Day3

My day started late at 7:30 since I forgot to keep my alarm the previous night. I had met a guy the previous day- Vinuthan- a 19 year old from Chikmagalur, who was studying BBA in Bengaluru. We planned to go to Vibhuti Falls and Yana caves by sharing a two-wheeler that he rented. Before leaving, I bid adieu to Neha and thanked her for the amazing company. We kept our backpacks in the common room and started from Zostel at around 9:30. We asked Zostel people for breakfast place recommendations and decided to have breakfast at 'Hotel Ramnivas' near check-post, which was on our way. We refueled the bike and left to Vibhuti Falls right away.

The falls is about 40 km away from Gokarna. After an hour of riding in the tree-covered roads, we reached our destination. We walked the way from parking, that leads to the falls and finally reached Vibhuti falls after 20 minutes. The timing of our arrival was perfect. With no soul around us, except for the lifeguard, the silence and the isolation was very relaxing. The lifeguard was handing out life jackets to people who'd wish to go to the deep end of the waters. The water is not that deep near the rocks, but it can reach up to 26 feet deep towards the bottom of the waterfall (called a plunge pool). I decided to stay on the rocks and enjoy a dip in the water. The water was well lit by the sun and it showcased a beautiful view for us. The fish in the water were brushing my toes when I kept my feet in the water, which was a funny feeling, but very relaxing. We took a few pictures and left to Yana caves.

Vibhuti Falls

The road from Vibhuti falls to Yana caves was very poorly maintained. This 10 km stretch felt like the longest part of the journey. After riding for about 30 minutes, we finally reached Yana. This place is well known for the beautiful caves and rock formations. I had already visited the place before and I wasn't much keen on visiting the caves again. Nevertheless, we visited the temple and then the caves after that. I enjoyed the patterns on the rocks that were made by running water, the monolithic caves and the cave structure. The fact that the loose rocks haven't fallen over, kept me thinking of all the possibilities. What a beautiful masterpiece by the nature! The rock formation was spectacular. We can see another group of rocks from a distance on the way back to the temple. After eating a few packaged foods from the local shop, we headed back to Gokarna. Since we didn't have lunch, the lethargy was starting to creep in. We took a few breaks and switched our roles often. After around 50 km of riding, we finally reached the Zostel at 16:00.

Yana Caves and rock formations

I packed whatever was left in my bag and planned to go on a heritage tour after sometime. I played Foosball with Saksham and Sandyee from Zostel along with a few fellow travelers from Pune. One of them was a filmmaker - Akshay, who worked on automobile advertisements for Powerdrift. After that, I sat in the common area, enjoying the view from the Zostel for one last time and started on the heritage tour at 17:15. I visited Koti-theertha, Mahaganapathi temple and Mahabaleshwar temple. The narrow streets of Gokarna had homes inhabited by the local priests/bhattru all along. These homes had an architecture of their own and each home was different in it's own way. The history of Gokarna can be felt on this street.. Koti-theertha is a rectangular holy pond and is surrounded by several temples. The locals were performing rituals on the staircase that led to the water. I visited the three main attractions before 18:00, so I can watch the sunset from Ram Thirtha. I didn't want to miss it this time.

Zostel Common Room

Koti-theertha

I reached Ram Thirtha on time. There's a staircase on the left that leads to a hilltop. I climbed the stairs and made my way to the viewpoint. Not many know of this place, because it's not quite mentioned in the list of to-do's in the blogs or other websites. The viewpoint overlooked the Arabian sea, with rocks at the foot of the hill. The sound made by the waves after hitting these rocks continuously, echoed in silence. It felt like a dream- the combination of breeze, the waves, the ocean and the sunset. It was one of the best sunsets I had ever seen. I stayed there for a long time, staring into the emptiness of the ocean. The fact that there's a whole new life underwater, was something that kept my mind occupied. The sunset was breath-taking. The ocean seemed to resonate the beauty of the sun and the sky. The sunset as viewed from here, felt completely different than the one viewed from Kudle beach. I headed back to Zostel to collect my backpack and to bid adieu to the people there. With a heavy heart, I stopped to enjoy the view for one last time before leaving there. I had my dinner at 'Dattaprasad Tiffins' on Ratha Beedhi, followed by tea. I thanked the lady for the home-made delicious food and headed to board my bus. I walked the whole way, reminiscing about everything I had experienced the last three days. I reached check-post at 20:00 to board Durgamba Travels. The bus departed, but my mind was still hovering over the things that I did, the people I met and the lessons I learned in Gokarna. Thus, a three day vacation came to an end, with a lot more left to explore.

Sunset from the viewpoint