Mangalore - Manipal
A trip to Gokarna was a quick one with just saturday and sunday. As I live in Mumbai, to reach Gokarna in an easiest mode, I flew to Mangalore and landed in the early hours of Saturday. we had booked a car which unfortunately happened to be unlucky as we had to travel 63 km all the way to pick the car. not to waste any time we got into a City Bus to reach Manipal in 1 hour of time. Not to forget mentioning about the Bumpy Bus journey we had. Mind-blowing.! may be I had experienced the Bus Journey for the first time, though the roads were Horrible, the Driver was super fast literally we were Jumping, added to this the loud music and cold breeze. Great way to Kick start the Holidays i say.!
After the amazing Bus journey we got into a restaurant for Breakfast in Udipi. Dont miss to eat in Udipi, best known for Food. Living in mumbai my taste buds are literally dead, not that the maharashtrian cuisine is bad, Being a Typical South Indian i can go heads over crazy for the authentic 'Idly vada pongal vada and sambar'. The taste still reminds me.! Totally Worth it.!
Spend some time Checking out Manipal, the university area, so organised and all that you find students hipped up and so energetic. truly some good vibes.!
Manipal to Kumta
Quickly starting the Drive, its all ours now.! We rented an i20 for 24 hrs. we had a very safe time as my Buddy was a real Great Driver. Talking about the route, Manipal to Kumta was a real pain, as the road work is been going on and the traffic was in one lane. Distance between Manipal to Kumta is 126 Km and takes approximately around 2.30 hrs . The estimated travel time from Manipal to Kumta by bus may vary or it will take more time than the above mentioned time due to the road condition and different travel route.
Kumta was an unknown place for me until I reached. This is a very small Town in the Uttar Kannada District of Karnataka. Beautifully bounded by sea on one side and backwaters on the other. The Beaches are truly virgin. There are no major things to do in and around kumta. Beach being the major Plus. we spent the whole time in the beach witnessing the Amazing Sunset in the sound on the waves, lying on the shore, with some lovely dogs and birds giving us company. we totally loved the beach where we dint really realize the time was pass the late evening. The resort we booked - 'Blue Ocean Sands - On the Beach' also had a beach, where we had a beautiful Dinner Time under the moon light and the starts with the cool sea breeze.! what more do you want in life when you sit on the shore with good company around and a beer in the other side. !
One best place to see around is The Mirjan Fort.! 12 km from Kumta town. The fort known for its architectural elegance was the location of several battles in the past. . Mirjan fort is a beautiful place situated on the banks of river Aghnashini, you get to see the beautiful view of the local villages, paddy fields, coconut and palm trees. Don't miss this Secluded place and its beauty.!
As we head towards Gokarna soon after covering up the Mirjan Fort area, which is on the way perhaps. doesn't ave to waste time much. The Road from Kumta to Gokarna is comparatively better than the previous day drive. The distance was 32 Km, approximately 1 hour. we are good in making friends as we happened to meet a British couple who we spent good time in Kumta last night. we all traveled together to Gokarna and To be mentioned, these foreigners have truly high respect on our Indians and our culture. we in turn lets not stare at them like aliens and pass sarcasms. Its good to start your conversation with other people, its more of a knowledge sharing i say.
One of the beautiful beaches i have been to is the Om Beach. This beach is naturally in Om shaped and is truly a paradise. they call it a hippie land in other terms. This place makes me feels like going back , no matter what. The sea is crystal clear and calm. you are free to wear any clothes of your choice. the localites are very less and maximum you would find are some mixture of foreigners and Indian tourists.
Namaste cafe is one of the famous cafe with respect to its Location. one can have good food plus booze with the beautiful view ahead. time passes like swish. very peaceful place to sit back and enjoy the sea breeze. Not that this is the only cafe , you can find lot more beside namaste cafe. You can also buy precious stones and shells sold by few lovely ladies along the shore.
Well after a very long and peaceful walk in the beach, with tough hearten, we headed back to Mangalore. Which is where we Discover the most beautiful place 'Murudeshwar' the Town of Lorn Shiva.! This temple boasts of the second highest statue of Lord Shiva in the world, which is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on three sides. The main temple's entrance, also called the 'gopura' stands at 123 feet and you can witness the breathtaking view of the Shiva statue and the Om beach from the top of the gopura.
After a quick stop in Murudeshwar, we start our way back and with respect to the weekend traffic and the Bad roads, our journey was too tiresome and late. we reached to Manipal around late evening. We dint want to waste our time roaming out in the late night. we sorted the the quickest way to reach Mangalore from manipal as it was 8 already the direct bus was not available, hence we catch the bus to Udipi, then udipi to mangalore as we were extremely tired with the trip, we head to our room in mangalore. not to miss this, 'Urban Retreat Homestay' - A very Beautiful Bungalow with good hospitality. loved it.!
Monday morning we fly back with lot of good Memories and life lessons, as i always say 'travelling is itself a life-lesson'.!
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