There are dozens of cottages there. Each cottage sleeps 3 people, so we divided our group - boys and girls. Our first night, there was only one other family there- they checked out the next morning. Our last night there was another family that came. The rest of the time we had the whole place to ourselves. Our solitude was the result of the torrential rains that were falling in nearby areas, as well as a huge transportation strike (Buses and trucks) that was happening that week in Coorg.
There are a few things to do around camp. They have a little house where they show a wildlife movie every night. The kiddos found the tire swing quickly as well as other dangerous things to climb around on. We brought games and spent a couple of rainstorms playing Uno and Left Center Right.
The kitchen is its own building. I asked if I could take a look and the cooks welcomed me in. I still have no idea where they were keeping the food. I seriously could not find a refrigerator or cold storage room anywhere. Maybe they had the food brought in daily? But every meal there was a surprisingly large buffet of 10-12 dishes to choose from. (Even when it was just our family they were cooking for)
Reportedly, there has only been one crocodile sighting in this area- and it was 5 years ago. Still, we kept our distance from the riverbank.
Dinner was served late, 8PM, every night and they offered a light tea at 5. We didn't go to tea the first night and the cooks were very alarmed. We explained that we don't drink tea (the kind of tea they were serving) or coffee. They asked if they could bring us a different snack which was so nice. Every night at 5 we got our own little non-tea tea of something fried and not spicy.
Everyone at camp hangs out at the campfire until they are ready to serve the evening meal. Fires are so mesmerizing -- see the fire faces above.
They have a couple of domesticated dogs that hang out around the kitchen at meal times. Grace would not be kept away...
Dining room with a view
The food was our biggest concern about staying at the lodges, but we were completely impressed. And, best of all, we didn't get sick. At every meal there were two or three things that each of the kids would eat. The cooks took care to prepare things that were mild (because seriously, EVERYTHING here is spicy). They made fried chicken, brothy soups, rice, noodles, vegetables and desserts - and, of course, piles of chipathi - that were all to our taste. And it was fun to try new things. I think I could eat traditional Indian breakfast foods 3 meals a day.
There was something about the whole thing that felt like such a magical adventure to me - the sounds, the outfitting of the camp, the river ~ especially at night... It was the Jungle Cruise but for real. And still safe-ish.
Our second day there started with a coracle ride up the river. Coracles are traditional rafts made from bamboo. We noticed that the coracles they use these days also have plastic bags and tar incorporated into their construction. The coracle easily floated all six of us plus our guide who valiantly paddled us upstream and back again.
Those are our cottages up on the river bank. There were hundreds of water lilies in bloom all over the river. Not a croc in sight.
There is a temple across the river from the camp. Though our view of it was obstructed by trees, we had no problem hearing the music that was pumped out for morning and evening prayers. The evening wasn't so bad. The morning summons came promptly at sunrise.
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