There is always a persistent temptation to run away from this city. To settle down in a much slower, quieter part of the country. However, that involves a lot of logistical issues and emotions. But travel is the perfect temporary solution. So on an early morning of November when everyone was waking up to begin celebrating Diwali, I was escaping the madness on a suburban train headed to Dadar to board a blue(long distance) train headed to Goa. Janshatabdi Express is a wonderfully swift train within 8 hours, we were in Goa. At Madgaon, I walked to the bus stop where a crowded mini bus waited for me to take me to the bus stand. My destination for the day was Karwar. A small coastal town lying between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. It is also famous for its sea food delicacies which I was really looking forward to. So I decided to skip lunch in Goa and boarded a Kadamba bus headed to Karwar.
The bus rolled down on NH17 passing through quaint villages and brightly coloured bungalows. I was a little sad at the prospect of leaving Goa without spending even a night in such a beautiful countryside. It was 1630 when the Arabian Sea appeared to my right and soon I was alighting onto the main road at Karwar. I checked into a modest lodge and tripped to the beach. Named after Rabindranath Tagore, who fell in love with Karwar and penned Prakritir Pratishod sitting on a rock by the sea. The beach was vast and clean. I spotted many birds including the majestic Brahminy Kites. There weren't many tourists. The sun was setting and it was a nice evening. However, the fun part of Karwar for me ended right there. Restaurants like Amruth were shut on account of Lakshmi Poojan and I had to make do with a simple meal of spicy chicken curry and parotha at a small place where most of the labourers have their dinner. Needless to say, it was one of the best. I had planned on sleeping early but then the fireworks started going off and Diwali had finally caught up with me. I couldn’t wait unti dawn and the beginning of another journey. My next stop was Gokarna, a yet another coastal town belonging to Uttara Kanada district of Karnataka. A place that I had been dreaming of visiting since a long time.
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| Rufous Treepie in the Western Ghats |
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| Janshatabadi isn't a sleeper but it's cool |
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| What was that again? |
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| Where Kalinadi meets the Arabian Sea |
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| Brahminy Kites |
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| Sunset not captured so well |
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| Rest |
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