Written by - DayDreamer
So, it has been a while since I have been to Gokarna, Karnataka but staying home due to the COVID-19 outbreak and after trying out all the dishes that have popped up in my mind to satiate my cravings, I decided to write a memoir of one of the early places I have been to since I started traveling as an earning adult.
Staying in Mumbai for work gives one an edge to travel because of its connectivity if you minus the people, pollution and traffic. Early in December 2016, me and three of my college buddies were planning to do something raw for the New Year’s Eve. After searching and scanning tons of websites as to what could be done in a span of two days that included both an adrenaline-pumping activity as well as a laid back mini-vacay, we tumbled on this paradise Gokarna, Karnataka.
We decided to do scuba diving at Murudeshwar, Karnataka on Day 1 for the former activity and to explore Gokarna on Day 2 for the latter laid back experience. I am going to put the specific details of trains, hotels, etc. at the end of the blog as in my personal opinion, it makes the story redundant. I have been reading blogs where I skip such lines and move forward because I am more interested in the way the writer relives the entire travel through words.
Day Zero
We took a train to Bhatkal from LTT at 03:20 pm on Day Zero and reached at 6:20 am on Day 1. There was no direct train available back then to Murudeshwar, we ended going to Murudeshwar via Bhatkal which was about 20 minutes from the destination. The journey was about 16 hours which we spent chatting about college, pulling each other’s leg and eating whatever entered our compartment. Somehow, there is a distinct affection towards college friends that never fades out irrespective of whomever you bump into or whether you hated them or loved them. As night fell, since we had an exciting day ahead we hit the snooze button and dozed off.
Day 1
We arrived at Bhatkal station. We had to report at Murudeshwar beach by 9:00 am for the scuba activity. We freshened up at the station and proceeded towards Murudeshwar in an auto. Reaching there, the view was magnificent there was a huge statue of Lord Shiva and a temple with a backdrop of the rising sun amidst the lazy waves of the Arabian Sea. Though not much of a religious person, but the entire panoramic view fit in just perfectly.
We had breakfast in a small place near the beach where we had idli sambar, the idli was ok but the sambar was God sent, it had that taste that gets you reminiscing the sambar you have at your grandma’s place.
We booked our scuba dive through “West Coast Adventures”. After we met Neil from the company, we were escorted to the boat that was waiting for us on the shores. The scuba was to be carried out at Netrani Island in the Arabian Sea. Netrani Island is two hours from the shore into the sea. The Netrani Island provides the subsea environment and temperature for the corals and fishes to flourish. When I say fishes, I mean the countless of them that I saw, yep trust me. been there and done that.
On the way, we were given the breathing practice through the cylinders and the basic sign language for underwater communication. I can’t remember names now, we were also shown the pictures and nomenclature of the fishes that are sighted there. Once arrived on the site, we saw that Netrani Island was a small piece of land in the vast landscape of water. It was a bright sunny day and the sun was glistening on the waves. On a total we were a group of 20 people who registered for the dive on that day. There was a small kid about 13 years who was there with his dad to do the dive. Tell me about major travel goals with kids. This was added to my after kids to do list then and there. We were split into groups of five.
There were two groups ahead of us. So the instructor gave the rest of the group life jackets and snorkeling gear to just jump in and get the feel of the water. Two of us in the group knew swimming, I vividly remember one of us just jumping into the water out of sheer excitement and splashing all of us on the boat with a gush of water. After that one by one, all jumped and started swimming in the water. Some of us were swimming, some were trying to overcome the fear of water, some were trying to find fishes and some were just trying to float – they had the notion that the life jacket was just an accessory to look cool I guess.
We could spot a few fishes right below us when we were snorkeling, the fishes came in all colors and the happy anticipation of diving to a deeper depth was getting to us. Finally, our turn came, we each got an instructor who took us into the water. I was so damn excited as I was getting inside I could hear my heart thumping hard. It was hardly a few meters inside and the whole scene was changing no I want to say transforming like literally there were fishes at an arms distance some of them were swimming in between my legs, corals everywhere I see, the seaweeds posing a celebration wave. Till today whenever I think about it, it gives me the tingles. Do you remember “The Little Mermaid” a Disney cartoon show, the 90’s kids would definitely get it, the view was just like a scene out of the show, surreal when you think of it. Just passing through the entirety of the sea bed, my instructor spotting fishes for me and communicating through sign language. The undersea had an own soothing rhythm of its own, that enchants you to sync in it and for the time you forget about everything else to kind of just live hearing your own breath and nothing but peace. We were about 40 minutes undersea, posed to a few pictures and came out. The whole experience was beautiful and even though I was tired, I felt a bolt of freshness within me. P.S. No exaggeration here. No pics of the dive as the only living things it captured was us!
We started back to Murudeshwar in the late afternoon around 4 pm and reached our hotel by 7 pm. We booked our hotel on the beachside. We checked in and got freshen up. Later, as it was New Year’s Eve we had a scrumptious dinner with all the seafood we could find. Hit the local restaurants when there, they have the best dishes at great prices. We chilled in the room after dinner and after that moved to the terrace to view the night sky and hit beds after midnight.
Day 2
Gokarna is 80 km from Murudeshwar, about 2 hours by road. We woke up late, hired a taxi and set off about Gokarna. We had lunch on the way and tried biryani of Karnataka cuisine, it did have some interesting flavor back then me being a food amateur couldn’t deduce it. We played a game en-route or to put into one word "gossip-gossip", where we each had to share a life secret that no one knew about. Somehow after that game, we became much closer.
We reached directly to Om Beach, Gokarna at 4 pm. To be honest it was a little crowded but not so much like at other beaches. One notable thing was that the beach was squeaky clean, as if almost untouched. There were a few shacks on the Om curve. We tried jet skiing amongst the other water sports available. Me being a reading enthusiast read that there were other pretty beaches ahead where we had to trek to reach them.
In the entire two hours spent on the beach, we wanted to explore more but didn’t have the time as our return train to Mumbai was at 6:20 pm from Gokarna. We were in a dilemma as to what to do. So finally, the wanderlust in us got the better of us and we decided to stay another day at Gokarna. You didn’t think there was a Day 3, did you? Surprise element!
Made a couple of calls to our bosses and extended our trip. We booked our rooms in the famous Namaste Café there, checked in, dropped our luggage and set out to the beach. It was almost dawn and the sky was turning dark, we went and laid about in the sand and was taking in the sound of the waves, the calm of the place. Don’t exactly remember who suggested the idea of it, we started building one big sandcastle. Yep a castle, there was a large boundary wall, an entrance, a bridge all the boxes check out. After playing for a while, we decided to have dinner at one of the cafes. It was small cozy café, about half a km from the Namaste café. There were a few foreigners at one end. The menu was large compared to the establishment. They had Italian, some Israeli dishes and Indian as well. We had rice and some curries. It was tasty and felt light on the palate after a tiring day. They don’t serve alcohol in any of the cafes. You only get beer. But be sure to try the cold coffee and shakes, they are yummy. As we were walking back to our rooms, we saw a small group of people sitting in the sand and having one of those hippie parties you hear about. Pretty cool vibes!
When you enter Om beach, you spot a rocky terrain amassing the water it’s all very picturesque. That night there was a guy with a guitar who was playing some melodies and there were people just singing along with him. We joined them sat on the rocks what felt like the edge of the world in the starry darkness with only moonlit visibility.
The beach is beautiful during the day but it's lovely in the night because of its mysterious combination of the moon, stars, waves. It was one of the few nights I wouldn’t forget. I remember we sat for a long time there, at first the guitar guy left, then the people, now it was only us and the waves. We spoke for a few moments, we laid down on the rocks viewing the skies, hearing the waves and just lying about. After midnight, we went to our rooms exhausted and hit the bed.
Day 3
Our journey didn't end here, another wonderful day was waiting for us, which took us to a place which completed our Journey to Gokarna. Read More...
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