A SERIES OF FORTUNATE EVENTS

Gokarna is an increasingly popular getaway, especially among locals of Bengaluru. But not many have the good fortune of going astray and stumbling upon unique experiences like BARKHA KUMARI did.

- BARKHA KUMARI

IT’S BEEN SIX MONTHS since my trip to Gokarna, a quaint town in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, which is blessed with sun-kissed beaches as well as windswept hills. And yet, every time I look back on that road trip, I pinch myself. How did I see what I saw and how did I meet whom I met in just six days, without a plan and in the midst of a pandemic?

It was 4.15 am on January 17, 2021. My partner and I hit National Highway 48 from Bengaluru, the city we live in, also the city that speeds off to Gokarna any chance it gets. I am not a ‘sun, sand, and sea’ person, so why was I heading to Gokarna for six days? One, because I had been to most hill stations in the state already, and two, what other options did I have given the travel restrictions? This internal monologue came to a screeching halt at 7.30 am, when our car rammed into another, divesting the vehicle of its rear bumper and us of thousands in ‘fine’.

We stood on the expressway shocked, wondering if this was a sign to call off the trip. But I’m glad we didn’t overthink. We fired up Google Maps instead and looked for attractions ahead of us. The town of Mundgod stoked our interest at once. It’s a massive Tibetan settlement dating back to 1966. We had heard of the Bylakuppe Tibetan colony in the state, in the hills of Coorg, but never this.

NEVER SAY NO