by Venkat Satish
Anil bhai and I were strolling in the streets when he vehemently said “I miss travelling”. I fondly call him Jennifer as he shares his birthday with the American legend, J’Lo. I was quite younger than him so my love for travel include trekking and camping. I asked him if he was interested in an upcoming scuba event by BCF which seemed more adventurous and not as exhausting as regular treks and camps.
He gave it a thought and asked me “do we get to see Sharks?”. Knowing his innocence, it was a valid question 😊
I assured him it would be safe as it’s done under supervision, nonetheless, he would have to sign the disclaimer form, because after all, it’s an adventure 😉 He took no time to make up his mind and asked me to confirm his slot for the event.
A day before the event, our host RK surprised us by saying the event ‘might be’ cancelled as there are not enough participants to make it a ‘group’ and the status was tentative till the morning of travel. It was a bummer but we had to wait to see if there would be any last-minute participants. The departure time of the train to Hubbli was in the after-noon but considering our plan’s ‘tentative’ nature, Jennifer and I resumed office.
A few hours prior to the departure time, RK changed the event’s status from ‘tentative’ to ‘happening’ and sent us our tickets. Jennifer and I rushed out of the office once we got the ‘Yes’, changed, picked our bags and were the first to board the train at Nampally, Hyderabad 😊
Phew! Finally, we are going Dada (affectionately used to address an elder brother in Bengali), I said with a sigh. He had countless questions and thankfully, he was less worried and more excited.
Next to board was Narayana in Secunderabad, a techie from an IT giant, who seemed timid and withdrawn. Jennifer and Narayana chatted for a minute and they were already in the mood for a selfie. We were eagerly waiting for RK to arrive along with Abhishek in our next station at Lingampally.
I have been to a few meet-up events before but I’ve never met a ‘pumped up’ host like RK. He was full of energy and was familiar with the places we were visiting. As a bonus, he was experienced enough to handle all the inexperienced questions from Jennifer. Later in the discussions, we got to know that he is the founder of BCF and has completed all the prominent Himalayan Treks, which are still in my bucket-list.
Abhishek was quietest of the group and he had no questions for RK. He was soft, humble and overall charismatic. We were all waiting for two more people to join-in. RK disclosed that it would be only FIVE of us who are travelling Hyderabad – Hyderabad and the other two, Abhilash and Veera, would be with us from Hubli – Hubli.
We reserved our detailed intros for RK but he was insistent on pushing it to the next day when Abhilash and Veera would be joining us in Hubli and we would have ample time on our way to Murudeswar from there.
Can you spot the hanging trash bag? That’s RK’s condition to ensure we don’t leave trash in the bogey or throw it out of the window through-out the trip. Nice, nah?
Few hours into our journey and the motor fans in our bogie stopped working. We were in the fag-end of March and the spikey temperatures made us feel roasted. Abhishek was quick enough to raise a grievance in the most socially accepted form i.e. ‘twitter’ and to our surprise, the issue was addressed in no time. We were all in awe of Indian Railways and their strong commitment towards the traveller’s service and mind you, we were not in AC class.
Undoubtedly, this was an icebreaker for us. The stint seemed like a team-effort (which wasn’t 😉) but after the fans started working, we were finally sharing food, paying for beverages and shifting places. The group isn’t a group of strangers any more. Friends by now? Nah. Acquaintances? Hell yeah.
Day ended with a sumptuous dinner. A round of UNO.
Soon, Phones were OFF and Blankets were ON.
Welcome to day 2. Saturday. Hello Hubli.
What a crazy night it was. Thanks to the ‘no snores’ in our sleeper class.
Our tempo traveller (‘Savaari’) had already arrived and was waiting for us outside the Railway Station. In turn, we were waiting for Abhilash and Veera to join us. They arrived and quickly settled onto the last seats of our Savaari, looking energetic and friendly.
Abhilash and Veera are techies too. They were friends for a long time now and had been to a couple of events organised by BCF before. So, RK knew them well.
Savaari was comfy and the driver was cheeky. He wouldn’t believe when he was told it’s an ‘ALL BOYS TRIP’ (accidentally ofcourse 😉)
We had a long way to drive. A DETAILED introduction of every participant was followed in the Savaari. So detailed that the tag-line ‘ALL BOYS TRIP’ was justified.
In no time, we were in an Udupi Restaurant for a quick breakfast and by now we realised we had ample time to visit Sathodi Waterfalls enroute. Perks of travelling in a small group.
I had been to Sathodi before but this time it was pristine and clear, thankfully we reached there much before the after-noon crowd.
None of them were wary of the water and they started taking dips, including Jennifer, who generally takes time to jump into action. He was clearly enjoying it. Sathodi was full of ‘doctor fish’ so a free fish spa was inevitable even if you didn’t sign-up for it.
RK and Abhilash were taking plunges and others were either glued to rocks or trying their best not to feel the tickling of the fish.
After a much-needed dip, the entire group looked rejuvenated. We were back to our Savaari and headed straight to Murudeshwara, a temple town in Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, which was still 150kms away.
We reached Murudeshwar in the afternoon. The streets were noisy and the crowds were headed towards the beach and adjoining Shri Murudeswara temple. We were still in our savaari and I could clearly see the gigantic entrance arch of the temple and enormous structure of Lord Shiva (with utmost admiration). The architecture of the temple seemed amazing from the distance and I couldn’t wait to visit the temple. On our way, I could see the food and shopping shacks along the beach which were well maintained and selling local delicacies. I short-listed the shacks I would be visiting later.
We got lucky with the homestay too. It had a beach view and the temple was at a walkable distance. The homestay would normally accompany a group size of 12-15 people so it was spacious for a group size like us and we chose our resting spots as we desired 😉
After refreshing, we headed towards the prominent temple walking along the seaside, barefoot, with the waves touching our feet. Nothing soothes your soul like a walk on the beach. Its something indescribable. Everyone was cheerful and exchanged pleasantries along the way.
Surrounded by the Great Arabian Sea from three sides, the Murdeshwar Temple is built on the hill of Kanduka. The temple has a twenty storied gopura (entrance tower) called the Raja Gopura. A lift has been installed within the tower so it’s easier for the tourists and pilgrims to reach the Raja Gopura to get an excellent view of the magnificent Shiva and the sea.
The first look of the gopura was stunning. It’s certainly the best form of architectural brilliance. I have never seen such an enormous gopura before and its tremendous sculpture work astounded me.
We then entered the temple, got our darshan of Lord Shiva and explored the inside complex of the temple. The inner sanctum was equally beautiful and chiselled with hands of experience and utmost devotion. ‘Work’ speaks louder than words.
We then got back to the entrance tower and waited for our turn to reach the top of the tower. A provision for stairs has been made but it was restricted for use, so we had to wait for our turn for the lift.
The spectacular views of 123 feet Lord Shiva and the surrounding seas were breath-taking. Blue-hour time of the day made it even more surreal and dramatic. It was an overwhelming experience to all the devotees, young and old, and visitors – Indians and Foreign nationals.
We then headed to witness the beautiful part of the West Coast Beaches, Sunset. There is a famous sunset spot in Murudeshwar Beach and to our wonder, the spot was crowded by the time we reached. The sunset scenes were worth the rush but it ended just as soon as it had begun. No kidding.
Ever happened that you skipped lunch because your excitement took over and got extremely hungry once it has subsided? This was the exact stage of starving we were experiencing now.
Sea-food lovers rushed to shacks where sea-food was served. Jennifer and I had to scrutinize every food shack to see what best they had for vegetarians. We had a not-so-lavish dinner on the beach and by now everyone was clearly tired. The walk back to our homestay was excruciating yet exhilarating, because the next morning we had to DIVE into the ocean. Thankfully, everyone in the group were first timers, except RK, so the excitement was at par and identical.
RK was aware of our tiresomeness and to keep the energy high, he proposed getting temporary TATTOOS from a local artist. We had several options but we all made-up our mind to have the same tattoo which appeared like a group badge.
We walked back to our homestay, sluggishly, and played a round of Uno before dozing off to wake up to our day of adventure, to experience life under water, the DIVE DAY.
Day 3 – Sunday – The Dive Day at Nethrani Islands
I woke up the next day, just to realise I was ‘very late’. Everyone was pumped-up having donned their dive suits and sunglasses, but more importantly, they all had bathed.
Who soaks before diving, I said with a smirk? We were told not to have a ‘heavy’ breakfast and to carry enough snacks. So, we ate less and carried more. We reached the meeting point where the instructors and dive masters along with their staff were busy loading the oxygen cylinders and other diving equipment.
There were around fifteen more divers in addition to us who had various levels of experience in diving, including a few foreign nationals who were experts. Amid all this chaos, I went to RK and reminded him that I don’t know how to swim. He shrugged off saying, you aren’t supposed to know.
We boarded our pretty motor boat and occupied the starting rows to ensure we didn’t miss anything important on the safety instructions. As a bonus, Jennifer was made the model by the instructor and he was equipped with the diving set to give us safety instructions. The instructions included a reference to Katina Kaif from “Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobaara” and to our relief, the precautions were loud and clear. Thanks to the never-ending questions from Jennifer which included “sharks dikhte kya” to end the session with a loud laughter from the participants. One thing I admire about the foreign nationals is that they always carry safety precautions and necessary medicines when travelling. I was sea sick and a foreigner
was kind enough to give me medicine from his safety kit to so that I could get better before we reached the Nethrani Island, which was an hour away from the shore.
Expert divers needed no dive masters so they quickly jumped into action with their diving equipment and GoPros. Two of the first-time divers were assigned to one dive master for the dive.
Jennifer and I spoke about “whom would he save first if both the divers were under trouble?”.
RK’s relationship with the scuba agency helped. We were asked to wait for some time so that every participant would be assigned a dive master so we could dive individually, get footage and dive deeper, if permitted. We were convinced it was worth the wait. RK and Abhilash were back to their routine of taking plunges. Abhishek was busy with his cameras. Jennifer looked awful with his shorts in water but was enjoying his snorkel time with Narayana and Veera.
“Is it cold in there?” was my only question to Jennifer whenever he asked me to put-on the snorkel set and jump-in with the lifeguard.
Finally, it was our time to dive-in and Narayana was the first to gear-up. We were all looking at him as he was getting his straps, grips, panoramic and anti-fog glasses, fins and cylinders wrapped around him. He was all set and excited. Veera, Abhishek and Abhilash were next in the queue. Jennifer and I were the last to dive.
My ZNMD moment:
Anand was my dive master. He was energetic and quick. He strapped the equipment around me in less than three minutes and asked me what I had for break-fast. I lied saying ‘nothing as we were informed’.
When not in water, the cylinder was heavy and fins were funny. Anand got his cylinder on his back and jumped off the boat and waited for me to follow. I was scared. Jennifer pushed me off and darn!! I knew I was dying. Anand caught me firmly and told me the meanings of the gestures 👍🏻👎🏻👌🏼.
My only interest was 👎🏻 (lets go deeper).
We started slow and Anand held my back. Every now and then, he came in front of me and was checking if I was 👌🏼 (Are you okay?). I nodded every time instead of a 👌🏼. We had a miscommunication because I kept using 👍🏻 (which was the gesture for let’s go up), I also signalled this to Jennifer when I saw him under water 🤦🏻♂️ (facepalm 😋).
The deeper we went, the more scenic it got. The coral reef was stunning, different fish were swimming in clusters and it was impossible for me to focus on one thing at the time. It was an experience of a lifetime – even if experienced this again I wouldn’t be as ecstatic. I was curious and also in disbelief. It was unfamiliar territory and yes, it was much beautiful than ours (no pun intended).
My time was up and I was back to the top to face scorching after-noon sun. I did not want this to end, so I put-on my lifeguard and snorkel kit to view the fish, rocks and more importantly, the crabs which were in dozens scurrying us away from the Island. Snorkelling was amazing and I regretted not joining Jennifer earlier.
All the participants, experienced and amateurs, were back. Some were soggy and worn-out. Our instructors and dive masters were busy dropping the fish-feed they carried into the sea as a silent thank-you. Humbling, nah?
Jennifer and I settled on the bow of the boat. The guys came up for a handshake and to check if he spotted any sharks. He was speechless and so was I.
You did it, Dada! I exclaimed. We should do this often; he finally broke the silence.
We were looking at the boundless ocean, multiple things running in our minds succinctly shouting ‘joy of life is found in the simple things we often overlook’.
We were back to the shore in no time. The land, the magnanimous Shiva, the temple, the people at the shore, everything seemed different now. This is what an expedition into nature does to you. It changes you as a person and leaves you better.
The participants formed a chain to unload the oxygen cylinders and other equipment from the ferry to the agency’s carriage vehicle and an exemplary show of team work made it possible within minutes. This was followed by a big round of applause for the team and a panoramic group click.
I kept chanting We did it, we did it, we did it. Jennifer just smiled and remained calm. Others kept walking along the seaside, silently.
Nothing was as fulfilling as smiling at our tattoo artist and showing him our smudged tattoos while walking back to our homestay.
Abhilash and Veera were first to bid goodbye as they had a bus to catch from Hubbli. We had a direct bus from Murudeshwar and we had enough time for supper before we bid good bye to this beautiful place.
After exchanging thankyous with the scuba agency and the homestay owner, we walked-in-pace to catch our bus. As I board our multi-axle staring at the magnificent Shiva in the background, I think with deep longing. . . until next time. . . . . . . .
Notes from BCF:
We organize this trip very often through out the year. You can follow us on Instagram for regular updates. Insta ID –bcf.official. For more info on BCF upcoming events visit us here. About logo you can read here.
Article by Venkat Satish. Venkat is a Finance Professional based out of Hyderabad who is an avid reader and a traveller. He is associated with Artha Corp and has been frequent traveller with BCF. Thanks a lot to Venkat for penning down your experiences from the event.
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