Adventure seeker diary: 2017

Clouds hugging the hill tops

It's monsoon session, the time of the year that is eagerly anticipated by the frogs as well as nature enthusiasts. It is also the time for monsoon trekking season. In this post I am going to share my experience of trekking to the Santrem waterfall in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary on 18-6-17(Sunday).

Beautiful fall along the trail

I was invited to join this trek by my sweetheart, normally I prefer to go on treks with a small group of 4 to 5 people, the logic being the more the number of people the more are the limitations (tantrums) particularly when it comes to enduring for that extra mile however this time it wasn't my circus.We were to join a very passionate group of trekkers with one of Goa's leading adventure companies OffTrail Adventures who call themselves a group of adventure and nature lovers busy exploring nature when they are not working with nature. Their expertise can be easily judged from the high standards which they set for this trek in terms of safety,guidance and also proving the required motivation for the weakest (physically!) of the participants.

The difficulty level was advertised as Moderate but as we know the earth is not the same everywhere (climate, people, landscapes, soil types, rock types, flora and fauna etc. varies with region) and so was our trail. Our trail took us through village kutcha roads, bamboos and thick forests with several inclines and declines along the meandering channel of the stream. At places the soil would give way and at other spots we encountered huge rocks creating obstacles in our path. Our mental and physical abilities were tested just like how it happens in life at times, when we need to exercise calmness, determination and strength to get through the toughest phases of life.

The marvel-Santrem Waterfall. Location: Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

The trail was 6 km long, one way and required one to keep their eyes open or risk hitting their head on horizontal tree branches or getting derailed into the steep valley and yes I had forgotten to mention the leeches who are everready to give you a love bite. I was so engrossed in the trail that I lost track of time. It must have taken us approx 2-2.5 hrs to reach the waterfall. The scene at the waterfall could easily fill one with wonder, situated deep in the jungle where the only sound was made by crickets and the splashing water. We took a dip at the fall, allowing the water to soak in our body and let our worries flow down the stream. After enjoying shared meals for lunch we set back on our journey back to the village where our bus was waiting to be board but not before taking another dip to rinse ourselves afresh and change clothes.

It turned out to be a day well spent with nature and my sweetheart.( actually all I want to say is that, I would love to go on another date :P)

Thank you for reading my blog. Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.

That state when she dumps all the load on you

Getting purified Immersed

Any geologist around who could shed some light on these folds seen in the picture.
Location: Santrem Waterfall

No caption :P

We all love roadtrips, whoever has been on one must have surely experienced this amazing emotion called freedom. The sight of a full tank and never ending road on the horizon satisfies the soul. In this post I am going to share my experience of roadtrip from Goa to Coorg by car.

As the case with most roadtrips there is a lot of enthusiasm initially during the planning stage followed by a gradual decline as the day approaches this is because people are so busy or rather they pretend to be. In the end they only try to find excuses to drop out (I bet you all can relate, if you have ever planned a roadtrip). Well the bug of roadtrip had been buzzing in my head for sometime but without much thought to it as I had been occupied with commitments. Than it so happened that my good buddy called me up on a random day, frustrated out of his job he said ''I want a break'' , in that instant it was decided that we were going on a rodtrip. We are such people who don't have to plan for adventure, we could very well related to Salmans Khans dialogue from the movie Dabang

''ek bar jo meine commitment kar di toh phir hum khud ki bhi nahi suntee'' (once I make a commitment than even I cant stop myself).

My buddy applied for a weeks off (i wont mention the reason he stated) and I asked one of my cousin if he would like to accompany on a so-so roadtrip plan, he was quick to respond, I did invite some more friends but finally only three of us could make it.

We decided to go to Coorg without much thought thanks to Google for providing us all the information we needed.The route was Goa-Karwar-Gokarna-Murudeshwar-Mangalore-Coorg. With plenty of sight seeing along the way (Ankhola beach, Om beach, Malpe beach) and an overnight stopover near the Murudeshwar temple. We left from Goa at 10am in the morning on 11-6-17. The roads in Goa were in good condition along the highway, after crossing karwar there were plenty of confusing road diversions due to ongoing highway expansion but the roads were still in excellent condition one could easily cruise above 80kmph, Traffic was moderate.

Thundering waves. Location Om Beach

We reached Gokarana around noon, had lunch at a local place were sumptuous home cooked food was served (A local guided us here when we asked him for the best local food place). Post lunch we descended on Om beach, here one could witness the magnificent power of waves splashing onto the rocks with a loud thunder. We were in awe of the ocean and temporarily lost in deep thinking, such was the intensity of the waves. After spending a good deal of time at the beach we proceeded towards Murudeshwar.

Shiva statue and Raja Gopura

We arrived at Murudeshwar in the late evening at around 8 pm. Witnessed the giant Shiva statue in the night lights. All the while near the Murudeshwar Temple we were persistently being followed by a hotel agent who seem to promise an unbeatable deal, we even had to ask the agent to stop irritating us and leave us alone but the guy wouldn't listen he kept his distance but continued to follow us. Finally we had to give in, though our intention was to get rid of him. I decided to stay put in the car while the agent escorted my cousin and my buddy, triple seat on his bike to the hotel (not advisable for tourists to go with strangers). We denied the accommodation on offer as he was quoting a price of 1k for 3 people in off season plus we were no ordinary tourists we were more like nomads, the guy took the Que and made another offer which was less than half the price offered earlier @400 for 3 people. The room was spacious with the most basic amenities i.e water and electricity. Just what we needed to survive the night. The next morning we visited the Murudeshwar temple, I couldn't help but admire at human creativity and artistic sense in the form of the huge Shiva statue (at 37 m, 2nd tallest Shiva statue in the world) which also made me feel so insignificant in terms of size. The huge size of Raja Gopura (237.5feet) and its intricate stone arts is also worth admiration. After the temple visit we had a typical south Indian breakfast comprising of Iddli,Vada and Sambar. Post breakfast we headded towards Mangalore.

We arrived at Mangalore around noon on 12-6-17. The roads were in depleted condition along stretches with potholes but motor-able for the most part. Traffic was moderate, increasing as we approached the Mangalore city with frequent intersections and stops/tolls. We took an small detour to visit the exotic Malpe beach which has a beautiful St. Marrys island at a short distance offshore.We wanted to reach our destination by evening and so we decided to have a quick lunch in Mangalore and proceed towards Coorg but I must confess the Biryani that was served was unlike any I have ever had, I could relish the smell when I fist stepped into the restaurant(wish I had remembered the name of that restaurant).Post lunch we proceeded towards Coorg.

Beautiful bends and curves as we approach Coorg

Raging Beauty, Abby falls

As we moved away from the city the fist signs of an approaching hill station appear in the form of towering peaks at a far distance on the horizon, Moving along the route one will encounter frequent bends and curves, gradually the air becomes cold and filled with a certain aroma (I would have loved to describe the scene as romantic but my gf was missing from the seen so...). We arrived in Coorg witnessing sporadic rain, dissecting through clouds and driving amidst huge coffee and spice plantations. It was nature at its best.

Upon arrival and with daylight on our side we decided to check out Abby falls. It was a beauty flowing with rage. After spending some time at the Abby falls we decide to hunt for accommodation while it was just getting dusky and before the accommodation prices could skyrocket. Homestay and hotel accommodation options are plenty and easy to find in Coorg. This time we settled for a decent hotel with spacious rooms @1200 for 3 persons. There is no need of A.c in Coorg during the month of June the clouds are sufficient to provide cold air.

Plantations along the road

View from Rajas Seat

The next morning we visited the Raja's seat (view point), This place gives a panoramic view of the mountains. One can gaze at a far distance and see the shadows of clouds passing by on earth. This place has a magical charm and can leave one in awe of mother nature.

One of the main tourist attraction in Coorg in the white water rafting. There are several rafting operators in and around Coorg. Rafting is Coorg is primarily carried out at two locations Dubare and Barapole. Booking for river rafting can also be done online but i'd advise to directly go at the location and book your ride, this may save you some inconvenience of going and finding the operators location after booking online(they sent the GPS location of the operator but the GPS signal can be a bit disappointing around Dubare). We booked our rafting online and learnt the hard way, after wasting much time trying to trace our rafting operator(it turned out to be the 3rd and the last operator that we went to in Dubare), we were finally able to find him. In rafting the degree of fun is directly proportional to the intensity of water flow in the stream which is in turn dictated by the water level or the amount of rainfall during that particular time. We were just lucky to upgrade our booking from still water to white water rafting courtesy of the heavy rain the previous night, though we were charged an additional Rs. 250/head apart from the R.s.350 paid earlier online. It was show time, we were looking like some rugby players wearing the life vest and helmets. Our guide started by giving us the basic instructions and knowledge of commands. We were now ready to row. The entire 7 km rafting route took us on an adrenaline pumping journey. Our funny guide even let us jump in the water and rescue each other. I only wish I could ask for more (maybe ill come again for all the stuff that was missed).

Magical scenes from the remote Villages in Karnataka

We returned back to the city for lunch and to chart a new route back home. This time we decided to skip the usual route along the coast and instead choose to take the internal route passing through Madeikeri-Shivamoga-Sagar-Jog fall- Honnavar- Karwar- Goa. This meant that we had to travel approximately a 110 kms more but hell with it we came to enjoy the road trip. From past experiences we have known that

'' Usually the Journey is more beautiful than the destination''

We departed from Coorg at 4 pm hoping to reach Goa the next morning as I was very keen to attend a meeting at 9am. Our planned route took us to some of the remote interiors of Karnataka, sometimes through narrow gullies and small markets thanks to Google maps and my buddy who was under map reading training. The frequent GPS signal loss made his job a bit more difficult but hell we enjoyed every bit of the journey. We drove continuously taking short naps whenever it was needed, Driving in the night through the think forested patch along the Sharavati river gave us some chills down the spine. We spotted a handful of live snakes and a fox who appeared to greet us hello in the dark along the forested road and It was decided not to stop anywhere in the forest until we got to Honnavar where we took a short nap on the highway. Coming back to our senses at around 5am from an exhausting journey we proceeded towards Goa. There was no rain and the weather was pleasant as if waiting to welcome us back home. I reached my home in Margao at 8.40 am and was still able to attend the meeting at 9 am after a quick bath :P. It was indeed a test of endurance. The memories of this roadtrip will be etched in our minds for a long time to come.

Thanks for reading .Do Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

P.S: Post is still under construction, courtesy of some missing pictures and rafting video. will get back asap.