Coorg

First-- let me apologize in advance for the poor typing that is about to ensue, we're in a really janky internet cafe in a tiny town called Madekeri on our way to Panaji, Goa, and the keyboard is in really bad condition.

We spent the past five days in a region of Karnataka called Coorg, on a coffee/tea/honey/pepper plantation called Honey Valley. When we last posted, we really didn't know anything about Coorg, or where we would be staying. In fact, three hours into our busride, we still had pretty much no idea what kind of place Honey valley would be. Every time we drove past a scenic spot, we'd cross our fingers in hopes that this was where we were headed. The bus ride itself was beautiful; we saw three elephants (two wild, one being used for labor) and the smell of tea came through the bus windows.
When we got off the bus, the sun was begining to set, and we had missed our connecting bus to Kabenakab. We had a taxi take us, which was a Rolls Royce-esque car that is actually unbelievably common hery, though rickety and old, and they often come decked out with colored headlights or other gaudy decor. Yotam called the owner of the plantation to find out where we should meet him in Kabenakab, who in response, told us, "Kabenakab is a very small place."

Once again, we had no idea how far of a journey we were on, and the sun was really going down. We drove farther and farther into the wilderness, again imagining at each lit area we passed that this must be it, this must be Honey Valley. After about an hour, we were let out of the cab at a three way stop with a single shop, the shopkeeper's house, one other structure, and a bustop with a sign reading "Kabenakab Junction." It was completely dark, except for a few candles on. After some confusion, a jeep came down the hill. Yotam looked at the driver and said "Honey Valley?" and the driver said yes and we got into the jeep.

Some people drive jeeps because they've seen Jurassic Park, and some people drive jeeps because there is no road, straight up hill, on uneven terrain in remote areas. This jeep ride was the latter sort. But also it was kind of like Jurassic Park.

Two separate jeep rides in, and we were finally in Honey Valley. We were shown our hut, which was a 10'x10' space with two beds and a table. we roomed with a mouse (or possible bat) which we named George Also (we had already named a cow George). It would be morning when we would finally see our surroundings, but from the smell of the air we could already tell that our journey was worthwhile.

When we woke up, we weren't disappointed. Foggy hills surrounded us, covered in coffee plants as well as other lush fauna, most of which was new to us. Cows and friendly dogs roamed around the premises (we even saw a puppy playing with two calfs and almost died of cute overload).
We spent most of our time there hiking, reading, playing cards, and relaxing. We also got the chance to make some friends with a group of young Indians on their way to a wedding, an Indian family on vacation, and an American couple living in Mumbai, who were very surprised to see us.

We've got to go to the bus station now for our overnight to Goa. For the record, we still plan to upload those videos we made (despite their untimeliness at this point) as soon as we find fast enough internet connection. Which at this rate, looks like it may be a while.