I restrict myself to the beach and have little to say of the town or its pilgrimage worth as it is beyond my expert domain. Om Beach is worth the winding bus ride, butt-numbing half-hour auto ride and the short hike from Gokarna town. The relative seclusion of this northern Karnataka beach is an escape from the perversity that much-too-much tourism has brought to Goa, which is a good five hours away. A beautiful beach, though not the ideal for long-distance swimmers.

If you’re lucky, it is one of the few beaches left where you’d find a wandering pilgrim, a lost Burning Man participant, or a relic from the tie-n-die days Anjuna Flea Market of yore. Do not expect living quarters which serve to do anything but accommodate. The food is appetizing, though the minimal number of shacks occasionally make one yearn for variety. Not for the ‘tourist’, which is what makes the place what it is, and worth going to. And hence, we are not encouraging undue advertising but for word-of-mouth.