Road Trippin'

Two weeks ago was another holiday weekend, which called for a Cuckoo road trip to the west coast. I say this from prior experience: if you want to get to know people and have an unforgettable time, road trips are the way to go! My family will know which previous trip I’m referring to LOL. As expected, this trip was no exception as six of us piled in a car, dreams of sun and sand in our heads as we made our way to Gokarna. 

It seems that third time is always the charm as it took three tries to find the correct turn for overnight parking. But we found the right place, unloaded, and followed the path to the beach. Once there, we met up with a friend of mine who was also staying there and checked into our cottages for the weekend. As expected, our time was filled with sandy beaches and sun… though a bit too much of both as our clothes and hair still had sand upon our return home on Tuesday. Two of us also sported a nice sunburn as well (thank goodness for aloe vera!).

But let’s back up and recap… We spent two full days in and around Gokarna and one day driving back along the scenic route.

Our first day was by far the sandiest as we sat on the beach during high tide. Unfortunately, this was frowned upon as the tides can be dangerous during monsoon season. We wandered farther down the beach after being reprimanded by multiple lifeguards and eventually found a beaten path that led to an overlook (called Kudle Beach View Point on Google Maps for those who are curious) and small temple. The view from the top was overwhelmingly beautiful – one that took several moments to take in and appreciate. A peahen even wandered by while we sat there which was pretty cool.

 

The rocky outcropping below was too tempting so we trekked down the hillside to where some locals were fishing. As the sun began to set, we sat with our feet in a tidepool and watched the waves roll in.

Not wanting to get caught there when the water got too high, we made our way back up to the clifftop. At this point, there were more tourists stopping by but we had already worked up an appetite – one that needed to be satisfied ASAP. We hit up the nearest food joint, Cafe 1987, to rest and refuel before heading back for a relaxing evening at our cottage.

Our plans for Sunday were abruptly changed (darn monsoon, again!), so we walked with some friends to the nearby – and by nearby I mean about 2.5 km away, one way – Half Moon Beach where fewer people would go and swimming was allowed. We trekked for the better part of an hour, across the beach and through the forest – all the while being motivated by the humming of “In the Jungle” from my fellow road trippers. The long haul was again worth the walk as we came upon an almost empty beach where we could relax and play in the Arabian Sea. 

We spent hours just floating along, riding the waves as they rolled in, and later tossed around a coconut in an intense game of catch/don’t let it fall into the water – the latter of which resulted in a few cuts and bruises on the hands, mine included. We wrapped up quickly as the sun went down and made our way back to Om Beach for dinner.

We enjoyed a late breakfast at Dragon Cafe before saying goodbye to Gokarna on Monday. The drive home was made more bearable thanks to a few stops along the way. Our first break was an unplanned stop at Sharavati Suspension Bridge which, as its name suggests, is a suspension bridge over the Sharavati River. As a civil/environmental engineer, I enjoyed looking at the bridge almost as much as the view.

Despite the number of people and two-wheelers using the bridge, it was still a great place to stop and stretch for a bit. It was also fun to see people going for short rides in a speedboat and having such a good time. It seems like such a common thing to go out on the lakes and rivers at home for fishing or watersports and sometimes we take those things for granted. This is one of those little things I will remember to appreciate more.

The final pit stop was Jog Falls, the second highest plunge waterfall in India during the rainy season (it’s not technically a “plunge” waterfall during the dry season). The Sharavati River plunges down approximately 830 feet in four separate falls: The Raja Fall, The Rover, The Rocket, and The Rani. The view from the top of the falls is cool, but I had to get my foreigner fee’s worth and so we decided to go to the viewing platform at the bottom of the falls. After about 1400 stairs, we made it the base of the falls. We snapped some photos and rested our sore feet in a small pool of water where we were treated to a free pedicure courtesy of what may have been Doctor Fish.

Then came our walk back up the 1400 stairs… it probably took three times as long as our descent, though two of the guys made it back to the top sooner. Luckily, they were thoughtful enough to buy us all some cold water and had it ready by the time we crawled up the last few stairs. The rest of the ride home was a blur of passing road signs, naps, dinner (with a special eight-legged guest), some sort of festival with men and torches, and rain.

While exhausting, it was an amazing weekend both because I got to see another part of South India and also because I got to spend time out of the city with my friends and housemates. 10/10 – would definitely recommend it to others.

XO