Chill’n in Gokarna Again

I left Agonda in a relative hurry as the landlords of the place Mohan and Carol were staying in suddenly began giving them a hard time about me being there, so I hopped on a train down to my favorite mainland beach in India, Gokarna. The beaches surrounding this pilgrimage town on the northern coast of Karnataka have retained there budget friendly less developed vibe, and are a refreshing alterative to Goa to the north.  While prices have increased a little it’s still possible to get something on the beach with an ocean view for about $3, it’s a bit more busy than it was my first time here 2 years back but thankfully not more developed, and still a pleasant place to pass a few weeks.  Shiva Ratri was approaching and a celebration of the Birthday of the Hindu god Shiva.  During the festival thousands of pilgrims descend on the beachside community in a festival that culminates in the pulling of a massive temple cart along Car Street in Gokarna.  It was something that was worth waiting around for.  As I’ve said there are far worse places to wait around for a few weeks. A few weeks that included my 34^th birthday and my 3 year anniversary of life on the road.