Pondicherry, or Puducherry was always a fascination for me. This City of south east India locked by Bay of Bengal and Chennai got its freedom from french colonialism in 1954. This city is now a Union Territory of India and one of the two Union territories to have an elected government ruling them. Pondicherry consists of four regions, which are unconnected, Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mahi. I had many wonderful experiences I had during my trip to pondicherry. I would always rate this as one of the greatest trips that I had as we had a wonderful team of around 12 and the journey was well planned and executed in the smoothest way possible.
Route:
Kochi(Cochin) – Chennai : Train (750 Kms . Approx.)
Chennai – Pondicherry : Mini Bus (250 Kms. Approx.)
Starting date : 13th August 2009 by Alleppey – Chennai Express Train
We reached Chennai at around 7:00 AM on 14th. We boarded the mini bus towards Pondicherry. The view on both the sides were really good. Lots of trees, lakes and villages passed by. In the bus, we had a great time by singing songs, having fun and other entertainments. We had our breakfast from a small hotel on the way. After three and a half hour's journey we reached Pondicherry.
We had our accommodation in "Auroba inn", in some beautiful palm thatched huts. We booked some huts in advance and it was so nice and cozy in those little huts. Once we reached there, all of us took bath, got fresh and immediately joined together in the hotel and went ahead to have our lunch from Mourya Garden. After lunch, we went to a beautiful lake where there were boating, horse ride etc. We spent a lot of time over there and after that went to the beach front. We spent a lot of time over there and all of us played in the water and was wet in and out. The beach have a Gandhi statue installed there. The government administrative buildings and the remnants of french colony along with the bilingual signs created an impression that we are in a different place altogether.Major places where we visited were
1.Auroville: A place that you must visit!
2.Aurobindo ashram / Museum
3.Pondicherry Beach (there is a beach near auroville as well!)
4.The Boat House
Hotels
Some of the Hotels in Pondicherry are
1.Ginger Hotels
2.Pondicherry Hotels
3.World Guest House
4.Dumas Guest House
5.Promenade
The trip was for two days and we started our journey back from Chennai on 15th August 2009 , 8.30 PM. A trip that will be in our heart for ever.
Tips: Plan and book things in advance. Try the air route to reach Chennai. If you are using road from Chennai, have your breakfast/food before you leave the outskirts of Chennai. Bring the necessary things with you, and try to dine in the french restaurants. Don't bring any liquor to Pondicherry, because the land of wine(in India) offers you almost all the blend in a low price which you won't find any where else in India.
Compiled by : George Trevele
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