Jog Falls

There are many ways to reach Jog Falls. The route via Talaguppa by an overnight train from Bangalore would perhaps qualify as the most exotic. The excitement slowly brews starting from the break of dawn over Shimoga, Apparently there are 2 stations for Shimoga and the less experienced train attendant hustled a group of people to get down at the wrong station. The lush green countryside is overwhelming even through the dirty windows of the air-conditioned coach. The train practically emptied at Shimoga. And another large chunk of crowd disembarked at Sagara Jambagaru, the penultimate stop. I had visions of Talaguppa being a one tonga station. Barely 20 people got down at Talaguppa. I got an autorickshaw to take me to the falls with utmost ease; Rs 200 for the 15 km/20 minutes ride was well below my expectation. The road is too good to be true. 

My first impression of the falls was one of disillusionment. I was expecting something much wider. But over the day, the falls grew on me. It rained intermittently throughout the day, but with enough breaks for me to take about 100 pictures, experimenting with aperture settings and shutter speeds. At each break of the rain I would rush out of the room with camera and umbrella. I mastered the art of shooting with one hand, the other holding the umbrella to protect the camera from rain. The falls are not always visible. The mist and fog rising and swirling in the valley keep obscuring them on and off. This is what makes the experience enchanting and almost mystical.

Hordes of day-trippers keep coming through the day and their sole intention appears to be getting photographed with the falls in the background. Fuelling this obsession are about a dozen roving photographers. They use inexpensive cameras to shoot your portraits with random background, allow you choose the background from a faded catalogue encased in plastic and the rest is computer wizardry. Rs 60 per copy, a small sum to keep the simple uncomplicated folks happy. 

I would strongly an overnight stay at the falls, and the place for this is the Sharavathi block operated by Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation. The palatial 430 square foot air-conditioned double bed room goes for less than Rs 2000 inclusive of taxes; quite a steal considering the panoramic view it offers. The solitary inconvenience is the food, which can be only had at the restaurant about 300 m away. Both the choice and timings are limited. It is the perfect place for honeymooners with a difference. Staying in these rooms will make you fall in love with Jog Falls.