Living the Goks life!

The sea was once a new experience for us. Having lived most of our life in Bangalore, surrounded by buildings and roads, an open ocean and a distant horizon were by far unheard of. Unless you enjoyed the sight of black smoke, forming fascinating patterns in the sky, Bangalore’s horizon doesn’t have much to offer.

‘Gokarna’ the name sounded exotic and remote. “You’ve seen the movie Beach?” an excited friend asked us. “Gokarna is as close as it gets to such a life.”

That was it, we dropped our pens, shutdown the computers, threw some clothes together in a backpack and set out to discover the pleasures that lay in store. A small research on Gokarna revealed that it was about 160kms from Goa, that inspired in us, more sentiments of euphoria!

Gokarna in principle is a small village-town, blessed with a breathtaking coastline. The four main beaches, each separated by a hill are Kudle, Om, Half Moon and Paradise.

The town in itself is a dusty little place with narrow streets, ancient temples and beautiful wooden houses. Originally a pilgrimage centre, Gokarna literally means ‘cow’s ear.’ The town is formed by the ear shaped confluence of two rivers. The Shiv temple in the heart of Gokarna, attracts hundreds of pilgrims every year. The festival of Shivratri is celebrated in the month of February. The whole town turns into a colourful celebration of life during this time. At other times too, Gokarna is a spiritual experience. The town makes you feel like you’ve been transported to a different time. The most amazing experience is what you feel inside the Shiv temple, at the ‘Atmalinga.’ This place is called the ‘Kasba’, a very strange sensation grips you as you set foot inside. Comforting warmth engulfs everything and penetrates deep into your soul. It’s said that this feeling, is similar to what a baby feels inside the mother’s womb. You’ve got to experience it to believe it.

The trek from the town bus stop to Kudle beach is a 20 minute one, which we attempted in the middle of a hot afternoon. Turns out, that’s not such a great idea. Carry lots of water and glucose biscuits with you. Panting and perspiring we reached the top of the hill, an amazing view of Kudle beach jolted our senses and the heat faded away momentarily. Miles and miles of clear blue seas, a dreamy distant horizon and the brilliant sparkle of sunlight on the waves greeted us. An adrenalin rush sent us trudging along downhill towards our paradise.

At the first sight of water, in we all went. Clothes, shoes, trekking gear and all. The calm, cool, tranquil sea provided much needed respite from heat. Kudle beach is a long stretch of clean, smooth sands and picturesque palms. Small huts along the sides give it an ethnic feel.

Our destination being Om beach, we braved the sun and carried on deeper into Gokarna. Soaking wet, nicely salted, sporting satisfied smiles we went uphill, it’s a half an hour trek to OM. Again the view from top is absolutely spellbinding. You can see the OM formation of the beach clearly during low tide. This is perhaps the longest beach stretch at Gokarna. Little shacks line this coast as well. Accommodation on the beach, costs anywhere between Rs.20 to Rs.100, depending upon, how much you are willing to rough it.

Our shack cost 40 bucks a night and gave us the privilege of taking open air showers. The ‘bathroom’ had coconut leaves for walls and the open sky for a roof. A small pipe protruding from a black can-like water tank was the shower. And you had to sing out loud to make sure no one walked in while you’re in there. Despite minor bloopers and many embarrassing situations, it was a blast! Especially those late night showers, under the starlit sky.

Food is cheap and retains that local flavour. Fresh fish, cooked in the traditional style, flavoured lassis and helpful, friendly natives make the food taste extra delicious. A surprisingly wide variety of grub is available at those tiny shacks!

Trekking is a great way to build an appetite. And eating is a great way to energize for another trek! Beware of getting into this extremely addictive vicious cycle.

Half-moon and paradise are small beaches, perfect for those seeking complete solitude and peace. Trekking there takes almost an hour, provided you don’t lose your way. We unfortunately did, and scaled the sea side of the hills trying to dodge waves that kept lashing against the rocks. Don’t try that unless you’re well and truly lost and desperate.

Half-moon has absolutely nothing on it and vanishes during high tide. It’s completely uninhabited. Paradise has a few shacks during the season, it’s aptly named considering how peaceful and serene you feel sitting there with just the sea for company. An easier way of getting to these beaches is by boat, which again is available only during the season, unless you coax a fisherman to give you a ride.

Three days of bumming around on the beaches, reflecting upon profound thoughts, discovering hidden underground caves, being tossed around by big waves, pigging out on exotic food, more bumming around, tiresome treks and almost settling down with the natives, gave us quite a few insights to life. It was while leaving Gokarna that we noticed from atop the hill, a huge foundation for what is rumored to be a Five star beach resort. Things are going to change down there, commercialization has set foot. We hope Gokarna stays just the way it is. Untouched, unspoiled and stunningly beautiful.

Because Gokarna is for the true adventure seeker, it is a place to re connect with that inner self and meditate on life and beyond. For no adventure is greater than the one that takes you within yourself!