This week, I arrived in Thekkady, at the frontier between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. My name is Allegra I’m a french professional who decided to take a break from hectic Paris to learn about entrepreneurial conservation and eco-tourism. I’ll spend the next two months at Cardamom County with Raxa Collective. Cardamom County borders the Periyar Tiger Reserve. As it nears the center of a bustling spice-trading town, I sometimes forget we’re in a forest. Nature always finds a way to remind you though. I live in the farmhouse, a cozy house located in the kitchen garden. This morning I was surprised to be greeted in the garden by a family of playful bonnet macaques on my way to the front desk. I also count amongst my neighbours the hens you see above, a cat, squirrels, and Nilgiri langurs, a species of monkeys that’s endemic to these hills, the Western Ghats. I can see their blonde heads bumping around the rooftops while I work from the bar. We haven’t said much but I already like my new neighbours.