This was a trip that was long overdue. From waiting for friends to join me and constantly postponing the trip every weekend, to finally frustration getting the better of me and deciding to go there all by myself. And as luck would have it, a friend I hadn't met in ages decided to join me at the eleventh hour.
The place I wanted to go to is Karuna Farms. This is a secluded 25 acres of wilderness on the mountain top, located a 40 minute drive from the city centre. This property has many small to big cottages scattered around and connected only by a small clearing among the trees and shrubs. A place which usually attracts backpackers and off-beat travellers as it's completely off the map.
On the first day I got here, I was overwhelmed with the rusticity of the place. My bathroom, even though private is located outside the room and is barely covered with a flimsy curtain. The electricity comes on only after 6 in the evening and is usually a dim zero watt bulb or a strip of LED's in every room. The hot water is available only on a sunny day (as it's solar powered), but considering it's located 2100 meters above sea level, it's cloudy most of the year. And one needs to use bright torches to get around post sun-set.
I spent a couple of hours absorbing my surroundings and wondering how I would get through these basic amenities for another three days.
Lunch was a simple affair with basic Indian food and this was when my view of the place completely changed for the better.
There is a main area adjoining the kitchen, where all the travellers meet for breakfast, lunch or dinner. There are just two small adjoining tables, and chairs are pulled in as more travellers join in. All guests sit together and exchange stories and experiences and get to know each other better regardless of backgrounds or any differences, it's like we are all united in this secluded place away from home because of our collective choice to stay at Karuna around the same time.
Being shy, I wasn't sure how I would fit in, but that doubt instantly vanished as people are so warm, friendly and easy to talk to. I met people from all around the world; travelling alone, travelling siblings, some who made travel plans on the go based on co-traveller suggestions, people who were backpacking for the last three to six months. The variety was amazing, and their free-spirited souls is worth admiring. Because we are all so caught up in the circle of working, making money, buying a house, making a name etc., that we forget what life is really about.
I have never been to such a traveller friendly accommodation before and this surely has been an enriching experience.
Aside from the friendly tourists, the place has a gorgeous view of the mountain range with low-lying clouds from every nook and corner. A view point called the 'rock', which is a rock jutting out of the mountain side has a view to die for. I could sit there for hours together, listening to the chirping of birds, watching the clouds pass by, seeing the lights turn up in the neighbouring towns as the sun sets. There are a lot of hiking trails to the top of the mountain, through bio diversity forests, through water falls, to natural pools, through nature in all it's glory.
And the day in Karuna ends with all the guests huddled close together over warm, tasty dinner as the mist sets in and completely disconnects us from the rest of the world.
This place means a lot of different things to different people, for me it was the liberated feeling that was tugging at my soul and asking me to let-go. Needless to say, the three days passed in a jiffy.
The place I wanted to go to is Karuna Farms. This is a secluded 25 acres of wilderness on the mountain top, located a 40 minute drive from the city centre. This property has many small to big cottages scattered around and connected only by a small clearing among the trees and shrubs. A place which usually attracts backpackers and off-beat travellers as it's completely off the map.
On the first day I got here, I was overwhelmed with the rusticity of the place. My bathroom, even though private is located outside the room and is barely covered with a flimsy curtain. The electricity comes on only after 6 in the evening and is usually a dim zero watt bulb or a strip of LED's in every room. The hot water is available only on a sunny day (as it's solar powered), but considering it's located 2100 meters above sea level, it's cloudy most of the year. And one needs to use bright torches to get around post sun-set.
I spent a couple of hours absorbing my surroundings and wondering how I would get through these basic amenities for another three days.
Lunch was a simple affair with basic Indian food and this was when my view of the place completely changed for the better.
There is a main area adjoining the kitchen, where all the travellers meet for breakfast, lunch or dinner. There are just two small adjoining tables, and chairs are pulled in as more travellers join in. All guests sit together and exchange stories and experiences and get to know each other better regardless of backgrounds or any differences, it's like we are all united in this secluded place away from home because of our collective choice to stay at Karuna around the same time.
Being shy, I wasn't sure how I would fit in, but that doubt instantly vanished as people are so warm, friendly and easy to talk to. I met people from all around the world; travelling alone, travelling siblings, some who made travel plans on the go based on co-traveller suggestions, people who were backpacking for the last three to six months. The variety was amazing, and their free-spirited souls is worth admiring. Because we are all so caught up in the circle of working, making money, buying a house, making a name etc., that we forget what life is really about.
I have never been to such a traveller friendly accommodation before and this surely has been an enriching experience.
Aside from the friendly tourists, the place has a gorgeous view of the mountain range with low-lying clouds from every nook and corner. A view point called the 'rock', which is a rock jutting out of the mountain side has a view to die for. I could sit there for hours together, listening to the chirping of birds, watching the clouds pass by, seeing the lights turn up in the neighbouring towns as the sun sets. There are a lot of hiking trails to the top of the mountain, through bio diversity forests, through water falls, to natural pools, through nature in all it's glory.
And the day in Karuna ends with all the guests huddled close together over warm, tasty dinner as the mist sets in and completely disconnects us from the rest of the world.
This place means a lot of different things to different people, for me it was the liberated feeling that was tugging at my soul and asking me to let-go. Needless to say, the three days passed in a jiffy.
