When you feel the need to get away from routine life, there are few things that are better than getting lost in the wonders of a forest. Agumbe satisfies our every craving. We left Bangalore at night. We intended on catching a direct bus to Agumbe but decided to catch one to Udupi instead for it's breakfast and beaches. We reached Udupi early in the morning and spent a few hours with breakfast and lazing around the beaches.
We caught a bus from Udupi to Agumbe. The bus journey was about 3-4 hours long. It was extremely scenic and engaging. Upon arrival, we were directed to Doddamane which literally translates to Big House. The hosts were extremely kind and went the extra mile to make us comfortable and to show us around. They weren't judgmental towards smokers and couples, which was s great plus.
We spent the next few days exploring the forest and found waterfalls, hills, temples and a lot of other things. If ou have your own vehicle, exploring will be a lot easier. Watch out for leaches that crowd the area. Always carry a bag of salt to fend off the leaches. Beware of snakes and other animals. Respect the locals and they will be your best friends. We found a couple waterfalls and hills as explained in the nonliterary. We also met some very interesting people, wildlife reserves and other locals. The night sky is astoundingly beautiful and one that i shall never forget.
I would love to hear about your experience of Agumbe in the comments. Do feel free to ask questions or strike a conversation :)
A beach is nothing short of a great way to start a holiday. Malpe beach is a quiet, secluded beach with blue waters, white sand and incredible people. The water is cool and the sand is warm. There are a few eateries nearby to grab a famous Udupi breakfast and filter coffee. The sun seems friendly here. The more you watch the crashing, blue waves, the deeper you understand the world.
The local bus take about 4 hours to get to Agumbe from Udupi. The drive is scenic and makes all the right turns to witness the lush green walls of the mountain range, etched with the moving shadow of the clouds and shards of sun light. Agumbe is a little town on the Western Ghats. The bus stops at the local bus stop. The town has winding roads, friendly people and beautiful flora and fauna. The air is clean and still with gentle heat.
Doddamane is just off the main bus stop. The locals pointed us in a direction and said we couldn't miss it and they were right. It's an old house, styled from ages ago. It's has a Mangalorean styled tiled roof with a central court yard used for picking and drying clothes. The corridors around the central yard house rooms, halls, kitchens, gardens and bathrooms. The floors are all red oxide covered and the walls are stone. The doors and windows have been maintained since being built. They are made of cast iron and wood. The house was also the stage for the popular Kannada serial "Malgudi Day's"
We were greeted by a happy old man who has kept up with time and updated himself with an iPad and wifi connection. It was s little disappointing to see that technology has caught up with such places, but that's just my opinion. Ajji is one of the nicest people we have met. She was very charming and observant. She immediately took us under her wing. She cooked us a traditional lunch with local produce. They spoke to us as though we were family. More than the antics, the house stood on a foundation of age old tradition. The custom here is strange. You pay the hosts what ever you feel is appropriate. They do it for the company and to share culture more than the money.
A short trek will take you throgh windy roads and forest trails to the top of Kundadri hills. Here lies an old, stone temple built back in the day. The lamps are still lit here every morning and the locals frequently make the trek to worship the Gods. The hill offers s pectacular view of the world below. In the distance, you can see the extent of the western Ghats stretching as little domes of green discorded by mist and clouds. Looking down, one can see thing, grey roads that wind around hills. Farm lands, estates and rivers are visible too.
We stumbled upon a lake on the hill that is replenished by frequent rains. It remains stagnant and houses insects and snakes and is hence not advisable for a dip. The lake Is serendipitous beautiful and highlights the trek.
The road to the falls is again windy. We etof the road at a small clearing in the trees and we need to make our way through some trails to find the spot. The trail is thin and surrounded by tall trees on either side. They house cicadas and cast fluttering shadows on the path that is strewn with dried leaves. You can smell wet mud despite there being no rains. The cicada;s sing in occasion. I like to think of as a welcome but they might have been in a threatening tone. The path turns into a stone trail that takes us through the forest. In the short moments that the cicadas stopped chirping, you can hear the distant murmur of flowing water accompanied bu the gentle rush of the waterfall.
We finally reached the waterfall and it was beautiful. To the left is a small waterfall that comes of a ravine. A tree was fallen across it to make it even more beautiful. The waterfall collects at the base to form a small lake that trickles off into a river. The lake itself is deep enough to allow a casual swim, but yet dangerous if precaution less. The whole lake is guarded by a circular stretch of rocks with large shady trees around. There are many rocks in the water allowing you to walk around and stand untouched midst the gentle waters. The sun's light is ambient here in lieu of the dense forest cover. Watch that you do not step on some small frogs!
You can easily spend the whole day floating around the cool waters!
I do not know where the trek was. We gt an incredible view of one side of the Western Ghats. Lush green walls that grow wildly, streaked by a flowing river. The sun castes lances of light through the scattered clouds, throwing light on part of the range, and casting shadow on the rest. The sunset point was incredible beautiful too. At the base of the Sunset point is a little handicrafts store selling some well crafted products.
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