Muthatthi

Time: July 30th, 2022

Place: Muthatthi

Company: Wife & Daughter

Highlights: This place has always been memorable to me. Back in early 90s, my parents & I had picnicked here along with dad's colleagues and on the way back up the hill, our Maruti van broke down. I still remember the bus driver helping us out by towing even though passengers were angry at him for the delay. The next time I was here was in 1996 with couple of my friends. We had camped here overnight and then trekked beside the river all the way to Sangama. That was my first time I had camped and even trekked on a multi-day trip - living completely in the wild nature. Camping (hearing the river beside us but unable to see), finding wood for our maggi, using a detailed trekker's map, seeing elephant's fresh cow dung, etc. Be that as it may, wanted to show this place to wifey & daughter. So chose this lazy weekend day.

We left at noon. Brunch at nearby restaurant. A nice easy drive all the way to Muthatthi, reached about 3:15 pm. We could see the water level was good but it was increasing. So we hurriedly entered the river, splashed about and had fun in general. It was perfect climate - not too cold nor hot. And Sunny as well. Satisfied, we left after about an hour. Visited the nearby Hanuman temple, and then headed back to home. On the way, we parked roadside for a home-packed food. Wonderful to eat amidst nature, hearing all the croaking and chirping!

It rained heavily on the way back at some places. And there was traffic jam. We stopped at the same place where we had brunch for our dinner! And reached home safely just before 9 pm. A day spent in nature is a day well spent indeed!

14th Wedding Anniversary @ Tirumala

Time: July 9th-12th, 2022

Place: Kalahasthi, Mangapuram, Tirumala

Company: Wife and Daughter

Highlights: About few years ago, I saw Deepika Padukone's visit to Tirumala to mark her first year wedding anniversary with Ranveer Singh and for some reason it inspired me to plan for a Tirumala visit at least one of our wedding anniversaries. Otherwise usually our wedding anniversaries will be in some vacation spots. Thanks to Covid, we could not plan for it in the last couple of years but when I saw a Whatsapp message in April that Sevas for the month of July is opening up on a certain date and time, I was fortunate enough to remember and lucky enough to book (& get confirmation) for a Kalyanotsava on July 11th. Until the last moment, we were not sure if we could really go or not since it was a working day but finally decided to go for it, and use the preceding two days (weekend) to as well visit  Sri Kalahasthi temple which houses Vayu Lingam (one of the five Pancha Butha temples). Thus the itinerary formed. One of the option was to drive all the way but then decided on train journey up and down and renting a car in Tirupati.

Day 1: July 9th - We left BLR via Sahyadri express at 11:30 am. It was a nice train ride all the way to Sri Kalahasthi. We got our fav side berths and all three of us had a nice time reading our fav books while at the same time appreciating the natural beauty of the mountain range which accompanied us most of the ride. Exactly on time, at 6:30 pm, the train reached Sri Kalahasthi and we took an auto to our hotel, which was right beside one of the temple entrances. Although we could have, we did not visit the temple as we wanted to be fresh for the first visit. We found a place nearby which was serving idlis as annadaanam and had our fill. Retired for the night.

Day 2: July 10th - Got up early at about 6 am, freshened up and entered temple at 7:30 am. It was thronged with pilgrims. Huge queue but still manageable under 'free quota'. By the time we had our darshan it was almost 9 am. Spent quite some time near the sanctum sanctorum. It was my second time here but again, like Guruvayur, I dont remember much - just vaguely of doing some pooja here about 1.5 decades ago. Then took laddu prasadam and then went to visit Paathala Vinayaka Swamy temple. This, I am sure, was the first time for me too. It was a small-ish queue (about 50 people) but the catch is that they will only 10 people in one go. And each batch has to climb down a steep set of stairs (considered as Paathala Loka), do namaskar to Lord Ganesh and then head back. So that'd take about 10 minutes. So 50 people means about an hour! But it is definitely not to be missed, since you don't get to see this kind of temple often and easy. Also, one has to be physically fit to go down and climb up the stairs. Some of the old people and obese folks had it hard. Especially the part about walking on all fours to enter and exit the shrine. Anyways, that done, we were satisfied with Sri Kalahasthi temple, and we exited. 

Had a quick breakfast, checked out, took an auto to bye-pass, got a bus to Tirupati (standing for some time), did a quick namaskar as the bus passed the spot where my grand-parents lost their lives, took a short nap and finally arrived at Tirupati bus-stand. As previously agreed, we crossed the road and reached Mayura Hotel. I was shocked that this hotel was no longer in service. It used to be our fav haunt way back in 1990s whenever we visited Tirumala. It was always, BLR to TPT 7:30 am to 1 pm Rajahamsa, full Thali meals at Mayura (that AC felt so good!), bus to Tirumala, darshan in the evening, next day same itinerary in the reverse order, same bus back 2 pm to 8 pm! I guess Covid victim. Anyways, the revv rental guy delivered the Alto car right on time and left. We had our lunch at a nearby restaurant and then geared up to climb the hill. Our initial plan was to go to Mangapuram but got to know temple would be closed post noon till evening, so changed our plans.

Had a longish wait at the base of the hill for security check. Surprised that no mineral water plastic bottles allowed any more. But happy. If there is one place in India where things can be implemented, that is Tirumala! Finally got clearance to climb the hill. It was uneventful, thankfully, and we reached within the hour. We had rest of the day free, so we thought we might as well visit the off-beat places on Tirumala.

Our first stop was Papavinasam Theertham. It was a brief stop, just a little bit of prokshan, a bow to the diety and then headed back. Next up was Akasa Ganga. Had been quite some time since we had last visited. These places were only for Paavani's sake since she had never been. A huge number of steps to be climbed down. One more prokshan. Next stop was a new one for all of us - Japali Anjaneya Swami temple. This had quite a bit of hike, almost 15-20 minutes. On our way up, we went on the regular paved path but on the way back we came via a trek route set amidst nature. Latter seemed faster albeit desolate. One interesting thing to note here was that everywhere we could see small stones/pebbles piled up one top of the other. Not sure why though. This was visible both ways. 

Nest stop was Silathoranam at Rock Garden. It reminded us of the Arches National Park in US. We continued further on to Chakratheertham. The trek was small yet intense and good. We came back to Rock Garden and spent some time sitting on huge boulders looking at beautiful mountains encompassing us.

Our last stop for the day was Sri Vari Padalu. It was just after sunset, and we were right on time. We were done with all that we wanted to see in Tirumala (outskirts). Headed back to our night halt spot - Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt. Had tea and got checked in. That took some time. We were given a room at the back which was a bummer since it kept us out of earshot of the mada street speakers where there'd be vedic chants and slokas which is very soothing to hear in the mornings. Anyways. We thought we will finish Varaha Swamy temple since we did not have much time in the morning considering the rush. However, even then, at almost 9 pm, there was a huge queue. But thankfully it moved fast, and we were out in 45 mins. We headed back to the room. We were pretty tired after a long day. A short snack with whatever we had sufficed us for dinner and then we hit the sack.

Day 3: July 11th - Our 14th wedding anniversary! We reached the entry point for the Kalyanotsavam Seva Queue right on time. It was close to 10 am. We were made to wait in one of the rooms, and then again in the line. Finally by the time, we all assembled, it was 11:30 am and the proceedings began. It was very divine in the beginning but then over the next course of 2 hours, it kind of waned as the priests got busy with the wedding of Lord and His cohorts, and there was not much of involvement sought from the audience. By the time, it got over, it was close to 2 pm. Then we had the darshan of main deity Lord Venkateshwara, and as expected, Gouri went into an ecstatic state like how she usually does at such powerfully consecrated places. That done, we exited and had a small prasadam. That was the first food for us since yesternight. Then, we rushed to the Laddu prasadam counters to get our Seva prasadam. Some commotion there since all counters were closing for lunch, and we were already getting late (to return the car back in Tirupati at 5 pm). After much pleading, was able to secure the prasadam. 

Then went to Swami Pushkarni for prokshan. We were now done with Tirumala. Got back into the room, checked out. Also got a call from my uncle that he was close by. So went and met him. He got us to meet the main pontiff of Vyasaraja Mutt from whom we sought blessings for our anniversary. This was a bonus blessing! Next we had to eat something since we hadn't had a proper meal since over 25 hours! We couldn't go to Annadanam since we didn't have the time. So went to a nearby eat-out, finished our meals and headed down to Tirupati. As usual, saw some deers. We had signed up for car delivery at 5 but were about 20 minutes late. 

Our train to BLR was at 10 pm, so we decided to go to Mangapuram. Took an auto. At about 5:55 pm, we entered the temple and was surprised to see no one, and the line was empty! We had the darshan of Goddess Padmavati within 5 minutes! Then temple authorities shooed us away. We were surprised. Apparently temple was closed from 6 pm to 7 pm which was strange. Since we didn't have anything else to do, we just sat outside the temple for a long time. And then, we got a bus direct to Tirupati Railway Station. Still we were about 2 hours early. Whiled away the time somehow and then got into our train. Reached BLR at about 4 am next day (the train had already reached station, somehow woke up!) and home at about 6.

Overview: When I mentioned about this trip to my parents (visiting Tirumala on anniversary day), my mom's first reaction was 'Oh, like how your father and I do every year'. Boink! That was true - they visit every year on (or around) Anniversary, at least they used to until Covid. However, this completely slipped my mind. Instead I kept thinking about Deepika-Ranveer's anniversary! How silly! Anyways. Glad that we could at least make it to Tirumala for one of our wedding anniversaries. The itinerary also worked out well. Thanks to the weekend, we could visit Sri Kalahasthi temple and had a direct train all the way. It was better than driving. Also glad that I got a rental car to climb the hill myself. Could manage the motion sickness. And, even better, we didn't have any such MS episodes! Some slight issues with the car not showing actual fuel despite pumping in enough gas - but could not argue much with anyone anyways. Finally, felt good about having visited TTD temples after 5 years...

Temple, Houseboat & a Wedding

Time: May 4th-9th, 2022

Place: Guruvayur, Alapuzha, Mangalore, Moodabidri

Company: Wife & daughter later accompanied by colleagues 

Preview: Colleague's wedding at Moodabidri on May 8th initiated this thought of going on a vacation somewhere in the neighbourhood, especially since it was summer holidays for the kid. After a lot of research (that also included Kumarakom, Sakleshpur, Kukke, Palani, Kodai, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, etc.), finalized first on destinations that included Guruvayur & Alleppey for family vacation and Mangalore with colleagues. For most part of the research, it was Alleppey and Kumarakom but in the end we thought that the houseboat will anyways ride through the same lake from ALLP, and hence KMRKM can be planned for some other time. And then GVYR came about to fill in on another day.

Next research was finalizing the itinerary based on train availability and colleagues' plan. Two options that we had were first MLR or last MLR. First MLR seemed better since we would be fresh for the wedding but then there was the threat of next wave of Covid looming large. With Kerala known for it's outbreaks, we thought that it is better to finish Kerala first and then get to the wedding. Initially, I had booked lot of train tickets, just to be safe, with both itineraries. Once the final itinerary shaped up, cancelled all the other train tickets. So, the final itinerary: BLR-GURUVAYUR-ALLEPPEY-MLR-BLR. 

Day 1 - May 4th: Left home at about noon. Our train was Hubli to Trivandrum without touching the usual stations of Yeswantpur or KSR (Majestic) or even Cantonment. It was bypassing via Byappanahalli and KR Puram. So, for the first time in my life, I boarded a train at KR Puram. We took the metro till Byappanahalli and then bus towards KR Puram (since connectivity from Byappanahalli metro to Byappanahalli railway station is not convenient). Train was on time and we thankfully managed a side lower/upper seat combo and had it for ourselves. It was wonderful, thanks to the occasional showers. Gradually, train got delayed by an hour, and we reached Thrissur at about 1:30 am. From there, we walked towards the hotel which we had already booked. Thankfully it was drizzling and not raining heavily. Retired to the bed at about 2 am.

Day 2 - May 5th: Checked out of the hotel by 9 am, got a bus to Guruvayur closeby (Kerala's KSRTC) and it was an hour's journey. By the time we entered the temple premises, it was close to 11 am. To our horror, the queue was long and serpentine. There just did not seem to have an end to it! But whomever we asked, we were told that it will get over in 2.5 hours. That hardly seemed likely since it was just not moving. we had a train to catch at 3:45 pm from Thrissur, so we couldn't take any chance. So bought the Rs 1000 special entry tickets and the darshan was over in less than 30 minutes. We spent some time near the sanctum sanctorum to imbibe the energy. It was my second time here but then I hardly remember a thing. Darshan done, we saw many other idols within the temple and then headed to the queue for anna prasadam (food). Alas, one more huge queue and even this was hardly moving. We waited for close to 30 mins and realized, it'd get late, so went out to a nearby restaurant. We hadn't had anything since morning and we were starving. But this restaurant too did not have much other than dosa. So, we had to do with it. It was not all that great.

We walked back to the KSRTC bus stand and realized that we had to go to Mammiyur temple too (as a tradition). Took an auto to that temple (instead of walking) and boy were we glad since it was about to close for lunch. Had quick darshan and we were done with Guruvayur. Thankfully, we got a bus at 1:30 pm towards Thrissur, and (slept most of the journey) it dropped us off at the railway station (or close by). The heat and humid was getting to us, and the hunger as well. So refreshed ourselves at the station, and waited for our train. Thankfully it was on time. It was a 3 hour train ride to Alleppey, and we busied ourselves with our respective books. The landscape surrounding us was lush greenery and it was indeed a sight to see. As they say, Kerala is "God's own country". The thing that I noticed about the railway station at Thrissur is that there were only two platforms - one that goes north and one that goes south! Since Kerala is shaped that way, it kind of makes sense and seems so simple indeed!

Anyways, we reached Alleppey by about 6:30 pm, and we took an auto to our reserved stay near the Alleppey Beach. It was a small cozy little room on the loft of an independent house. We had chosen that because it was bamboo-based walls, so had a nice feel. It was hot and humid however. Check-in done, we were famished, and immediately ordered food. Thankfully we got it early and we ate our first good meal of the trip since we left home the previous day. We were surviving on titbits all through! 

Meal done, I had to attend an office meeting for an hour. It was close to 9 pm when it got done and then we ventured out to the Alleppey beach. The roads were all lit, so it was not as scary as the Nirvana Beach adventure!! There were very few people at the beach, so it was nice and good. We could see the waves although it was dark. Spent about 30-45 minutes and headed back to our room and retired for the night.

Day 3 - May 6th: The day of the houseboat!! At about 9 am, we checked out and took an auto to Alleppey insides from where our houseboat would depart. All through the bylanes we could see people trying to entice tourists to come on their boats. Our boat was private and we had it all for ourselves until sunset. We had not opted for the day+night halt since we had read about nothing much to do at night and mosquitoes, etc. The crew was very friendly and there were two of them. The owner of the boat did not join us but he did welcome us very warmly. After the welcome drink, we started off from the backwaters and very soon entered into the longest lake in India called the Vembanad Lake. 

To sum up in few words, it was extremely soothing. I guess we were one of the first few to have arrived on time because the boat-traffic was relatively less in the morning. So, everywhere we looked, we had nice views of the lake and water, lush greenery, and laid back life of Kerala. The boat-cruise also was very smooth and peaceful. We took a number of pictures at every angle and every part of the boat. It was a small nice little boat with a small open place where we had sofa and dining table and a closed room for sleeping and attached bath. There were also some books to read.

Through Google Maps, I could see how the boat was traversing through the innumerous water channels of Alleppey. We could even see the direction for Kumarakom but could not see the town itself. By about 1 pm, the crew took the boat to a long channel where most boats later on came and anchored. I guess this was the place for having lunch. Lunch was indeed a treat. By special request, we had asked for no onion and no garlic veg food and it was delicious. After lunch, the crew took a nap. We ventured out onto land in the middle of the lake where we were moored. It seemed surreal to be surrounded by so much of water!

We continued forward and I realized we were going back to the starting point but through a set of small waterways giving us a glimpse of the Alleppey outskirts. We could see women folk fishing, grandparents lazily sitting and watching tourists go by, children run on the edges of waterfronts, etc. It seemed like a different world altogether! At this time of the day (which was close to evening), there was a lot of boat traffic, all heading back to their starting points! Some of the boats were occupied by college-goers with blazing music, some bachelors with alcohol in their hands, some family members like us, some large families, etc. 

Soon we got back to our place, and it was almost 6 pm. All in all, it was a fantastic experience and one that definitely should not be missed. The crew got us an auto thankfully (since we were in the middle of dense rural outskirts) and we headed in the auto back to the Alleppey beach. We had couple of hours to spend before our train could arrive. So we simply sat on the beach looking at the ocean. The sun had already set but there was enough light still. Post sunset, we walked on the beach back and forth and then headed back. Had an ice cream here, sipped some coffee there and finally it was time for us to catch our train. Thankfully it was on time. But then, it was Rajdhani heading to New Delhi, so it will rarely be late. I realized, it was the first time we were traveling on Rajdhani express! We got onto the train, took our berth, had something to eat (some confusion about dinner not being served) and retired for the night.

Day 4 - May 7th: We reached right on time at 5:15 am Mangalore Junction. Rest of my colleagues had left BLR about an hour ago and hence they would reach only in the afternoon. So we had lot of time. Decided, we might as well visit the Mangaladevi temple which is the basis of the city's name. It was beautiful, being there in the temple early at day break. In fact, we were just sitting on the premises facing the entrance/exit and we could see the sun rise directly in front of us, the full orange ball! After a simple darshan, we took an auto to our "Summer Sands Beach resort" which was near Ullal. A very big resort indeed. One colleague came from Chennai via train about the same time and we checked in, freshened up and went for breakfast. Had a long and lengthy one, right in front of the beach! Even at that time, about 10 am, the sun was soaring and it was too hot and humid. After little chit-chat, we went back to our rooms to relax and take a nap.

Around afternoon everyone arrived and we had a nice time meeting & chatting in person (some of them after a very long time due to work from home). Then some of them departed for lunch and some stayed back including us. We decided to meet at the beach in the evening since the heat was unbearable anytime before. So, all in all, most of the day was spent in the resort room!!

Just an hour before the sun set, we all went to the beach. Just like small kids, had a great time with the waves, running and rolling on the sand, yapping in general, building fort and sand castle, seeing it washed away, jumping, etc. Spent more than 2 hours, even after sun set and the setting was just perfect. Since the beach was secluded (not private but not easily accessible to the public either), it was not too crowded. Once we were done, had tea and then headed to the room for freshening up. After bath, again chit-chat in general with everyone in the room. Finally at about 9 pm, we headed out to dinner to a nearby restaurant. Dinner done, we got back and retired for the night whereas some of them continued to stay awake, and even ventured out to a walk in the beach at midnight!

Day 5 - May 8th: The day of the wedding. We left at about 9 am. We had two cars inside which we could all fit in thankfully. It was just about an hour away to Moodabidri. We were right on time, just as we reached the knot-tying ceremony was going on and we blessed the couple. Few more minutes later, we were on the stage for the photo and then it was all done. Quick lunch and we were ready to bid adieu to all. The BLR team started off at about 2 pm and another couple dropped us off at Bantwala Railway Station (although we had booked from MLR). Much of the discussion was spiritual in nature, and concentrated on Sadhguru. After bidding them adieu, we spent some time lazing in the station, having tea, eating snacks, taking pics on the tracks, etc. and finally our train came about 7:15 pm. Had our dinner and then retired for the night.

Day 6 - May 9th: For me, it was a disturbed sleep since the crowd was making lot of noise, especially after Mysore. Daughter and wife were away on a different coach (since I had booked for them under Ladies Quota) and my RAC had got confirmed in a different coach. Anyways, somehow managed and we reached on time at about 7 am, and back home safely by 8-9ish.

Overview: When we were searching for places in and around MLR, and finally chanced upon Alleppey/houseboat vs Kumarakom, I came across a train reservation that I had made way back in 2010 for our babymoon cum anniversary. For some reason, I also noticed that I had cancelled it (and eventually we went to Chikmagalur). And although KMRKM was considered for this trip as well, yet it didn't materialized. Some other trip perhaps, Kumarakom has to wait!!

To summarize - Guruvayur was way too crowded, much more than what we had expected. And, in fact, we were lucky to have got everything done within a few hours. Houseboat was the charm of the entire vacation. Very soothing and wonderful. Beach in Mangalore was fun with friends, something that I hadn't done for a really long time (I guess it was 2007, a good 15 years ago). Wedding in Moodabidri got done in a jiffy but the conversations will be memorable. And that's how our 2022 summer vacation came out to be - not too fancy, not too dull!

😊

Mantralayam

Time: April 8th-10th, 2022

Place: Mantralayam, Bichchale, Panchamukhi

Company: In-law families (12 members!)

Highlights: We had been thinking of visiting Guru Raghavendra Swamy's Mantralayam since some time and brother-in-law's arrival (with family) to India in summer with the intent of visiting the same place kind of gave a boost to that thought & action. Since the dates had to coincide with his visit, we agreed upon a weekend in April and booked the train tickets to and fro. 

On the day of travel, packed some dinner via swiggy delivery, and got them all handed over to each person since we all had seats in different seats/coaches. Overnight travel in Udyan express and reached MALM at 4:30 am. Took a tempo directly to the reserved hotel in MALM. Soon after check-in, we split into different groups. Some went to river for bath, some for direct darshan, and sub-groups within. As a result, I went with MIL, Mom and Daughter to river and had a nice, pleasant bath. Surprisingly the water was not too cold. Post bath, it was a wonderful experience doing the sandhyavandanam on the banks looking at the dawn. It reminded me of having done the same thing so many times in the past whenever I used to visit this place with my parents during my childhood. 

Then I went directly to the mutt alone. Had darshan of the Brindavan. They had just completed the Abhisheka and I guess were performing Alankara. BIL had mentioned that he'd do 108 circumambulations and I got inspired by that and thought why not. In fact, he always does that whenever he visits MALM. So, I started off at about 6:35 am, and by the time I complete, it was close to 10:30 am. Roughly I was taking about 2.5 minutes per circumambulation. As the day passed, the crowd increased and the sacred rice (Mantrakshathe) on the floor started piercing to the feet. But I did not feel tired. Paavani joined for about 30+ rounds and for her age (11), that was great.

My wife did Hejje Namaskar - which is like she went step-by-step for 3 rounds and then 2 rounds namaskar for each step. It was her first time too. All in all, by the time we all finished (BIL, MIL, etc.), it was about 11 am. We waited for lunch, and it was served at 11:30 am. Lunch done, we went to our room and hit the bed for a much-needed rest. By this time, it was soaring hot.

Got up by 3 pm and got readied for a trip to Bichchale & Panchamukhi. Unfortunately could not get the same tempo driver, so had to make-do with an auto. Issue was it was too slow. So felt like more travel than amount of time spent in the temples. Reached Bichchale at about 6 pm and then saw the house where Raghavendra Swamy used to stay, and then headed to Panchamukhi. The last time I was in Bichchale was just before marriage in 2008 Feb and it was very different. The floods in mid-2010s ravaged much of the place. Thankfully they have re-engineered as much as possible. 

And then we left to our next stop. It was close to 7 pm when we climbed the stairs of Panchamukhi temple. Thankfully there was not much crowd. I remember coming here long ago and it seemed different, maybe because of the glass partition that they have put now inside the cave. Anyways, by the time we reached our hotel was close to 8 pm and we hurriedly checked out with packed dinners from a nearby restaurant. 

Once again auto-ride to railway station. This time, the ride was painfully even slower. But thankfully reached on time. However train was late by an hour, so we finished our dinner on the platform itself. At about 11 am, Udyan express came and we boarded. A new experience for us this time was that this was a AC-3E (economy) berth which meant new berth-layout manufactured recently. It was nice to have experienced it. Although an hour late, it arrived right on time in BLR at 7:30 am. (Side note: Incidentally, when I was a small kid, the exact same thing had happened - Udyan express came at 11 pm instead of 10 pm at MALM but reached BLR right on time at 7:30 am. At that time, my dad had remarked thus 'The driver made up the delay'. The phrase 'make/made up' regarding time had been the first time I had ever heard then other than the 'make up' that I was used to hear about females!)

Anyways, reached home by about 9 am. To conclude, it was a great feeling to have done the seva to Guru Raghavendra Swamy (for the first time)! In all the previous trips, it was just a visit & Darshan...

Mahakal & Omkareshwar Jyotirlingas

Time: Dec 23-28, 2022

Place: Ujjain, Omkareshwar & Indore

Company: Wife and daughter

Highlights: Well, we wanted to visit some place during school winter hols but was not exactly sure where. A lot of places could not be visited due to an unusual spate of continued monsoon and some of them were too cold due to winter. And some countries/states still were reeling under Covid and that left very less options. So, after much deliberation, we decided on Madhya Pradesh. Initial grand plan also included Bhopal, Khajuraho, Gwalior, etc. but after poring over multiple itineraries, we decided on a simple trip of BLR-UJJ-BLR with an outing to OMK, and IND on the way. Just two weeks before the onset of hols, booked the train tickets. Thankfully we got it.

Day 1 - Dec 23rd: The train departed at 1:15 pm. We had stored enough meals & snacks for that day's meals & next day morning breakfast too. It was nice traveling in train once again on a long route. I think that last time we did a long train travel was almost 3 years ago back in 2018 when we went to Ayodhya and also got back from Kolkata. Enjoyed the scenic route via Hindupur. Thankfully the person who was supposed to occupy one of the side lower/upper seats did not appear and hence we enjoyed the coziness of the side berths.

Day 2 - Dec 24th: Full day train journey. Enjoyed playing games with daughter. Reading novels once in a while. Taking nap. Saw the scenic vistas pass by. Highlight of the day was the meals that I had ordered for the first time using irctc website where it'd be delivered directly to the seats at certain stations. The Kolkata trip lesson learnt was that meals from train pantry were not too tasty & very spicy too. So this seemed like a nice option. We had a variety of options since this was almost like ordering from Swiggy, we could see the menu items, ingredients and even reviews. Also wifey is now inclined towards no-onion-no-garlic food and hence this was the best option. The food that we got was good although bit spicy. And it got delivered within minutes of train arriving at the station where I had ordered for it to be delivered. First experience of such sort. Some more great sceneries, vistas between Nagpur & Bhopal. Got oranges once more at Nagpur just like how we did in 2018. Very soon, right on time, the train reached Ujjain at about 10 pm. The auto driver was surprised why we had booked a hotel at the outskirts when we had umpteen hotels near the main temple. Had a tough time finding the hotel too. But we had booked the hotel since we did not want to search at the nth minute on a long holiday. Anyways, the room was nice, so we didn't repent. Before sleeping, we booked a cab for the next two days to take us around Ujjain and Omkareshwar. We also asked about Bhasmarthi for next day at 4 am but it was not allowed due to Covid apparently.

Day 3 - Dec 25th: Right on time at 9, the cab guy had arrived. Our first stop was, of course, the Ujjain Mahakal Temple. Narrow streets led to the temple until parking lot after that we had to walk the next few bylanes to get to the actual temple. We could have taken the free darshan line since it was empty but the starting point was too far away. So we took the simpler, shorter one by opting for the quick darshan. Within few minutes, we were inside the sanctum sanctorum. We had nice darshan of Mahakal, good thing being a wide screen monitor with live screening which was very helpful especially since we could not go near to the linga.

Darshan got done soon after and we just visited the many temples inside the premises, also sat under the shades of many trees, meditated, took some snaps, participated in a bhajan, etc. and whiled away a lot of time. Reason being we wanted to have annadanam which we were told was at 12:30 pm (but it actually started earlier) outside the temple premises. Food was good. Post that, we went back to our cab guy. On the way, we went to Bharat Mata Mandir (Mother India). Very nice gesture indeed by whosoever conceptualized & constructed it.

The cab guy first took us to Bhartrihari Caves. Seems very simple from outside but once we go in, it is astounding. Especially the part where we have to climb down a set of stairs. Quite unimaginable that great seers sat here for long time to do penance. Such dark areas under earth. Matsyendranath idol also is kept here, who is famed for having left his body through his chakras. There were so many people here that it was getting claustrophobic. Also there was one guy to control the traffic but he lost his cool and went away after which it was complete mayhem - in a cave! You can imagine!

Thankfully the next cave was not too deep. It was a simple bend-your-head, walk-few-steps, return-back thingy. Once we came out, we sat for some time in the open temple premises and meditated for few minutes and returned back to the cab. 

Next stop was Gad Kalika Mandir. It was a very brief stop but quite interesting. Seems like this Devi has lot of energy. When my wife sat within the temple premises, her left side of the lip felt like it was getting pulled! Since she was wearing the mask, it was not easily noticeable but she felt the pull distinctly only when she was in the temple. When she came out, it stopped automatically. One more thing was that Paavani went missing for about 5+ minutes and both my wife and I were searching. Finally found her, and she was searching for us too! 

Next stop was Kala Bhairaveshwar Temple. This was the strangest of all temples. Here alcohol is offered to the idol! When the driver mentioned this, we did not believe him but alas, it is true! Alcohol shops line up completely all the way to the temple entrance and one can see everyone buying it - including the wives, mothers, elderly, etc. like how flowers are bought! And then there was huge queue which led as a direct line to Kala Bhairava. Our last darshan of Kala Bhairava was in Kashi during the 2018 trip and it was brief (few seconds) but this was fulfilling. And here, wifey felt like she was sipping with her lips. So the left-side lip-pull gave way to this lip-sipping feeling, and once again this only happened as we neared the idol. She felt like laughing, experiencing all this interesting twitches on her face especially when she neared these energized idols! And it went away when we left the place, thankfully!

Our next stop was Shri Mangalnath Temple. Quite an astronomical place this, believed to be the birth place of Mars! Also a place where astronomical studies took place. After all, in the ancient times, Ujjain was considered to be center of Earth! There was quite a bit of a queue, but it was moving fast. Took some pics and moved on.

Last stop in Ujjain was Sandipani Ashram. This was a very nice place. Apparently Lord Krishna came here for his studies! So it was his gurukul/school! A small museum-like place yet with potent of a temple. Very nice place, filled with lot of trees. Upon finishing this, we had road-side tea (very well made) and then we were done with Ujjain, and off we went to Omkareshwar. The drive was about 3 hours. At about 8 pm, we had dinner at a pure veg restaurant called Hotel Panchvati (quite good). We reached at 9:30 pm, and retired for the night in the hotel where we had previously reserved. There was some discussion with the driver about us having to take special darshan but we politely declined it and we were glad we declined.

Day 4 - Dec 26th: Our room was very close to the Narmada river ghat. I went scouting to see if it was bath-worthy. To my surprise, the river was super clean! Even better, it was warm! Had a nice time in the river, and the view was awesome, with the Omkareshwar temple right across. After bath, we crossed the river and approached the temple. Quite shocked to see the queue, it was enormous. But it was moving, so we stayed put. And it got done within an hour, so it was ok. Unlike Ujjain, we do get very close to the linga. It seemed like Varanasi temple. Out of the queue, we took some break and imbibed the energy around. The whole atmosphere, scenery was worth imbibing! The flowing river in the background added that much more charm.

After this, we walked back to our hotel, took the luggage and then went in search of Mamleshwar temple. It was within walking distance, not much queue here, so darshan got done in a jiffy. The next stop was for lunch since we hadn't had anything to eat till now except for a road-side banana. We had researched this place called Omkareshwar Prasadalaya and headed there assuming it is temple prasadam. It was not, but more of a Trust's offerings. The food was not all that satvik since they had put some negative pranic vegetables, but it was ok. 

The cab came to where we were and we headed back to Ujjain. Initial plan was also to visit Patal Pani but driver said that it'd be not that good since there were no rains. So we dropped the plan. However, we did a stop-over at Lalbaag Palace in Indore. It seemed more like ruins, and nothing much to write about. Although at that time, it would have been a treasure due to its grandeur. It was more like a museum with all kinds of photos of hunters with their guns on hunted tigers, etc. The kings of the then era showing off their might. All dead now, huh. What of it. After seeing the palace's bathroom, bedroom, living room, etc. we exited. The Mysore Palace & the Palaces in Rajasthan are well maintained is what we felt. 

Unfortunately there was not much time left for us to see anything else in Indore. Heard from driver that Rajwada is only good to visit during night time due to bustling street food nearby (not sure if we were duped by that statement!). So had to skip that, but there was a fair going on at the grounds of Lalbaag palace, so we let Paavani enjoy herself with a number of children's rides. The fair was super big - with rides, eatery stalls, shopping outlets, stage-shows, etc. So we spent about an hour or more just moving around different stalls. At about 7 pm, we left Indore and directly headed to Ujjain railway station. We thanked our driver for showing us all the great places and headed inside the station. Munched something for dinner, got into our train (which apparently came from Indore as well) at 10:20 pm, and retired for the night. This journey back was both side lower and side upper, so we secluded ourselves into our small home for the next 36 hours...!

Day 5 - Dec 27th: Full day train! Kind of like these day trip in train, nice to see different cities, villages, states go past the window! Enjoyed reading Wodehouse book after a long time. Once again, had booked the Jain food for lunch and that sufficed for us. 

Day 6 - Dec 28th: Got up early to see the sunrise. It was picture perfect. Nice to see the misty nature of the morning Earth. Train was right on time, we reached Yelahanka and then Yeswantpur right on time at about 10:45 am. Reached home at about noon, and that was it!

Overview: Well, this trip started off with different itineraries that initially included lot of places in Madhya Pradesh such as Khajurao, Bhopal, Gwalior, etc. and it kind of became overwhelming. And we did not know whether we could sustain all of these since it would have become very hectic. Hence, retained the itinerary to be very simple BLR to UJJ and back although despite it took lot of time in train, and just focus on the two Jyotirlingas. Anyways, wife and daughter do not prefer air travel, and we had holidays, so thought we might as well spend some quality time in the train travel. In fact, we spent over 75 hours just traveling in this trip and the time spent with the two Jyotirlingas was less than 10 minutes combined! But it was all worth it, saw many sunrises and sunsets at different parts of India, different kinds of people, varied set of devotees, etc. And with that, our vacations of 2021 came to an end!

PS: While writing this blog, came upon this article and it shocked us to the core about wife's lip-pulling event at Gad Kalika Temple, and how susceptible she is now for such important places of worship...!

Mysore & Peripherals!

Time: Dec 4th & 5th, 2021

Place: Melkote, KRS Dam, Nanjangud, Somanathpura, Mysore Palace (lights)

Company: Wife and Daughter

Highlights: A hastily prepared Friday evening plan for the weekend! Decided to take family car. KRS Dam and Mysore Palace with lights on were two things that was planned but we could not accomplish in the previous Mysore trip. So added couple more places and packed it into a nice getaway weekend.

Day 1: Idea was to first go to Melkote via Mysore Road but in the morning saw that traffic on that road had piled up, and Google Maps showed fastest route was via Tumkur-Hassan Road. And although longer, I was in fact glad since the drive was very smooth and relaxing. When I was maybe about 10 years old, my uncle stayed in Nagamangala and we used to frequent his place during summer holidays or weekend getaways. And it was during that time that we used to travel on this exact route: Nelamangala, Kunigal, Yadiyur, etc.. Sometimes we used to go via KSRTC bus and at other times we used to drive. Back then, dad used to drive and I felt strange that now I was driving on the same route. So much has changed since then. The roads were lined with wide, tall trees then but now it is replaced with wide roads, and it is now two-way with median. In short, the drive was nice and smooth. Our first stop was, in fact, Nagamangala for fuel. And then we headed to Melkote. It was sometime in the '90s that I had visited here, and was my wish to show it to family as well. Although I did not remember much, I did have a good feeling about this place.

Our first stop at Melkote was Cheluvanarayana Swamy. There was not much queue and the darshan was quick. Imbibed the divinity and then we headed to Yoga Narasimha Swamy Temple atop a hillock. Parked the car at the base and climbed barefoot. It was a short climb but still exhausting since the steps are steep. Darshan atop also was quick and then we came out to enjoy the 360 degrees view. Nice, lush greenery everywhere thanks to Cauvery basin. We then headed back down to the car and went in search of Annadanam near Cheluvanarayana Swamy temple. It was right behind the temple but took us some time to get there, and alas, the last batch of pilgrims were having the lunch and we were not lucky. Our next best option based on the research was Subbana's Mess which was just a few minutes away. Luckily we could get a full-fledged lunch here. Although some of the items were extremely spicy for us, we felt very glad since it definitely seemed like home-made food. Pretty satisfied.

Our next destination was KRS Dam. There is a short-route, about 50 kms, from the back-side of Melkote which leads directly to KRS. I have always entered KRS via Srirangapatna and this was the first time I was entering from a different route. All through the 50 kms stretch which is through the Pandavapura district, the roads are lined by lush greenery. It always gives me joy to see the rich Cauvery basin. Finally by the time we reached KRS, it was about 5 pm. Timed perfectly for the Musical fountain.

We visited the Brindavan Garden and took some snaps & videos in front of the landscape & fountains & the waterways. Just being close to the water and the wonderful garden was extremely pleasant and induced a feel-good factor. The last time wifey & I visited was on Aug 2008 but then we had missed out on the musical fountain (I guess I had seen it about 2-3 decades ago). We spent quite some time roaming here and there, sitting on the grass and looking at the other tourists. And then it was time for the musical fountain show. We walked to the other side and got some nice seats. The show was great, just 15-20 minutes and comprised of some nice collection of songs. 

By 7 pm, we left the KRS and reached Mysore Palace at 8 pm. We tried to get a glimpse of the Palace on lights but it had just turned off. I cursed myself for having arrived late, and reflected that I should have taken a better route. Anyways, next stop was Guru Sweet Mart which is famous for having invented Mysore Pak for the then Mysore King. We took two packets and then had snacks as dinner at a nearby Pure Veg restaurant. And then we headed to retire for the night at a hotel nearby where I had reserved beforehand.

Day 2: We left early at about 9 am towards Nanjangud. Our first stop was the Kabini river Bathing Ghat. The water seemed muddy compared to River Cauvery. Surprisingly this day also was ear-marked for Kabini Arati similar to Cauvery Arati in the previous trip. But this time we did not have any plans of returning back for the Arati. Soon after bath, we went towards the main temple Sri Srikanteshwaraswamy Deity. Lots and lots of crowd, despite us opting for special entrance ticket. Also the queue was not well maintained with people coming from all sides due to which it was hardly moving. But finally we were able to get the darshan. We sat for some time to soak in the divinity. 

That done, we went in search for lunch offering. It was just opposite but here too there was far too many people. We stood in the line once again and had to wait for close to an hour. Idea was to get sathvic food but it didn't seem to be sathvic since it contained onion sambar and rice. Nevertheless food was good, and we were grateful for the offering. We then departed.

Our next stop was closeby: Sri Parashurama Temple, supposedly the place where Parashurama did penance here for atoning the sin of beheading his mother. A very beautiful and soothing place with a nice stream flowing. Had a great time, and then departed Nanjangud. A beautiful one hour drive amidst lush greenery to Channakeshwara Somanathpura Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is an Archeological marvel. A simple yet very artistic & architectural site. Spent about an hour here and took some snaps. 

Our final stop was the elusive Mysore Palace on Lights. We failed the last time, we failed the previous day but this time it just had to be done. So we reached the place by 6:30 pm, well ahead of the 7 pm start of lights. We took our place right in front and in the middle of the Palace. Bang at 7 pm, the lights came on and it was indeed a sight to see. In fact I was glad we missed to see the lights the previous night because it is quite an experience to see the lights coming on right at 7 pm, and the entire palace lights up. We spent about 15-20 mins enjoying the sights and then departed Mysore. Had a quick dinner midway and then rest of the journey was uneventful. Reached home at about midnight.

Overview: Well, finally the elusive Mysore Palace Lights wish came true! It was in our minds since a long time and we came close on Dasara day but the floods ruined it. So, an entirely new trip had to be planned, ensuring not much repeats either in itinerary nor in the route. And surprisingly it got fulfilled not too far from the original trip. Added highlights were Melkote, Srikanteshwara Swamy, Parashurama Temple and Somanathapura temple. A nice, soulful weekend getaway from Bangalore indeed - and the Palace lighting up exactly at 7 pm will be in memory for a long time!

Devarayanadurga & Magadi

Time: Nov 21, 2021

Place: Devarayana Durga, Magadi

Company: Family (Brother, Sister-in-law, Parents, Wife and Daughter)

Highlights: Brother visited from US for a short time and after much deliberation we decided on a day journey somewhere near BLR. Initially we planned Hampi or Mysore for 2-3 days but due to floods in every other town, finally decided on one-day-trip to Devarayana Durga & Magadi - kind of a pilgrimage. Booked a 7-seater for 9 am, left at about the same time. Had breakfast nearby, took NICE road and reach Devarayana Durga at about noon. 

Although I had come here about two decades ago, had very vague memories. Also a lot seems to have changed. There was a number of steps to go high up on the hill, so dad couldn't make it. He stayed put at the base of the stairs. Once we reached atop, we were greeted by nice views along with the main deity Yoganarasimha. The temple atop is also very soothing and divine in nature. The priests also seemed very nice and peaceful allowing pilgrims to make the most of the visit. 

We then descended the hill via stairs and also by car to the Bhoganarasimha temple. Not much queue, but once again, very soothing and peaceful atmosphere. Post temple visit, there was annadanam at a nearby hall and it was very fulfilling & hearty. It was about 3 pm when we departed. Apparently there is another place called Namada Chilume which is very historic dating back to Rama's era but the road was blocked perhaps due to the recent floods and landslides. So we missed it.

We then started off towards Magadi. After a pit stop for some nice juice and snacks, we reached Magadi by sunset. On the way, we saw Shivagange. It was mammoth and we decided to hike it up some other day. Anyway, the temple at Magadi was very old (about 1200+ years ago) and very divine. While the family went from main entrance (with steps), I entered from back entrance (without steps). There are lots of deities, the one at the front and one at the back are both equally divine. Within few minutes, Naivedyam started and hence they closed all the doors of the sanctum sanctorum. We had to wait for a long time (almost 30 minutes) and then had the darshan of the main deity. It was very much akin to the Tirumala deity. Had prasadam and then left to home. Journey back home was uneventful. Had dinner on the way and by the time we reached, it was almost 10 pm.

So, what was planned days in advance for a 2- or 3- day ended up with a short 1-day outing. Yet it was soulful. Glad that we visited these nearby places which we otherwise will not.

Gokarna, Yana, Murdeshwar & Jog Falls

Time: Nov 3rd to 8th, 2021

Place: Gokarna, Yana, Murdeshwar, Jog Falls

Company: Wife and Daughter

Budget: Approx 15,000

Highlights: 

Prelude: We had intended to do this trip since almost an year back. In fact, I had come up with 6-7 different itinerary plans such as BLR-GOK-YAN-MDW-JOG-BLR, BLR-MDW-JOG-GOK-YAN-BLR, BLR-JOG-MDW-YAN-GOK-BLR, etc. and similar such permutations and combinations, some of which entailed train journey and some as car travel. But it never happened because weather.com always predicted rain on the days when we wanted to travel. So we ditched and went to other places such as Mysore and Pondi. 

Fast forward to Nov 2021, and we were again on the brink of a long weekend, thanks to Diwali. Weather.com played the usual spoilsport once more and said it'd be raining in this much awaited destination of ours. But this time, we took a chance and thought we might as well try our luck. So as late as one day before the date of travel, we finally booked the train tickets via Tatkal to GOK and luckily got it. Also booked bus return tickets from Shimoga to BLR, and decided that we will figure out the middle part somehow. Also booked the accommodations all beforehand since we thought we might not get acco easily if we went without reservation. Other than Yana, I had been to all the places long, long ago and I badly wanted wifey and dotty to see them too (although Gouri had already seen Jog once before). And hence, we were off on a train journey after a really long time.

Day 0: Nov 3rd - The train from BLR to Karwar #06585 left in late evening. It was an uneventful train journey but it was our first in an AC compartment post Covid started. This meant IRCTC was not giving blankets and pillow anymore, so we had to carry those ourselves! Thankfully our packing was sufficient, and we did not get frozen to the bones although we came very close to it!

Day 1: Nov 4th - Took an auto from Railway station to Gokarna City. Had booked a Yatridham room (Balakrishna Nilaya) very close to the temple. The owner told that we were lucky that the temple is now open for pilgrims and it was closed until last week to all tourists due to Covid since last several months. How fortunate we were that we didn't come before like how we had planned! Thanks to weather.com indeed which made us put off our plans till now!

After a quick refreshment, went walking to the Maha Ganapathi temple first, did our offerings and then walked to the main Atma Linga Temple. It was not too crowded, and darshan got done in 10 minutes. I once again reminded Paavani of the tale of how this Atma Linga came about (have been telling this tale since I guess she was three!) while Gouri meditated. She felt the Divine within her (as she usually does in such sacred places) and after soaking in the energy of the place, we walked towards the Gokarna beach, which was just a few steps away. 

That done, we walked all the way to Koti Theertha where rituals were being conducted. In front of this was Vadiraja Mutt where we had called beforehand for lunch (unaware about the Temple Annadaana). There was a slight delay here but lunch was delicious. After lunch, we had intended to visit Gokarna beaches but we changed plans to finish Yana that day itself despite the looming dark clouds. Back in our room, we quickly changed to adventure clothes and then rented the scooter and we were off towards the Western Ghats. Thankfully the dark clouds did not pour itself on us although it did sprinkle a bit.

It was an hour's journey on the two-wheeler, road was good and I realized that it was my first time I was riding a two-wheeler on winding roads! We were in the middle of the jungle and felt nice to be in nature. At about 3 pm, we reached Yana Parking lot, and then we started trekking towards the monolithic rocks. It was about 30-40 minutes of moderate climb and then there we were! It was massive. Despite knowing and seeing it all on movie (Nammoora Mandaara Hoove), it still was a stunning spectacle to see it looming right in front of us all of a sudden.

The Government has done well to make a path inside the rocks and it was a great experience. We took enough pics and videos and soaked in the atmosphere and environment. Despite the struggles of getting here, it definitely is a place worthy of visit. We stayed almost for an hour and headed back to the parking lot. Return ride was smooth and pleasant although it was nearing dark since the Sun had set already. We were ever so grateful that the Rain Gods stayed put else it would have been tough. By the time we reached Gokarna it was almost 7 pm and we had light beverages in a restaurant and then reached our room. Just before then, the rains came and how! It was pouring cats and dogs and from the comfort of our room, we saw tremendous force of the thunderstorm. How glad we were to have arrived! After about an hour's lashing, it stopped and started drizzling.

We then made our way to the Temple Annadaanam where we had sumptuous dinner of simple rice-rasam and rice-buttermilk. Again we were grateful to whoever had arranged for this food-offering to pilgrims. That done, we retired back to the room and slept.

Day 2: Nov 5th - We left about 9 am with the same rented bike and had breakfast at the same place where we had had tea the previous evening. From there, we went to Om beach. It was a nice drive all through and small trek down to the beach itself. It was very different indeed, the beach being in the shape of Om (in Sanskrit). We even had to walk in the water to get to the beach from the steps, which was nice experience! The sand, the water, the rocks were all of a different formation and it was wonderful. We walked along the beach to as far as we could and spent quiet time with the lapping waves. At the middle of the Sanskrit Om, one can see the waves coming from both sides and converging. Quite a sight to see!

On the way back from Om Beach we went to Kudle Beach. These were the only beaches easily accessible by bike. The other beaches like Half-Moon beach and Paradise Beach involved trekking and we didn't have much time. But even Kudle beach involved about 10-15 minutes of walking on uneven surfaces and once we got there, it seemed like we were in one of the Goan beaches since this was more commercialized with lot of adventure water sports, music in the background restaurants, etc. Here too we walked all along the beach to as far as we could and headed back.

Upon returning back to the town, we again finished our lunch at the Annadaanam complex and checked out of the room and returned the rental bike. I had miscalculated the usage and filled up the fuel tank of the rental bike but alas there is no refund! Anyways - our next destination was Kumta. The Bus station was right opposite our guest house and we took a local bus to Kumta. It was just an hour's journey and Paavani kept me entertained about how Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Saligrama. Very interesting story indeed!

From Kumta, it was another local bus to our resort (JD Home Stay) near Nirvana Beach. Now, this Nirvana Beach came into our itinerary only because of the phytoplankton phenomenon that is apparently very commonly seen in the Nirvana Beach. So we thought we might as well get a resort on the Nirvana Beach. Obviously we could not get it at such short notice. So we settled for next best which was about a mile away from the beach. We thought we could somehow manage but once in the resort we realized we were in the middle of nowhere. Without having an own vehicle, it was very difficult to move from one place to another and in our case, it was the beach. There was no bus, no auto, no nothing to get to the beach and back. Also the resort owner said that bioluminescence can only be seen late in the night like around 2 am. 

At that time I realized that this was one thing we had not researched properly and this halt here was not going to serve the purpose. We indeed need a beach stay to experience that surreality. Anyway, what was done is done, so we thought we might as well visit the Nirvana Beach. So we started walking towards it since there was no other way. Long road was 3 kms but a short-cut was 1 km on a water-splotched muddy road. We took the short cut since it was still daylight and reached the beach via Sandy Shores Beach resort. The beach was just like any other but very less crowded. Except for the camping tourists maybe. We went to Panchabhuta cafe for a Hot Chocolate for the 11-year old and Masala Tea for my wife and I. They took a really long time to prepare but it was wonderful. 

By the time we were done (and bitten by a lot of mosquitos), it was dark and sun had already set. From hereon started a hair-raising adventure since we could only hear the waves but we could not see a thing nor did we know where to go, how to go and nor could we go back the way we came since it was way too dark on that muddy-watery road. Hardly any soul to be seen too. Just with the help of a little bit of cell torch, we made our way along the beach which was now filled with crabs and god-knows-what kind of little insects crawling up and down the sand. We kept walking towards what we thought the 'Main Entrance/Exit' for Nirvana Beach just trying to be away from the lapping waves.

After some time, Paavani saw a motor vehicle moving about in a parallel direction and we realized there was a road nearby. Since walking on a dark road is better than walking on a dark beach, we made our way to the road. Thankfully there was no barricades, compound walls to obstruct our way to that place, and soon we were on another muddy road walking alongside the beach. Thankfully there were few vehicles moving about which gave us little bit of confidence. We enquired for the nearest bus stop and started walking towards it. We took one final look at Nirvana Beach. No bioluminescence. Perhaps next time. Sigh. After bidding goodbye, we walked towards the bus stop. Once there, the shop keeper nearby mentioned that buses were scarce now due to Covid. We called for an auto but there was no response. 

With no other alternative, we started walking towards the resort. It was now a good 3-4 kms away! All in all, we walked that day from 5 pm till 8 pm except for a beverage break. After a long walk, looking at the local houses celebrating Deepavali by lighting actual lamps (unlike electric ones that we have in our apt complex), we finally reached our resort. The cook made a delicious dinner for us and we retired for the night. 

Day 3: Nov 6th - We had a long planned day today, since our final destination of the day was Sagar (had booked hotel there) after finishing Murdeshwar - and full travel was unplanned and unreserved. So we got up early but it was a big breakfast, hence we took our own sweet time. Also the resort was nice and lush green, with beautiful sun rays filtering through the trees. Spent some time taking pictures, and then we were finally off. Got a bus very quickly to main bus stand, and from there got another local bus to Murdeshwar. I thought there would be a number of private buses but was surprised to not find many. But luckily we didn't have to wait for a long time. The bus was packed but convenient enough.

By the time we reached Murdeshwar, it was about noon. The temple was too crowded. The queue to the main sanctum sanctorum was too huge and people were jostling left and right. The temple was about to close for lunch at 1 pm and we just were able to get inside and get a nice darshan. Right after, there was another queue for annadaana. We spent some time meditating and soaking the energy, and after the current batch of lunch got done, we went for our turn. It was once more yummy consecrated food and we were so grateful for the authorities to have arranged such a nice facility for the pilgrims. Thousands and thousands of pilgrims having consecrated food is such a blessing.

Lunch done, we came out of the temple premises. Since the luggage counter was closed from 1 pm to 3 pm, we had all the luggages with us and it was quite a deal lugging them all through the queue and then the lunch and now outside in the hot sun. The next destination was the big Shiva Statue right behind the temple. We climbed the little hill and few steps with all our luggage in the sun towards the top where there was one more small Shiva shrine and a small museum. Alas, even those were closed until 3 pm. So we just sat there in the cool shadow to while away the time since there was nothing else to do. Pretty much all the other pilgrims were also doing the same thing. We could have gone to the beach but then we had to come back up all the way again, so we thought we might as well stay put and take some rest.

As soon as the counter opened at 3 pm, we got into the museum. It took hardly few minutes to see all the statues and carvings. Although they were exceptional, we were out in less than 10 minutes. The museum depicted complete story of Atma Linga, Ravana's penance, his loss to Ganesha and how a part of the covering came to MDW. I reiterated the story to Paavani which I had first heard in my PU Sanskrit class since when it captivated me. Museum done, we quickly we went to the shrine as well and offered our obeisance, and climbed down towards the beach. 

Facing the Arabian Sea, to the left of the temple and to the right of the temple are both beaches but they were very distinct in nature. While the right side had stalls selling several eateries, beverages, toys, etc., the left side was very sparse and rather empty with few fishing boats anchored. We thought of going there first but looking at the emptiness, we thought maybe it was prohibited to the general public. So we went to the commercial beach and spent some time playing with the waves (only knee-length though!). At that time I realized that I had never ventured deep into the ocean (chest high) with daughter and got totally wet. It was so because there was no easy access to freshwater. The resort at Nirvana Beach was one such reason but it was indeed too far off. Pondi resort was good but the beach was dangerous. Other beaches we visited in and around Pondi or in and around Gokarna were plain visits without planned dress change. This made me regret the itinerary and almost made me change the plan to stay over in Murdeshwar (instead of Sagar) but then realized that it would become too hectic the following day since we had a bus to catch at 4 pm from Shimoga to BLR the next day. Traveling from MDW to Jog and then to Shimoga before 4 pm would have been difficult especially with no idea on the transportation. On hindsight, it was good we did not stay back in MDW, since our day in Jog was packed too (next day). 

We still had to cover one more thing in MDW, that being going atop the Gopuram! Something that is very unique, since most temple Gopurams don't allow that! There was an elevator which we took us to the 18th floor of the Gopuram from where we had an amazing 360 degree view. If we had stayed till sunset, it would have been great but we still had a long way to go, so we descended. We then had ice cream and enquired about how to get to Sagar and made our way to the Bus stop. Little did I know that the second adventure of the trip (in as many days) was just about to begin.

I knew there was a KSRTC Rajahamsa bus from Bhatkal to BLR at 4 pm via Sagar and was hoping that we would get it. The online reservation did not work since it does not qualify for a journey more than 50% of the total distance. We got to the bus stop at about 4:30 pm and we thought the bus had left and had to take any other local bus but thankfully saw it entering MDW, which meant the bus was late. When it started departing towards BLR, we asked the conductor but he said he had seats only till Honnavar. We hopped on and soon got to Honnavar. We thought getting a bus to Sagar from here was easy but, oh boy, were we wrong. There was hardly any bus, and there were plethora of passengers wanting to go in that same route, thanks to the holidays. Finally one bus came but the reservations took precedence and they all got their seats. Ironically this bus would go to Sagar via Jog (which was actually our destination)! Then came our turn to board, and we knew we had to go standing all the way from Honnavar to Sagar. This reminded me of my own childhood days when I went standing & sleeping from Sirsi to Ankola on the way to Karwar in a jam-packed bus, and I felt it would be quite an experience for Paavani to go through the same. 

But 30 mins into the journey, I felt pity for her. I was somehow trying to keep her occupied with games such as Atlas, and other word games and she was fine until after 10 minutes she started feeling sleepy. At that time I asked her to lean on me and sleep. But after few minutes, her legs gave away since she was in deep sleep, and I thought she might as well sit on the ground. Thankfully, a lady sitting beside me saw the plight and beckoned her to sit beside herself (triple sharing on a twin seat). She was like a Goddess at that moment for me and my daughter. Although not very convenient, sitting uncomfortably on a seat for 3 hours was better than sitting on the ground amidst feet! Just when I thought a big problem got solved, another one began: the winding roads.

I knew that the road from Honnavar to Sagar was through the Western Ghats and there was bound to be winding roads. Usually daughter and wife get sick when I am driving, and I was hoping that they wouldn't if we travel in a bus since buses generally don't go fast as cars. But I was wrong. This driver was in a hurry. He accelerated and then hit the brakes, accelerated and hit the brakes every time there was a hair pin bend. Forget my wife and daughter, even I started feeling nauseous. Standing, losing balance, sleepy, feeling pukish, worried about daughter and wife, struggling for oxygen in a packed bus, wearing masks due to Covid threat - I regretted not having planned this part of the trip properly. Wife was standing at the back of the bus and I used to see her now and then but now she was no longer visible. Later came to know her legs gave away too (although she was awake) and she too sat amongst the feet all around her! Thankfully one of the guys standing beside me gave me water when I asked and I felt little bit fine. 

I was amazed though that Paavani had not puked yet so far. I was oh-so-glad. I thought wifey had puked too - she couldn't have withstood this onslaught. Last time we three felt so nauseous was on the boat-ride to island of Catalina back on 2013. The lady sitting beside Paavani had to get down at one of the stops, and as soon as she got down, Paavani puked. It happened in few seconds, and there was no sickness bag, so it had to be out of the window. So lucky that it was easy accessible else I cannot even imagine. Another thing I was glad is that it was not raining. Else everyone would have closed the windows suffocating all of us further! Thankfully that was the one and only sickness episode in the entire bus journey. We soon reached Sagar and after getting out, we all sat on a bench just to get some air and get our body back to stability. Wifey had not puked although very close to it. Took an auto to our hotel (I-Roomz Ocean Comforts), checked in, munched something as dinner, and fell to the bed. This was one (un)forgettable day.

Day 4: Nov 7th - Had booked a cab with a local driver with the help of hotel receptionist and the guy was right on time at 9 am. We left the room though at 8 am and went to a nearby eat-out for breakfast. The cab driver was very friendly. He gave complete information about Jog falls. He even took us on the backroads to make us see the Linganamakki Dam, the backwaters of the dam which eventually causes the Jog falls, the place where hydroelectricity gets generated, etc. before actually taking us to the dam site. Our initial plan was to take a bus to Jog and return back (assuming there were lot of buses) but we were wrong. There are hardly any buses plus taking the cab was a good option because we got to know a lot about the place as the driver gave us all the scoop including different movies that were shot in the area. 

There was one more minor sickness episode for Paavani but she was fine otherwise. The Jog Falls itself was very majestic. Although I was expecting far more volume due to the rainy season but it wasn't so. Still, it was well worth a visit. I didn't even remember when I was here last - maybe 3.5 decades ago and the place was definitely better than how it was back then. Took a number of pics and we thought we were done with the trip when the cab driver took us to another strategic place which gives a different view of the falls. It is considered as the back side of Jog falls, the place where the infamous Mungaru Male movie was shot right above one of the falls. This place was great too although there was a great deal of walking, and it was quite hot too. We observed the falls from all viewpoints and we were more than satisfied. Went back to the car, drank some tender coconuts and we headed back to Sagar Bus stand. Bid the driver good bye for showing us the places very well indeed and took a bus to Shimoga. This was an uneventful one hour journey in a near-empty bus.

At Shimoga Bus stand, we had our lunch in a relatively good Veg restaurant and waited for our bus to come. We were supposed to leave at 4 pm but our bus never came. Finally our bus came at 5 pm. It was my first in KSRTC Airavat Club Class bus. I had high expectations but it was just like any other bus with AC. The road from Shimoga to BLR seemed to be undergoing constructions and there was a number of diversions. We had one stop at 7 pm for dinner at a pretty nice restaurant. I wasn't feeling too good to eat but daughter ate. Bad idea. She had one more sickness episode soon after in the bus and this time wifey took care of it very well indeed. It being an AC bus, there was no open windows! So she had the sickness bag ready, still it had to be done in the dark. Thankfully rest of the journey was uneventful, and we reached BLR a little after 11 pm. Took our bike and reached home at midnight, and hit the sack. It was another day filled with adventure.

Epilogue: Finally the eluding trip to Gokarna, Yana, Murdeshwar & Jog got done - after much deliberation and not without a number of unforgettable adventures. Major take-away from the trip: never plan for unreserved travels (legs in the overall travel plan) and assume easy access will exist. Each of the destination was remarkable in its own way and quite memorable. Albeit difficulties, there were also a number of things to be thankful for. Anyway, all's well that ends well. In fact, this year 2021 is perhaps the only year where we three together have been to two sides of the peninsula and touched both Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea...