I'll try a memento at this one. Though, I should have left it for you to figure it out, anyways a catchy one. "Dude! we're leaving, even you should go", wakes me up. Suddenly, there's no moon as to whatever I remember, the lights are gone and I have no idea of what to do next. Wondering, that I'm starting some weird super-natural shit. No. It was three in the night and I was lying next to a volleyball net on one of the most beautiful beaches in South India, The Kudle Beach (don't miss the "The" at this one, really special). An hour back, I crashed into three IIM-B passed outs, one of them woke me up. They were resting against the pole and I could see a pet bottle with a hole filled with something. Desperate enough and craving for some more grass, I asked them if I could join. They were pleasant enough to welcome me. We "bonged" the two joints and somehow went off to sleep. I was horizontal for about an hour and I haven't experienced that sleep in my life before. Maybe because it's the land of "The Destroyer" or maybe it was the local music being played around the bonfire by a group from Zimbabwe. Or maybe because every night is special at Gokarna.
I'll straighten things out now. Isn't it strange for a guy roaming alone on a kilometer long beach at three in the night with literally no light around. It was for me before this night happened.
We started our road trip from central Goa and we had 150 kms ahead of us before we reach "The place". The red pulsar was a loyal one back and forth the journey and once hit 111 kmph on the Karnataka highway (surely one of the best in India). The NH-17 highway roads with a backdrop holding the greenest trees and the bluest seas is worth a little discomfort on a pulsar. The winds might compliment your direction OR. But they stay cool in March. On your way down to Gokarna, a board on the left attracts many-like-me poeple. It said Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary. A Rs. 10 ticket and we were heading for a tree top in the middle of the sanctuary. Our hopes of crashing into a leopard or a black panther weren't supposed to be fulfilled but the trek to the top at 40 ft through the jungles was an Experience. All the humans we saw were a few foreigner families at one of the cottages while others seemed like "hunters" in a mowgli getup with a knife and a dog following them. Definitely cool.
The only animals we manged were two langurs and the sight of that stays as a souvenir in my mind. The road ahead was good in one word and the next stop was Om Beach. It really forms an Om. Just when we were about to go further into the beach, we met these people from Wipro, Bangaluru who told us about the non-availability of shacks at the beach. The beach was crowded and I didn't come for crowd. There's enough of that in Goa. We followed them on a 20 min trek to a beach called Kudle where we somehow managed a shack. Yes, it took an effort considering that me and my friend were born in India. Some negative to everything right? The shack was cheap. Around 250 for a night. We loosened ourselves and were out on the beach. Dinner was ordered and eaten. Meanwhile, my first joints of the night were being rolled by a group of students from Mangalore whom I met, again randomly, somehow. Whatever I tell you later is only about me. Because things might happen when you smoke up for the first time and things happened with my friend. I'll confine this by just saying that he slept immediately post the smoke-up. Again negatives to everything?
After dropping him at the shack, I was all alone for the night. Had no idea as to how the night would turn up but I'm like the lead protagonist of "Optimism" and went on to the beach for some, something, anything. Sitting near the waves with your legs crossed wasn't fun on Goan beaches. Walking alone infinitely on any beach wasn't fun anymore. Things, people, time transform at Gokarna. I don't know if they go a step forward or backward but transformation does occur. And then was the bonfire experience with foreigners who come to India for "SoulSearch". A big bonfire surrounded by loads and loads of candles surrounded by people playing almost every instrument, from a classical guitar to the violin, from the tambourine to the bongo. And the smile of that Italian lady who blushed with the most alluring smile after people applauded to her belly dance. Magic.
I have no snaps for the night, at all. I guess I thought, I would keep the memory to my mind and in any case if I cannot recall, will give me a reason to come back to the place. Makes sense.
I met a lot of people that night after I was alone. Again people-like-me were to be found on the beach who liked the parties, could turn into the most hippies people Earth would ever see but then liked The peace, The beauty, The silence of the sea. Everything at this place hits you, makes you numb, makes you YOU! Met this guy from my hometown, talked about it, smoked another with him. Had a long talk with an almost old person from Italy, smoked another with him. He wanted to go to Varanasi and Amarnath but said he couldn't leave the place. Only if 'I' had time. Listened to Led Zep for around an hour and then I met the IIM-B guys.
Morning I woke up fresh, had a nice swim, a nice breakfast, went to the Atma Lingam in the town and drove back. Still have the buzz while I write this.
Stay green. Stay safe. Do what you need to do. And go to Gokarna when you go down. You're probably the last generation to see its real beauty.
I'll straighten things out now. Isn't it strange for a guy roaming alone on a kilometer long beach at three in the night with literally no light around. It was for me before this night happened.
We started our road trip from central Goa and we had 150 kms ahead of us before we reach "The place". The red pulsar was a loyal one back and forth the journey and once hit 111 kmph on the Karnataka highway (surely one of the best in India). The NH-17 highway roads with a backdrop holding the greenest trees and the bluest seas is worth a little discomfort on a pulsar. The winds might compliment your direction OR. But they stay cool in March. On your way down to Gokarna, a board on the left attracts many-like-me poeple. It said Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary. A Rs. 10 ticket and we were heading for a tree top in the middle of the sanctuary. Our hopes of crashing into a leopard or a black panther weren't supposed to be fulfilled but the trek to the top at 40 ft through the jungles was an Experience. All the humans we saw were a few foreigner families at one of the cottages while others seemed like "hunters" in a mowgli getup with a knife and a dog following them. Definitely cool.
The only animals we manged were two langurs and the sight of that stays as a souvenir in my mind. The road ahead was good in one word and the next stop was Om Beach. It really forms an Om. Just when we were about to go further into the beach, we met these people from Wipro, Bangaluru who told us about the non-availability of shacks at the beach. The beach was crowded and I didn't come for crowd. There's enough of that in Goa. We followed them on a 20 min trek to a beach called Kudle where we somehow managed a shack. Yes, it took an effort considering that me and my friend were born in India. Some negative to everything right? The shack was cheap. Around 250 for a night. We loosened ourselves and were out on the beach. Dinner was ordered and eaten. Meanwhile, my first joints of the night were being rolled by a group of students from Mangalore whom I met, again randomly, somehow. Whatever I tell you later is only about me. Because things might happen when you smoke up for the first time and things happened with my friend. I'll confine this by just saying that he slept immediately post the smoke-up. Again negatives to everything?
After dropping him at the shack, I was all alone for the night. Had no idea as to how the night would turn up but I'm like the lead protagonist of "Optimism" and went on to the beach for some, something, anything. Sitting near the waves with your legs crossed wasn't fun on Goan beaches. Walking alone infinitely on any beach wasn't fun anymore. Things, people, time transform at Gokarna. I don't know if they go a step forward or backward but transformation does occur. And then was the bonfire experience with foreigners who come to India for "SoulSearch". A big bonfire surrounded by loads and loads of candles surrounded by people playing almost every instrument, from a classical guitar to the violin, from the tambourine to the bongo. And the smile of that Italian lady who blushed with the most alluring smile after people applauded to her belly dance. Magic.
I have no snaps for the night, at all. I guess I thought, I would keep the memory to my mind and in any case if I cannot recall, will give me a reason to come back to the place. Makes sense.
I met a lot of people that night after I was alone. Again people-like-me were to be found on the beach who liked the parties, could turn into the most hippies people Earth would ever see but then liked The peace, The beauty, The silence of the sea. Everything at this place hits you, makes you numb, makes you YOU! Met this guy from my hometown, talked about it, smoked another with him. Had a long talk with an almost old person from Italy, smoked another with him. He wanted to go to Varanasi and Amarnath but said he couldn't leave the place. Only if 'I' had time. Listened to Led Zep for around an hour and then I met the IIM-B guys.
Morning I woke up fresh, had a nice swim, a nice breakfast, went to the Atma Lingam in the town and drove back. Still have the buzz while I write this.
Stay green. Stay safe. Do what you need to do. And go to Gokarna when you go down. You're probably the last generation to see its real beauty.
