KOCHI: Marjorie Moreau sat on a rock boulder, her feet caressing the coarse sand as milky waves dashed on the shore. She leaned onto Benjamin’s shoulders as the sun sunk deep into the sea. That was the exact moment when she decided that if she had to settle, it was going to be there, in Cherai. Marjorie came to Kerala fourteen years ago for the first time to master Kathakali at Kalamandalam. Lugging on to her suitcase, every time the flight was ready to take off for France, she felt an inexplicable pang, that she was leaving behind much more than she could fathom. So she kept coming back for more. Clad in a red saree, with a gold chain and jasmine buds decked on her tresses, Marjorie got married to Benjamin in a Hindu manner at a Shiva temple in Shornur. “All my friends were so jealous,” she says with a wink as we follow her around the resort, “Les Three elephants,” designed by Benjamin, Marjorie and their partner, Thibaut Chapon. Situated 25 kms from Kochi, the resort is a one hour drive away, during the peak hours.Several thatched roof cottages constitute the resort, each replete with concrete beds, red lanterns, earthen pots, cozy arm chairs and a final dash of ethnic texture. “Every cottage is different from the other. We spent almost three years designing and erecting it,” she says as she tries to open a backwater facing cottage. The bells in the keychains ring as she tries them all. Lot of effort has been put to maintain the place eco friendly and traditional. Red oxide floors with thatched roofs, that are replaced every year, personally designed lanterns and handpicked furniture, the resort is home to everything authentic. “Kerala, has such a skilled line up of artisans and labourers. In France, you can just walk upto a shop and pick a piece but here you get the joy of seeing your imagination transform into reality,” Marjourie says. Her green expressive eyes reflect the calm while she traces the expanse of the resort. A bridge divides the lush green lawn. From almost any spot in the resort, you can see the red blob of sun rising up in the morning while fishermen wade their way to the end of this picture postcard scene. “Foreigners are lazy to wake up in the morning to catch the sunrise, so we have positioned the bed in all cottages in such a manner that they can see the sunrise curled up beneath their blanket,” says Sudheer P.S, the General manager of the resort. One room had black ceiling fans adhered to the white washed wall, exactly resembling the ones you see on Indian trains. Marjourie agrees that’s where the idea sprung from. The extensions in the rooms, makes the cottages different from any other place you would visited. The inbuilt writing table cum working space, looking onto the picturesque fishing net is a perfect example of an extension. “Once we started building these cottages, my husband always wanted to add a little extra,” saying this Marjourie opens the backdoor of cottage number 10. Sand strewn ground with a cane swing and a cushion covered corner bed, the backyard of this cottage seemed to be the cosiest place in Cherai. If you are in the hiding, you know which place to visit!At three elephants you can get the best of French and Indian cuisine. Wearing floral aprons, cooks Daisy and Mridula stand in the cool innards of the kitchen dicing capsicums and tomatoes. It’s just been a couple of months, but they have started to enjoy prepping up french dishes. Marjourie and Benjamin have engaged all the neighbouring housewives as their staff. “Since we are guests to this land, we wanted to give back more than what we take,” is their humble logic behind employing local people. As we are about to leave, Marjourie’s two-year-old daughter, Maya comes running with a blue ball in her hand. Thanks to her Keralite nanny, she speaks Malayalam and French with equal enthusiasm.
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