After a seven hours journey from Tirupur to Bangalore by train, I had to travel once again for eight long hours to reach Mulki. Never minding the tediousness, I dared to quest with excitement of what Mulki has got to offer and took a bus from Majestic.

A middle-aged aunty who was next to my seat, started a conversation in Kannada, which I didn’t understand and she didn’t know English or Tamil either. But still, out of sign language, we had our own little talk and I came to know that she is from Udupi. She did mention that Mulki is a very nice place to visit and asked me to plan once to her home for vacation. With adding one more destination in a row to my bucket list, my inner monkey, which was already thrilled, was awaiting to reach Mulki as soon as possible. I wasn’t able to answer her one question, ‘You like Tamil Nadu or Karnataka better?’. That’s one serious battle to be debated upon. So, I decided not to take a hand on that and slept.

I heard the conductor reaching out my name for the Mulki bus stop. The time was 5 am. I woke up from my half sleep, gathered my luggage, bid goodbye to that aunty and got down. There was no one on the road, except one or two auto drivers, waiting for customers. I stepped into one and reached the campsite ‘KayakBoy‘, which was my home for the next two days. It was a five minutes bumpy ride.

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By the time I reached, people were sleeping in tents pitched in the side of the river. I walked a little further and found a lot of boats lying on the ground. The place was very calm. I sat on one of the chairs put up there, facing the river at peace.

Then it was time to sunrise for the day and it was serene. I was very much moved to witness one by the river side. The golden ball slowly arose from its hiding place with pride, flaunting its wings of brightness all over the sky and that was pure magic. It was one of the best sunrises I had seen so far, I would say.

Sunrise by the River Side

I then freshened up and rested for a while. The breakfast was offered hot. The morning batch of Kayaking (8.30 AM) were ready to get into the water. I had planned to take up the paddle for the evening batch (3.30 PM) to see the sunset.

The campsite itself was pretty much enough to laze around. The tents and the hammocks were the saviors. It literally felt good, lying in them, swinging, hearing good music or reading books or doing nothing all day. It was a bit hot to admit, but the view ate up the discomfortness I faced.

View From the Tent

After quite a lot of resting time, I was called for the evening kayak. It is two and half hours of kayaking, covering a distance of how much one is capable of rowing. Ideally, it’s a 5km package. The instructors didn’t recommend the group to take any electronic items such as mobiles or cameras, since we would get all wet. But added that one can carry at their own risk. I wore the life jackets given (mandatory) and took a paddle kept neatly arranged. I was all ready to do some damn kayaking, for which I had been waiting so long.

But I was terrified when I tripped a bit while getting into the boat. For instance, I thought it was not a good start and a bad idea to do so. But, my inner adrenaline rush didn’t want me to stop and insisted on going on. With help, I got into the boat safe and sound and started to row.

Initially, I didn’t feel anything like I was kayaking. My boat went on it’s own in accordance with the current of river flow. I got confused, a lot, on which side I should row, to move left and right. But, it’s all in the game. It happens. Gradually, I started figuring out on how things work.

To move your boat left, you should row right and to move right, you should row left. To go straight, you must row alternatively, on both the sides. Yes, it sounds so simple, that one might think, how there can be a place for any such disarray. The answer is, an over excited new beginner can face all of these. (As in my case)

Kayaking in River Shambhavi

As a group, we all started moving together and after two hours of kayaking, it was time to see the sunset. It was scorching hot that I was completely tanned and sweating. We rested in one place, along the side of the mangrove trees. The sun slowly made its way to it’s den. I went zip. Like, I couldn’t express what I saw. But it was the most beautiful thing, I would wish to see again and again, my entire lifetime. I insisted on staying there for some more time.

Sunsets are always underrated. It’s nature’s way of preaching facts like what comes in must find its way back, things that sparkle will go through some darkness to shine once again more brighter, etc., etc.,

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Watching Sunset

We all returned to our campsite and freshened up ourselves. I was surprised how this adventure had brought me out of my comfort zone. Kayaking was a bit tough and my hands were hurting.  But, it was all worth it. I would not get another chance like this. Maybe, I will. In future. But, until then, it’s only Mulki’s memories.

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“Hello people!

I’m Arunalakshmi, a law graduate and currently an aspiring student of Journalism. I love to write, write and write. I have always dreamt of becoming a writer and so thought of trying my hands in Journalism after a tedious integrated 5 years of law degree. Because, it’s better to be late than never. One day or the other, I believe to achieve what I aim for. Fingers crossed. Travel has always given me a great confidence and a space to get to know more about myself. I’m just a beginner in this genre, getting better and better every day, learning from my experiences and mistakes”.

Blog: http://pennedbyarunaa.wordpress.com/

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Article by Arunalakshmi – Magical Music Treat in Ambukuthi Hills, Wayanad