Where rural meets urban

A day at Hinterland Ecostays

Your brown girl has often talked about growing up in a small town in India. What your brown girl hasn’t spoken yet is about her stints with rural India. Yep!

Growing up, my summer vacations were only about going to our village where my dad’s family lived (still do). It was a night long journey by train and then another couple of hours of journey on a bullock cart or a horse cart, whichever was available. Back-breaking but fun! And then once in the village, it was all about mud houses, rustic village food cooked on wood fire, farm animals, crop fields, skinny dipping (not exactly 🤪) in the Ganges river to take a bath, and more. (My memory seems to be eluding me after so many years). The last of it was when I was in class 6. Post that, somehow, my stars never aligned enough for me to go back there.

Coming back to the post – So last weekend, husband and me decided to go stay for a day in a farmstay. Just about an hour and half away from Bangalore (+/- depending on which part of Bangalore one is travelling from). In Santhanapalli village of Tamil Nadu, far away from city limits and it’s chaos, is this beautiful stay in a farm setup called Hinterland Ecostays.

A well known joke in Bangalore is that distance here is measured in time and not kilometres or miles or whatever unit you use to measure distance 🙄

Hinterland Ecostays, built (or might I stay crafted beautifully) in the lap of nature, surrounded by several farms, and the lush greenery of the hills, offers modern day basic amenities but in a rustic farm setup.

As soon as you enter, you’ll be welcomed by the mooing of cows and if you’re lucky a couple of guinea fowls as well, but which soon vanish from sight shying away from the paparazzi. You know, awestruck city people and their cameras! Walk further in, and the vibe hits different. A narrow paved lane lined with fruit trees and flowering shrubs and then vast open expanse on both sides. All that can be heard are the rustling of leaves, birds chirping and maybe some happy banter and a laugh here and there.

The ecostay offers unique container cabins and glamping tents as stay options. Food is village style and all made from organic, locally sourced ingredients. No fuss, only goodness and yumminess and loads of courteousness from the staff.

There is plenty to do and stay engaged here for the restless souls. Go out for a walk in the nearby farms. Your brown girl spotted tomatoes, brinjals, cucumber and acres of rose farms 🌹

For adventure buffs, there’s the option of Safari and treks. Drive into the nearby Aiyur Forest Reserve and if you’re lucky, you can spot some really nasty but beautiful wildlife including tuskers and the bigger cats. And/or you can check with the owner to arrange for a trek in the wilderness of the ghats.

Talking about the owner, Mr. Raj. He’s done up this place from scratch. Indulge in conversations with him and you’ll know that his heart lies in this place and oh, the forests too. A well-learned gentleman who has travelled across countries and continents and yet calls the forests his home. A man who truly understands the flora and fauna and the changing ecosystem. I choose to call him nature’s child and to me he is the true living embodiment of the caption of this post – “where rural meets urban”.

“The soul of India lives in its villages” -Mahatma Gandhi

How do you like the rural, dear reader? Or in sophisticated terms, the country side. Let me know. And if you’re ever in this part of the world, go and stay in this beautiful property. Here are some more pictures to (hopefully) entice you 😉. Stay healthy and safe!