Shell bound!
2024 started with an extremely good note. From settling my home loan in mere 38 installments (read my financial framework for home loan here) to nurturing my career with good show, learning and preparations for progressions; this year is already on a good momentum. Amidst the rhythm of work & personal growth, there was a whisper that reminded me of the travelling spirit that I had embraced in 2023 with my ‘One place per month’ resolution.
The moment I saw an opportunity of a 10 day window in April, I decided to reclaim the thrill of open roads, beautiful destinations and memorable experiences. With leave requests submitted and anticipation building, the planning of my next journey began! 😍
There was a catch though! My mentor from whom I am learning Cloud Networking had given me a bunch of assignments. I would definitely be guilty to not prioritise the assignments because there is someone serving a much complex role & still taking out time to nurture my skills to help me succeed. It is my duty to ensure that their time & efforts become worthwhile. Hence, out of the 10 days, I took out 3 days to learn & complete my assignments on AWS. It was an amazing learning. I loved how AWS has designed their networking. I learnt multiple conceptual things thoroughly which were probably due since my engineering days 😆
As I delved into researching potential destinations for my upcoming road trip, I was overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of places waiting to be explored. However, my last-minute planning left me facing a common traveler’s dilemma: fully booked accommodations at every turn. Feeling a bit desperate, I decided to take a rather unconventional approach to finalize my itinerary.
In a moment of whimsy, I turned to a cherished symbol of guidance — Sri Krishna’s Conch Shell 🐚, known as Panchajanya. With a mixture of curiosity and hope, I placed the siphonal canal of shell within my home and spun it around, letting chance dictate my next adventure. And just like that, my journey took shape, guided by the simple twist of fate.
The Conch Shell overlapped with the routes that would lead me to explore Honnavar, Kundapura, Maravanthe Beach, Udupi and Madikeri covering about 1000 km of drive along the scenic Western Ghats & the vast Arabian Sea. Did you also notice that this includes Udupi? Udupi happens to be one of the significant places of Sri Krishna like Mathura-Vrindavan, Dwaraka, Puri, Guruvayur of Thrissur, etc.
It was at this moment, I was both spell-bound as well as “Shell-Bound!”
Day #1 — Bengaluru to Honnavar
The road trip started with all excitement & preparations. I had ganged up with my mother and elder brother for the trip. We started pretty early in the morning and stopped by Apoorva Resorts & Restaurant for breakfast near Davangere where I made new friends with laughing Buddha! 👬
The journey continued to Honnavara and it was a bliss manoeuvring along the curvy roads of the lush green western ghats. There was one view point on the way that stood out vividly; offering us to witness the panorama of nature’s splendour.
We then reached Areca County in Honnavar that offered the best food, warm hospitality and a cool atmosphere in this hot summer. Located amidst a nice coconut and areca nut farm spread across around 6 acres; the place promised to find the escape we sought for the next 2 days.
The home stay also has a dining area which happens to be built in 1929 with mud and wood. The caretakers were happy to take me around to explore the old house and I absolutely loved it. The weight of each wooden furniture spoke for itself on how genuine they are. I as well enquired what materials are used and where I can source them today with a plan going on in my head to construct a similar home in my farms sometime in future 😍
They also had kept cycles for the guests. I took it around the area to explore the place along the muddy roads; attempted to skid the cycle a few times to relive the childhood adventures but then I realised that it is not my cycle 😂
The food was amazing too 😋 with all local cuisine in the menu and best part was that it was all home made. I couldn’t help but bat well and quenched my thirst with my favourite of all — the buttermilk! Too engrossed in enjoying the meal, I forgot to take pictures, focusing instead on relishing every bite.
Day #1 of the trip couldn’t have been better. We then watched the movie Operation Valentine and hit the bed to make the best out of day #2.
Day #2 — The Eco Beach & Boating in the Sharavati backwaters
The sun rose and it was time to say hi to the Eco Beach. I must say that this is one of the cleanest beaches. We found the beach to be pretty much for ourselves with so much less or no crowd at all. I am assuming that this place would be crowded in the evening as Arabian Sea (which is on the west) would be preferred for sunset views.
We then took our respective directions to engage with the sea for a while. Here is the photo dump from the Eco Beach.
After this, we headed back to Areca County. Had breakfast & spent time with the nature. I went around the Areca farms they have listening to the birds chirping, sun rays escaping the gaps amidst the trees, gentle rustle of the leaves, breathing excess oxygen and trying to learn a thing or two from nature.
Around 4 PM in the evening, we headed to the boating to witness the nature around the mangroves of the Sharavati backwaters. A backwater is part of the river which is separated from the main flow of the river with little or no water currents and these are also shallow inlet of sea into rivers. During high tides, the backwater levels will be high and during low tide the backwater levels will be low. This is very interesting to observe this water level live. So, keep this in your mind when you next visit a backwater.
The backwaters was surrounded by swaying coconut trees displaying the harmony between land and water. The video capturing the ride along the setting sun in the GIF below might not do complete justice to the actual view witnessed but I must say it was one of a kind experiences.
Although I was expecting that the mangrove ride here would be something similar to the one present Pichavaram near Pondicherry, it was more like ride near the Mangroves than admidst the mangroves. Nevertheless, still a good boat ride.
After completing the one hour boat ride we returned to the home stay, enjoyed our dinner and I took a walk under the moon for a while and hit the bed.
Day #3 — Honnavar to Kundapura — Maravanthe — Udupi
When I woke up in the morning next day, I already started missing the place as it was time to check out. I told myself, “Goodbyes are not forever. They simply mean, ‘I will miss you until we meet again’”.
I have seen three seas merging with each other at Triveni Sangama in Kanyakumari. I have seen three rivers merging with each other at Koodala Sangama. I had not seen rivers and sea merging with each other (what are called as Deltas) and hence, I was quite excited about Kodi Delta point where 5 rivers meet the Arabian Sea. We can clearly witness the waves/currents of the river and the sea nullifying each other into plane waves at the delta point. This place was also extremely clean and the infrastructure was spot on for morning & evening walks for the public.
We then headed towards the Maravanthe road which is sandwiched between Arabian sea on one side and the tranquil Souparnika river on the other side. I always thought that I have never been here & was in my bucket list for so long and so did my parents. However, when we got down there, we were pleasantly surprised to realise that we had visited this exact place about two decades ago during our visit to Sringeri-Horanadu-Murudeshwara temples. Just that we did not realise back then that it is called as Maravanthe beach.
At the beginning of the Maravanthe road there is a Varaha temple which we visited. The temple is blissfully located beside the Souparnika river. After seeking the blessings from Lord Varaha, Lord Vishnu and Lord Narasimha, we went to the Maravanthe beach. Here are some drone shot references from Google that shows the beauty of this coastal stretch.
Although the piers are not clearly visible at the horizon levels, the piers are still a nice setup to go near the sea and experience the power of high tides. We then headed to Udupi where we were greeted in another beautiful heritage home stay called Prarthana Heritage resort. It is a beautiful traditional home now converted into a accommodation facility for guests.
We took rest for a while and went to Sri Krishna Mutt in Udupi in the evening. We had a blissful darshana of Sri Krishna. There is something called as Gita Mandira where two elderly women were chanting the Gita Shlokas. We sat there listening to the Gita. Once they completed reciting the Gita, we headed towards Anna Brahma were Prasadam is offered to thousands of devotees on a daily basis for free (and thus this way they also distribute burnol for those who taunt Hindu temples and question the intent of temples 😂)
Seated in the dining hall, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment as I observed some devotees bypassing the queue for darshana and entering the dining area. My initial reaction was to pass judgment, my mind racing with critiques. Yet, in a moment of reflection, I reminded myself not to be quick to judge. After all, isn’t the act of receiving food also a form of blessing, whether or not one has the opportunity to glimpse the divine presence of Krishna? In that moment, I found solace in the notion that blessings come in many forms, and true devotion transcends the boundaries of outward rituals.
In this sacred place, I observed a unique ritual where some devotees chose to have their prasadam directly on the floor, as a gesture of service and gratitude to Krishna. This unconventional practice made me reflect on the essence of devotion — Does the physical surroundings truly matter when devotion is pure? I realised that in the presence of unwavering faith, even the most humble offerings are transformed into divine blessings.
Overall, I felt very happy after visiting this sacred place. We headed back to the home as we had to start early the next day.
Day #4 — Udupi to Bengaluru via Madikeri
Panchajanya, the conch shell suggested to return via Madikeri Mysuru route. I obliged!
The Madikeri roads were so beautiful. Loved the mountains, the curvy ghat roads.
It seems the universe had a delightful surprise in store for us by the time we were hungry in the noon leading us to stumble upon a newly opened eatery: “Sri Krishna Cafe” near Hunsur. It was a serendipitous moment that left me marveling at the intricacies of divine timing — the perfect manifestation of the “what you seek is seeking you” phenomenon. I wouldn’t have been so surprised to see this name in Udupi because every other restaurant in Udupi has its name after Krishna 😅 like every other kid is named Shiva in Srisailam.
As I enjoyed the delicious offerings of the cafe, I couldn’t help but reflect on the journey thus far and the unmistakable hand of Sri Krishna guiding every step of the way. From the spontaneous twists and turns of our itinerary to the unexpected encounters and discoveries along the road, it felt as though divine forces were at work, orchestrating a symphony of luck, chance and synchronicity.
In these moments of reflection, I found solace in the belief that the universe conspires in mysterious ways to fulfil our deepest desires. Whether we call it the law of attraction, a miracle, or simply divine intervention, there’s a certain magic in knowing that what we seek is indeed seeking us, guiding us ever closer to our destiny.
We reached home by evening enjoying another stretch of beautiful ride along the Mysuru Bengaluru expressway.
While I updated my journal Pareekshith at night before sleeping I recollected everything that happened through the trip and I was reassured of what Sri Krishna says in Gita
अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जना: पर्युपासते | तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ||
which means To them, whose minds are always absorbed in Me, I provide what they lack and preserve what they already possess.
|| श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु ||