Jog - Yana - Murudeshwar - Marvanthe

Sharath, Siri, Sneha, Bhargavi and I went for this trip in October 2008.
Day 1:
We left early in the morning to Tumkur to avoid the heavy traffic. It was a Dussera weekend and the buses plying between towns was packed with people both inside and on top of them. The road to Tumkur was bad with pot holes and fly over construction material everywhere. Siri drove touching speeds upto 150 kms once the road got better. The car's technology was tested to its edge and it did not dissapoint us.

After eating tatte idli we moved towards Shimoga. Siri's relatives in Shimoga served us delicious food and took great care of us. After the heavy meal none of us wanted to drive to our next destination - Jog falls.
Jog Falls would have been a sight had it been rainy season. The lack of water takes away the beauty of the height from which the water falls. The place was extremely crowded as it has become a major attraction thanks to the Kannada movie Mungaru Malle.We left Jog falls quickly ignoring the touts who promised to show some wonderful sights which I am sure never existed. We stopped on our way and played in the river under a bridge where there was no crowd.
After tea we left towards Sirsi playing word games, 20 questions game to identify the celebrity, etc. On our way conversations ranged from Gucci to GNU and Open source. Whenever we discussed technology Bhargavi dozed off. If it was about shoe or clothing brands it was my turn to sleep. Sneha slept irrespective of the topic under discussion.
We reached Sirsi in the evening. In the night we discussed philosophical things over dinner and drinks. We slept well as most of us were tired and had to wake up early.

Day 2:

We decided to drive towards Yana where the majestic rock formations is a place worth visiting. We climbed the sharp rocks without shoes. Siri and Sneha had enough of it and Bhargavi had to get shoes for them while they both sat like queens. A person called Raj Anna took our snaps and we could barely control our laughter.
The girls were trying to pose for a snap on the car bonnet and the local crowd looked at them as if they had seen super models on a Ferrari. Fearing the mob we drove away and stopped again to take snaps near the field with the girls posing again like super models.
After checking out we left towards Murudeshwar. On our way we visited the temple in Sirsi.
Battling bad roads and ghat sections we reached our destination in the evening. The temple town suprisingly had bar restaurants. After worrying about the hotel cost and food cost we ate and left towards an unexplored beach. The entire beach was for us and the sea bed being soft allowed us to enter deeper into the sea.
We were put up on the 6th floor of RNS Residency which itself is built a little into the sea. One can see hills, the coast and the sea from the balcony of the room. After a good meal and bath we all decided to sleep and wake up early next morning and go to the beach.

Day 3:
None of us woke up early. We decided to go to the swimming pool and wave pool which were located adjacent to the sea and Sneha was dressed up in her swimsuit for the pool. The former was crowded and the latter was closed so we had only one choice - Beach.
We got inspired by a few people and tried to drive the car right onto the shore. The car got stuck in the sand and we had to battle for 45 minutes by using jack, stones, wood pieces and help from two guys to take the car out of the sand and Siri's mind.
After lunch we left towards Marvanthe - Turtle Bay Resort. On our way we got the car washed in a small service station. The weather was extremely humid and the place just had a shed where the girls sat as Sharath and I played carrom with some boys.
The resort is a small place with hammocks, a place to play table tennis, snorkelling equipment, etc. We almost spent the entire evening and night on the beach sitting on a rock. It was either the beach or the hammock inside the resort. Sharath tried his luck with some girls and helped them click snaps. But the girls vanished suddenly. Later in the night Sharath, me and Bhargavi went for a walk near the fishing boats. Sharath was at his emotional best while me and Bhargavi laughed at him.

Day 4:
We had to drive a long way back o Bangalore. On our way we visited Kollur temple. It was one of those ancient temples and famous one too. There was a huge crowd and wading our way in and out of the temple was tough. Waiting in the queue the girls got compliment from some elderly people about their looks which made them feel good.
The journey back was basically driving, driving and more driving.

Generally when I return from a trip I do not have trip hang over but the last week trip to Northern and Coastal Karnataka has left a hang over in my head. I want to reverse time and get back there. It has been a memorable trip not just because of the places but mainly because of the company.
We were three girls and two guys in a Hynudai Verna driving 1200 kms across hills and coast trying to see every single place. The company was great because the girls adjusted very nicely. They ate anywhere, sleep anywhere, traveled despite the hot weather. The only condition they had - good toilets. We were lucky to have good toilets.