It had been a couple of months since I had last been to Mangalore, so I thought I’ll do a short post on how my last weekend drive was.
It was a bleak Sunday evening when we decided to rid ourselves of boredom and make a trip to Mangalore. Though only 360 kms from Bangalore, it was time we went on a drive as a group indulging and enjoying the backdrop and firmly believing in the drive rather than the destination.
Before I get on to what the weekend drive to maravnthe was let me introduce my travel mates. Starting from the top left is Anjali, Ramya, Sridhar, Shalini, Silky, myself, Shenoy, Subbu, Jo, Sirish and Shymoly (missing) 
But by the time we were through marveling over the place, the sky was darkening and we had to be content with a few glimpses passing by those sites. Reluctantly, we made up our minds to stroll down the beach to capture the sunset.
Next stop was Trasi beach at Maravanthe (in Udupi dist., 45 kms from Murdeshwar on NH-17), where all three – beach, road and river – run parallel!! Situated a short 5 minute-drive from this beach is the Turtle Bay resort we spent the night at. It’s easy to miss Turtle Bay if you don’t know where to look. Since we did have the expert, who had been there before, we were given the right
directions.
An evening at the beach with friends and some chilled beer was simply what I had dreamt off! At 9pm the resort attendants offered us some beach refreshment. Plates of Pamphlet rava fry, Surmai masala fry, Prawns dry and Prawns Masala and Chicken kept comin. A littttle on the spicy side, but we loved it… with all five senses refreshed we went back to the beach and stayed there till 1 in the morning. 
On the way back stoped at Kapu and went to see the lighthouse. Its quiet a different experience! We were spellbound to see the beauty of this place from the foot of the lighthouse, on top of the rocks. Rocks + coconut trees + a nice beach made this place a visitor’s delight. It can’t be explained by words one has to be there to relish its beauty.
The day was sunny and bright and we were enjoying driving under the warm sun leisurely. But the drive back was a painful, on a long drive, which pothole strewn roads, we settled at roadside stall for a cup of chai... If I ever complained about the roads in Bangalore, I take back all my complaints. What used to be a 45 minutes’ drive had stretched into a neat 2 hr ordeal. Those manganese and iron ore laden over loaded gory trucks ought to be taken off those roads!
Anyhow, this is probably my nth trip to Mangalore. But this time, it had been a city in transit and never quite the destination. It is a city that I’ve seen in bits and pieces and this time it was no exception.
It was a bleak Sunday evening when we decided to rid ourselves of boredom and make a trip to Mangalore. Though only 360 kms from Bangalore, it was time we went on a drive as a group indulging and enjoying the backdrop and firmly believing in the drive rather than the destination.
Before I get on to what the weekend drive to maravnthe was let me introduce my travel mates. Starting from the top left is Anjali, Ramya, Sridhar, Shalini, Silky, myself, Shenoy, Subbu, Jo, Sirish and Shymoly (missing)
It all started when a bunch of us who parked ourselves to decide on what the weekend plans should be like. I was not too keen when 'Mangalore drive' popped out as an option…being from Mangalore myself...I thought Mangalore wouldn’t reflect the charm it once had, there wasn’t much to Mangalore except those dirtied beaches with whole lot of construction work , pathetic roads, thought all this on a steaming day was a waste of time. But there stood Shenoy... I remember the smile and the look on his face when he said “I’ll show you the Mangalore you’ve never seen before”... for one thing I was very sure...if it was Shenoy planning it would undoubtedly be good...
So we left on Saturday morning at 3.30 AM...3 cars (a Zen Estilo, a Swift and a Honda city) 11 people were ready to hit NH-48 from Nelmangala circle which goes straight to Mangalore, this circle is 16km from Bangalore on Tumkur Road (NH-4). NH-48 goes straight to Mangalore via Hassan (190km from Bangalore) and Sakleshpur. We didn’t take the straight road. Instead we took the Bangalore-Tumkur road with some pit stops in between until we reached Jog falls through shimoga and Sagar – a total distance from Bangalore of about 380kms. After Jog, we took the Honnavar road, and the drive was good with exceptional picturesque beauty with Ghats all around and with kishore kumar songs to add to the charm. It was wonderful.
Rejuvenated, we continued along the highway and soon entered Honnavar and took NH-17 towards Murudeshwar. It was turning out to be a Mangalore via North Kanara trip. Once on NH-17, we drove another 25kms till we reached Murdeshwar. With the skies clearing, the beauty of the surrounding seaside was a sight to behold.
So we left on Saturday morning at 3.30 AM...3 cars (a Zen Estilo, a Swift and a Honda city) 11 people were ready to hit NH-48 from Nelmangala circle which goes straight to Mangalore, this circle is 16km from Bangalore on Tumkur Road (NH-4). NH-48 goes straight to Mangalore via Hassan (190km from Bangalore) and Sakleshpur. We didn’t take the straight road. Instead we took the Bangalore-Tumkur road with some pit stops in between until we reached Jog falls through shimoga and Sagar – a total distance from Bangalore of about 380kms. After Jog, we took the Honnavar road, and the drive was good with exceptional picturesque beauty with Ghats all around and with kishore kumar songs to add to the charm. It was wonderful.
Rejuvenated, we continued along the highway and soon entered Honnavar and took NH-17 towards Murudeshwar. It was turning out to be a Mangalore via North Kanara trip. Once on NH-17, we drove another 25kms till we reached Murdeshwar. With the skies clearing, the beauty of the surrounding seaside was a sight to behold.
Since we started early in the morning, by the time we reached Murdeshwar, it was almost 5 in the evening – we had already been on the road for over 13-odd hours. And at this time with the approaching twilight, the beauty of the beach was beyond description.
Many people are aware of the temple’s existence, so you are not alone to pray and spend some peaceful and serene moments all by yourself. Even before you see the temple, you are welcomed by a prominent restaurant by the beachside (Masala Dosa and cup of strong filter coffee!)
But by the time we were through marveling over the place, the sky was darkening and we had to be content with a few glimpses passing by those sites. Reluctantly, we made up our minds to stroll down the beach to capture the sunset.Next stop was Trasi beach at Maravanthe (in Udupi dist., 45 kms from Murdeshwar on NH-17), where all three – beach, road and river – run parallel!! Situated a short 5 minute-drive from this beach is the Turtle Bay resort we spent the night at. It’s easy to miss Turtle Bay if you don’t know where to look. Since we did have the expert, who had been there before, we were given the right
directions.
An evening at the beach with friends and some chilled beer was simply what I had dreamt off! At 9pm the resort attendants offered us some beach refreshment. Plates of Pamphlet rava fry, Surmai masala fry, Prawns dry and Prawns Masala and Chicken kept comin. A littttle on the spicy side, but we loved it… with all five senses refreshed we went back to the beach and stayed there till 1 in the morning.
We woke up at 6.30 in the morning the next day. It was a fine sunny morning. On a Sunday morning life seemed to be at a standstill in the even otherwise quiet town. Got back to the resort and had our breakfast and set out for Bangalore at 11.
Driving down NH 17 is a truly blue trip… A view of the Arabian Sea on one side of the road glistening in the sun and the serene Souparnika River on the other side. A few resorts dot this virgin beach.
On the way back stoped at Kapu and went to see the lighthouse. Its quiet a different experience! We were spellbound to see the beauty of this place from the foot of the lighthouse, on top of the rocks. Rocks + coconut trees + a nice beach made this place a visitor’s delight. It can’t be explained by words one has to be there to relish its beauty.
The day was sunny and bright and we were enjoying driving under the warm sun leisurely. But the drive back was a painful, on a long drive, which pothole strewn roads, we settled at roadside stall for a cup of chai... If I ever complained about the roads in Bangalore, I take back all my complaints. What used to be a 45 minutes’ drive had stretched into a neat 2 hr ordeal. Those manganese and iron ore laden over loaded gory trucks ought to be taken off those roads!
Anyhow, this is probably my nth trip to Mangalore. But this time, it had been a city in transit and never quite the destination. It is a city that I’ve seen in bits and pieces and this time it was no exception.
Next time you are in and around Mangalore do make it a point to visit Maravanthe and Kapu, and stay at Turtle Bay. If not for anything just to experience stillness, you can do that peacefully without being pushed around...Spend as much time as you want in peaceful surroundings listening to the some nice music, read a book and admiring nature. You will realize how miniscule we are compared to what else is there in the Universe. I am glad I made the trip. It was a wonderful experience will love to repeat the same trip once again. At the end of the trip our cars Odo reading was 1065km and now back to everyday life.
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