Blackened & darkened, we are back from Pondy!
Why Pondy?? Well, because it was close enough for a drive (300 Kms) and seemed like a leisurely place to spend a long weekend. It lived to its promise.
We started on Saturday morning, and hit the two lane road between Krishnagiri and Chengam after a 100 Km stretch on the Golden Quadrilateral. It was picturesque with the ruins of Gingee fort offering a good photo opp. Budgeted 7 hours for the drive but made it in 6. Checked-in at the Promenade Hotel around 2 PM and crashed.
In the evening, we went to roof top restaurant at the hotel. There was a sea of humanity around Gandhi statue and the old lighthouse. The one kilometer stretch of Beach Road called Goubert Avenue was alive. We walked about and then sat on the rocky beach for a while. Also watched a dance show along with the crowd before dropping by an exhibition-cum-sale of terracotta and coconut shell accessories. Thanks to low taxes owing to Pondy being a union territory, it offered a wonderful shopping experience. Guess what?! Rash even found an old friend on Goubert Road. No, no…kidding. She is just posing.
Geared with enthusiasm and equipped with a map, we were all set to explore the north beaches as the sun rose on Day 2. After getting lost for an hour (as usual), our search ended at the Auro beach. Though initially thrilled, we soon discovered that the sea, sand and the sun hurt. The sea was rough, the sand grainy and the sun was spewing heat. Spirited though, we fought it all and had great fun.
Day 3 was earmarked to search beaches in south of Pondy and our zeal led us to the paradise…. i.e. Paradise Beach on the island of Chunambur. Breathtaking, as it was, we reached there after a boat-ride through backwaters. Here’s the cool dude who discovered it.
The fun began and continued…the sea was exquisite, the sand soft and we ignored the sun. ‘Baby Dubey’ also enjoyed every moment. The signs of scorching heat were showing on the reddened shoulders, but of course….we ignored it again. With firm plans to return by the break of dawn on Day 4, we reluctantly took the boat back from the island after many fun-filled hours.
Day 4: Antiseptic cream…
We looked at each other sympathetically and tried smiling on our plight. Boy! It was hard. Our roasted faces were now getting darker.
Even on Day 5, Rash was trying hard not to cry. But we decided to visit Auroville before leaving anyway and posed with our companion on this trip: KA-03-MC-386.
Determined to return to Paradise Beach again, we had a quick bite at Hotel Saravana Bhawan and reached Bangalore before sundown.
You can see all these and few other pictures at our album here.
Moral of the story: Always carry water-resistant sunscreen (SPF 15 or more) to the beaches. But if you forget it, don’t worry and just chill.
No comments:
Post a Comment