The backwater of Pondicherry was another astonishing site

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 Mission Pondicherry … After a long planning and little preparation, we were all set to start off another voyage and this time the destination was Pondicherry. However, unlike previous trips, there was no big group and Vikram was the only one to accompany me. Reaching late night at the bus stand, we decided to book an accommodation before dining and managed to find a room, I would say not very decent, in a nearby hotel. Exhausted, we called day off and fell asleep, undecided about the next days plan.

Day 1 Refreshed by the sound sleep, we got ready in no time to commence our Mission Pondicherry. Energized by the breakfast, we went in search of a bike rental and with in an hour, we were riding a Hero Honda Passion that had just reached the 65K mark. Auroville was chosen to be the first place and it took us 45 minutes to reach the milestone. Auroville is famous for its rich history and is home to 1800 people from 35 different countries. It was fun watching French and English riding Indian Mopeds and bicycles. As peaceful as can be, it was an amazing site engulfing a society with no dominant caste or religion. Another famous landmark at the place was Matri Mandir, a dome shaped structure providing an ideal ambience for meditation.

Thereafter, we returned back to the city to fill our stomach and had a satiating lunch. As food settled down, we recovered our power and headed for the Auro beach which is one of the biggest beaches in Pondicherry with a coastline ranging from 1.5-2 km in length. We were soon to be found submerged in water playing with high tides and waves, diving, leaping, swimming, jumping and having fun in all ways we could. Tired after a while, we relaxed at the beach, dried ourselves and commenced back to the city for the more exciting part. It was evening already and the sun was to set as we bought a few cans of beer and set off for the Pondicherry beach which is now covered with hefty boulders and stones. We found a good place to settle there and ended our day sipping beer on the rocks (lying on the rocks ;)) chilling out in the warm night.

Day2 Sunday morning was an ideal time to visit the Aurobindo Ashram and an auspicious way to begin the day. After few hiccups, we found the way to the Ashram and took a stroll inside to witness the historical place where Swami Aurobindo spent the golden years of his life. The Ashram was not as big as I thought but it offered a serene and peaceful ambience that set the tone for the day.

Done with self realization, we headed to our next and final destination - the backwater of Pondicherry which was another astonishing site. A short boat journey through a river took us to a small island that separated the river from the sea. The beach at the island was something I could not take my eyes off of. India surely has very few of such clear beaches to offer. Walking alongside the beach we reached the point where the river was draining into the sea through a narrow channel. It was a picturesque view, something I had never seen before. We spent sometime collecting varieties of oyster shells as our souvenirs from the place.

Unfortunately, the weather was extremely hot and we had to find a place under a shed in wait of the boat to drop us back to the other side of the river. It was time to go back to the city for lunch and we could not resist taking a nap at the hotel after being imbued with a hefty North Indian Thali. After helping India to register a win against the West Indies in the 1st one day, we left our room again to fulfill the rituals. We opened the beer cans again, and cheered for the beautiful evening sitting and sipping beside the gigantic body of water celebrating the end of another breathtaking trip. posted by Abhishek @ 1:51 AM 0 comments