#060: Fuschia, Kotagiri
I am writing this entry from Fuchsia Cottages in Kotagiri. I’m currently on a trip here with H. Yesterday, she remarked that this is one of the best trips we have taken, and I’m inclined to agree. Let me see if I can do justice to this environment with words.
We were immediately smitten with this place. As we parked the car and walked toward the cottages, my god—what a stunning view! A massive chunk of the Nilgiris range is visible from here, stretching out to the left and right, with tea plantations spreading below and all around.
After checking in, H took a 10-minute nap after scrolling through Reels for a bit; she claimed she’d be a "different version of herself" after the nap. I’m not sure if she was! Later, we decided to have lunch here, prepared by two akkas. One of them is Baduga and doesn’t speak Tamil natively, but she is fluent enough. We had lovely Sambar, Thayir, Rasam, and Appallam. There was something so lively and wholesome about their personalities and their banter.
I asked the akka for suggestions on things to explore nearby. She recommended two spots: the waterfall and the river. Since it was late evening, we didn’t have time for the waterfall, so we took a short hike to the river below instead. I’m glad H decided to be a sport and go for it! I think she enjoyed stopping occasionally to soak in the views and take photos. I took a bunch of nice shots with my new Pixel as well.
When we reached the river, we met another couple staying at the same property and chatted for a while. H initially refused to get near the water because she was afraid of slipping and hurting her leg. Eventually, I convinced her, and we sat on a rock by the river for a long time.
I had a realization: the water in the river doesn't have a sound of its own. The first thing that comes to mind when we think of a river is the noise it makes, but I’ve learned that it’s not the river making the music—it’s the water hitting the rocks and obstacles along the way. I think that’s a neat metaphor for life. I like to start a timer and just do things, so I set a 10-minute timer and meditated.
It’s amazing how you can fence off time into 10, 15, or 35-minute blocks and fill them with something meaningful. For example, right now, I’ve set a timer for 35 minutes to capture my thoughts. This activity is being filled with memories—things are being fed to the brain right now. I’m listening to light music and typing on my Mac, which I love. To fill in the ambience, I can see steam rising from the cooker and my coffee mug, and watch people going about their day. The coming and going of all things.
I even spent some time yesterday reading Mistborn: The Final Empire. It’s incredible how much you can direct your life just by focusing on these 35-minute blocks. One thing I always wonder is: what would happen if I filled my life with regular activities that take time—blocks of running, writing, meditating? When would we find joy in just being free?
Later, we saw a bison. Of course, there were jokes about it, but the thing was huge and muscular. It was on the other side of a fence by the river. Once we finished there, we hiked back up and had a nice bonfire with the other guests after dinner. Many were from Bangalore and exchanged stories. There was one very lively Rajasthani (or perhaps Gujarati) gentleman who kept the conversation going. He had something to say about every state and its people. I’m always in awe of such lively people—I remember meeting an amazing guy named R on a trek last year who had a similar personality. Regardless, we spent many hours near the fire chatting. Sometimes, I wish I had better stories to tell in groups like that.
We also heard stories about Mr. Deep Singh, the ex-serviceman who bought this property and set up his base here. He’s an older man who works hard during the day, managing the estate, but by 7 PM, he grabs his bottle to look at the mountains and enjoy his liquor. He’s apparently a party-loving paaji. The other guests—a group of college friends in their twenties and thirties—said they’ve had a blast partying here for New Year's many times.
It’s worth noting that we tend to enjoy trips with a homestay or hostel vibe, where people come and go. I really enjoyed a similar stay in Rishikesh (at Live Free), and Haritha enjoyed staying at a Zostel last year. Maybe we should do more short trips to places like this. As I always say, owning a car is probably one of the best experiences I’ve had. Moments like these are the reason we bought it. Would I be able to see the beauty of the Nilgiris from a property like this without a car? Probably not. Despite the expense incurred, I’m glad we made the decision. Yesterday, specifically, I felt a state of "flow" while driving through the winding mountain roads—it was beautiful. I’m quite easily impressed by nature and simply being able to experience it.
