At the crack of dawn on Saturday, the streets were empty except for a few stray dogs and the occasional newspaper boys donned in rain jackets, braving the cold winds to deliver the morning daily at people’s doorsteps. I stood under a shed, sheltering myself from the rain, passing time clicking photographs of streetlights and closed shutters of small shops on the roadside. I checked my watch. 5:50 am. We were already fifty minutes behind our scheduled time for the trek. At 6 am, I was relieved to hear the sound of the honk from the Tempo Traveler, which was supposed to pick me up an hour ago. As soon as I got in, the vehicle sped off towards the direction of Udupi, carrying fourteen puffy eyed and sleepy trekkers in it.
Our first stop was at a place called Someshwar, somewhere beyond Udupi. We found a certain decent “Hotel Nandini” on the roadside and decided to hog on breakfast and down cups of morning chai/coffee and get energized.
It wasn’t soon before all the enthusiasm crept back into the group and we started clicking random photos. From the eat-out, which was at the foothill, we could see the cloud kissed mountains and a tiny stream of waterfall located at the top right portion of the hill, which added beauty to the stretch of greenery that was spread out before us.
We took a few minutes more to buy bottles of water and check and count the money we had. One by one we clambered back into the vehicle and began our ascent to Agumbe Ghat. From JK we learnt that there were thirteen hairpin bends we had to cross in order to reach Jogi Gundi, some of which belonged to one district of Karnataka and the rest to another. The view just got better and better, the higher we climbed. Although we were running short of time, we couldn’t resist getting down at one spot on our way, called the Agumbe Sunset Point, just to check out the breathtaking landscape of the Ghats. We got a bird’s eye view of the idyillic villages around the Udupi countryside. There was a nip in the air and chilly winds blew against our faces. It was beautiful.
A few more minutes of driving uphill at Agumbe and we found a signboard to our right. Painted in bright red Kannada letters, the green board read “Jogi Gundi Jalapataga. Rs.5 Entry Fee”. A faded arrow symbol pointed towards its direction. All of us got out of the vehicle, stretched and prepared ourselves for the small hike through the woods. First Aid kits were packed, cameras were covered in waterproof bags and we set off, following the stone path snaking through the dense forest floor. The slow drizzle, the puddles of mud, the uprooted trees, the drops of water on the leaves and the eerie sound of the cicadas were a few of the many things that surrounded us. After our ten-minute walk, we heard the sound of gushing water at a distance. When we finally reached Jogi Gundi, we were awestruck by the might and the beauty of the sight that lay before us.
White and clear, the water fell from a height of about 18 meters or so (not very high as compared to a regular waterfall) but with such force that anyone who stood under it, not anchored properly to a nearby rock or a piece of trunk would probably get washed away, never to be seen again! We ventured into the cold waters and experienced the force of the currents with every fibre of our body.
We had to hold onto to each other to stay at one place, but it was worth all the hassle. After we were satisfied with the amount of fun we had getting drenched, we found our own little spot on the rocks that were strewn hither-tither downstream and sat silently, letting our minds wander and linger on the thoughts that haunt us everyday, pondering over which one was worth that particular moment, the moment we felt so one with nature.
Our first stop was at a place called Someshwar, somewhere beyond Udupi. We found a certain decent “Hotel Nandini” on the roadside and decided to hog on breakfast and down cups of morning chai/coffee and get energized.
Breakfast Halt
It wasn’t soon before all the enthusiasm crept back into the group and we started clicking random photos. From the eat-out, which was at the foothill, we could see the cloud kissed mountains and a tiny stream of waterfall located at the top right portion of the hill, which added beauty to the stretch of greenery that was spread out before us.
On the way to Agumbe
We took a few minutes more to buy bottles of water and check and count the money we had. One by one we clambered back into the vehicle and began our ascent to Agumbe Ghat. From JK we learnt that there were thirteen hairpin bends we had to cross in order to reach Jogi Gundi, some of which belonged to one district of Karnataka and the rest to another. The view just got better and better, the higher we climbed. Although we were running short of time, we couldn’t resist getting down at one spot on our way, called the Agumbe Sunset Point, just to check out the breathtaking landscape of the Ghats. We got a bird’s eye view of the idyillic villages around the Udupi countryside. There was a nip in the air and chilly winds blew against our faces. It was beautiful.
On the way to Jogi Gundi
A few more minutes of driving uphill at Agumbe and we found a signboard to our right. Painted in bright red Kannada letters, the green board read “Jogi Gundi Jalapataga. Rs.5 Entry Fee”. A faded arrow symbol pointed towards its direction. All of us got out of the vehicle, stretched and prepared ourselves for the small hike through the woods. First Aid kits were packed, cameras were covered in waterproof bags and we set off, following the stone path snaking through the dense forest floor. The slow drizzle, the puddles of mud, the uprooted trees, the drops of water on the leaves and the eerie sound of the cicadas were a few of the many things that surrounded us. After our ten-minute walk, we heard the sound of gushing water at a distance. When we finally reached Jogi Gundi, we were awestruck by the might and the beauty of the sight that lay before us.
The Jogi Gundi
White and clear, the water fell from a height of about 18 meters or so (not very high as compared to a regular waterfall) but with such force that anyone who stood under it, not anchored properly to a nearby rock or a piece of trunk would probably get washed away, never to be seen again! We ventured into the cold waters and experienced the force of the currents with every fibre of our body.
We had to hold onto to each other to stay at one place, but it was worth all the hassle. After we were satisfied with the amount of fun we had getting drenched, we found our own little spot on the rocks that were strewn hither-tither downstream and sat silently, letting our minds wander and linger on the thoughts that haunt us everyday, pondering over which one was worth that particular moment, the moment we felt so one with nature.
When: 13th July, 2013.
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