A trip idea

I don't write many travel blogs now-a-days. And for a good reason. I don't travel much. However, I felt the urge to write a bit about the last trip I did, mainly because it will be a good place to visit during the coming months.

I had been to Honnavar. It is a town on the west coast of Karnataka, roughly 450 Kms from Bangalore. The town itself is quite nice and there are a number of nice places of interest around it. First of all, the road to Honnavar is quite nice. It passes through Shimoga, Sagar, Jog Falls, Gersoppa, which means it is one of the scenic routes. The road is in a good shape, and there isn't too much traffic on this road, so it is a pleasure to drive on this road. In the next couple of months the road is going to turn even more green and scenic due to the monsoon rains.

In my view, mid-August is the best time to visit Jog Falls, because there will be a lot of water and a lot of greenery. Agreed, the rains make it inconvenient, but if you want convenience you should stick to the Forum Mall. That too, only on weekdays. As you approach Honnavar, you will notice that the hilly (Ghat) roads don't end even when you are just a couple of Kms from the coast. That is the speciality of the sea coast in this part. The hills stretch almost till the beach. The beach in Honnavar is clean and neat, but there are few other beaches nearby as well. Depending on the taste and amount of time on hand, there are a number of places of interest all around: Gokarna, Murdeshwar, Dhareshwar, Idagunji, Apsara Konda, Maravanthe, Karwar, Dandeli, come to mind. If you are willing to drive 3 hours, you can visit Udupi, Agumbe or even Goa. So I think this is a good place to plan a trip somewhere between mid July - mid August. One word of caution: the rain here can be extremely heavy. Avoid driving when it is raining heavily. Especially in the night. I made the mistake and I know how hard it is.

BTW, I stayed at Kamat Executive Inn, Honnavar. It is pretty decent and costs around 500 Rs for non-AC and around 1000 Rs for AC. The "kotte kadabu", idly cooked in leaves of jackfruit tree, that they serve in the morning is delicious. There are a few other lodges around this place.

Oh, there are no petrol pumps for around 50-60 Kms before reaching Honnavar. So beware!