Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry

Tripoto
24th Jan 2017
Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian
Day 2

So the day began at 0500 hrs had set up my gear and saddle bag a day prior and was good to go. My sole purpose was to catch a glimpse of the first ray of sunshine on the highway and capture the moment. I wasn't very lucky but all I got was the morning sky which was encouraging enough.

One of many landscapes

Photo of Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India by Shantanu Subramanian

The open road and the rising sun

Photo of Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India by Shantanu Subramanian

The route from Bangalore to the guest house I had booked.

Photo of Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India by Shantanu Subramanian
Day 1

My first pitstop was around 0930 hrs near the Cheyyar district where I treated myself with a delicious south Indian breakfast.

Most of the rides I have taken I make it a point to stretch as much as possible before the first stop. I was nearing my 250 kms mark!!! and had roughly 130 kms to go...

Filter coffee

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Ghee Roast Dosa... And look how huge it is...

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Talking about the road the stretch starting from Hosur until the diversion from NH 75 to NH 69 was excellent. Coming to the NH 69 the road was challenging in a few stretches due to road being under construction. So now in case you were wondering how did I travel to Pondicherry from Bangalore. I give you my humble travel companion "Devil"

The Pulsar RS 200 AKA My Devil

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

My estimated time initially was 1000 hrs but managed to reach the hotel by 1100 hrs. After a quick shower I was out to make the most of the two days in Pondicherry.

Stop 1 was Auroville as it was suggested to me to book an appointment one day prior for the meditation session at Matrimandir ( closed on Tuesdays for bookings !!!) and guess what I decided to travel on a Tuesday. The Security guy at the entrance told me that he cannot take a booking but I could try my luck on the next day 25th ( Wednesday). Then I headed to the visitor's centre which is the best place to start honestly to get an understanding of what Auroville is and the vision behind it. The place has a few Cafe's and Boutiques mainly there to cater to international tourists fairly expensive.

There is a museum there giving you a lot of info about Auroville...

Sri Aurobindo

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Matrimandir

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The museum pictures symbolising unity in diversity.

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Right at the entrance at Auroville

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

A full scale model of Auroville..

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Then was the visitors view point of Matrimandir which you have to walk it out from the visitors centre. Truly had never seen a structure of this magnitude in my life...

And that's me !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Matrimandir

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The approach route to Matrimandir

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Stop 2 was pretty much the reason I chose Pondicherry, which was the Beach and man I wasn't disappointed. I give you Rock and Pondicherry beach...Along with a few other monuments the French war memorial , Gandhi Statue, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and The Light house ( which is not open for tourists ????).

Trying my hand at some Photography...

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Probably why they call it Rock Beach !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Walked all the was way till the end of the Beach and the weather was perfect..

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The French war memorial

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The Devil enjoying the view as well ????????

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Beach

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Rock Beach

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The Gandhi Statue

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The Breeze was amazing....

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The Church entrance

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The beautiful looking Banyan Tree

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

By the time I was done spending time at all of these sight seeing locations it was about 1700 hrs and decided to head back to the hotel. Coincidentally I did not notice that my hotel was walking distance from Auroville and Serenity beach. So I then decided to call it a night for Devil which was nearing its 450 kms mark for the day and tucked her in the Hotels parking...

Now coming to these beaches, Auroville beach was fairly crowded even in evenings and found it to be quite dirty with litter all around but still decided to walk along the beach and managed to get some great shots.

Beautiful need I say anything else...

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Walking all the way to Serenity Beach following the coastline.

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The setting Sun at Auroville beach !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

By the time I made it to Serenity Beach the sun was already down and decided to just sit and enjoy the breeze... So that concluded a long and hard day 1, covering as much as I possibly could...

Serenity Beach under the evening sky

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Day Two started at 0800 hrs and I overslept that bugged me so much... So I wanted to get out as soon as possible as I had lots to cover... First stop was to eat breakfast to help me get through the long day coming up. So on my way to Auroville I came across this beautiful Bistro called bread and chocolate. Found a table overlooking the road and was a perfect start. Well I am not going to talk a lot about the food as pictures speak louder than words !!!

Summertime Tartine !!!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Organic freshly brewed coffee

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

I highly recommend this place !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Bread and Chocolate

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The view

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

So post that scrumptious meal I headed to Matrimandir to try my luck and it worked !!!. So the guy was kind enough to let me in. I can't do any justice by explaining how my first experience with meditation was. I just have to say that you need to experience it at least once in your life and it's just amazing. After spending an hour there, I looked at my watch and it was 1130 hrs. The next stop was Paradise Beach roughly around 12 kms from Auroville which took me 20 mins... And man I was in for a treat. The weather was perfect and sun was a little kind to me.... also I managed to get some great pictures !!!

Captivating !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

My new desktop wallpaper !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Me again !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Fishing boats

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Paradise indeed

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

After spending sometime at the beach the next stop was Arikamedu. Well this place is not on most travellers list but I still wanted to check the place out... And it was just 5 kms from Paradise Beach.

Arikamedu is an archaeological site which was a trade check post in the 17th century and I like historical sights so was a win win for me !!!. I off roaded all the way till the edge which opened out to the sea which was probably the access point for sea trade...

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Should be restored !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Arikamedu !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

By the time I was done with my little off roading adventure it was 1300 hrs and the sun wanted to show me who's boss so I decided to take a break and have lunch till the temperature eased up. So the place I chose was suggested to me by my sister and as per her it was a must visit. The place is called Villa Shanti a place I could not visit the first day as I had arrived after their lunch serving hours...

While riding towards the restaurant through the French Colony I noticed this little Moto Pub and was curious to go in... I was totally blown away. This place had so much detail in the decor! I couldn't help my self but have a beer and relax for sometime.

The French Colonies

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Like I said the Decor

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Chilled beer is heavenly when you are out and the sun's at its peak !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The view !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The Road Motopub Lounge

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

After finishing my beer it was time to eat something and the next stop was Villa Shanti for lunch. As French as it gets, the restaurant was buzzing but I still managed to get a table. A little on the expensive side but a great place to visit if you are in Pondicherry...

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

A refreshing musk melon and coconut rum cocktail ????????

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Beautiful !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Villa Shanti

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Foooooddddd

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The next and the Final stop for the day was the Alamparai Fort a place which again is not very famous amongst visitors... But after being all refueled I wanted to just ride along the beach and this place was 50 kms away towards Chennai which was perfect. Coming to the journey it was amazing, the road, the landscapes, the strong winds made the experience heavenly...

Showoff !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The Bridge and the ugly poster...

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The Devil standing tall

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Me and my humble companion

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The strongest winds I have ever encountered riding...

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

FINAL STOP the Alamparai Fort built in the 17th century by Mughals is a work of art and I enjoyed every minute spent there...

There was a pre wedding photoshoot being carried out there and why not the location was just breathtaking....

Picture Perfect !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Well I excused myself during the photoshoot to get a shot of this amazing sight...

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The Alamparai Fort

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

The Landscape

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian
Day 3

The day began at 0530 hrs heading back to Bangalore.... It's a bitter-sweet moment when your holiday comes to an end. But got to see some great sights on my way back through rural India which made me end my holiday on a high. In the end I was satisfied that I put all my time there to great use and managed to explore Pondicherry to the fullest....

Getting better with every passing moment !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Last one for the trip !!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

My humble tourer!!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Would conclude by saying that travel is the only thing that you spend money on and makes you richer !!!!

Ride safe always !!!!!

Photo of Two days In A Paradise Called Pondicherry by Shantanu Subramanian

Pondicherry here I come !!!!