PONDICHERRY IT IS!! 1ST DAY -20TH JAN,2015
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. " Isn't that completely true? Whats love? Whats life? Whats the perfect state of happiness?What is it?How do you find it?
Well these are the questions that just keep running in my mind until i finally discovered my passion for travelling . Thats how i realized i could redefine my life and find peace within by just moving away from the bustling, crowded city life of bangalore.
So it was just like any other days of my life. It was 10 in the morning almost but i was fast asleep until my phone started ringing . It was from one of my clients saying "payment is transferred". hearing this all my sleep goes away. I was waiting for this day from the past 2 months. I had faced a rough year. I couldnt wait to get out of bangalore."There are these moments in life when you just want to go away from everything everyone and just understand yourself . When you feel that i would say take that space for yourself and walk into the place u wish to wander yourself in "This was one of those moments in my life. I had not decided a thing about anything for that matter. About where to go ?what to do? how will i go? I had planned for chaddar trek but my fate had other plans.Chaddar trek was cancelled for the year so i had to decide what to do with all the money i had earned.I knew very well i wouldn't want to spend it on mindless stupid materialistic gadgets or shopping for the least.Nor did i have the plans of saving up . So i decided i would just wander and roam as much as possible into the unknown beautiful places of india.
My parents were out of station and so i had to stay in bangalore until they come by.My mom knew i was working my ass off for this thing but she still didnt approve of it.She was SCARED.It was understandable. Indian parents have that sort of fear thanks to all the horrific crimes happening in india against the women. We cannot blame them can we?
So i decide meanwhile going for hiking to Makkalidurga with a friend.
Makkalidurga is a trekking spot in the outskirts of bangalore. Its about 60 kms from the heart of the city. Its a beautiful place to go if u wanna get away from the city for a day.A best place for the starters to experience trekking if its their first time.I love hiking and trekking so this was the plan. I met my friend, he had got his bike and so while he was riding my mind as usual suddenly decided to chuck the plan of hiking instead go to Yercaud. Yercaud is a hill station in tamil nadu. A picture perfect place for seeing the beautiful and enchanting mountains and lakes. But then i knew i was going to the Himalayas soon enough while we were on the highway going towards salem.I told him yet again that "listen lets go to PONDICHERRY"
I did little bit of googling and found out its about 275 kms from the location which we were in and about 350 if we go through the salem route.Little did we know that shortcuts could always not be good.
So this was how my adventure to my first destination Pondicherry begins..
The road we chose was Krishnagiri --> Chengam --> Thiruvannamalai --> Gingee --> Pondicherry
I managed riding only the fast road to krishnagiri. . we had to take a left turn to go to chengam .Thats where the roads went real bad. Its filled with potholes everywhere. It was my friend riding all the while from there till we reached pondicherry.
on the way to thiruvinamallai .
It was 7 when we made it to Thiruvannamalai.we took a 15 minute break.The place had a different aura altogether. Foreigners thronged the town, u could see a strange bond formed between the locals and the french out in the town. few were cycling while some were walking across the busy streets of the town and by seeing them you could feel that they felt it was their home too.I could see far across the street stood the arulmigu arunachale temple. It was beautiful and I felt some kind of connection which could be not described by words but it felt good. It was pure. I was thankful to God for letting me come this far and i knew it just then this was exactly what i always wanted. Travel was my passion my love my everything. I wanted to explore and spread my wings into the vast depths of this world.
The highway from Gingee to pondicherry was a fast road so we made it by 9:30.We stopped by Max because I had to buy clothes as i had none with me just in time as it was the closing time. Right after that we asked for the directions from the locals to the nearest beach. The police men of puducherry were very helpful and friendly. They guided us the way. The first thing i wanted to do before i even check into the hotel is see the beach.So we entered the mgroad to go to Promenade beach.By doing some research i just found out the Promenade is Pondicherry’s only sea facing boulevard with an artificially created sand strip and lined up by a rock armour to protect the shoreline.Once we reached while he was parking his vehicle i ran towards the shore.It was the the musical sound of the waves, the vast sea ahead and the beautiful sky above it. This was what i had missed.the PURITY which a sea holds is beyond any description. “You stand on the beach and taste the salty smell of the wind that comes from the ocean, and inside you feel the warmth of never ending freedom."
We sat by one of the rocks facing the vast strech of bay of bengal.Its also called as rock beach because of the rocks lining upon the shoreline.The promenade beach was very close to the french colony and we could see on one corner the statue of mahatma gandhi and the other side statue of the great french nationalist. My heart was relaxed and at peace after a very very long time.Then after a certain period of silence . I told my friend lets go.. while we were strolling alongside the beach. We could see kids playing around,couples walking hand in hand,families walking alongside the wide pavement of the rocky beach.It was an interesting sight altogether as you could feel the happiness in the air and in the people's eyes around you. All were smitten and dazzled by the mother nature and the peace could be seen in those eyes. There were chai walas saying cha cha and walking around.. the place was busy yet quiet and peaceful. we wanted two rooms so we searched everywhere , the prices were a little too much so we decided to take a room inside the town instead because of the high rate of the rooms as we had to spend only the night.We finally found a hotel under our budget not remembering the name though.I crashed onto the bed once we reached as i was dead tired and was way too excited for the next day.
2ND DAY - 21ST JAN 2015
I Woke up early the next morning and rushed into my friends room to wake him. we got ready in the next one hour and left to gandhi beach right in the morning around 9.
we walked around for a while and i went to visit the vinayagara temple nearby the french colony , while my friend roamed around the place. The vinayagara temple came up before the french settled in pondicherry, Its a pretty old temple and was under going some kind of reconstruction and modification while i visited it. The temple still holds its antiquity till date and i was happy to visit my favourite God lord Ganesha and take his blessings.
Then we had quick breakfast in one the nearby hotels and left immediately.So it was my turn to ride , as my friend was dead tired after riding continuous stretch of about 250 kms the previous day.
It was amazing the streets of pondicherry,the culture,the roads, the looks people gave me when they saw a tiny girl like me riding a bike. I was truly enjoying every little bit of it and finally we reached serenity beach and it was the best part of the day!!
Trust me serenity beach was indeed serene, desolate from the people,the blazing sun,the vast blue color of the sea ahead of me, the clear sky, the calmness and peace it held even while the waves hit the shore was Heaven to me!!!It was free from the worldly chaos,the traffic of people,the meaningless artificial sounds of the human made gadgets.
We parked the bike and i ran towards the shore. I was enthralled by the beauty of nature truly.Do you really think now? life is better out in the cities ? i really doubt it though now.
Ahead of me the calm, peaceful sea stretches out for as far as I can see. A never-ending sheet of water with deep, dirty blue waves swirling repetitively around hits the moving water with an almost silent clash and comes right up onto the stony, sand as the night tide goes in. The bubbly tips of the big waves are white like a fluffy, thin layer of snow on the ground. The fresh, salt smell from the water diffuses through the misty air, right up to my nose.Walking slowly towards the endless sea, I cross the beautiful, golden sand. It sticks to my feet, leaving deep, round footprints engraved in it as I step which are soon washed away by the water. Its rough heat warms the base of my foot. As the sand is pushed out of the way, broken seashells and small pebble stones appear beneath it. The pebble stones are smooth and rounded like sweets and the sharp edges of the seashells are like the tips of pencils.This was it. This was where i always belonged . This was home.
We left after about 2 hours to paradise beach. We had to go by a motor boat to paradise beach. It was a private island and as we approached the island nearer it was picturesque and perfect .
But i still liked serenity beach better. This still had a lot of people in it. We quickly changed our clothes and my friend ran into those gushing waves and played with the water while i sat by the shore.
I am scared of water so i always tend to stay away from it and not venture into the deep depths of it . I just sat there and enjoyed its calmness.
It was around 1 when we left. We had our lunch in one of the local hotels and left immediately to see the french colony.
The French had their houses with high walls, huge and long windows,beautiful courtyards, circular gates and fancy balconies while the tamilians had it simple with friendly open verandas and simple houses. It was a mystery about what was in there inside the houses of the french with its grills and closed windows. While the tamilians had it all simple and clear .Then I did a little of shopping in the mg road and strolled around for a while.
Then he rode to sacred heart church of auroville right after that. Well there was a mass being held while i visited it. The feeling of reconnection to God was something i felt while the prayer song was sung.We stayed there for a while and went to a local shop to have mutton leg soup which was yummy. It was right down the lane of the church. By the time we made it to auroville beach it was too late and dark. We didnt find the place that safe plus the road towards the beach was blocked by the police barricade so we decided to head back to Bangalore.We stopped by a hotel on the way back and it was freaking cold .And my friend rode continuously for about 450 kms stretch without sleeping because i had promised my mom it was just a one day night out. My friend truly needs a applause because he rode the entire stretch without dozing off for a minute while i slept the entire time.
Finally we reached the 23rd morning at around 4 and thats how my first little adventure ends.
Not many places i could visit but the places i visited got me connected to it once and forever. Pondicherry will always remain close to my heart as it made me realize my thirst for Travel.
