It was early December 08 and i was getting restless. My friends in Goa & Dubai were already scheming what to do over New year and here i was having no plan whatsoever. I had already made two trips to Goa and one trip to Dubai during the year.Both options were hence effectively ruled out! And Chennai was obviously not the ideal place for the year end.
The trip had to be short and cheap. Spending a bombshell isn't my idea of a great vacation. I had already covered most areas in Tamilnadu, Andhra,some pockets of Kerala & Karnataka. But i knew at the back of my mind that i had not yet explored Agumbe......
Agumbe is a little known sleepy hamlet in Karnataka. I had always known that Agumbe had the highest rainfall after Cherapunji in India and also home to the King Cobras.. And most famously, this very village was where the television serial "Malgudi Days" was shot.
Living in the polluted & harsh conditions of chennai, Agumbe would give me the much needed respite. No television, no mobile coverage, no computers!! A world i had always dreamt about.
My friends,3 of them to be precise, agreed that this place had to be visited at the earliest. And no better time than the end of December.
We started on an evening from Chennai to Bangalore. We took turns in driving to avoid fatigue early in the tour. I took control of the wheels at around 10 pm. With very few vehicles on the road, it was a pleasure pressing the accelerator..i wondered whether i would ever get such an opportunity on the Chennai roads. All i did was hold the steering wheel! It was around 12 in the night. The friend beside me was in a slumber, however, i was a picture of concentration. Zooming at 150kms/hr, i had to... when suddenly my friend woke up and pushed the steering wheel to the right!!! I braked hardddd and the car caming to a screeching halt. He had a bad dream and almost made it into reality. I realised that i had more things to worry about than just the traffic :) We reached Bangalore around 1 and slept at a friend's place.
Early next morning set out for Shimoga via Tumkur. The road was pretty good. We had lunch at Shimoga with "Bisneer" - hot water in the local lingo. The Tumkur - Agumbe road wasn't great, but the cool breeze, the fields and birds made us forget all that. Morbid memories of the concrete jungles were getting distant with every passing mile.
We finally reached Agumbe at around 8 pm. It was pitch dark and there were very few people around. Once we crossed the check post, there was a small shop on the right hand side. Sudheendra was waiting for us and he was our local host. Accomodation as already arranged on the second floor of the building. The room interiors were modest, but this is what we had come looking for..dinner was ready at the restaurant below. The cook looked very clean and hospitable. We had a sumptuous dinner and rested for the night.
It wasn't the rainy season in Agumbe, thankfully. Maybe the river rafters would have thought otherwise..there were no leeches that are known to suck litres of blood from the human body in a matter of minutes nor were the cobras around. Around 5 in the morning we went off to the hills to watch an amazing spectacle- Sunrise! The climb up the hill by car was risky. The uphill road and the extremely sharp turns made me nervous. Agumbe was not after all the worst place to succumb..And with real estate prices at a feverish high in the the cities, even the dead have to fight to get a decent disposal..
It was cold and we were wrapped in our sweaters and monkey caps. It was good! There were hardly any people around to make it better. We took a lot of photographs and i fanned around with my handycam. With the clouds below us and the sun rising in front, i thought maybe this is the heaven we often talk about..
We came back and had a short nap. Then off we went to nearby places and a small stream in the middle of the forest. The house where the "Malgudi Days" was shot was also covered. Content with what we saw all day, we again nestled into the small restaurant that offered good food and value for money....2 things that never go together in the cities.
Next morning we started for a trek deep into the forest. Our Guide was a lean man puffing away beedis at regular intervals. We walked on and on with our bagbacks, for nearly 2 hours. The climb was extremely difficult considering we had an individual weighing 100kgs. After regular pit stops we reached one of the most beautiful places we had ever come across. The water was falling from a height of 200 feet. This had to be one of the best waterfalls in South India! With the underwears on, we jumped into the ice cold water..We felt breathlessness initially, but then our enthusiasm took over for the better. The water was thudding hard on my naked head from the high mountain. But i was having an excellent time...
We came back that evening very tired. Again we went into the restaurant and helped ourselves to the hot tasty food..
Places close to Agumbe
- Sringeri – 23 kilometers
- Manipal – 55 kilometers
- Kollur – 60 kilometers
- Shimoga – 90 kilometers
- Udupi – 60 kilometers
- Shimoga – 90 kilometers
- Mangalore – 135 kilometers
The following day we had to bid farewell to Agumbe. We had the last tea in the restaurant before we left.Perhaps, we may go there again, you never know...
There is not much wildlife around these parts. I did manage to see my distant cousin, the jungle fowl..
(see below)
From there we drove to the Mookambika & Udipi temples, Murdeshwar and finally the Jog Falls . I actually happened to meet my goan school teacher who was down from Canada with her family..
Well, i am planning a trip to an exotic location during May,09. More after the trip..
(Date: 24/12/2008 - 29/12/08)
