“Friends are
as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the
road to a happier life.”- Pythagoras
Dedication: For all my insanely CRAZY
friends without whom I probably would have been much saner.
Most of
us would agree that the college going phase is the best phase of our lives. We
had no responsibilities whatsoever. All we had to do was pass a few exams. And
if we don’t, there’s always a make-up exam!
It’s my
personal belief, that no matter how dull your college is, if you have the right
group of people, fun, frolic and excursions are inevitable. I am fortunate
enough to have found people who are as weirdly enthusiastic as me. I call them
my FRIENDS.
Flash
Back - “The National Institute of Engineering, Mysore” year: 2011-2015
Initially,
our “trips” were more like hangout sessions. We would ride away from the heart
of the city to unwind after exams or after monotonous classes. And then came
the 3rd year of college, when we actually began wandering.
Here are
some places we visited.
- Chikmagalur
- Bandipur
- Bekal
- Mangalore
- And a number of other small bike rides and car drives.
It’s hard
to pick the best among these trips. Every trip was equally amusing and special.
We began
with Chikmagalur. Chickmagalur must and should be on your bucket list for a
quiet and de-stressing weekend getaway. As it was a class trip, the journey was
very lively and noisy with everyone singing, dancing and playing in the bus.
All I
have to say about Chikmagalur is, if u ever happen to visit here-
Baba
Budan giri, Mullayan giri and Shakir Ahmad falls are must visits
You can
also stay at Hunkal Woods resort. It completely disconnects you from the chaos
of the world and surrounds you with serene landscape. You don’t get any network
there except for a BSNL connectivity. You can lie in the hammocks, listen to
the birds sing, the young can play a sport or two and the old can just lay back
and relax!
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Our next
stop was Bandipur. One of my friend’s father was a range officer
there, now he’s transferred elsewhere I believe. We were really excited for
this trip. We caught a bus, and reached there in just one and a half
hour.
We were put up in a cottage to freshen up. The cottage was right
in the heart of the forest. After freshening up, we needed some entertainment.
So, just outside the cottage we played around and danced for a while. It was fun
indeed!
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| The Cottage |
From
there we headed to Gopalswamy betta. The hill is most of the time coved in fog
and is picture perfect. There is a temple on the top dedicated to Lord Krishna.
We spent some time there looking around and clicking photos and then went
downhill, back to the cottage where lunch was served.
What was
next? Yes, a Safari. How can one not go on a safari in the forest? A Safari,
from an exotic resort will cost you approximately 300 per head, but we got it
for free!
Nothing
is more thrilling than touring a forest. A bit deep into the jungle we spotted
wild elephants, deer (a very common sight in Bandipur), and some rare species
of birds. We were eager to catch a glimpse of a tiger or two, unfortunately we
didn’t.
Back from
the safari we were treated with juice and snacks and then we were greeted by
the Ivory tusked animal, the elephant. The tamed
elephant was brought in front of the cottage. The elephant was quite a poser so
we got some good clicks with this majestic animal.
That was
the end of our Bandipur trip. Free food, free shelter and free safari, what
more could we ask for. This amazing trip is one I'll never forget! Wish we
could go there once again.
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| The Tamed Elephant |
Tour
number 3. Bekal - a small town in Kasargod district of Kerala. Not many people
know how beautiful this place is. In fact, not many people have even heard
about Bekal.
Our first
stop was at The Bekal fort. It is so grand and mighty. The classic fort
overlooks the beach. We took a walk around the fort and felt calm and relaxed
after the long journey.
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| Bekal Fort |
After
spending some time at the fort we made our way to the adjoining beach. It is
one of the cleanest beaches I’ve visited in India. We left all our exam
anxieties out and took a dip in the Arabian Sea. We enjoyed ourselves, watched
the sun go down and the stars come up, got some excellent and interesting
pictures clicked and left the place with a lot of memories.
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| The Setting Sun |
Next, we
landed up in Mangalore. Mangalore was a joke. We had been to there to write an
exam. We were free to choose the examination centre. One of the centres was
Bangalore (the closest to Mysore). But no, we chose Mangalore. Why? Because we
wanted to explore a new place. The exam was a huge fail but the “Trip” on the
whole was fun. We were starving after the exam so we decided to have lunch
before anything else. Lunch was not very impressive. But now with a satisfied
stomach we headed towards Panambur beach. This beach is so crowded, that it
agitates you after sometime. To get a more relaxed atmosphere we moved towards
a less crowded part of the beach. We took a speed boat ride as well. It is a
great feeling to sit in the corner and touch the waters with your hand. After
some time, it began thundering and lightening. It was about to rain, so we had
some light snacks on the beach and went back to the city centre.
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| Panambur Beach |
IMPORTANT:
If you
ever plan to visit Mangalore, do yourselves a favour and do go to Pabbas ice
cream parlour. The parlour is so packed that you have to wait a minimum half an
hour to get a table. Their ice cream sundaes are totally worth the wait and
weight! Do try the tiramisu and chocolate dad. Every sundae of theirs is sure
to satisfy your sweet tooth! I would however avoid savoury and stick to
desserts at Pabbas.
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| The Sundaes we tried, at Pabbas |
The other
small bike and car rides were to Gopalswamy betta again, Kunti betta, the
lesser known Bam Bam Ashram near Mysore and frequent long rides on various
National Highways.
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| Kunti Betta |
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| Bam Bam Ashram |
I would
like close by thanking all my friends, who
took trips with me for giving me so many memories in such a short time. Looking
forward to taking many more trips with you guys. Thanks for being there.
I just
want to tell you guys, “I’ll be there for you!”
“So long as the memory of certain
beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.” - Helen
Keller
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