Dec 31, 2010 08:52 PM
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It was Christmas holiday for the kids and we went to Dharwad to visit my parents. Here., we decided to drive down to Murudeshwar, with no prior planning. I checked with couple of friends to find what is the best route to take and what all we can see en-route.
Based on a friend’s suggestion, I decided to take the route going through Dharwad to Kalghatgi (29km). The road is not that great, till you hit SH63, after which, it is a pleasant drive. We missed our breakfast spot, “Krishna Bhavana” and realized this when I saw the sign “Maagod Falls - 15km”. As soon as you come out of Yellapur town, you see left turn leading to Magoda Falls. The ride is not bad. After paying an entrance fee of Rs. 5 per head at the Falls, we spent some time here Even during the month of December, the falls had a great view. It is nice place to stop and relax, on your way. You can not get down till the bottom of the falls. Don't miss this, especially if you traveling during the monsoons or immediately after the monsoon.
We decided to go back to Yellapur and find "Krishna Bhavan“. It is a no frills restaurant and is NOT on the main road. Ask anyone on the road and they will guide. The hotel’s board is in "Kannada“ and the hotel is opposite Horticulture office, near to Food Palace restaurant. You get typical home made south Indian dishes here. They serve hot water for drinking. Those who are afraid of drinking outside water can be safe here :). I would recommend this place to anyone passing through Yellapur. We had 5 Masala dosas, 3 Shiras, 2 cold drinks, 3 tea and the bill came to Rs. 140. Not bad at all.
There are petrol pumps every 30-40km on the way. When you head towards Ankola (70km from Yellapur), you will hit a T-junction. Take a left turn to go towards Ankola (Right turn will take you to Karwar).
Our second planned stop was at Gokarna. After Ankola ghat, you will see a sign board, indicating a right turn to Gokarna. The letters on the sign boards are very small and when you are driving at a speed of 70-80km, it is difficult to read them. Gokarna is 8-10km inside from the highway. The driving inside the city, through the temple road is little cumbersome and tight. Just follow the road, though it feels that the car may not pass through :).. folks on the road will tell you that, you have to go all the way till you hit the beach, before you can park your vehicle. Parking is free, at the beach.
We reached Gokarna around 1pm. Parked the car in the hot sun, at the beach side and went to the main temple. When we entered the temple we were greeted by the board "Temple Hours : 6am to 12.30pm and 5pm to 8pm". I didn't realize that God also needed long afternoon nap and rest :). It was a let down for everyone. We didn't have any plans of staying there till 5pm. We visited a nearby Ganapati temple and returned to the beach. The beach is nice and clean. The water is blue and has a freshness. Gokarna also boasts of a clean and nice beach, called "Om" beach, which is 8km away from the main temple. If you are a beach lover, I would suggest you make a stop at this place. Oh!, I forgot to mention, when you enter Gokarna, you have to pay Rs. 10 as entry fee.
We skipped the lunch and drove to Murudeshwara. We reached the place at 4.30pm. It was a nice warm evening. The setting at Murudeshwara calms you down. The beautiful temple and the huge statue of Shiva is welcoming. We went straight to The RNS Residency. Luckily, there were few rooms available. We checked into a Deluxe, non A.C. room (Less than Rs. 1600 per night for 3 adults and 3 kids). The stomach was growling, while the kids were eager to run to the beach. We made a quick stop at the beach restaurant outside the RNS residency and had some Paani Puri, Dosa and Pav Bhaaji (I won't recommend Pav Bhaji to anyone). The evening was spent, enjoying the beach, clicking some snaps, eating some ice creams on the beach (Look for some brand duplication of Amul here :) ..it is called Amal ice-cream) and enjoying the sun set.
We were told "Nisarga" is a good place for eating Fish. This place is at least 1.5km walk from the temple. We did walk all the way, just to find that the wait time is more than 30mins and after that, the order would take another 30mins to serve. We turned our back and dragged our feet towards the temple. Couldn't find anything great on the way, until we reached Kamat's Yatri Nivas and had rice.(Full rice place Rs. 45 and half rice plate Rs. 25). Probably the beach restaurant offers more varieties than any other restaurant in the vicinity. After 9.30pm, there are not many choices here.
Next day morning, we visited the temple. The temple is kept clean and nice. Once you come outside, there is a lift service, which takes you to the 18th floor to enjoy (?) a panoramic view. It costs Rs. 10 for adult and Rs. 5 for a kid. They could have done a better job here, with panoramic glass windows. However, the windows are too small to see much around. Moreover, with the crowd on the floor, you won't enjoy much. Just for the heck of it, you can take this ride up to 18th floor.
After this, we went to the wave pool and slide, which is part of RNS guest house facility. I was zapped to hear the entrance fee for this facility. For 2 kids, the person at the ticket counter asked me to pay Rs. 224. I felt, it was too exorbitant, as there was a small wave pool and a small slide pool. That's it. Finally, kids said, they will just play in slide pool, for which, I ended up paying Rs. 112. (Still very expensive). However, the kids enjoyed a lot in the pool, which made me forget the amount I had spent, to get them in.
Then it was time to checkout. We decided to have lunch on the way back to Dharwad. We stopped at "Kamat's Upachar" hotel, which is next to an Indian Oil petrol pump, near Ankola. Good facility and good food. Do not order "Malai Kofta" here, as it was not done the way usually "Malai Kofta" is done in other hotels. Otherwise, the experience was good.
On the way back, I missed the right turn towards Hubli, which comes soon after Ankola and drove straight. I was 6km away from Karwar and that's when I realized my mistake. :).. I turned back and drove 20km to reach the turn, that I had missed (in all an extra 40km of driving and had to hear some words from the co-passengers).
A word of caution, if you are driving with people with motion sickness. The route is not straight and has many curves and mountains. So plan accordingly.
In all it was a nice trip with few learnings. Got to know some good places to eat on the way. Learnt about the fact that even God's need rest and temples get closed during the afternoons, learnt to enjoy freely with the kids and had great fun with the family on the beach. Wish I had time to stay leisurely at Murudeshwara... may be next time!!
