Dudh Sagar Falls Trek, Karnataka - Goa

The ever-persistent chirping sound of crickets, the lazy croaking of the frogs, the early rising birds on the look-out for food and the steady sound of flowing water streams. It is not every day you wake up to such an assorted collection of sounds. I unzip the opening of the tent and calmly crawl my way out, to avoid waking the others. The sea of green and the milky water stream greet my eyes... and my senses. How I wish I could get a hot cuppa coffee now. Just as I try to evade thoughts of greed from my head my attention is diverted to a troop of monkeys who are making their way towards our camp. They look for food for themselves and their little ones. While the elders are busy raiding all the plastic covers and trash left behind by some mindless tourists, the young ones entertain themselves by flinging from one tree to another and playing rat-and-mouse game. Once the elders are satisfied there are no more food to be hoarded, the troop continue to their next destination.

Just as I begin to convince myself that I’m indeed in heaven, along chugs a 126 tonne, 4000 hp turbocharged, V16 cylinder mean machine to shatter the morning calm. This WDG4 diesel-electric engineering marvel with a top speed of 120kmph pours cold water (or must I say hot steam) on my morning musings. A total of 5 WDG4 engines are required to take the nearly 100-odd goods bogies through Braganza Ghat section. The blaring noise and the heat generated from the train passing barely couple of meters from our tents hardly woke anyone. This could be attributed to fact that most of the troop members were by now immune to the noise by now. The extensive physical activity of walking on the uneven surface of the Railway line was another cause for this lethargy.

My mind couldn't but wander to the previous day. But after much dilly-dallying there were 9 of us who set off from Bangalore to a larger-than-life image of the majestic Dudh Sagar Falls. Timing, logistics, planning and execution for this trip were crucial and thankfully for us, it was spot-on. Train booking at the eleventh hour, buying an extra tent, buying and distributing ready-to-cook MTR packets, eatables and water bottles were all planned and executed exactly as planned. After getting off Rani Chennamma at Hubli Junction we first booked tickets to Castle Rock station in the Unreserved compartment. With one more hour before we can catch our next train (Chennai-Vasco) we had a sumptuous breakfast at the Railway canteen. As expected we made an experience out of travelling in a General compartment after all these years - for couple of them it was their virgin train journey!

After getting down at Castle Rock Station we re-packed our bags by distributing the MTR Read-to-cooks, so that the weight each of us carried was not skewed. After a customary photo at the station we started off along the tracks on our 14km long trek. This was our first Railway trek and it posed its own little challenges. Now even though the surface is not uphill, it can still be a minor inconvenience considering all the gravel and of course human waste. It takes a a while to get used to walking on the planks especially since you have to take short steps all the while avoiding gravel and human waste. Initially you forget to watch the landscapes as you are busy watching the track, but as you make progress the visuals on offer are too hard to resist. Your feet start to strike the right rhythm and your eyes start to wander. The thick vegetation mostly covers the views that Braganza Ghat has to offer. But when it reveals itself, it’s a sight to behold. Even the 9 year old lion-heart in our group takes a minute or two appreciating nature, before he gets going leaving the others behind.

And then there are the tunnels. One after the other and one bigger and darker than the other, with the longest being half a kilometer. And if you get caught in a tunnel with the train passing, that’s an experience of a lifetime. Not only is it a good photo-op but also a hair-raising experience - literally. The heat and noise generated by the engines is so high, it can send shivers down your spine. By the time the train passes you, you would have turned two shades darker and suffer from momentary deafness.
After a lot walking which included a long haul at a mini waterfall, we finally reached the halfway mark - Caranzol Station. Always a group to start a conversation with the locals, we found out from the station master that there would be a Goods train arriving anytime now and heading towards Dudhsagar. The good station master advised us to take the goods train to Dudhsagar and spend some quality time at the Falls rather than walking on the tracks. Apparently they find nothing amusing about walking on the tracks. After a quick group huddle we decided to take the goods train after all, which later turned out as a blessing in disguise. Within no time the goods train arrived at Caranzol and with the station master having a word with the Guard in the train, we bundled ourselves into the Guard's compartment. And thus started the group's first Goods train ride of our lives. With no ticket counters at any of these stations, we got ourselves a free ride to Dudhsagar after cleverly wriggling out of paying the Guard. The waterfalls is another 1km walk from the station. As always, even before we could see the falls, we could hear it. And this always heightens the excitement. We made a dash to the final stretch and Voila! Nothing much has changed about Dudhsagar in the last 18 years since I last saw it in a school trip. Since it wasn't monsoons yet, there wasn't much water - but just enough to have a great time at the base of the falls.

The walk to the base of the falls is very challenging. The rough and uneven terrain can squeeze every ounce of your strength. But the result is much more rewarding that the effort put-in. The view from the base of the Falls is wholly different sight. It looks majestic to say the least. Even the little oasis formed at the point where the water finally reaches ground zero looks straight out of a movie scene. No sooner than we set our first tent, did a forest official come and informed us that we cannot camp here for the night as there will be an inspection by some senior officials. Disappointed by this we had to go back up to the railway track where there is a provision to camp for the night. After the demanding climb back, we immediately set up our tents there and started a campfire and cooked our MTRs. And then one by one crawled into our respective tents and sleeping bags for a good night's sleep.

I was woken out of my reverie by a second troop of monkeys who came looking for food. This batch was much more daring and adventurous than the earlier troop. By this time everyone was up and we had a hard time keeping the monkeys away from getting to our belongings. But they too eventually left and we cooked some soup packets for breakfast. We then lazed around all morning and headed back to Dudhsagar station around noon. And then another first in our lives. After much pleading with the drivers we got a once in a lifetime opportunity to ride in a WDG4 diesel electric engine. The train took us till Castle Rock after which we took another goods train to Londa in the Guard's room.

With time to kill we filled our stomachs with Vada Pavs and hearts with talks that ranged a variety of topics. With friends like these there's never a dull moment. By the time Rani Chennama rolled out of Londa we were already starting to dread the hectic life of Bangalore - the only comforting factor being that we will be re-united with our loved ones. Thank God for such little happiness....

Getting-there: From Bangalore, trains are the best option. Hubli or Londa are the major stations near to Braganza Ghat Section. If you wish to trek, Castle Rock is where you start. It’s a 14 km trek to Dudhsagar.

Must-Do: Railway Trekking is fun and different. Get to the base of the falls if there isn't much water. Camp near the falls.

Must-Don't: Littering and troubling the monkeys (remember we are intruding their territory)

Other Attractions - Ancient Thambi Surla Temple and Tambi Surla Falls (From Dudhsagar go to Kullem and then to Mullem)

My Rating: 7/10

Colva Beach, Goa.

The only reasons we came to this beach was my desire to see the beach where I almost drowned 16 years ago and the fact that we had time on our hands to kill while we were in Madgaon.

The visit to Colva turned out to be a bad idea right from the start. Firstly, we reached there on a mid summer hot afternoon, with the Sun at its cruelest best. Even then to our surprise we found the beach choc-a-block filled with people. It being a sunday and with the Carnival to begin in a matter or coupla hours, this was already turning out to be a bad idea. With the Sun so hot and the beach so crowded, we walked straight towards one of the shacks on the beach. without even bothering to touch the water. After a good two hours of surf parasail watching we left, much to our own disappointment.

The only positive about Colva is that parasailing here is much cheaper than what it was at Benaulim. This beach is best avoided, if solitude is what you are looking for.

Getting-there: Colva is bang in the middle of Madgaon, around 6kms from the city central. You can hire a bike and move around. Ask the locals for direction.

Must-Do: Adventure sports, as they are cheaper here.

Must-Don't: Littering.

Ups: Cheaper adventure sports, one of the best white sandy beaches in Goa.
Downs: Too crowded.

My Rating: 5/10

Palolem Beach, Goa.

Much has been heard about Palolem being the best beach in Goa. At the same time, many have also claimed that Palolem has lost its charm with too much commercialization. But still I was determined to check out the place, thanks to pictures showing the palm trees extending into the pristine white sands. And so on Day2 we checked out of our resort in Benaulim, and hired a bike to Palolem - one of the southernmost beaches in Goa. The 35km ride from Madgaon to Palolem (in Cancona Town) was one of the best I’ve experienced in recent times. Most part of the journey through the ghat roads were thankfully less crowded and sometimes even deserted.

Palolem did indeed turn out to be highly commercialized. The entire stretch of the beach is lined-up with shacks apart from numerous other hotels, guest houses, restaurants, gift shops, grocery stores, internet cafes et al. But luckily the beach in itself is not much of a disappointment. The geometrical dimension of the beach though, is a little weird. The small alphabet "u" best describes the shape of this unique beach. It also reminded me of Kudle Beach in Gokarna as it lies cuddled between two hillocks. Palolem as we found out is a good place to pick up some good-looking shells.

The sunset was a slight disappointment as it just disappeared towards the fag-end of the phenomena. On the whole, but for the extreme commercialization, Palolem is a great place to relax and rejuvenate.

Getting-there: 35kms from Madgaon. First beach after the Ghat roads.

Must-Do: Enjoy the Sun, Sea, Sand and the Shells.

Must-Don't: Littering.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Benaulim Beach, Goa.

After 16 long years I went back to the place where I almost drowned. Goa for me, has always been more than just beautiful beaches, booze haven, Da Vincian churches and mummified saints. It was during a school trip to Goa when I almost drowned in the Colva Beach. The images of that nightmare are still fresh in my head. So it took a little bit of effort to fight the demons in my head to undertake this trip. But then time is a great healer and I remembered the incident only when I went back to the same (except that it’s thousand times more crowded now) Colva beach after all those years.

The route we chose to reach Goa was circuitous and tiring, as we had to pick people on the way and there were no reservations available. We took an overnight train from Bangalore and reached Londa. From here we hired a khataara Jeep on a shared basis (after a lot of haggling) and reached Madgaon. Word of Caution - Do NOT take the road from Londa to Madgoan. The road in certain parts can put a rocky terrain to shame. And once you cross this nightmare, comes the worst of all. Close to a thousand trucks lined up along the street going in the same direction as you and about half of them coming in the opposite direction. And no, I’m NOT exaggerating the numbers. The reason for this is a iron ore industry somewhere in there. But luckily, our driver who's quite accustomed to it successfully drove us out of it, without losing much time, but not before having a few close shaves and heart-in-mouths.

Once in Goa we found a decent cottage - The Palm Grove Cottages - on Benaulim Beach. It’s an ancient-looking cottage drowned in greenery. Living amongst such greenery though being a truly exhilarating experience, it still has it downsides. The downside being, you have to share your room with mosquitoes, frogs, moths and lizards. Just make sure you tire yourself so much during the day that even Iron Maiden would fail to wake you up.

After a quick freshening-up we hit Benaulim Beach, which was a 10 minute walk from our room. Benaulim is pretty much pristine with its clean white sand as far as the eye can see. The total length of the beach could be close to 4 or 5 kms. And for this reason, it’s not very crowded. You can find many spots in the beach where there's hardly any crowd. And the best part about most beaches in Goa is that they have Life Guards a la' Baywatch style sans the busty babes. The water is gentle and clean and hence very enjoyable. There are lots of shacks on the beach where you can eat. Benaulim also offers parasailing opportunities. And since, this beach is mostly frequented by Westerners, the prices are a tad higher here compared to Colva. Bargaining for prices is always a good idea, anywhere in Goa, as they are highly spiked up. The only thing that comes cheap is beer of course.

Seafood is the staple food in all Goan restaurant menus. While some of them are tasty the others were simply forgettable. Try the Goan rava-masala fry of any fish to try "something new". Most restaurants get their Squids and Prawns right. Leave the chicken items for rest of India. Also try Kokam water. Locals vouch for its stomach-cleansing power. So probably it’s a good idea to detox your stomach of all the Fish and alcohol. No prices for guessing the local alcoholic drinks. Fenny is the word when it comes to liquour in Goa. There are two versions of Fenny - Cashewnut (famous in North Goa) and coconut(famous in South Goa). Cashewnut scores over its cousin though. Also try the Portwine while you are alcohol-tasting. The sunset is a must-watch here, as is the case with most beaches in the west coast. The other best time to be in this beach is early morning, when most of the party-goers are still in bed and sun is just about warming up for a hot day ahead.

Getting-there: Benaulim is about 9 kms South-West of Madgaon. Both geared and non-geared vehicles are available to move about Goa apart from numerous Taxi Services. Oh, even bicycles are also available on rent.

Must-Do: Watch the sunset. Bargain on prices quoted for any service! Try some Goan Cuisine and spirits.

Must-Don’t: Miss out on adventure sports. Littering.

Highs: Beautiful beaches, Parasailing, Seafood, alcohol, bikes-on-rent.
Lows: Too crowded, getting ripped-off everywhere.

My Rating: 7/10.