It was the month of January 2017, when we were in the city of Bangalore, Karnataka. The weekend was approaching and we were planning on travelling to some place nearby. That is when one of our friends suggested this beautiful place called Gokarna, which is also called as the Goa of Karnataka. Situated at a distance of around 500 km from Bangalore, this coastal village of Gokarna is a place which is filled with all the positive energy and it feels like a place which is out of this world. A place so serene and with a limited number of people around, Gokarna is the perfect place for a weekend getaway.
So we booked the bus tickets to Gokarna for Friday night and it took us around 10 hours to reach Gokarna by bus. It was almost 6 AM and the sun had already risen. The bus dropped us at the bus station and from there we took an e-rickshaw which took us all the way down to the Kudle Beach, where we had planned to stay. As the e-rickshaw moved towards the beach we could see the glimpse of the mighty Arabian Sea ahead of us. It was the most beautiful thing ever.
It had been years since I had been to a beach and I was really amazed at the very first glimpse of the Sea. As we reached the beach, the rickshaw-wala bhaiya dropped us near a staircase which we had to climb down to reach the beautiful golden beach – Kudle Beach. We made our way through the sand and reached one of the shacks on the beach itself (where we had planned to stay, as recommended by a friend). The shacks were nothing very fancy, but it had all the necessary things which we needed. Infront of the huts where we were staying, there was the cafe which overlooked the beautiful beach. We could already see some foreigners sipping a cup of coffee or having some english breakfast. Some were just lying down with a book in hand and I could see some people in the distant doing yoga facing the beach. What a peaceful sight. What a beautiful place – I thought to myself.
We freshened up after a little while, put on our beach clothes and came outside to greet the majestic sea infront of us. We walked our way through the sand, trying to soak in all the positivity. The place was filled with good vibes, it just lifted up my mood and I felt so fresh. The beaches, the beautiful waves and the soothing sound you hear when the waves reach the shore – it is the best feeling ever. All I ever wanted was to be at a place like this, and here I was happy and content with whatever I could see infront of my eyes.❤
As we set out exploring the beautiful coastal village, walking our way through the sand on the Kudle beach, I remembered how I used to come to the beaches when I was a kid. How I used to make those castles with the sand (always a failed attempt) and how I went out chasing the waves. I tried to relive those moments all over again. Splashing the water on each other and letting the waves take over. Such a beautiful feeling
As far as the eyes could see, everything was blue.
The sun was shining bright, making the water sparkle. Paradise, it felt like Paradise.
We went straight into the water and played with the waves till we were fully satisfied. With tanned skin and our dresses filled with sand, we sat down on the beach. It felt like I was on a private beach, with noone to disturb me and I felt like I owned the place. This is something which made me fall in love with this place even more. It brings you so much closer to nature. With noone to bother your or ruin your beautiful moments. You can just sit back and relax for as long as you want, without worrying about anything in the world.
There was a small cliff at the extreme corner of the Kudle beach and on the cliff was one cafe which became one of my favourite spots in Gokarna. One could just sit down on one of the tables facing the sea and sip a cup of coffee or a glass of fresh juice while enjoying the waves and the cool breeze. It was at the perfect spot and the people around were making it even better. There was a guy playing some music on his guitar and few others were just sitting there enjoying the music. I spent a lot of time at that cafe and even had a good lunch there.
The food is pretty good here and there is a good variety from which you can chose. The owners of the cafe were quite friendly and even helped us out by telling us about more places to explore around the small village. We had a good chat with a lot of people out there who were mostly from other countries. Some people were staying in Gokarna for more than 2 months even. I could understand why they were staying at this place for so long, not wanting to leave. Because this is what I felt like as well, wishing I could just build a house by the beach and stay there forever. Never having to leave.
It was almost 3 PM when we decided to visit the beach on the other side of the cliff which is called the OM Beach – because the beach is in the shape of the Indian spiritual symbol “OM”. There are different ways to reach the Om beach from Kudle Beach. One way is by trekking all the way through the cliff which doesn’t take a long time and the view on the way makes it worth the sweat. And the other way, which we took while going to Om Beach – the motor boat. The people in the cafe with whom we were chatting, convinced us to go along with them. The boat ride was beautiful and something very different. Surrounded by the beautiful blue sea, with water drops splashing on us once in a while, we enjoyed the ride with our new friends.
It took us 5 mins to reach the Om beach from Kudle Beach through the motor boat and once we set foot on the ground, I could feel the difference between both the beaches which were just separated by a cliff. There were a lot more people around here and the number of cafes were certainly more. I could see the Om shape of the beach as well. It was really beautiful.
As we were walking by the beautiful OM beach, talking about how we made the best decision of coming over to this place, a little girl came to us with some really pretty pearl necklaces and bracelets and she tried to convince us to take some of it. I talked to her for some time and learnt that she went to a nearby school and in her free time she sold these necklaces and bracelets to help her family. She was a smart girl and could speak in English and Hindi too. People in Gokarna speak in English and Hindi, as the place is quite filled with people from outside India. So one won’t have a language problem here.
Before coming to Gokarna, our friends had suggested us to go to one cafe at Om Beach specifically – “Namaste Cafe”. As we reached the place, I could see that there were quite a lot of people sitting there and it was one of the most perfect cafe ever. The view of the beautiful sea while sitting in the shade of the roof with the breeze blowing, this place was just so perfect in every sense. We also found one table which was at the perfect location facing the sea. We made ourselves comfortable there and sat down, chatting for a long long while, sipping some drinks which we had ordered.
The place was so refreshing and beautiful that we lost track of time. It was the sun which reminded us that we need to set out towards Kudle Beach. So we paid the bill (which was not too much. Gokarna happens to be very pocket friendly) and started walking towards the cliff as we had decided to trek our way back to the Kudle Beach. The path was really beautiful with a small stone park on the way. We got glimpses of the sea from there and it was breathtaking. It took us around 20 minutes to walk all the way to Kudle Beach. We did not have any difficulty in finding the way too.
The sun was on the horizon and it was about to submerge itself into the sea completely in few minutes. The sunset and the beach will always be my favourite thing in the world. I was so amazed at the beautiful thing which I could see infront of my eyes.
As we reached the Kudle Beach the Sun was almost gone, leaving the sky covered in the yellowish hue and soon it was almost dark. The waves had started getting higher. People were sitting down in groups, entertaining themselves with music and strolling around by the water. There was so much of positivity in the air. We went back to our rooms and freshened up a bit and came out to the cafe infront of our place of stay. We spent the evening sitting there thinking about how beautifully the day went by.
We had difficulty sleeping at night as there were a lot of mosquitoes to make it worse for us. We had already applied the mosquito repellent cream, so it was a relief to an extent. We could hear the waves hitting the shore and it was very loud, the breeze was really strong making it a little scary. We stayed awake for along while and dozed off very late. Hence, we missed the sunrise. It was almost noon when we woke up and it was all calm and peaceful again. Couldn’t help wondering how the same sea which was so ferrocious in the night had calmed down during the day.
We freshened up and had helped ourselves to an amazing brunch at the cafe by the cliff. We also spent a great deal of time there with our new friends from different parts of the world. The time really flew by, talking to people and gazing at the beautiful sea, hearing the waves hit the shore.
The place was magical and I don’t think I can ever get enough of that place.
We walked on the beach, collected some shells, got drenched in the water and dried up within minutes. We spent the day doing nothing, but it felt like the right thing to do.
Sunset at a beach, is the most beautiful thing, when the nature is at its best.
We spent a great deal of time watching the beautiful sunset from Kudle Beach. The sky was covered in all the different shades of yellow and orange, ready to submerge into the sea, marking the end of a beautiful day. I sat there, admiring the beauty, lost in my thoughts. It was one of the most memorable trip I have ever had and I was a happy soul.
We had to leave for Bangalore in 2 hours and I was just trying to take back as much as I could.
I had never seen something so perfect and flawless in my entire life. The place and its amazing vibe, the beautiful sky and the beach – it was all so perfect.
Gokarna will forever hold a very special place in my heart.
As the sun went down and it turned dark, we went back to our rooms and changed into dry clothes, had an early dinner at the cafe and finally bid goodbye to the owner of the cafe and all our friends whom we had met in Gokarna. As I boarded the bus with a heavy heart, I promised myself to come back again to this place, to again feel the fresh and beautiful vibe of this place and to again get lost in the beautiful nature surrounding this place.
The Travel Tales 