Doddamane, Agumbe

An old structure which flaunts its rustic looks. The architecture of the house is what we call in local dialect as "Thotti mane" with large central square area which is open to the sky bordering it is a corridor covered with sloped tiled roof. The huge black pillars at the corners have been now supported with metal railing as the structure is very old. There are I don't know how many rooms, every corner we ventured opened into a huge  room. A typical wooden ladder to climb up the attic. It typically looks like your granny's place which you visited during your holidays.

 

We weren't too tired so after a quick round of fresh up, we sat in the portico enjoying the evening breeze watching people walk home. It was dark by now and we were hungry. Not because the stomachs were empty but because the glimpse of the afternoon menu what they served, invariably forced us to serve a early dinner. An endless number of items filled the banyan leaf. Starting from the pickle till the masala butter milk, every thing served was so so so delicious. For the first time in my life I left nothing except the leaf. We obviously ate more that necessary. With a heavy stomach, least we wanted to rest. The marooned roads of the Agumbe invited us take a stroll. The dark roads and the blank sky without a single star, made the surrounding look completely dark except for the lights of the vehicles passing by once in a while. We sat on the road relaxing.

We returned home to occupy our rooms and saw the preparations for the next day's festivals were on. Freshly prepared Hollige (a sweet prepared in South India) were kept in a wide plate with a thin cloth filmed over. Raja could not resist and Sumanth too showed interest. Before they could chalk out a plan to grab one, I had to shoo them away. The windows of our rooms next to the bed had a clear view of the table on which the sweet was kept and Raja kept a eye on that for a long time. The hollige must have haunted him the whole night.

 Photo courtesy : Google images

Because of the Hollige, our next day plan got delayed. We were supposed to visit Kundadri hills for sunrise but we were happy watching it right from the windows of Doddamane. We enjoyed a hot bath from a authentic firewood heater (hanDe snana in local dialect). I took my sweet time watching the smoke from the firewood escape through the gaps in the tiled roof. It was a beautiful sight. We generously served several rounds of Avallakki prepared for breakfast. We dint want to miss a chance to eat Hollige but it seemed they would not offer it till the pooja was over. So we were a lil disappointed. We were done with avallakki and was about to get back to rooms, just then ajji came in and told us to have Hollige. Raja and Sumanth had no other option but to celebrate silently with a wide smile. We happily relished Hollige and our Ugadi was done. This is the best we could have on a festival away from home.

Road trip – Agumbe

Mar 30, 2014

This place surprisingly never entered my list but I remember having read about it during school days. This place claims to receive highest rainfall in the whole of Karnataka, I can still recollect my social teacher Ms Suma, teaching this. And I would, even then, dream of going to see this place. As a child, I had imagined watching the sunset standing on a bridge. I reached there to see the place to be more stunning than what I had imagined it to be.

We reached Agumbe around 9:30am. Having least idea what to do, we came across a sign board to Barkana and Jogi gundi falls. We had all time to explore them. The car entered the dark green forest on a narrow road. To our surprise the roads were good enough inside the forest too. It is very easy to miss the deviations to these falls, but with few locals helping us we first drove towards Barkana falls. As we went deeper into the forest the roads got narrower and there were several deviations. We stopped for some help near the first one, no human seem to come that way, so we blindly followed our instinct and took a right. Followed by all right deviations further. Finally at one point the road sloped down and again the road split. I got down from the car to check if there seemed to be any road ahead, on the right a log had fallen and we had no option but to take left. I notice few plastic covers scattered around, so we assumed to be on the right path. With serious doubts on whether to continue on this adventure any longer, we kept recollecting the deviations we took so that we could at least return back without getting lost.. We had no clue if we were on the right way. At one point we thought to turn back but somehow refused to do so. We waited to see if the road ended somewhere and so at least we would realise we are on the wrong path. After some distance ahead, we saw a slight steep after a natural right and noticed the railing. There it was, the view point to Barkana falls.

The view of the valley from here is stupendous though the volume of the water in the waterfall is very disappointing. We enjoyed the cool breeze in this place. Tried counting the range of valleys as far as the eyes could perceive them. After clicking few shots here we got back to the car and drove towards Jogi Gundi falls. It's easier to find this place. A huge tree trunk fallen on the path forced us to get on the feet to reach the falls. Proper railing and stone steps are in place till almost the falls. The water gushes between the hallow rocks carved out due to the force of the water currents. And a small pool forms beside it with tiny fishes swimming around your legs. They send tickles while they feed on the dead skin on your feet. It was a refreshing dip for few here while I choose to sit on the rocks.

It was lunch time and we enquired for a hotel after reaching the main road. Hotel Kamat served hot meals. It was peak sun and we were sweating like pigs while we hog the food. We checked with a local for a stay and he suggested to go to Doddamane. Suppose to be the biggest house in the town, as the name suggests. It was here, the famous TV serial Malgudi days was shot. In fact while we were on our way to this hotel we noticed doddamane and were amazed by its authentic structure.

We decided to walk to Onakke Abbi falls before we look for our stay. A small garden entrance which enters the forests. We weren't expecting a long walk now but this turned out to be one. The path inside the forest is clear so we dint feel lost but since we weren't prepared for walking this long we were skeptical on reaching the falls. It was mostly a climb but almost at the end there are steps to get down. We walked for more than 45 minutes. For the second time on the same day we were having similar thoughts of having to continue or not. But most of the time we do not give up. After reaching the bottom of the steps and we heard the water gushing below but falls is not to be seen. Searching for the falls we bend down to see the beautiful sight of water falling right below for several hundred feet. The water falls in two stages each of it must be more than a hundred feet. And the air blew in the opposite direction carrying water droplets. We were fooled into thinking it as rain. The water was extremely cold and as it dropped from the height, the tiny drops resembled diamond gems as they glittered in the sunlight. Fresh air blew across you face as we stood with our arm stretched facing the valley deep below. Every single step to reach here was so much worth. It was one of most beautiful sights I have ever seen in my life.

From here, we reached the sunset point, for which Agumbe is most famous. Clouds spoilt the fun and we couldn't enjoy the best view one gets to see during the sunset. But sun dint want to disappoint us completely so he made way between the clouds and wished us bye for the day. Back in our home stay Doddamane, an interesting episode :p

Road trip – Sringeri

29 Mar 2014

Me and my cousin waited for my friend, sipping tender coconut in the hot summer afternoon. It was a long weekend and we had decided to drive to Theerthalli just the day before. We dint know anything beyond this. We drove towards chikkamagalur. Roads are great though a little curvy after Hassan. We took a pit stop here in Hassan. We tried hot pav bhaji and surprisingly it was yummy. We dint stop till we reach chikkamaglur next. The sun was gone by now & it was my turn to drive after the dusk. The roads got extremely curvy from here on. I enjoyed every turn and every curve on the Chikkamaglur-Sringeri road. We dint want to miss the prasada at sringeri, so the last few kilometres the car simply flew. We reached there around 9:30pm and found that the prasada is closed by 8:30pm. We checked for hotels near by and a passer-by took us to a veg hotel which served authentic food. Unlike in places like dharmastala, it was easy to fetch a room here for the night. It was very economical too.

 

We woke up early and found that the hotel supplied hot water for a cost of Rs 10/- per bucket. I was more than just happy for the luxury. The temple, I heard from friend, is never crowded. I stayed outside the temple clicking pictures while others went in. I did go in later to offer my prayers too. But quickly resumed to click more pictures. The temple structure is a visual delight. It reminds me of all those monuments in Bellur-Hallebidu. After clicking enough I parked myself opposite to the sharada temple skimming through the pictures. A family from Belgaum passing by noticed a fair skinned visitor sitting next to me and opened a conversation with this foreigner. They were excited to see a man from France travelling alone in India and likes India more than his place. They asked him why he came to India? Was he alone? What does he do back in France? While the foreigner enthusiastically answered to their queries, it seemed to me that he was used to this sort of attention he gets where ever he goes. After the family walked past, we began speaking to each other. He asked me the same questions what they asked him :). I was surprised to know that he was 70 year old and first visited India back in 1978. I wasn't even born he said giggling at me. He explained how beautiful Manali was then, in late 70s. He has travelled across this huge country and finally found a second home in Sringeri. He goes back to France only to get his visa extended to stay in India for another 6 months.

Back in my hotel while I was standing outside, waiting for the others to show up, I see Philip walking back to his apartment down the city. He closes his hands to do a namasthe to a beggar on the street. They all seemed to know him.

After having breakfast in a hotel nearby, we checked out from our room and hit the road again, towards Agumbe.

Ma first scuba dive at Nethrani Island

I took some time to realize that I have no option but to dive now. The moment was scary but I kept telling myself not to quit. I wasn't too sure when I showed my instructor an "OK" sign and we dived few meters. Even though I dint panic I was sure that something wasn't alright. My ears ached. I signaled him "Not OK", he asked me why and I pointed at my ears.

He pressed my nose and reminded me to clear off the block in my ears. I tried doing it. The efforts cleared one of the blocks but continued to ache badly. We continued after I said "OK".  He kept pressing my nose every minute and throughout the dive I remember I was totaling engaged in clearing the block inside my ears. It pained like hell.

And at some point I almost prayed that the dive gets over as quickly as possible. The water wasn't clear till we reached the bed of the sea and those brown corals floated. We moved slowly and quite effortlessly watching tiny fishes and the corals around.

The sea bed looked like a vacant house. Due to the over dosage of underwater shows I watch on NatGeo & other adventure channels, this sight somehow refused to wow me. Or it is also possible that in the course of making myself comfortable underwater I dint really enjoy the scene around. But with what ever glimpse I remember of it, it was pale and blank.

We turned back after a while. Few tiny fishes, a long and wide colorful fish stood right below us. A frail sting ray kind of fish which was so transparent that one could easily miss noticing it swan in front of us. My instructor kept pointing at several of those tiny fishes while I was busy pressing the nose.

I met Sumanth and we both posed together for the pictures our instructors clicked. I saw another diver approaching us and when we came almost close I recognized him, it was Manju. We both stretched out arms for a high-five but funnily we missed it.

There was several centimeters of gap between our hands which we could not perceive in the water. It was really funny.We saw a large fish which stripes of beautiful blue, yellow, orange standing still in front of us. I don't remember throwing my eyes beyond few meters around me. It never struck me amidst the helluva discomfort I was facing inside the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its not that we all saw all of these fishes during our dive, its a collection of few wonderful shots I collected across several albums. A glimpse of how wonderful this whole new world is, deep inside.

When we finally reached the surface of the water, I was only happy for it was finally over. My first dive was finally done. I don't really know if I ever looked back before jumping onto the boat. I changed into warm clothes and soon surrendered to slumber. I sat giving my back to the sun to keep warm and hogged on some snacks. I retired to sleep on a bench and never woke up till we had reached the mainland.

Murudeshwara – Nethrani Island

I bit the mouth piece of snorkeling apparatus tight and consciously breathed through my mouth. It dint take long to have it on comfortably. I tilted my body to face the sea. What I just then saw was the hollow sea bed with rocks dispersed around. There weren't any living thing prominently visible at that moment of time. My mind was occupied in learning the skills to stay afloat. I failed to relish what was around until I saw a few tiny fishes swim below me.

A quick image of Finding Nemo flashed and then I saw beyond those moving figures, a picture beyond imagination, beyond any description was below me. It was picture perfect. To an extent the light rays penetrated its trunk revealing those never-seen oceanic colors. I let my body drift to the rhythm of the waves and after a short while I saw two divers one above the other diving close to the sea bed. One of them pumped out foam of bubbles which grew in size as it rose to the surface. I played bursting them like a kid. I loved being there. Just when I thought what I missed all these years, the whole story of how I finally made up to try this adventure was getting relayed inside my mind.

 On one of my previous trips to St Mary's Island I remember having a wonderful experience of floating over the water surface and hearing to the calm of the sea underneath. I laid on the bed of water for a long time sensing her on my ears and feeling her movements on my back. It was so pleasant & quiet that it still resounds on my eardrums at times. But contrary to this, there is this incident which happened couple of months back, which shook me badly. It gives me light tremors every time I think of it. I almost drowned and was saved by a friend. He teases me even today recollecting it. Even as a kid I used to panic every time I got into water. It scares me when my feet cannot touch the bed below and when I am floating I imagine creatures swallowing me into it. It sounds a lil dramatic, but its still the same dreadful imagination I have when I am in water. With this recent incident, it has become even worse. Having known that I am hydrophobic, I knew what I was missing. I could not brush aside this any more. I suggested the idea of diving to Suhas & we planned to dive in Nethrani Island near Murudeshwara.

Photo Courtesy: Harsha

Things quickly got freezed & a  big bunch 27 people got our train tickets booked way ahead of time. The world around me, knew that I was diving even before I even packed my bags. Thanks to umpteen check-ins & updates our fellow travelers made on FB. Train journeys are always fun especially when we are a good crowd of mad gang. We played games, recited stories from tinkle, screamed through dark tunnels, clicked crazy pictures, sang songs, danced with joy & not to forget we paid to eunuchs :P. It was noon when we got down at the murudeshwara station and reached the market road. Mid-day sun forced us to quickly reach our hotels facing the sea. With stomachs craving for food, we entertained ourselves to choose hotels and barged in some food into our tummy.

It was still hot sun to roam anywhere out so for a while we choose to fresh up and relax back in our rooms. With evening setting, the sun getting milder we planned to play Lagori on the sea shore. A gang of about 25 people running helter-skelter, throwing the ball far away across the sea shore and helluva screaming. We played till our muscles ached.

We freshened to visit the temple almost close to its closing time. We wanted to watch the tall statue of shive illuminated with lights of the night. The statue with its back to the sea was lit from the shore. The shadow of it thus falling on the sea in the form of long rays of light portraying shiva's grace spreading over the vast ocean. Suhas made some last minute announcement before we dispersed for dinner. A visitor around us seemed to assume Suhas to be a tourist guide and listened to him for couple of mins. LOL :P May be he dint understand a word of it and he left. We dinned at Naveen's hotel which is built over the sea water with the waves constantly lashing its pillars below us. Our aching body deserved some good sleep.

Photo Courtesy : Hazil

I always dream of doing yoga on beach side with the sun throwing at us its first few rays of energy. Few of us woke up for some warm up and yoga on the shore. I decided to carry a mat for my further beach treks to do some full fledged asanas which is otherwise not a great feeling on a not-so-clean shores like this one. Back in our rooms, boys were out having their first round of beverages. Not having much time to spare we cleaned ourselves and took seats in a hotel for breakfast followed by Avomine to avoid sea-sickness. We signed an agreement and packed for the dive. The instructor spoke as the boat made way on the waves towards the island. The tablet quickly had its effects on me and I don't remember a single word that was uttered during the journey. After reaching the island, the boats were anchored close to the island bank, while every one grabbed a snorkeling kit and dived into the ocean water with the life jackets on. As always my heart pumped hard due to the stress. After having every one calling me to join them, I remember I was the last one to jump.

Photo Courtesy: Harsha

I was too tired when I got back into the boat after snorkeling, it made me almost fall off. May be I was just too sleepy. I grabbed some bread crumbs and nutella and waited for my turn to dive. This time I made sure I dive early which will otherwise demotivate me. I was loaded with the cylinder and necessary gears before I could say anything, I was thrown into the water.

My first underwater experience is here

Back in the mainland, I stepped down from the boat and could hardly manage to stand. I was still sleepy. We refreshed in our rooms with a cold bath and searched for a hotel before boarding the bus. Gang towards Bangalore had already left and we headed back towards Mysore by an overnight bus.

Dras, an unforgettable day

My earlier posts from Leh trip are here

Day 12 : The Pangong Tso Lake

Day 13 : A ride in snow on Chang La

Day 14 : On the road towards Kargil

We were all sleepy as the cab rode towards Srinagar from Kargil. Somewhere during the journey I just glanced out of the window and saw the Indian flag swaying to the tune of air blowing over the mountain range of Tololing in Dras. Just when I wanted to show this to those dozing off, I realized we were passing in front of the Kargil war memorial. The vehicle was stopped right away and we jumped out of the vehicle. We were in Dras, the coldest inhabited town in India. It was a sunny day. It was difficult for us to imagine this snow-bound land during winter where snow storms are so frequent and the temperature drops to as less as –30 deg. A must see place when you are here is this Kargil war memorial built by Indian Army.

 

The previous day’s Vijay Diwas celebrations were very evident with the floral decorations and the military crowd in the place. It was around 8:30am, the breakfast from the canteen was no good to eat but least we were there for it. Without wasting much time, we started exploring the place. The martyr of the soldiers on the far end of the memorial wrote the story of each soldier on a stone which will stand there as long as the country continues to protect her crown from her two deadly enemies. Perhaps they will remain in each of our hearts forever.

Towards the right is a war gallery which takes you through the facts of Kargil war. The deadly war which has made deep scars to our nation, killing so many lives of our great soldiers. Reading those facts and figures gives goose bumps on your skin. You’ll have tears in your eyes seeing the images of a wife showing her last respects to the dead body of her husband & a father proudly saluting to his son’s sacrifice. The pictures showing the soldiers celebrating their victory brings a sense of accomplishment right there in you. It’s a proud moment for every Indian standing on the Vijay path (Path of Victory)

Few amongst us had the privilege to click their picture with those soldiers. They all stood proud posing at us. I took the charge to click few more pictures of the Indian flag and just when I retire to get back towards the vehicle parked outside I see a tilak on one of the soldier’s forehead and look back to the face as it seemed so familiar. Without a second thought I realized who it was. I see his name on his uniform and my heart leaps with unbound amount of joy. It was a long lost friend of mine whom I loved, adored and respected so much. I could not digest this sudden rush of mixed emotions running through my veins & I dint know how to celebrate this moment. The childhood love came alive and in no time I could recollect all those sweet memories I had cherished for more than a decade now. I went to him and introduced myself as he hardly knew my existence. I had to tell him hundred and one things from the past to help him recollect who I could be. A decade is too long to keep people in memory so I wasn’t too disappointed about the fact that he could not remember anything about me. More than anything I was way too happy to see him, for my prayers were answered the best way possible. We took each other through a quick recap of our lives. He listened to me like he was listening to a child reciting a crammed poem. He was amazed of how I could know and still remember so many things about him. I had no answer to this. I could only smile at my child like love I had for him.

 

I could not ask for more time from my friends as we had a long way to go. We said bye to him after clicking pictures and sharing our contacts. I left the place physically but for the rest of the trip I could never bring myself back from Dras, for that matter even today. The rest of the journey was undoubtedly the best part. It gave me all time to go back in time and re-live every day and every moment of life that belonged to him. An undying smile and tears due to the overwhelming emotions kept me graved for a very long time. I could not understand if I were happy to be in that state but I was little worried to stay like this for a long time. I still don’t really know that feeling.

 

While the rest of the team slept, I still gazed outside the windows at those tall mountains on the zojila pass. I just could not sleep for even a single second. We stopped for lunch at a local dhaba where again we found time to pick up few kashmiri salwar kameez materials and strolls available for sale at cheap rates. We would reach Srinagar by evening so the team was busy planning for the stay and some shopping that they would want to do after reaching the place.

Imtiaz bhai by now had become a good friend of Raja after his previous visit to Jammu Kashmir, he met us in Srinagar. We checked into a boat house at Dal lake with a good deal of Rs1600/- per head incl dinner, breakfast and Shikara ride in the lake. Imtiaz bhai took us around the city which was almost shut for Roza for the day. We visited Chashme Shahi gardens and Shalimar Bhag before it got too dark. Local shopping for few bags, dry fruits and dresses near the Dal lake got us to the end of the day. Back in the hotel, the owner of the boat dint spare us from another round of shopping. We hunted for the last notes in our wallets.

On a lighter note, according to the local dialect the meaning of Dras is “Hell”, so I met a long lost friend in “Hell”…. Ha ha… Well…. it was Heavenly!! I slept thinking of this day of my life which was one of the best days so far. The cozy bed of the boat made it feel even more lovelier.

On the road towards Kargil

My earlier posts from Leh trip are here

Day 10, 11 : Around Leh

Day 12 : The Pangong Tso Lake

Day 13 : A ride in snow on Chang La

Our host served us hot yummy porridge as a complimentary breakfast on our last day in Leh. Dried apple & honey added to the rich taste. We shared our contacts, facebook IDs with them before we bid bye to Vishnu & Boxer Bhaiyya (he was a national level boxing player). We loaded our bags onto the vehicle and started towards Kargil. As we passed by Hall of fame, we noticed that the tankers and the military battalions were all lined up, we could sense the celebrations in the air around the place but we hardly knew the date to realize it was Vijay Diwas.

The driver refused to cross 60kmph on those wonderful roads. We threw looks at each other expressing our frustration. We could not help but to bear with the monotony of his driving. We started small talk with him & realized he dint know the way to any of the monasteries we intended to visit on our way. This irritated us little more. But finding a place in & around Leh is never an issue. Thanks to the direction boards & also the people around directed us rightly to reach Likir Monastery. This one is about 50kms from Leh.

The view outside this monastery was captivating. The inside too had a colorful prayer hall. It was filled with study tables, books and manuscripts. The wall was covered with glass showcases with huge statues of Buddha and an endless collection of manuscripts.

I was attracted to an artistic prayer bell near the Buddha idol.       

There is a huge statue of golden color Buddha outside the monastery. It looked all the more wonderful against the dark mountains & deep blue sky in the backdrop.

From here we next stopped at Khalsi town for lunch. Mike, a solo traveler from Seattle had been in Leh and was on his way to Kargil. We agreed to offer him a ride with us till Lamayuru. Post lunch we headed towards Lamayuru monastery.

We occupied ourselves in an endless conversation with Mike while he shared his travel experiences in India & Nepal. By now we were cutting through barren mountains which resembled moon land. Hence this place is as well famous as Moonland. At a distance, the moonscape revealed the Lamayuru monastery on a small mountain.

The view from this monastery was spectacular. We spent sometime wandering around this gompa and we got back into our vehicle. We left behind innumerable mountains as we approached Kargil. It was evening when we made it to Kargil. Hundreds of war stories quiet naturally will occupy your thoughts from the very name of this place. We halted in a hotel which charged a high tariff and served an expensive bouquet. The month of roza does not encourage too many people on the streets, there was hardly anything we could see functioning here. We sat back and relaxed for the day to end as there was nothing interesting to see in Kargil.

Mike at Lamayuru Monastery