Karwar - An experience of a lifetime!!
It’s been exactly a month now since we went through this adventure. Just want to wish all my friends “Happy B’day” once again since most of us were told that we had a rebirth after this adventure :). Here goes my little story on it.
It is strange to write about the incident now. I guess none of us want to go through anything like this in our entire lifetime. Telling this tale feels a little strange as is if it was not me who went through it but like a movie I saw or something. But what the heck!! I am going to write about it anyways. I live to tell this tale... Seriously! The pessimist that I am I never thought we could survive the incident. The only fear that I had was for the 5 children that we had along with us.
But surprisingly all of us survived without a scratch.
It all started when we wanted to relive an adventurous trip that DH and I took up, several years ago. This trip took us to an island in the Arabian Sea. Though a few miles away from the mainland this place was totally untouched by urbanization. This is what we liked about the place.
It was just there all on its own, am not sure how many years it was standing tall against the gusty winds and the roaring sea, a symbol of strength and hope. We were so mesmerized by its scenic beauty that 6 years later we got together with a few friends of ours and they along with their spouses and children set off to this island.
Now a little about the island. The island is in the shape of "Kurma" meaning tortoise which is why the name "Kurumgad".
Legend has it that this island is abode to lord Narasimha. It is believed that this Half Lion & Half Human deity, Reincarnation of Lord Vishnu in Hindu Mythology, swam across the sea & made his way to this Island tearing it apart & made it his abode.
Now coming back to our adventure, the first and foremost thing that a traveler keeps a watch on is the weather of the place that you are planning to visit. We did do this and saw that there were chances of some rains with thunder showers. But isn't that quite okay. An occasional rainfall. After all it was not the rainy season nor were there any warnings of any kind.
But little did we realize what awaited us. When we reached the mainland after a grueling 12 hours bus ride we go to know that it had been raining for the past 3 days and the sea was a little rough. But there was nothing to worry we were told. So far so good. We were so excited about taking our pals across the island. Show the natural spring water, the small cozy beach, the winding path covering the entire island, the wooden benches in some corners for that lonely traveler, the sunset cafe were we could glimpse the beautiful expanse of Arabian Sea sipping tea and eating munchies, the tents and the cottages nestled within the greenery, the natural canopy that the trees formed in the winding path around the island the list was endless..
Tired and hungry from our bus journey we started our boat ride towards the island. The high tides played quite havoc on the empty tummies that morning. With each high tide we were getting closer to the island.
We laughed a little when they told its better we use the life jackets. The small boat was jumping high in the air sometimes a tad lower then the tide approaching waves and that scared the hell out of us. As we approached the island everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
Nothing much had changed here in the past 6 years. It was a beautiful feeling. The children were running all around. As we reached the top of the island towards the resort everyone was excited and making plans on how they should be spending the next two days.
We all rested a while and next set towards the small beach. Reaching the beach was quite a trek since there was a winding path around the island that took us there. On reaching everyone was busy splashing and collecting seashells along with their little ones.
After an hour or so of the beach trip that it started raining. Initially we thought it would not last a long time but it didn't show any signs of stopping. By that evening we were feeling a little gloomy since the rain left us waiting in our respective tents and cottages.
After this our little trip took a turn to something that we encounter in nightmares. The rains ceased to stop. The gusty winds kept creating a havoc sometimes causing the tin sheets of the cottages to create thunderous sounds, scaring the hell out of us. That was not all. The tents and the cottages couldn’t withstand the crazy rains and wind and started leaking.
In the meanwhile mobiles kept us close to our near and dear ones. We got to know from our family that there was red alert issued in the entire coastline and some towns in northern Karnataka were submerged in water.
We had all hopes that the next day is going to get some sun shine and take away all the gloom. But it was worse than the previous day. Forget the sun, the sky was overcast throughout the day and it kept pouring. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep the children confined to the tents. By the end of the day I could sense the anxiety in everyone wanting to get out of the place. We heard that the town of Karwar was waterlogged. The sea was turning a wicked blue which we usually see in scary adventurous movies. We were in the midst of a storm that was raging in the sea and it did not show any signs of waning.
We felt something needs to be done; we tried to find out if we can leave the island but were told by the resort guys that the boat that got us was not in a position to battle the raging sea. We felt doomed.
The only silver lining was the yum food that the chefs managed to cook despite all this. The food was amazing. But was anyone in a mood to eat? I guess not. But everyone did show a brave front, did appreciate the food and we did keep talking that if we get to go back we would do this and that.
By that evening I casually called one of my uncles who used to work in the Karwar port for some inputs. He said the best thing for us is to stay on the island. That is what everyone was telling. Was it for us to feel good? I wasn't sure.
We had spent the first day playing loads of games waiting for the rains to stop but by the second day people who were ready to play dumb sherald, antakshari and other group games were now least interested in any group activity. We called it a day quite soon thanks to the incessant rains. As per the weather report the rains wouldn't stop for the next 3-4 days we were told by our friends.
You can see the way the wind was blowing and the rain gods showering away in this video below and the cottage roof dancing to the tune.. One of our friends was humming away the tunes of this rain song to pep us up!!
The next morning was my hubby’s birthday. I was in no mood to celebrate and had made up my mind that only if we safely reach Karwar will we be celebrating his birthday. That morning got us the surprise that we were all awaiting. Luckily for us, the port officials had got to know about us through some contacts and were sending fishing trawler to rescue us out of the island. We were told that it was on its way and that we need to pack immediately. Our joy knew no bound and we packed and waited.
Meanwhile the chef had managed some good breakfast and though we were not in a mood for it we were obliged to quickly finish it and rush to the jetty below. I can't forget the feeling of joy that someone was ready to rescue us. Thankfully for us though it was just raining and was not windy. That helped the boat to remain steady.
My son standing on the jetty suddenly looked at me and said "Mamma, How I wish we could just say "Hari, Hari" and cross the sea just like the milkmaid crossed the river in that story you tell me". I smiled at this comparison of my 5 year old. But children have this sense of saying the weirdest things at times. This was one of them.
As the speed boat took us away from the jetty to the waiting trawler I was happy that our adventure was in its fag end. The journey back is something that I have seen in national geographic documentaries and will remain etched in my memory till as far as I can remember. Each one of us including the children wore the life jacket and we all sat on the boat as instructed. The old man on the trawler promised me that we will reach port safe and sound. I still can’t forget the toothless smile he gave me as he said that.
We finally reached the mainland and I heaved a sigh of relief. Will never underestimate the power of nature and will always be in awe with its supremacy.
Though I must say that the magnetism that this island has is something that we can’t deny that even after this incident, my hubby still wants to go back. May be when the time is right I guess!
It is strange to write about the incident now. I guess none of us want to go through anything like this in our entire lifetime. Telling this tale feels a little strange as is if it was not me who went through it but like a movie I saw or something. But what the heck!! I am going to write about it anyways. I live to tell this tale... Seriously! The pessimist that I am I never thought we could survive the incident. The only fear that I had was for the 5 children that we had along with us.
But surprisingly all of us survived without a scratch.
It all started when we wanted to relive an adventurous trip that DH and I took up, several years ago. This trip took us to an island in the Arabian Sea. Though a few miles away from the mainland this place was totally untouched by urbanization. This is what we liked about the place.
It was just there all on its own, am not sure how many years it was standing tall against the gusty winds and the roaring sea, a symbol of strength and hope. We were so mesmerized by its scenic beauty that 6 years later we got together with a few friends of ours and they along with their spouses and children set off to this island.
Now a little about the island. The island is in the shape of "Kurma" meaning tortoise which is why the name "Kurumgad".
Legend has it that this island is abode to lord Narasimha. It is believed that this Half Lion & Half Human deity, Reincarnation of Lord Vishnu in Hindu Mythology, swam across the sea & made his way to this Island tearing it apart & made it his abode.
Now coming back to our adventure, the first and foremost thing that a traveler keeps a watch on is the weather of the place that you are planning to visit. We did do this and saw that there were chances of some rains with thunder showers. But isn't that quite okay. An occasional rainfall. After all it was not the rainy season nor were there any warnings of any kind.
But little did we realize what awaited us. When we reached the mainland after a grueling 12 hours bus ride we go to know that it had been raining for the past 3 days and the sea was a little rough. But there was nothing to worry we were told. So far so good. We were so excited about taking our pals across the island. Show the natural spring water, the small cozy beach, the winding path covering the entire island, the wooden benches in some corners for that lonely traveler, the sunset cafe were we could glimpse the beautiful expanse of Arabian Sea sipping tea and eating munchies, the tents and the cottages nestled within the greenery, the natural canopy that the trees formed in the winding path around the island the list was endless..
Tired and hungry from our bus journey we started our boat ride towards the island. The high tides played quite havoc on the empty tummies that morning. With each high tide we were getting closer to the island.
We laughed a little when they told its better we use the life jackets. The small boat was jumping high in the air sometimes a tad lower then the tide approaching waves and that scared the hell out of us. As we approached the island everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
Nothing much had changed here in the past 6 years. It was a beautiful feeling. The children were running all around. As we reached the top of the island towards the resort everyone was excited and making plans on how they should be spending the next two days.
We all rested a while and next set towards the small beach. Reaching the beach was quite a trek since there was a winding path around the island that took us there. On reaching everyone was busy splashing and collecting seashells along with their little ones.
After an hour or so of the beach trip that it started raining. Initially we thought it would not last a long time but it didn't show any signs of stopping. By that evening we were feeling a little gloomy since the rain left us waiting in our respective tents and cottages.
After this our little trip took a turn to something that we encounter in nightmares. The rains ceased to stop. The gusty winds kept creating a havoc sometimes causing the tin sheets of the cottages to create thunderous sounds, scaring the hell out of us. That was not all. The tents and the cottages couldn’t withstand the crazy rains and wind and started leaking.
In the meanwhile mobiles kept us close to our near and dear ones. We got to know from our family that there was red alert issued in the entire coastline and some towns in northern Karnataka were submerged in water.
We had all hopes that the next day is going to get some sun shine and take away all the gloom. But it was worse than the previous day. Forget the sun, the sky was overcast throughout the day and it kept pouring. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep the children confined to the tents. By the end of the day I could sense the anxiety in everyone wanting to get out of the place. We heard that the town of Karwar was waterlogged. The sea was turning a wicked blue which we usually see in scary adventurous movies. We were in the midst of a storm that was raging in the sea and it did not show any signs of waning.
We felt something needs to be done; we tried to find out if we can leave the island but were told by the resort guys that the boat that got us was not in a position to battle the raging sea. We felt doomed.
The only silver lining was the yum food that the chefs managed to cook despite all this. The food was amazing. But was anyone in a mood to eat? I guess not. But everyone did show a brave front, did appreciate the food and we did keep talking that if we get to go back we would do this and that.
By that evening I casually called one of my uncles who used to work in the Karwar port for some inputs. He said the best thing for us is to stay on the island. That is what everyone was telling. Was it for us to feel good? I wasn't sure.
We had spent the first day playing loads of games waiting for the rains to stop but by the second day people who were ready to play dumb sherald, antakshari and other group games were now least interested in any group activity. We called it a day quite soon thanks to the incessant rains. As per the weather report the rains wouldn't stop for the next 3-4 days we were told by our friends.
You can see the way the wind was blowing and the rain gods showering away in this video below and the cottage roof dancing to the tune.. One of our friends was humming away the tunes of this rain song to pep us up!!
The next morning was my hubby’s birthday. I was in no mood to celebrate and had made up my mind that only if we safely reach Karwar will we be celebrating his birthday. That morning got us the surprise that we were all awaiting. Luckily for us, the port officials had got to know about us through some contacts and were sending fishing trawler to rescue us out of the island. We were told that it was on its way and that we need to pack immediately. Our joy knew no bound and we packed and waited.
Meanwhile the chef had managed some good breakfast and though we were not in a mood for it we were obliged to quickly finish it and rush to the jetty below. I can't forget the feeling of joy that someone was ready to rescue us. Thankfully for us though it was just raining and was not windy. That helped the boat to remain steady.
My son standing on the jetty suddenly looked at me and said "Mamma, How I wish we could just say "Hari, Hari" and cross the sea just like the milkmaid crossed the river in that story you tell me". I smiled at this comparison of my 5 year old. But children have this sense of saying the weirdest things at times. This was one of them.
As the speed boat took us away from the jetty to the waiting trawler I was happy that our adventure was in its fag end. The journey back is something that I have seen in national geographic documentaries and will remain etched in my memory till as far as I can remember. Each one of us including the children wore the life jacket and we all sat on the boat as instructed. The old man on the trawler promised me that we will reach port safe and sound. I still can’t forget the toothless smile he gave me as he said that.
We finally reached the mainland and I heaved a sigh of relief. Will never underestimate the power of nature and will always be in awe with its supremacy.
Though I must say that the magnetism that this island has is something that we can’t deny that even after this incident, my hubby still wants to go back. May be when the time is right I guess!
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