My First Solo trip to Pondicherry
Aah, It was indeed difficult for me to merely hold my excitement for my first ever "solo trip". Right from my hustle bustle ordinary routine to the most serene and calm place i.e. Puducherry(Pondicherry).
There were typically two vital purposes of unanimously choosing Pondicherry. First, as it was precisely my "first" solo trip so I genuinely wanted to deter it a bit short; one can absolutely envelop the entire city within two peaceful days that too without any haste. Secondly, because of its tranquillity and harmony and its famous French architecture which I was undoubtedly looking for a long time. Instead of a direct flight, I wisely decided to go Chennai first via flight and then take the local bus to Pondicherry. There is direct metro connectivity from the airport to CMBT; Koyambedu bus stand. I hitherto confirmed my booking in Ginger Hotel which is located in the heart of the city. One can instantly reach to all the prominent places within 15-20 possible minutes as they were located within 2-5 km radius of the hotel. In Pondicherry, I was absolutely amazed by the magnificent and colorful architecture of historical buildings, vividly colored traditionally painted houses. They were the live examples of the beauty of mixed French and Tamil architecture. The mellow vibe of the pleasant place was completely peaceful and full of positivity. People in Pondicherry are extremely cooperative and amiable, one can fluently communicate in English with them. One can visit all the places easily by renting the cycles or two-wheelers as they were commercially available on affordable rent on per day basis. Therefore, in the fullness of time, I embarked on my memorable trip with my yellow Vespa. I had Ginger Coffee without milk for the first time in my life on the beach, and it was mind-blowing. Next was Paradise Beach. (It was a kind of island where one needed to reach via boat for this same one need to reach "Chunnambar Boat House".) There were precisely quite a few options available in boats one can seize a motorboat or jet boat or even houseboat too. I opted for the traditional motorboat. The entry ticket was around Rs.300. After instantly reaching paradise beach one can find sufficient numbers of tourist attraction activities. The beach had lots of tiny huts with comfortable seating arrangements, local restaurants, rain dance pool, volleyball nets, etc. The water of this private beach was very clean as the beach was reasonably properly managed in terms of hygiene and sanitation. The Globe of Unity of humanity remains the current attraction of Auroville. (One typically needs to collect the free pass inside Auroville and to witness it). The food in Auroville was completely organic; I completely enjoyed the organic Kombucha drink in Auroville. From there, I drove to serenity beach. This picturesque beach was located at ECR road and is pretty near to Auroville. (it has closed time 5:30 pm). Serenity beach is famous for water recreational activities. Later, I went for Botanical Garden which remains reasonably a notable place in Pondicherry.
From Chennai to Pondicherry there are typically two possible alternatives, one is Expressway and another is via ECR(East Coast Road). Both the possible routes typically take 3-4 hrs from Chennai to Pondicherry. If you wish to explore the places by yourself, You will get so many self drive rental cars in Chennai. I preferred to go for ECR route as it is a parallel road to the Bay of Bengal. One can endure fresh sea breeze, adhere to a scenic view of lush green rice padded fertile fields and a lot of stone monuments.
Read: Vinayak Temples i have Visited in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.Day 1:
Pedestrian Promenade beach: Things to undoubtedly do
Promenade beach is located next to mission street. It is moreover known as 23, Goubert Avenue. This is one of the most famous beaches in Pondicherry with (aware) lots of tourist attraction venues. This is the best beach to witness a pleasant sunrise and sunset.
I sufficiently covered French War Memorial, magnificent Mahatma Gandhi statue, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Promenade Harbour. They all together are located on the same promenade beach lane at just 100 meters of considerable distance from each other. Currently, for likely tourists, Promenade Harbour lane is voluntarily closed as it is quite weak. But the local government arranged for rocky lane parallel to the harbor, where I sat to witness world-class sunrise and lots of candid shot. It was at ease my favorite spot on the pristine beach.
Eating local delicacies represented the classic example of Pondicherry's French, Tamil amalgamated culture. From authentic filter coffee to wood fire pizza, from dosa to Belgian waffles. (Familiar) lots of beachside cafes were open where one can sip the fragrant coffee and heartily enjoy the sea view.
My following stop was the sacred Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagarr temple as it is located near to the beach. It is one the most prominent Ganesh temples; holds various avatars or forms of Lord Ganesha. Outer walls of the temple are beautifully painted with varying brilliant colors, and a magnificent tomb with various local gods and goddess idols carved. As Pondicherry is famous for its magnificent churches, my next stop was one of the famous churches named "Basilica Church." It is around 800 meters - 1 km from the temple.
Day 2:
I started my day with Auroville Asharam. It is located at ECR road which is around 8 km from central Pondicherry. Auroville is known for its positivity, serenity, and peace. One can vicariously experience this from all the corners of a lush green ashram. They had showcased the history and purpose of the ashram in form of photos and written description. They also stream the 10-minutes movie in a theatre for the same.
Also Read: 8 Reasons Why You Must Travel to PuducherryWhere To Eat In Pondicherry:
I will earnestly advise opting for both French cuisines as well as Tamil authentic food. For French cuisines, various cafes are available near mission street. My local favorite was undoubtedly Cafe Des Art. For the latter, one must go to Saravana Bhavan and Adyar Anand Bhavan, both located near mission street.Where To Shop:
One can purchase traditionally handmade Auroville soaps, agarbattis or perfumes at Auroville or promenade beach lane outlets. One can also shop for handmade aesthetics for interior decor.
(This way) my two days of a graceful and hearty trip to Pondicherry ends. With a contrite heart and promise to come back another time, I said: "a la prochaine" to Pondicherry.
Seems very interesting ajanma....specially Auroville ashram ....❤