Solo Sharavathi Backwaters - Siganduru and Honnemaradu

Jog Falls and Sharavathi Backwaters. This is where I want to visit this time!  

Friday night, September 4th, it was heavily pouring in Bangalore. I left home about 8:30 and reached Majestic at about 10:40. Train left about 40 minutes late.. i watched The Avengers: Age of Ultron on the way to Majestic and beyond. 

I slept properly during the way and when I woke up in the morning, train was standing empty at Talgappa station. I had my bag under my legs and everything packed in there, including the chappal except the shoes.

I walked out, had a v cheap healthy breakfast and talked with the shop owners, and taxi owners for quite some time. They were nice and asked me why I didn't bring my girlfriend. They understood my problem that I didn't have a lot of money to spend. So, told me about Sharavathi backwaters and Jog falls and even Yana, bus routes in the city and places are  not covered by buses. That was very helpful as I travelled by buses across the route they told me.

I took the bus towards Jog Falls.

Jog Falls was not as I had expected before starting. It looked miserable with very less water and no mist. The people near the Station had told me about very less rainfall and less water this year. It wasn't allowed to visit the step trail downstairs (due to an accident that happened there) where it wasn't that sunny and was leading somewhere near to the fall of the waterfalls. I should have visited Jog Falls very early morning to climb across that. I met some guys in the bus later who told me that it is usually allowed.

At Jog Falls, there were some beautiful lodges at very good locations. It will be bliss to stay in any of those 5 homestays, one of which was located exactly opposite to me (Jog Falls view point) next to the top fall of the  waterfalls in middle of dense forest. located near the top fall of those waterfalls amidst rainfall and lightening, located just before the waterfalls ... aanndd have a joint full of marijuana and no tobacco in your hand. I did not take any pic as I will do so one day later when I happen to visit the place exactly as I imagined. 

1pm : The weather is getting better as I think the bus was travelling uphill, Or is it the high that I got from the joint that I smoked at Talgappa railway station. 

While going from Sagar to Siganduru, I met some young Biharis who called themselves Delhites , who told me about how to reach Honnemaradu from Siganduru and that the bus was going to travel through a ferry across the backwaters. I dismissed that, though I partially believed them and that I can get down from the bus into the ferry. 

1:30 pm : And now I am waiting for the bus to be loaded into the ferry. This is exciting, something new that you see and learn while travelling. I never thought that there was going to be any up after India's second largest waterfall disappointed.

The ferry that transported buses, cars, passengers across.

Ferry Terminal. Place is marked as HoleBagilu in Google Maps.

I climbed up to driver's cabin up and one of the persons pointed me to go down. I politely asked the other person and he said it is okay. Just be quiet and careful. Then they chained that place and disallowed the other girl who came later. I was alone along with the drivers in the cabin except that they allowed the lady  later but no one else. That lady was from Bangalore and came to visit Siganduru temple and asked me what was i exactly doing?  I told I am travelling solo! 

Sharavathi Backwaters @ Siganduru

Sharavathi Backwaters @ Siganduru

Luckily i got in the bus just in time (not on the Ferry but on the land) which i thought would still be empty as i was literally lying on the back seat before, was jam packed after it landed on the other side. This place is cold. It is 2pm.

I was taken by the bus to that temple. I immediately took an another bus back. What was I to do in a temple ?  Had I known that there was that temple across the river ferry, I would have never come that far. But the backwaters wad amazing. I took an another bus back to reach the river ferry place and it starting raining.

I figured out by the time I reached the ferry that to go to Honnemaradu, I need to go back to Sagar. I still got down at the river ferry in spite of the rain and smoked a joint and right now, I am waiting. It is 2:53 pm.  This place is beautiful. 

The ferry transporting bus across Siganduru Backwaters

Rain made my evening. I had a coffee and took some puffs at a stall there enjoying the rain, while talking to the locals there. All the people were very nice and helpful everywhere and were going out of their way to help me.

Rain, Coffee and Joint @Siganduru Backwaters.

But after the rain stopped,  I  walked away from the crowd near the bank into the nature. It was peaceful and serene. There are 100s of such peaceful places one can explore and find in that area.

Panoramic View of the place where I rested and took a puff after the rain.

From Siganduru, I went back to Talguppa from where I was to get an auto. I tried hard for the bus or shared jeep, ate food in between, came back and inquired and finally took an auto to Honnemaradu for 200 one way. Hmmm..  second highest expenditure after train journey. :-( . It led me through a 'kind-of' not-immensely dense jungle. I got down a little before the destination as the auto couldn't go further due to the rainy muddy road and gave him 230 for that journey. I understood why obviously there was no bus on the route, because it led no where. 

 

I stood alone at Honnemaradu with not even a sight of a person and crisp constant sound from the forest. I was a little unsure about the location, but this definitely was not a place with crocs or elephants, the forest and place wasn't that large. 

 

Amazed by the beauty of the place where I was standing and considering that I won't get a vehicle back, I pitched my tent at Honnemarudu for the night.

Dusk and soon it was all black.

 Night grew darker and I had a peaceful sleep except around 2 when it got colder and I slipped under the sleeping bag. Snakes can be a danger in that area and it is advisable not to stay out of tent after dark and sleep in sleeping bags.

Morning View to wake up to and smoke to !

I woke up with first daylight as if I was just waiting to see it in my sleep. The morning was beautiful. I smoked a joint that I rolled last night, packed my stuff, bid adieu to the place and started walking towards Hiramane.

I reached Hiramane in no time after trekking for some time and taking a lift for second half of the way. From there, I took a bus to Sagar and sat in a bus to Shimoga, which was going till Bengaluru.

Sitting in the bus on the front seat, two hands with an elbow out of the bus blogging, head rested against the window, foot on the seat and cold breeze amongst the green trying to put me to sleep. I am planning to come back to Bengaluru.

It rained heavily after Arsikere and I loved the rain and the Govt bus. It costed me 330 bucks only to reach Bengaluru from Sagar and I think my trip was under 1200 bucks.