Sumedha S
Team IT
“Hey let’s go on a trip, what say?” asked Priyanka who was tired and wanted some break from office. “Yes yes I’m always ready” exclaimed Anju who had ants in her pants to go on an excursion. “On yeah let’s start planning our outfits then” shrieked Rachitha and this is how our planning for the trip started. It was the handsome guys Abhijith, Vikhil, Sampath, Arun and Nikhil who took care of the entire trip.
I was excited for this very first trip of mine with 17 people from our office. “More unfamiliar a place, better are the chances to get in touch with yourself” I had read in an article recently. Our growing affliction for living in a metro and the need for unplugging landed us in Pondicherry (now Puducherry). We had googled and found out that October to February is the best time to visit Puducherry as the climate is cooler. We tried to invade beaches rather than exploring the city side as we were craving for some tranquility.
So here I am to share few details of the trip and the blissfull moments we had during our trip to Puducherry.
Duration of the trip: It was a two days and three night’s trip. We started from our office, at 10.30 pm on Friday (15th Feb) and reached back to Bangalore on Monday (18th Feb) early morning.
Transportation: We booked a private mini bus from Siddappaji Travels which costed us around total 17,499/- (19 rupees per km) excluding the tolls. The best thing about booking a private bus was that we “felt like a boss.” Harsha, Gopal, Naveen, Pradeep, Chandana, Pinku, Guru, Ajay and Shashi were the source of entertainment in bus. We sang, danced, screamed out of our lungs and there was nobody to stop us from doing so (except the cops at the toll :P)
Details of the Trip:
We reached Puducherry around 9am and rushed to our cottage. We were expecting a cool pondy with breeze but to our surprise it was hot Sun that welcomed us.
We had pre-booked 3 rooms in Edan Cottage, which is located just in front of the Serenity beach. It costed us around 8800/-, after bargaining. The cottage was clean enough to relax. They had one day break-fast included which pretty much filled our hungry tummies. We then left to visit the main tourist attractions which were Matrimandir and French Colony.
Day 1:
Matrimandir: Abode for spiritual enlightenment
We found Auroville one of the most popular tourist attractions in Pondy. The highlight of Auroville, however, is Matrimandir, which literally translates to “temple of the mother.” We heard that inside the Matrimandir is an incredible and breath-taking meditation chamber and one could spend a considerable measure of energy to unwind and contemplate. It is told that this place is good to stay and soak in the spirit of doing the things you really love and it does not belong to any specific religion or faction. This circularly formed structure is a sight one can’t forget. We couldn’t enter the temple, as we did not have entry passes which were to be taken in advance.
After gulping some water and having yummy ice-creams, we reached the next destination.
Promenade Beach: Centre of Attraction
“Give time a break,” says the Puducherry Tourism Department slogan. Pondy gave us time to ponder and re-discover the parts of ourselves we had lost while hurrying in the day to day life!
The famous promenade of Puducherry is situated along the gorgeous seafront with a rocky beach and hence it is aka Rock beach. We found it one of the liveliest areas in Pondy. It was easily accessible for us as it is located in the heart of the city. We enjoyed the cool breeze which was winding along the wide roads locally known as Beach road. Unfortunately, the water here was extremely deep and we were not allowed to enter the beach. We spotted a magnificent statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation right in the middle of the promenade.
Hello waves..!!
The Sun wouldn’t stop being happy seeing us! Soaked in the sweat and exhausted, we searched for some restaurants to refill ourselves. After boosting our energy, we left for the next place.
French Colony: A glimpse of France in India
For most travelers, the charm lies in exploring this colony and yes not forgetting the photoholics who would love this place as it would let them experiment their photography skills. This place is also called as White Town. Walking around this colony, we spotted bright yellow and white walls; beautiful doors, arched gates lined with bougainvillea, and clean European-style streets, making this area surreal and super picturesque. The stunning French-inspired architecture made French Colony a visual delight. Here are the few pictures which we clicked while wandering through the town.
It was evening by the time we reached our cottage. Ahh! Such a tiring day, it was! We relaxed by taking a peaceful walk besides the serenity beach which was just in front of our cottage. We hogged some delicious seafood, pizzas and it was now time for some chit-chats, indoor games, pull each other’s legs, laugh and spend time amongst ourselves until next morning…
Day 2:
After applying all possible branded sunscreens, hats and sunglasses on, we left to invade the beaches of Puducherry.
Serenity beach: Come, find some serenity!
We made it for the beautiful sunrise here. What would you not give to just enjoy the peace, leave aside all the worries sitting by the beach glaring the sunrise and sunset! The sound of sea waves and the aroma of fishes were so mesmerizing. We held each other’s hands and jumped into the beach. We enjoyed every minute here building sand castles, clicking pictures, doing some yoga and waiting for the big waves to sweep in and splash ourselves into the beach.
After spending some quality time here, we moved to the next beach which was 17km from here and took us about an hour to reach.
Paradise beach: Indeed closer to Paradise!
A bounty of the sea and sun sounded like the perfect antidote to alarm clocks, traffic-choked streets and air-conditioned cubicles. This is undoubtedly the best beach that this town can offer. It has a beautiful colour of light emerald and sometimes light blue sapphire. It is located in Pudukuppam and has two parts. One part has lot of activities like Jet Ski, Beach Volleyball etc which will surely keep you entertained. To enter this region you need to go by boats which has fee of 300/-. We went to the other side of the beach which did not require any boating. We spent most of our time sauntering on the beachfront, playing kabaddi and dumb charades.
Monkeys goofing around..!!
Pichavaram Mangrove Forest:
After a heartening flavor of the ocean treasures, we decided to watch the beauty of trees amidst the water.
Getting around the forest requires boat rides. We had to buy ticket before getting into the boat. Packed in a boat, we were off to discover the small creatures and rare trees in the forest. The boat is anchored mid-water and everyone gets into life jacket. It was a tour of 1 hour where we were exposed to the aura of nature’s beauty which included the swishing of paddles and chirping of the birds. This was the icing on the cake in the entire trip.
Delighted and lost by the beauty of Pondy, we were unaware of the time that waits for none. It was hard for us to digest the fact that we were already at the end of the trip. It was time to bid farewell to pondy.
Puducherry isn’t an average holiday destination; it’s so much more than that! The memories of Puducherry still echoes in my heart, soothing my mind. I’m glad I made a
visit to Puducherry to reveal in its unique charm. I count myself lucky to be a part of this trip. All thanks to the wonderful 17 people who made it work.
It is surely a place that I would love to visit again and again. So what are you waiting for?
Signing off with some hilarious pictures captured during the trip!!
Thanks for reading.. Adios until next time!