Trek to Narasimha Parvatha "Land of the King Cobras"!!

Twenty-two eager souls that set about on this trek met at the meeting point near Hotel Mahaveer, Majestic on the twenty-third of November. It had been quite a long time since, I had trekked and I was eagerly waiting for Friday, to spend the weekend among the hills in Agumbe, far from the tech waves and deadlines.

This trek was organized by Bangalore Trekking Club aka BTC with Vikram and Arun as the organizers. Though I had trekked earlier with BTC, this was my first two-day trek with them and I was doubly excited !! Around 10 pm we started our journey  Hassan-Sringeri-Agumbe-Malandur. We played games that helped break the ice and stopped for refreshments after which we fell into a deep slumber only to be awakened by those bends and curves that the Ghats boasts of !!!

Our group at guide’s house!!!

Morning loomed in with lush greenery and as the bus traversed through the paths that Airtel 4G had missed out on, we soon arrived at the guide’s house in Malandur. It was one of those houses that had a rustic, antique feel and could take you for a walk down the memory lane. The surrounding field that seemed to stretch forever with the hills in the background made the picture perfect setting for a weekend getaway.

The vessel used to boil betel seeds

After a quick tour of the house, we got dressed and had breakfast. Agumbe is known to be the ‘Land of the King Cobra’. The organizers gave us a briefing and instructions to be followed during the trek. Carrying the day's meal and water we set about on the path to Narasimha Parvatha.

A couple of hours into the trek, I realized this wasn’t easy. This was an arduous trek that would push you to test your limits and yet makes you fall in love with its beauty. The terrain changed so very often, that one moment you’d be walking in a jungle avoiding leech bites, trying to find a clearing and next moment you’d be ascending a hill with the sun scorching your back. Crossing streams where we quenched our thirst and being wary of the slippery stones we came across a waterfall and even encountered a snake that rested in the shade!!

Every step I took towards the top, reminded me of every morsel I had from Meghana Foods. The tough choice between staying fit and healthy or staying fat and happy !!!

And while I was still debating with thyself about my choices, I could hear Sundeep’s voice bellowing, “Jahnavi, can you see the person ahead of you?” And before I could reply “No”, I could hear his voice yell, “Cover the distance. Cover the distance” and I kept pushing myself to keep moving. While the terrain didn’t make it any easier, co trekkers regaled each other with stories to take the pain off our minds.

Soon we reached the top and basked in the midday sun, devouring our packed food and napping in the shade. Trek through a jungle meant that we had to descend before the darkness loomed in. We had ascended from Malandur and were descending towards Kigga, where our bus took us back to the guide’s home.

Exhausted and hungry, the hot water bath was a huge relief. There is something soothing about the water boiled in earthen vessels with firewood that the modern day geysers seem to lack. It was time to fill our stomachs and we greedily dug into plates. While few of us played UNO, few others fell asleep, not before being instructed to wake up early and being scared by ghost stories.

The numerous alarms that kept snoozing ensured we woke up before the sun rose. Warming ourselves, we gathered around the fire to have the morning trek talk  -  The snore talk. Who snored? And who didn’t? Special mention to the one who was the loudest!!!

After a breakfast of rice balls, it was time to leave the homestay. We packed our bags and set about for the waterfalls. Our bus took us to the Koodlu Teertha falls. An isolated waterfall featuring a stream of water that drops 300 ft. into a shallow pool. The climb to the waterfall was a series of steps built for cows and not humans. Well, that’s how high each step was and soon I’d ran out of breath. However, once I reached the waterfall, I forgot all the pain. I was in awe of the beauty and set about taking pictures. We had reached the place around nine and were spared from the crowd of visitors that one usually finds on weekends. Time flew by while we splashed in the water, pulling pranks on each other.

Around noon we headed back to Bangalore (Malandur-Udupi-Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore)stopping in between for refreshments and dinner. The return journey was equally fun too with a doctor turned DJ, while we grooved to the numbers. And just like that, the journey had come to an end and the tech waves returned. While the notifications flooded my phone, I wondered if they had really ever left. Pondering about choices that I had taken, because it's our choices that matter and not our abilities, I reached Bangalore. The organizers ensured we were dropped back safely at our doorstep and I bid adieu to a memorable journey. Adios !!!

Written by             : Jahnavi

Organized by         : Vikram & Arun Kumar

Date of event        : 24th & 25th Nov, 2018

Pictures                : FB Page

Place                      : Narasimha Paravatha