Walking along a narrow street, surrounded by greenery and small village huts, I noticed a bright splash of color . A window here, painted blue. A door there, intricately carved, looked like it once belonged in a palace. I turned around the corner to find walls adorned with quirky graffiti and colorful patterns. A man with a backpack finds his way across the temple to a shack on the beach, stopping to stare at the (almost) rebellious graffiti on the walls, just as a devotee clad in saffron makes his way into the heart of the city to the temple.
Flanked by the western ghats on one side and the Arabian sea on the other, Gokarna - with its sultry skies, delectable food and colorful yet calm demeanor, will definitely have you smitten. This town certainly has two contrasting tonalities, but they blend together seamlessly to give you an experience like no other.
Hiring a bike here was definitely a great idea, the narrow roads winding up the hills and down into the beaches make for very scenic mini-road trips. Om, Kudle, Half Moon, and Paradise are a few of the many beaches that lie on this part of the Western Coast, Om Beach being the most popular of them all, and for good reason.
We headed out to Om Beach on a sunny afternoon, all set to relax watch the sunset, and head back to the hostel for a peaceful night in. Little did we know, we were in for some great surprises.
What started off with being a laid-back day in the sand under the sun, slowly turned into visuals that would be ingrained in our minds forever.
We watched as the sun slowly turned a sultry orange from a bright yellow, and that was our cue to go for a swim in the cold water. The waves reflected the raging red of the setting sun as they crashed ashore, and we stayed in the water to witness this magnificent sight unfold. We watched as the orange - red skies dotted with blue - grey clouds changed into the purple hues of twilight, and headed over to a shack for an early dinner.
Post dinner, the biggest challenge was to walk across the beach to get to the road which was our way back into the city. The beach was deserted after sunset, with a few sparsely lit shacks being the only source of light and activity. It was quite terrifying to walk back in the darkness, and needless to say, I was petrified. After a lot of reassurance, I finally mustered up the courage to walk across the beach to get to our bike. We walked slowly and steadily in the darkness, with just a flashlight for company, trying our best to avoid tripping on the rocks. When we reached halfway, my friend grabbed my arm and pointed up at the vast night sky.
There it was, the night sky shining with a million stars above us, twirling around in different shapes and patterns, seemingly intertwined with each other. It was a magical sight.
Just when I thought things couldn't get better, THEY DID! I happened to glance at the waves from the sea, right in front of us. There were streaks of blue in the waves !
Bio-Luminescence - Something I'd only read about in numerous travel blogs, and seen in glossy magazines, and here it was, just a few feet away from where I stood.
I gazed in amazement, and was awestruck beyond belief. Sometimes, the most memorable things are the things that happen when you least expect it. Serendipity of sorts, I guess.
That night really set the tone for the rest of our journey through Gokarna. Bit by bit, we slowly made our way through the history, the culture, the food, the people and the serenity of this tiny town, and stumbled upon some more happy surprises along the way. This little town, with its sleepy streets, colorful skies and secret beaches is definitely full of surprises!
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