The cool bracing wind whips the hair about your face as you ramble along streets that dip and rise delightfully. Breathtaking views surprise you unexpectedly. Beautiful women smile at you from pretty cottages as you sniff appreciatively the heady fragrance of coffee blossoms. You are in Coorg.

Coorg is all about coffee. With a fair amount of cardamom and pepper thrown in. As you drive on those winding roads through the coffee plantations, you'll wonder at the marvels and mysteries of Mother Nature and her endless enthusiasm to create spectacular sights that is every where exemplified in Coorg.

Madikeri, formerly known as Mercara is the main town in the district of Coorg. At present, not the best of roads lead to this land of the Kodavas, perched not too high up in the Western Ghats at an altitude of about 2000-ft above sea level. Often called "the Scotland of India" - perhaps an exaggerated comparison - what really strikes you is the magnificence of the place as you drive through the best coffee plantations in the country. It's but natural to let the eyes wander around and absorb the picturesque scenery that whizzes past.

The residents of Coorg, called Kodavas, are said to be the descendents of the Greeks. The Kodavas are fiercely independent. Neither Tipu Sultan nor the British never conquered them. And so to this day, all Kodavas retain the privilege of carrying firearms without a license.

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