By Amanpreet Singh
Hey, Cloggers! We had to get a change of pace after the rough wilderness of Nicobar. Our recent trip was to the sun-baked, relaxed beaches of Gokarna, Karnataka, with the crew that consisted of Rahul, Simran, Vikram and myself. The entire trip was focused on sunset hunting, cheap shack hunting, and making out of simple beach walks a memory adventure.
Chapter 1: The Road to the South
The down voyage to Gokarna was a heroic voyage. We early set out observing the landscape change away into concrete jungle, then to green and lastly, to the dusty palm-bordered Karnataka coast. As ever we were stuffed in our car almost to the brim with people, luggage and bad singing enough to drive all other highway traffic crazy.
The beauty of Gokarna lies in its special structure: its core town is the antique Mahabaleshwar Temple, and around it, there is a necklace of magnificent, unusual beaches that can be reached either by foot or boat. The main Gokarna Beach, which was a busy place full of life and business, was our first destination. The instant we had the feeling that the Arabian Sea breeze was blowing on our faces, the city pressure was relieved. That is the fun with friends nature: arriving somewhere new and just having that initial, mutual breath of relief.
Chapter 2: The Trek to Om Beach (The Lovely Highlight)
The real essence of our trip was the popular beach hike. We chose to walk the scenic path, which connected the beaches: Kudle, Om, Half-Moon, and Paradise.
The highlight was Om Beach that was in the form of the symbiotic 0m. The view was beautiful: there was a golden sand, there was a black rock formation, there were waves that crashed rhythmically. We settled somewhere out of the way and threw off our bags and jumped directly into the water. We spent hours jumping, laughing at the terrible free style swimming of Rahul and simply floating and letting the sea roll us into the state of contentment.
Subsequently, the sunset view, sitting on the eminent rocky point, which commands a view of the Om Beach, was most beautiful. The sky was a spectacle of orange and red rose and it was reflected on the water. Sitting on that with the crew, having just a single final bottle of water in my hand and looking silently as the sun goes down into the Arabian Sea, was the most ideal and calmest part of the most ideal day.
Chapter 3: Finding Paradise and the Night Fun
The last two days were spent in exploration. We walked on to Paradise Beach (the name tells it all- as it is small, isolated, and clean). The last epic test was the trip to Paradise: a rather disorienting path that we, of course, lost our way on several times during the period of about twenty minutes. But we discovered it was a discovery, and, as a reward, slept a well-earned sleep on the sand.
Evenings were spent at the shacks at Kudle Beach, taking seafood, playing cards, and comparing travel stories with other traveling people. The evenings were plain, with the noise of the sea, and the free, frank intercourse of my dearest friends. Gokarna also made me realize that you do not have to have a mountain or a distant island as an adventure destination; at times the only thing one needs is good beaches, good and great friends.
What’s your favorite Indian beach for relaxation? Share your secrets below!
Keep wandering, Amanpreet Singh clogtheblog.com
