If you are tired with your routine work, if you are searching for solitute away from the hustle and bustle , if inner peace is all you need, head towards this union territory without a second thought and you won't regret your decision. Pondicherry or Puducherry, as locals call it,is a popular weekend getaway for people in and around Bangalore. Situated at around 300 km distance from the IT hub, Pondy has bounty to offer to the tourists. One gets solace in the beaches since they are not commercialised and overcrowded like other beaches along the eastern coast.Here one can enjoy the serene view of waters coloured in shades of blues and greens, hitting the rocks to find the way back. The promenade beach offers a blissful view to the viewers. Very stategically maintained coast with pristine waters. One can see different colours of waters mingling together to form the waves which touch shores along with ample of shells to collect.Here you find one of the cleanest beaches in the country.Hereby presenting an excerpt of the short trip:
We, two sisters, tired of routine and mundane work, left for Pondycherry from Bangalore via bus at 10 at night and reached Pondicherry Bus stop at 6 in the morning the next day. We decided to start our adventure trip by boarding local bus to reach our hotel at the ECR road. Note to mention that local people of Pondicherry are very helpful and hospitable. They try to help the tourists to the maximum possible extent.However it is advisable to book hotels in MG road or near White town since most of the places to visit are situated within a distance of 800 -900 meters from White town and auto fares are on the higher side.Since our hotel was a few meters from the Auroville Beach, we dropped our luggage and headed straight to the beach.Auroville beach is fishermen's beach with local population around. So the beach is not as clean as other beaches in the town. However this doesnt take away the charm of the beach. The view of gushing waves touching the shores with a roar soothens the soul. Best time to visit Pondicherry is winters when the weather is cool and less humid. The day we visited, it was partly cloudy with scattered rainfall a couple of times during the day and it was very apt weather to enjoy. After a refreshing visit to the beach, we came back for breakfast and freshning up. Thereafter we were back on the clean streets of the city surfing Mission street for leather items to Nehru street for confectionery items.
When in Pondicherry do not forget to visit the cafes in town serving variety of coffee and finger licking melting in the mouth kind of pastries and chocolates.
Throughout the day we visited the Aurobindo Ashram, Bharathi Park, the Old Light house, French war memorial , Gandhi Statue and finally the pristine Promenade beach since all these places are at walking distance from each other. The Promenade beach is a place where one can spend hours together drenched in serenity of the place.The clean coast line along with the pavement made especially for walking around offers a lot to people seeking peace of mind.A walk around the colourful French colony is a walk to remember as it offers a different kind of experience.As the day came to an end, we found ourselves more relaxed.
As the rising sun brought in positive energy, we headed towards the Serenity beach which was at a distance of 2 km from our hotel. This beach features clean sand and surf blue water foaming as it touches the shores. One can enjoy the golden rays of sun as they shine through the horizon.
As the time was nearing for us to bid audieu to this little town, we left the beach and headed to the bus stop. We had a contented heart, a hundred of memories and a refreshed mind and soul motivated enough to resume work without any monday blues by the end of the journey.Pondicherry is an apt weekend getaway for people seeking inner peace and spirituality.There I left my footprints on the sands of time until I come back seeking them. As the caption says, this city really absorbs your worries and lets you sleep.
Duration of trip 2 days including journey time of approx 16 hours to and fro.
Cost incurred for the whole trip approx Rs.8000-10000/- for two persons. However, the cost may vary as per budget depending on the hotel charges and peak/lean season, and means of communication.