Silence and Solitude: July 2007

Trip to this awe inspiring place was quite long pending... time spent in barachukki and gaganachukki will be the most beautiful memories my heart would want to carry along.....

the previous night my eyes had not seen sleep thinking of the soothing breeze my skin was going to experience the next day!!

Started from home at 5am and joined my friends and colleagues at 6:30... we had decided to leave by 6:30 but how could one of us atleast not follow the "Indian stretchable time" :) had to start by 7:30... heading towards barachukki... the drive was quite fast... reached around 11:00 including some camel

ride near malavalli and there we were in the womb of nature.. so quiet, so serene and so very beautiful..

At the first glance, everyone was so excited that some of us forgot to decide if we had to carry lunch or no and some responsible poor ones carried them along... the path down hill to reach the foot of this amazing falls is quite risky... i wonder how much hardwork must have gone into making these nature stuck steps to reach the foot of the falls... its quiet steep... if u ask me kids and senior citizens would be a strict no no...

After reaching the foot of the hills it was time for some team work :) by now we could already see the awesome falls and thumping sound of water... but there was stream we had to cross to have the best experience of our lives... crossing this stream could be quite an adventure for first timers but with some team work the experience is amazing! trust me :)

Little did we realise that anil and vishwa had vanished out with an amazing lightening speed had already moved down hill, crossed the stream...and.. don't know where there were.... the "girl power" found it a little difficult cross the stream with ralph the only guy around :) after we had crossed anil and vishwa came back to get their compliments from all the girls around for not being there to help..he he he (just imagine) and i had to put anil's protected dry jeans into water... it was a well deserved punishment :) but all was good fun!

well the stream was crossed and there we were amidst so many happy people enjoying the spectacular gift of nature... experiencing the barachukki falls from so close was heavenly.. drops of water sprinkling and makes it way through the rocks, the sun playing hide and seek, cool breeze... wow!! that was an amazing and a tot

ally s

peechl

ss mo

men

t of my life...

As I was experiencing mother nature till my heart's content... what more it started drizzling :( unwillingly i had to bid adieu to this heaven! i couldn't imagine climbing uphill with luggage on my back ... but i knew after "paet pooja" my eyes were getting prepared to see another art piece of god.. Gaganachukki.

climbed up, had lunch.. we had a dining table (a huge big rock) to have our lunch on.. sandwitch, puliyogare, chiken dishes, tomato rice and most of all vangibath prepared by my lovely dad! what more could i expect from life at that moment? :) and moved to gaganachukki... somebody asked us to go to "darga" and watch the falls instead of the actual place.. Gaganchukki falls was not at all bad watching from behind the darga but i felt it would have been really amazing if we got to watch it from the other side (there is a specific place where the gaganachukki falls needs to be watched from)...

Gaganchukki was as amazing place to enjoy some solitude... i spent time sitting on a rock thinking (wonder what!) while the other wild ones went downhill exploring to get a better view of the falls :)

Time for a group photo! [ for me a group photo would mean end of all fun:( ].. started drizzling and we had to run back into the vehicle... i was sure i was carrying back so much of these two wonderful places...

hmm wait! it was not the end.. as we headed back home.. not very far from the gaganachukki falls we found his quiet and serene water bed ... heading towards a little dam... everyone jumped out the vehicle to spend some time.. i as usual got a rock to sit on and took as much as i can of this wonderful place...

heading back to bangalore.. with the same speed as in the morning... my heart was full with contentment of having got to see this great pieces of art by the best artist ever!!

Picture courtesy - Jacob and Ralph

Matilda's Gyan :)
Total Distance - Round trip 330 kms
Best Season - Monsoon
Strategy - Leave home early come back early! The place gets flooded with tourist by 3 onwards...
Must carry - Small first aid kit, clothes to change (playing in the water is irresistible)
Choose to see Barachukki first and then Gaganachukki. Don't carry food along downhill to barachukki falls. There is absolutely no place to have food at the foot of the falls.