From surfing to sunbathing, from eating delectable snacks at New Taj Mahal hotel to having fresh fish curries with boiled rice at Machhali, from exploring heritage buildings to relaxing at upbeat cafes, from beach hopping to cultural immersions - Mangalore offers all these experiences and more.
Here's our trail of Mangalore wanderings one long summer weekend.
Day 1: Exploring Mangalore City
We took the night bus from Bangalore and reached Mangalore early in the morning. A short auto ride took us to Cordel Farmstay, a holiday home away from the city center. Even though we reached at 6 am, our host Zita Lobo was up to welcome us. Our rooms were ready and there was a mouth-watering breakfast waiting for us.
Set on the third floor, overlooking areca nut trees, our room was comfortably furnished. It had an electric kettle (which always gets bonus points from me!)
After a leisurely morning and some farm exploration with the Lobos, we decided to set out for the day. Our hosts have a scooter, which we hired for our stay at a very nominal rate.
The first stop was St Aloysius College which has a beautiful chapel with paintings done by Bro. Antonio.
There’s a beautiful red building in Mangalore’s bustling city center, Hanumantha Nagar. Stone arches and green wooden windows seem to hang on to the grace of a bygone era. Around the heritage structure, the city slowly moves towards its millennial aspirations.
The institute’s origins can be traced back to 1824 when a group of German Missionaries introduced English language education in coastal Karnataka. Over time, the institution grew and changed names. Now it is simply called the University College.
A short break at a Diesel cafe, for gathering our thoughts, refueling, and escaping the sun.
Rode to Mangalore's oldest tile factory, Albuquerque and Sons. Now it lie in ruins ...
From there, we drove on towards Mangalore Port (the old one) stopping by at a fishing village ...
Day 2: Beach Hopping
After a leisurely morning and breakfast at Cordel Farms, we set out for the day. Our first stop was at for a traditional Mangalorean lunch at Gajalee.
After lunch we drove to Sultan Battery, a watch tower constructed by Tipu Sultan in 1784.
At Sultan Battery, we took a ferry ride to Tannirbhavi beach. As there's no ferry service for vehicles, we had to leave our scooter in the parking.
At Tannirbhavi beach, we took an auto to do some beach hopping.
NITK beach
After an hour in Pannambur (which was quite crowded) we head out to NITK beach with red lighthouse. You can go up the light house for a panoramic view of the quiet beach.
And finally, we got back to Tannirbhavi beach by 5 pm to catch the sunset and take the last ferry (at 7 pm) home.
Ferry rides are one of my favourite parts of traveling in Goa and coastal Karnataka.
Day 3: Sand, sunshine, and good food
Early morning at Ullal beach
On the last day of our trip, we decided to greet the day on a beach. So we woke up at 4 am and rode in the dark to Ullal beach which was empty except for a few morning walkers.
Once the sun was high, we headed back to the city. By now, we were ravenous and had a sumptuous meal at the New Taj Mahal cafe (not the branded one).
Chilling in Mangalore city
After checking out of Cordel Farmstay, we left our luggage at the homestay and drove down to the city center. It was a Monday and we had the entire afternoon to ourselves which we spent watching Wonder Woman at the Forum Mall, driving around the city a bit more, sketching some urban structures, and doing street photography.
Mangalore will always be for us a place of warm hospitality and breezy rides by the sea.
P.S. All pictures clicked by Tushar Shukla and are not meant for commercial use. Artwork and content by Seema Misra.
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