Carpe Diem!
Navarathri, in its essence, celebrates the triumph of good over evil, a theme so universal to all societies, it ought to resonate with anyone who wishes to imbrue the experience. Durga Pujo is one such festival, that is justifiably eulogised in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar and Assam.
This natural art gallery makes one wonder, how far we’ve come from being hunter gatherers, to the modern complex beings we now are. There’s nothing like getting a glimpse into our ancient past, not only because it is astounding to, but also because we simply can!
The way I saw it, the site prodded us at our wilful obliviousness to the eventuality of war, burying not only hopes and happiness of souls but also their corpses.
Mangaluru, despite being a part of Karnataka, feels like a distinct place in itself thanks to the multiple cultures prevalent here. The cuisine, language, architecture, customs, and traditions are so markedly different from the surrounding regions, a visit to South Canara (now divided into Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasargod districts) is imperative to catch the drift.
“The sky is an infinite movie to me. I never get tired of looking at what’s happening up there.” -K. D. Lang
The easiest way to get to here is a boat ride from Om beach but I don’t recommend it as the boat usually won’t stop here for more than 15 mins. Moreover, the place feels a lot more sweeter after you break a sweat to get here. The trek is easy and takes between 30-40 mins.
The itinerary of the 1770 LARC Paradise Tour I opted for, included a day-long drive on a unique vehicle from the Vietnam war era- basically a groovy pink ‘ship on wheels’, along the discovery coast, to the Bustard Head lighthouse and back.
If you are wondering where on earth is this paradise… One can find it on the Heron reef which is visible even from outer space (how cool is that?!), in the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, 80 km northeast of Gladstone. You could spend days in this- less than 500 Mtrs- island (that can be walked around in 20 mins) and yet return home longing for more. I think it is ideal to spend at least 2 whole days here if you want to experience all that this natural World Heritage- listed Marine National Park has to offer.
