King Julian’s spaceship had crashed on Earth. We, the Gypsies, who had
formed an alliance with him long time ago, to prevent invasions from the outer
space on Earth. We had sworn to help him find his spaceship…
It was after a month long hiatus(thanks to the annual sports event-Synergy
at Infosys, Mangalore) that we had set out to be the real "Gypsies"
again. Walk away from the air-conditioned workplace and live free - with the
hard ground beneath and the open sky above! So on the day, the Synergy results
came out, and the winners walked away with awards, we set out on an expedition
to Sharavati river valley and have our share of summer fun. All of us from
Mangalore gathered at Mangala at 11p.m. sharp to begin our trip to Sharavati.
As soon as the journey by TT started, most of us hit the sacks tired by the
tension and exhilaration that Synergy brings in its wake! We came out of our
slumber at 1a.m. when we halted at the Marvanthe beach. At night, Marvanthe
beach is a sight to behold! Especially on a full moon night, a poet would be
inspired to spin out a few verses to praise its beauty. Fortunately for us the
full moon day was only a couple of days away, and the moon was
"almost" full that night!
The Marvanthe beach, 2 days before the full moon day
The moonlight cast a perfect radiance in the sea, making the seemingly
dark sea glitter . The silence of the night and the sound of the waves crushing
against the shore add to its charm. We sat there for some time sipping piping
hot tea , from a small shack which is open all night long for travelers,
enjoying the cool breeze and basking in the beauty of the moment!
Once we were in the TT, the hot tea failed to keep us awake, and all of us
were again dead asleep, except Ram, who sat chatting with the driver! At around
4 a.m. the TT ride started turning bumpy and neck breaking for the sleeping
beauties/hunks in it. After losing our way once, and then setting out on the
bumpy ride again, we arrived at our destination at 4:40 a.m. It was pitch dark
outside. We spent the next couple of hours before sunrise sleeping peacefully
in our van.
The Sharavati wildlife sanctuary is located near the town of Kargal about
150 kms from Mangalore and in the Shimoga district of Karnataka near Mupanne. The sanctuary houses the backwaters made due to the Linganamakki dam reservoir. We were set to spend a couple of days in this beautiful place.
The Gypsies at Sharavati
Though it was mentioned in the mail being sent before every trek to bring a
plate, glass and spoon, most of us had forgotten these vital equipments. Thus
we had to share 4 glasses and 3 plates among 14 people. Our fellow trekkers from
Bangalore Karanth, Achalesh, Ankit and Varun joined us. Just before the trek,
Nitin had mentioned in a mail that “It’s always guys from Bangalore!"
There was no reply to this mail! However, the Bangalore boys were , this time ,
accompanied by a couple of girls - Sutonuka and Aparna - both avid trekkers. They
were also accompanied by a certain King Julian who was in search for his lost
spaceship. He strongly suspected that it must have crashed from the outer space
somewhere near Sharavati…
After a simple but nourishing breakfast of idlis and rasam, we were off to
a trek to the Thumbe falls.
breakfast at the base camp
..... to be continued
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