All Things Wild and Beautiful on a Coffee Farm
Living with elephants, peacocks, and giant squirrels
Daybreak on a coffee estate (farm) in India
The scent of woodsmoke teases me into wakefulness. Peacocks miaow; roosters crow. I check my phone. It is 4:45 a.m. Day has broken on my uncle’s coffee estate in southern India.
I unlatch the balcony door of my room and step out. A golden flicker catches my eye. I look down. The outdoor stove is lit and crackling already.
The picture below shows the same stove in the less glamorous light of day. It sits just outside the back door of the residence and is used to heat bath water.
Encased in the brick structure is a humongous copper pot filled with water. This water is heated and pumped into the three bathrooms inside the house.
A washing machine takes care of the laundry. Most Indian homes do not boast dryers. In any case, on the estate, dryers are…
