First stop......Honnemardu
Honnemardu is an adventurer's paradise and a software engineer's nightmare. With my gym body and 6 pack abs(read as soplangi body and thoppai), I was in perfect shape to handle swimming, canoeing, coracling, trekking and camping all in a single day. Thanks to some excellent planning we reached the place in an oops-direct bus(ie bangalore->Shimoga->talguppa->Honnemardu). 
Dont miss the auto "safari" from talguppa to honnemardu. It was awesome! If u can manage a bullock cart ride, it would be even better. The accomodation at honnemardu is very basic, girls will find it very difficult. The rooms are just 4 walls and you need to walk a km uphill to reach the place. The place is really very scenic and the trip was totally worth the hardship. The water activities and camping was very memorable. We went there as indians and returned as red-indians. Moral of the story: take lots of sun cream when u goto honnemardu in summer!!
Joke Falls
What do u expect in summer? Raja, Rani, Roarer and Rocket were missing in action! We were left with a waterfall that can match my bathroom shower. We were too tired to do the half a day trek to the bottom of the falls, but if time permits, do not miss it. The scene from above is quite breathtaking. Would have been really wonderful if the water were in full flow.Murdeshwar
We took the next bus to Honnavar- the next biggest town and checked into a AC room. Phew!....it was so refreshing! Hired a cab, and off we were to murdeshwar. Murdeshwar is the home of a magnificient shiva temple, surrounded by sea on 3 sides. The waves splashing the temple from 3 sides is a sight to behold! There is a huge Shiva statue in the middle, adding to the grandeur. This place is a definite must-see!Gokarna
Gokarna is the home to another famous shiva temple. It houses an Athmalinga and is steeped in mythology. When we reached the place, the temple was closed for the afternoon. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we took a detour to the nearest beach. Trust me, this is a beach that is truly magnificient. Om beach as it is called overlooks a cliff. You need to trek down to reach the beautiful beach with lots of corals and rocks. The beach had lots of foreigners but was sparsely populated. It was definitely worth the drive!! We visited the temple on our way back and were just in time to catch the bus home. Overall, a really memorable trip. :)
Cheers,
Pradeep
