At Linger, we’ve been partial towards local construction styles and materials. The tough one is to blend that with the needs and expectations of those who come in from the city. The monsoon kicked in late, but made up for the delay in sporadic, intense bursts of rain. We had the Cauvery come almost up to the fields below Mud Cottage a couple of times already – and the ferocity of the showers moved the tiles around a little leading to a drip or two (I’m still amazed how well those Mangalore Tiles can handle serious rains – I have seen many a concrete room seep much more for much gentler rain in Bangalore!) A similar issue at the Cottage at Balur seemed to auto-correct itself 🙂
But the prettiness of the monsoon is sooo worth it. The mist, the sound of the rain falling, the cicadas and the lusher greening of an impossibly green place are a magical experience.
As we get past the rainiest months of the monsoon, we’re looking at expanding capacity at both places. The Cardamom Suites – earlier a storage area for the crop and later converted to staff quarters that now lie unused – at Balur – are being professionally redone to make them comfortable, pretty even as we preserve their feel. We’re also hatching plans for a Cabin-on-the-lake and a complete campsite by the smaller lake – with its own bikes, kitchen, benches, and maybe even its own collection of books.
At Coorg there’s a laterite cottage up the hill amidst the coffee, and we’re even dreaming up a Tree House in the wooded part of the property. Based on suggestions from guests, there’s more rugs, many more lamps for soft lights at night, (already added) more easy chairs, and of course more books as always!
And finally – there will soon be an all new option where you can go do nothing. Its just over a 100kms from Bangalore, in hills that define the region’s landscape – dotted with hills, boulders, lakes and with a breeze almost a permanent feature! There’s old temples atop hills to visit, trails to run and ride on, a Blackbuck sanctuary to explore, and old fort – and farming and food processing to learn about! Of course, there’ll always be books and chai to keep your mind off all this activity 🙂 There’s even a swimming pool!
Look forward to a lot more folks Lingering this winter.
