"Bangalore Ascendars" has become so popular these days that getting a registration confirmed is as challenging as a Tatkal reservation. The moment we saw the pictures of night camping near the waterfalls, the bucket list got updated with Dudhsagar. Dudhsagar has become one of the popular tourist destination in recent days, thanks to the likes of SRK and his Chennai express, within 2 hours of the mail being sent, there were close to 60 registrations and yours truly was one among the shortlisted few :-)

We boarded around 9 PM from Bangalore City Station. This being my third trek with BASC, I started seeing familiar faces. There were quite a few trekking groups as well. After introductory sessions on whereabouts and other follow up questions, we started to play Rummy, an usual proven method to break the jinx and get acquainted with the group. As luck would have it, I managed to win first three rounds and was termed hat trick hero. Instant popularity you see. :-)

Day 1 started with not so good idly breakfast at Kollem station. As the trip was planned very late, and being season time, the tickets in Chennai Express were already in waitlist. The train was jam packed as expected and with no options left, we had to force ourselves in along with our luggages. Though it was a good experience, if you are planning for a trip I would recommend to book your tickets well in advance to avoid the hassale.

The majestic Dudhsagar

Finally as the train stopped at much awaited Dudhsagar station, nearly half of the train got emptied. It seemed like we were on a pilgrimage to Dudhsagar. While the dudhsagar was as majestic and as breathtaking it is , all the excitement vanished in thin air to see people littering the place and not respecting nature. It seemed as if majority came here to drink. Only drink. The place is so littered with plastic cups and stunk to the core. Our very first thought was to move away from the place.  We started to walk in the railway trail towards Kollem. The route was scenic with occasional train movement alongside making it more exciting. The frequent downpours reminded us that we are in a monsoon trek.

The Monsoon Green

We stopped for lunch at Sonhaeli and took the forest trail towards Mulem. There were quiet a few streams to be crossed. After a long walk through the forest, we reached Kulem and from there took a cab to Mulem where we packed Fried rice and noodles for dinner. Heavy rains accompanied us through out the journey to Tambdi Surla.

The best part of the trek was the stay in abandoned jungle lodge which looked haunted and was in unusable state. It resembled the scenes from scary movies, you are inside the car with wiper dancing to the tunes of heavy rains surrounded by the eeriness of the silent forest. We were given assurance by people who stayed here in previous treks.  Rooms were lit using torches, floors swept, Odomos applied and sleeping mats covered the floor. To my left was a huge brown jungle lizard staring right into my eyes and a pile of garbage on to my right. Can't ask for a more dramatic night with the sleeping movement on plastic bag creating sounds similar to that of a croaking frog on one side and the hush hush voices of talking ladies on the other side. Despite all the distractions, thanks to the tiredness, we all had a very good sleep.

The abandoned jungle lodge

Next day, the trek to Tambdi Surla water falls started by 6 AM sharp. It was an easy trek except for the nonstop rains making the trails slippery. Few preferred to carry their bags while many left it unattended in the jungle house. Tambdi Surla seemed to be the tourist destination for many near by schools and colleges. It was an hour of walk inside the forest before the beautiful Tambdi surla falls unravels itself. It seems like the hidden treasure of the forest. The intensity and water force were alarmingly high, but that didn't stop us from getting into it. After few failed attempts to photograph the majestic beauty, I gave up and decided to get drenched. A refreshing bath at the natures lap after a tiring journey is always a moment of bliss.

Should I say stop littering or stop drinking ??

Later we trekked down in no time, got freshened up and visited the Mahadev temple before calling it a day. We boarded a bus to Belgaum from Tambdi. The short travel through the village roads, with heavy rains made the trip even more memorable. With more than half of us filling in the entire bus, eatables passing back and forth, the villagers had a strange/puzzled look on their face. Even they seemed to enjoy the scene. Finally as our stop arrived, it took more than 10 minutes for the entire group to get off the bus with our luggage. We ordered our dinner and went in search of Kunda, a sweet that Belgaum is famous for. It is prepared from milk and khowa and came it two variants of white and brown. We shamelessly tasted Kunda in all shops we entered, before stacking up few kgs.

Finally the sun was down. Dinner was packed. The train arrived. People played UNO. There were lots of jokes made, funny moments shared, legs pulled. As the clock struck 12, it was one of the folks birthday and we had a short celebration of Kunda cutting. Two nights back we hardly knew each other. Now here we are celebrating the birthday like friends. You meet as strangers, speak random stuffs, discuss about treks, languages, movies and share interests and end up as good friends. I believe that's what makes traveling with strangers more exciting.

`Prem.