The acre that Spaniards Jose Luis Perez Datas and Carmen Ospino Parejo call home, near Cherai, lives up to its name—La Arcadia. In Greek mythology ‘Arcadia’ is home to Pan (God of the wild), and was a ‘harmonious wilderness’ to the Renaissance artists. Jose and Carmen’s Arcadia too is pretty much the same.
Each plant on the property has a story, like the lush galangal bush in front of the more than 70-year-old remodelled house, “When we heard about galangal, we were curious, so the next time we went to Lulu Mall, we bought some and planted a piece last year,” says Jose, pointing to the plant.
Basil, varieties of cheera (spinach), lettuce, basil, rocket, lime, mangoes, nutmeg, pepper, ajwain, ginger, rose apple, chilli (even Vietnamese and kanthari), brahmi, all spice, sweet potato, dragon fruit, turmeric, ylang ylang, noni, tapioca, tomato, coffee, soya bean... it is a botanical paradise. The ornamental plants, though fewer, are exotic—porcelain rose (torch ginger, which is used extensively in Indonesia), heliconia, eagle’s nest, anthurium and birds of paradise. Jose used to supply herbs and vegetables (to a hotel) while Carmen uses the ornamental flowers for arrangements she does for a hotel; she also makes jams, cordials and preserves from the produce which they gift to friends.
How they began
Around nine years ago, in 2010, when they settled down in Kochi, at Ayampilly, the plan was to learn from locals what to and how to cultivate. “The people here were more curious about what the ‘sayips’ (sahibs) were up to. We even sold some of our produce to them,” says Carmen, with an indulgent shake of her head. “We were looking for somebody to teach us how to cultivate vendakka (okra), kovakka, ashgourd... we are still looking. There are mango trees, jackfruit and mangosteen, very few people around here plant vegetables,” says Jose.
They also made discoveries, “we didn’t know green cheera could be eaten, in Colombia it is allowed to grow and the seeds are fed to chicken. There are many similarities between Colombia and Kerala—after all they are on the same latitude!” says Carmen. Initially they had help, but he returned home to Wayanad. There was a woman from the local panchayat who helped with the plants till she left; Jose gets some of his seeds and saplings from there.
The plan was to be self-sufficient, food-wise. Six litres of soy milk, half a kilo of coffee powder, numerous fruits, vegetables and herbs—the plan seems to be working. “Not the best tasting, but it is our coffee!” says Jose. When the coffee plants (Robusta and Arabica) bloom, the couple says, the fragrance of the white flowers hangs in the air all evening.
Wanting to conserve water, he uses mulch, made from dry leaves on the property. “When I put this on the base of the plant, it retains moisture,” he says. They have also lost a few battles, like the 30-odd coconut palms which were eaten by pests and the avocado trees that haven’t borne fruit, yet.
Pointing to the anthuriums, Jose says, “they need a lot of water especially in this heat...” indicating that they aren’t being ‘pampered’, for now. There are two small ponds on the property, one of which has guppy fishes. During the floods, the house was an island, and the fishes were swimming in the water on the property. “The earthworms also died, now they are slowly coming back,” says Jose. Of the brood of hens, only two remain, a marapatti (palm civet) killed the rest when the couple was out of town.
Under, probably, the tallest mango tree in the area, is a covered shed with open sides and a mosaic-tile art on one of its outer walls of the ‘Tree of Life’. It houses a wood-fired oven and barbecue where the couple bakes their bread and has the occasional barbecue with friends. The branches of the mango tree arch skywards, its leaves form a lacy canopy through which the sky peeps.
Life here has its challenges, Carmen says, “These are lessons, we are also students and we are learning. In life it is essential to know that any failure is learning and a step forward.”
Over the years, they’ve seen changes—of trees being cut, more constructions, new plants that have appeared, plants that have disappeared, “this year, for example, the mango trees had too many flowers, possibly due to the heat,” Carmen says. Jose adds, “We flew down in 2005, from Pune, and in the view from above Kochi seemed like a city under a forest, now it is all constructions.”
There are the mandatory, annual visits to Spain, but Kochi is where their heart is, where their cats Junio (June) and Seis (Six) are.