Gokarna : A traveller's paradise

We started around 10 pm from home. As always, I was a bit over prepared. Anyways,we reached our friend's place around 10.30. Total 5 of us in a Chevy Spark ( Only later did one tell me that the car was not finalized moments till we walked into the parking lot! I had "dagger" thoughts for a moment but then we were not exactly the planning lot.Our engines  drew its fuel from an infinite renewable supply of  instinct and replenish-able hope, which reminds me of a nice story but i will save it for later)

Long story short we started. And yes,it will be worth mentioning that we love Monsoons. In fact we love it so much ,we often end up chasing it,at times literally. After a while ,we got rid of the frustrating traffic and hit the highway.What happened next I have no idea.I hit the hibernate button. I remember someone complaining over my shoulder about the music whose genre kept changing ever

y once in a while. All I had asked them is not to play some songs from Doors or Audioslave (make no mistake,both are my favourite bands ! ) because some of the songs like "Riders on the storm" and "Show me show to live" pumped in a lot of adrenaline, sometimes a little too much for our own good and for the Captain(someone came up with that horrendous idea of using the nomenclatures Captain and Co-Captain ,but i liked  it anyway) which sent the speedometer flying from 80 to  120.

We stopped for dinner at a Dhaba.A friend had dropped his phone earlier, now I dropped mine and the screen broke(we did not have the slightest idea the worst for our phones was yet to come) and after getting past a few hurdles like a huge trailer blocking the road , a vibrating car at 120 and a few chai breaks we were woken up at dawn by Monsoons. My first reaction - yay !It later changed to how-the-hell-are-gonna-reach-on-time but that was only later. It was beautiful.

Sometimes I thought the rain gods loved us back just as much. At times, it was unclear whether we chased the monsoons or was it chasing us. We were "rain-babies". Wherever we go, rain follows.

That morning. Drizzle with cloudy skies,lush green forest on both sides and a straight road ahead.

I could not help but think of Robert Frost

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

The rains and the bad roads stopped a while later and we so pleased to see the sign board point towards a direction only saying "Gokarna" .Finally, we reached around 9. We wanted to go to the beach. Only the blue ocean could heal us. Although when we reached the beach, I wasn't so impressed. It was crowded and not so clean.We decided to go to Om-Beach.And wow,boy i am so glad we did !

Imagine this ,you are traveling down a mountain - down one of those ghat roads and suddenly you peek into this - lush green trees and the majestic ocean underneath- the perfect marriage - mountain and sea.

We got a room at a resort on the beach and then rushed down post breakfast onto the beach. I am not sure why but there is something so poetic ,something so grand and beautiful about seas and oceans. Whether you choose to lie down,detaching yourself from the rest of the world or just choose to take a walk looking eye to eye onto its vastness,the sea/ocean never disappoints. The saltiness in the air,the seashells or the receding waves playing touch-and-go with you, every time I go to a beach it seems so different .

Different kind of same or similar kind of different ,i am not sure.

In the afternoon we hit another beach- The Paradise Beach. I thought it was a funny name for a beach, but only till I reached there. I told myself, I was really stupid. Of course, this beach has to be named Paradise Beach. Nothing else would fit the bill. A part of it was so clear, I thought it was a lagoon, the sea so calm, so aquamarine, I could spend my entire day there doing nothing. Nothing. Just nothing.

They said the God's fear perfection. They are often jealous of it. On such a perfect moment of tranquility when a friend  and I were sitting on the wooden plank by the river talking of life, chaos knocked.The mobile of my mobile-addicted friend(he prefers the term socially connected for some reason i don't understand) fell into the crab infested water.We rushed ,dived called folks whom we found. An hour of beating under the water, breathlessness and keeping hope, we could not find his cell. Hopelessly we climbed back and I felt like laughing. Not on him, on ourselves, not the cruel kinda laughter, the pitiful one, it was a perfect Shakespearean tragedy.

We moved to look forward to the ocean to heal us once again. That sunset I will never forget. It was beautiful, majestic, as the sun set against the lush green mountain and we confused for a moment Gokarna with paradise.

Next morning we started for Murdeshwar, where there was a beautiful Shiva temple.We needed the favour of the Gods. The 20 storied Gopuram(temple gate) and the 123 feet Shiva idol were captivating. After a quick lunch and a drive on the beach we started our journey back home, covering Jog Falls on the way(which sadly had only a stream flowing but I did not expect much).

 

Yeah one thing worth mentioning on our way back would be our escape.We,guided by the Captain's instinct were saved from going over a half constructed bridge. The Co-Captain was not even wearing a seat belt. The song playing in the background was Boondan-Boondan. The tired screeched, as the brakes were applied, as they turned right and we just escaped crashing into a tractor ahead of us. All well that end's well.

We reached that night, without further incidents, around 3.30 am and were greeted by some Finnish chocolates a friend had brought. The journey finished but the memories remained.The journey like any other left us craving for more-more adventure and experience. 

That night, sleeping in my ow bed, I dreamed of the blue ocean.

 

Route: Check the route before you go. There are 2-3 routes. You can take the highway up till Hubli and  take the exit to Ankola. We took a different route via Sirsi thinking it will save time. Sadly that road was under construction and we lost time. The other route will be to take the state highway 206 via Shimoga. The road is good, but its a 2-lane road.

Tip: Try to stay as close to water as possbile. There are places in the town, but then it away the fun of staying close to a beach. 

Steer clear of Cops. and if they do catch you be polite.

Stay: Namaste cafe, Om Beach

Checklist for next time: Trek from Paradise Beach all the way to Gokarna Beach.

Chai: Kudle cafe at Kudle Beach. Sipping tea while watching the sun set. ;)

Drive Safe.