Sometimes you dont know which direction you are headed till you actually reach!!
For us, it happened literally..It was the Christmas long weekend, and the plan was a trip to Karnataka, but Murphy came into action, so we did a U turn and breezed towards Pondicherry instead and what fun the 2days were..!!
Completely unplanned.. no agenda... infact we dint know where we were gonna stay as it was the Christmas weekend and all hotels and guest houses were full, err lemme rephrase, they all had rooms available for 24th but we had to scoot on 25th morning... since we were planning on getting there on 25th, we took the only alternative available, and decided to gate crash into Apar's aunt's place!!
Shimmering waters along the ECR
Every time i go to Pondy, its a whole new experience....
Different company, different atmosphere, different discoveries .... !! This time was no different.. Not only did we try a new restaurant - Lunch @ Haveli in Hotel Annamalai International, but also managed to fulfil our dream of having Baileys irish cream [@Rendezvous with yummy pasta dinner]..
Part of the Christmas decor @ Ananda Inn
One of a kind experience was witnessing a whole brigade of people at the beach and on the streets [ had me wondering why, till my friend said - its Christmas/ long weekend-Duh!!] ...
Windmill peeping from behind the walls of the cafe/shipping arena @ Auroville
Discovered Pondy had a Sringeri Sharadambal temple [ had to share that bit of news with folks at home and the instant words were out, they were all yelling - go visit the temple]...
A canopy on the beach [ pic taken during my earlier visit]
Took friend and her son to Auroville, only to be told we cant go into the Matri mandir any more, not unless we had prior permissions or knew some big shots.... ;o) [Only big shot i know is Me...:D] .. we were shown a video footage of how the whole project began and has evolved over years.. the last few times i'd been to Auroville, we had gone inside the Matri Mandir, right up to the top, to see the crystal ball... !! but now, rules have changed!! for the better am sure!!
Matri mandir at a distance... Auroville... after a lovely 1km walk!!
Had the most yummmmiest lunch @ Ananda Inn- buffet, the spread was delightful- starting with salad down to the desserts... Only disappointment was they were out of Chocolate eclairs and my friend wanted one, asked a couple of people, but alas we left without savoring one of them eclairs...!! Always a next time!!
Waves lashing against the rocks at the beach
We did make a quick stop at the Aurobindo Ashram, sailed along the queue and swished right out.. never seen such a crowd in Pondy, ever...!!
The lighthouse, standing guard
I truly believe -
1.Travel to explore unexplored sights and scenes...
2.Get lost - literally and otherwise, for only then will you learn your way around and unravel hidden truths about yourself...
The evening sky, moon shining bright..
3.Have no set agenda, that way you can go with the flow and see more... i love visiting unheard of, out of the order, non touristy yet interesting places...!
4. Walk... thats the best way to enjoy a new town..
If you cant walk, use local transport.. good fun and you learn so much more about the place/history/must visit places and so much more..
Matri Mandir, in all its Glory @Auroville
We took the bus from CMBT, Koyembedu... not the volvo, but a regular one, costing about Rs55 per person.. and within Pondy, we walked or took the auto.Mind you, autowalas are as bad as in chennai, so be ready to haggle...
Return was also via bus, except this was wee bit better, and airconditioned, so tickets were Rs145 each... Bus takes about 3.5 to 4hrs, with one pitstop... And buses ply from Chennai & Pondy every 15mins!!
Off i go to yet another familiar yet unfamiliar town tomorrow... Will come back with more stories.... Till then, adios!!
