By Shobha Rao Smilemaker

Oct 12: What is this life, so full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.

That's it...if you want to just stare at the sun set or at nature or at a city from a vantage point then Beeramalle hills is the place for you.

We had often gone to the neighbouring city of Puttur but earlier had completely missed this place. We suddenly saw a signboard on the highway itself saying 'Way to Beeramalle hills and tree park'. This is an easy trek to go up on foot for the more adventurous people.

The tree park gates were closed even though the board said that timings were till 7 pm. It seemed like a good place for families to bring their children to play on the playgroud equipments.

The view point was open on all sides and I saw some bikers here. We just had to sit in silence and soak in the changing colours of the sky during sunset. The hill is surrounded with greenery and a nature lover can spot the coconut trees, cashew and pepper plantations around.

Also we got a birds eye view of Puttur from the many benches that are strategically placed here overlooking the city. Sometimes you just need to quietly reconnect with nature to reconnect with yourself and Beeramalle hills view point is just the place for that.

It's believed that the ancients Banga chiefs who ruled this region of Puttur had their palace here, though now we just saw an open air auditorium. Google maps can become a little confusing taking you to a higher spot, that stops at a walking path towards the peak of the hill,which seemed deserted.

Instead we preferred the comfort of the viewpoint area which had ample car parking space. It has the potential to become more clean and to be turned into a picnic spot for a simple evening family outing. It has the advantage of lesser crowds to enjoy the serenity. Sunrise or sunset times would be beautiful here.

The lights of the city slowly came on in front of out eyes and I felt it is better to not stay here after dark from the safety point of view.

We are blessed to have such simple places like Beeramalle hills around us to smile and appreciate the natural beauty of our South Kanara region.

Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.