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Sounds of silence

Photos: K. Ananthan

Calm and repose At Adderley

If you discount the talkative birds and the creaky swing, you can actually hear the plants growing. It is that silent at Adderley, Glendale Estates. And, that one fact alone makes it a great escape. Add to that a bungalow built in the 1800s where you can stay, and you have the perfect weekend.

Not just drinking tea, even watching it all day is therapeutic. Sitting on the swing under a jamun tree you have in front of you a colonial bungalow, with undulating hills and tea gardens as a backdrop. You have nothing more strenuous to do than follow a ribbon of smoke as it joins some clouds lazily making their way somewhere. And, just behind you is the spread of the Mettupalayam plains.

I am not done. Just wait till it starts to get dark. Pinpricks of light appear in the distance and suddenly, there is this huge spider-web picked out in crystal and gold flung over the plains. It is inspiration enough for several odes.

A two-levelled garden has varieties of plants and trees neatly labelled with their botanical details. A huge rock sits plumb in the middle of the garden. It couldn’t be moved, so a hedge was planted around it and the depression on top forms a natural birdbath.

You are clearly in the minority here. It is bird territory and they hop and peck and completely ignore you. Long walks are of course de rigueur and one could either walk up to Dolphin’s Nose a kilometer away or trek to some cinnamon and spice plantations. And, Coonoor’s regular tourist beats are not far at all. But, it is unlikely you will want to stir out at all. Mobile phones are useless here. But, there is dish TV if you are boring enough to want it. Yesudas who has been at the Bungalow for the last 35 years brews you as many cups of tea as you want and also cooks. Food is simple and wholesome. The rooms and bathrooms are large and spotlessly clean. Best of all, pets are allowed!

Suite Rs 3,000 per day

Room Rs 2,000 per day

Meals Rs 60 per head for breakfast/Rs 100 per head for lunch and dinner respectively

One can also rent the entire bungalow (5 bedrooms) for Rs 9,000. One has the option of bringing one’s provisions, etc, and the resident cook can make your meals.

For reservations and other details call: Rin Otter at 9444993176/04232206779 or visit

www.glendalestays.in

email:

Glendale@dataone.in

How to get there: Adderley is just a kilometre short of Dolphin’s Nose that is approximately 10 kilometers from Simms Park in Coonoor.

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