Day 16: HOMEWARD HO!! (CHANDIKHOLE TO RANCHI)

I woke up rather excited. This was to be the final day of the greatest trip of my life – I had driven through the major part of India. I started getting ready to hit the road as the day broke. Ironically, now that I had moved away from the coast line, I could see a clear sunrise from the window of my hotel room, without any trace of haze or cloud on the horizon, which I have never witnessed in my life at the sea front, be it Mumbai, Kanniyakumari, Vishakhapattanam, Puri or even Lakshadweep.

After about one and a half hours drive in the fresh morning air, I started to feel the need of a good breakfast. After going some distance, I spotted “Hotel Friends”, and pulled in. Here I met Sanjeev Patra, the modest but jovial owner of the place, who offered me stuffed parathas with a sweet n sour chutney, which was superb. The fibrous shreds and the tingling taste of the chutney had something familier about it, but I could not make it out. On asking Patrada informed me this was made from ‘Chalta’ (also known as Elephant Apple). This reminded me of my childhood days spent in Nagaland, where chalta was a common ingredient of pickles and sauces. And now I knew why this taste was so familier, but yet so far away in my memory. Seeing my interest in this, Patrada gave me a pair of chaltas to take home. I also requested him to give me some chutney as a sample to be carried back home, to be used as a guide for preparing the same at home, which he happily did.

Sometime later, while I was cruising at a high speed when I noticed a passenger mini bus directly in front of me travelling me in the same direction. As there was no space on the right side for me to overtake it, and as the guy showed no intention to allow me to do so, I had to swerve to the left to get past him. I admit this was not the ‘right’ thing to do, but then I was ‘left’ with no choice, as the bus was moving at a rather lower speed. And this is very common not only on the highways, but also in city traffic. But as I got closer to him, the bus too suddenly swerved to his left, apparently to drop its passengers. I had to apply brakes as hard as I could, and move my vehicle off the road (luckily there was a flat stretch alongside the road, else at that speed, I’d have overturned) to avoid a collision, which seemed almost inevitable. With screeching and smoking tires, the Black Bull shuddered to a halt just a few feet off the bus, which had also managed to stop by then. The impact was so hard that some of my belongings kept on the rear seat, including my heavy canon binoculars, flew off and hit the front wind screen hard. Realising what a close call it had been and that thankfully everything was intact and everybody unharmed, I restarted my vehicle, cursed the driver of the bus, who also reciprocated, and moved on.

As I got closer to the Odhisha-Jharkhand border, the road as well as the traffic condition started worsening, which I had somehow anticipated. There was a chaotic mess on the bridge over the river which separates the two territories, and it took me a lot of patience, efforts and a bit of rash ‘cutting in’ to get through. Once on the other side, which is my home state, the road condition was even worse. Getting to Jamshedpur, the place of the world renowned Tata Steel via Ghatshila was literally experiencing hell on road, after crossing over six and half thousand kms of excellent and good highways. In fact, the road did no more exist at all mostly. And along with the huge and heavy trucks with their loads of steel and other things struggling through the huge pot holes (craters, to be more appropriate), I had a tough and tiring time. At one point, the underneath of my vehicle hit the (supposedly) road, something that had never happened in past, even while off-roading in this SUV!

It was obvious that for years, repairs and maintenance of this highway has not been done at all! I felt highly irritated and angered. Going back in time, I recalled that I had pedaled in almost darkness on this very stretch smoothly on my solo bicycle trip from Ranchi to Durgapur (another steel city in the state of West Bengal, via its capital Calcutta, now renamed as Kolkata) during my college days in 1982. Infrastructure development has surely gone in the reverse gear in this state.

The delay caused due to the bad road, coupled with another traffic snarl (caused by nothing but absolute lack of any traffic discipline and control) at the T junction leading to Tatanagar (Jamshedpur) forced me to abort my plan to take a detour to meet my cousin Tapas, which I was looking forward to, and drive straight on ahead.

Moving on further, the road improved somewhat, but was still bad. It was past three o’ clock in the afternoon, and I had yet almost another 120 kms to go, which I wanted to finish before sundown, given the condition of the road and the notorious naxalite menace prevailing in this belt. But then, I was very tired and hungry by now. So, as soon as I spotted the board of the 10^th Milestone, a motel I had seen on the NDTV show “Highway on My Plate”, I eagerly pulled in.

The place is a beautifully landscaped resort with several options of outdoor and indoor dining and serves reasonably good food. When I told the Manager that I had seen this place on TV and also featured in the food guide book by the same name, he requested me if I could give him a copy of the same, I had to tell him that I had left the same along with my other baggage at Bangalore. But I jotted down the details of the show for searching on the net, which he promptly took to the owners, who were sitting at another table nearby.

After a good meal of tandoori roti’s and butter chicken, the most popular curry of Northern India, and admiring the view for a while, I got into my driving seat again, and headed off to my final destination—Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, and more importantly, my home.

The road continued to remain bad as I approached the hills of Chotanagpur. Though there were visible signs at places that road widening work was in progress, it was evident that this would take years, as compared to what I witnessed on my return journey just a couple of months later through Chattisgarh, another state carved out along at the same time with Jharkhand, where a concerted effort to improve the highway was very much visible all along.

I reached the outskirts of Ranchi as the Sun set over the last day of my grand tour of my country. I heaved a sigh of relief as the signage saying “We welcome you to the city of Ranchi”.

I called up Mita to announce my arrival shortly. Driving through the known roads and streets, my journey culminated to a warm homecoming.

And friends, here ends my story of The Grand Indian Peninsular Tour.

Day 15: VISHAKHAPATTNAM TO CHANDIKHOLE

Submarine Museum, Vizag

It was time to leave the pretty city of Vizag. After arming myself with a ‘double’ breakfast for another long journey, of which I had no idea as to where it would end for the day, I drove out of the port city. Just on the outskirts of the city, a coach was moving just in front of me. The passengers of the coach must have been served refreshments on board, ‘cause empty packs of ‘Fruity’ mango juice and biscuits & wafer wrappers started raining out of the coach’s windows from both sides. And as if there was no stopping, it went on and on for a couple of kilometers. Despite my best efforts, I could not overtake the coach. The very name of the coach “Domestic Travels” painted on the rear windscreen explained the civic sense of the passengers, I ruefully said to myself, wondering whether they would try to do the same in-flight!

Around noon, I entered the state of Orissa (now referred to as ‘Odisha’), and a couple of hours later, took a small detour from the highway to reach the bank of the Chilika lagoon, the biggest of its kind in Asia.

Joyrides to an island and dolphin sighting trips are conducted for the tourists here, but as it was around 2:30 pm, and the Sun was very strong, the only activity I could witness was some fishing boats coming in with their catch.

Dried fish

My Catch of ‘Fresh’ dried fish

After having a hearty lunch (as usual, I was starving by now) of rice and prawn curry, I did my mandatory ‘shopping’ of dried fish, though I am not at all fond of the same. And then I drove out of the small habitation of Chilika, leaving the coastline along which I was travelling right from Kanniyakumari, and moved inland.

Soon after, I sighted ‘Kaash’(flowering elephant grass) alongside the highway, which is a signal of the festive autumn season to us Bengalis. This filled up my heart with joy in anticipation of reuniting very soon with my family at the end of this long journey across India.

Homeward Bound

Day 14: VISHAKHAPATNAM

Big Baby !

After having a good sleep in the air-conditioned hotel room, the morning saw us walking down the Beach Road (vehicular traffic is restricted till 7:30 am for the benefit of the morning walkers) to the beachside park which has an adorable huge statue of a baby. And when the traffic was released, we then reached the Submarine museum a short distance away, but were informed that it opens only in the afternoon. We then proceeded to the Ramakrishna temple, and also dropped in at the beach just opposite to this temple. Passing by the War Memorial, which commemorates the war of 1971, we went to the museum nearby, but as it was yet to open, we returned to the hotel for breakfast.

Kailasagiri

Next, we headed for Kailasagiri, an expansive hilltop garden cum outing site maintained by VUDA (Vishakhapatnam Urban Development Authority). This spot can be reached on foot by the stairs, by road or by the ropeway, and we chose the last one. We did have to wait for a while, till the service commenced for the day. You can get a bird’s eye view of the coast line and the sea while travelling by the rope way.

Ropeway to Kailasagiri

Cable car

At Kailasagiri, a toy train (actually, it is much bigger than the toy trains you find in the various gardens accross the country) takes you around the entire hill top for a joy ride. It consists of a diesel loco, two none air-conditioned and one air conditioned coaches, each about the size of a full sized railway coach. A round trip takes about 25 to 30 minutes. It also halts at a couple of ‘stations’, one of which was the most picturesque one I have ever seen.

Skytrain Platform

Skytrain exterior

Interior of the Skytrain

Cutest Hill ‘Station’

At the landscaped center of this park, there is a huge statue of Lord Shiva and his consort Pārbati. Just behind this spot, there are a number of cafes and eateries. A capsule lift at the multi storied building behind a quaint temple (see below) takes you further up for a panoramic view of the surroundings.

Kailas and Parbati

Temple at Kailasagiri

We had checked out of our hotel in the morning with our baggage, and now proceed to the Rushikonda Beach Resort, also managed by APTDC. I had asked the Front Desk person at Hotel Haritha to book a room for me at the resort in advance, but he had assured me that rooms will be easily available there. However, on reaching the resort, which is quite a distance from the Haritha hotel, I was told by the gent at the Reception there that only deluxe a/c suites were available. And when I told the bell boy (who was escorting me to show a nice suite with a double bed) that I needed a room with only a single bed, was taken aback somewhat. Anyway, as I had no intention of staying in an air-conditioned room instead of enjoying the fresh breeze here, and also the fact that the resort was located on quite an altitude from the beach (though they have electric shuttle cars) and at a distance from the city, I decided to go back to Hotel Haritha, and checked in back at the same room there.

Rushikonda Beach

Rushikonda Beach

After lunch and a short post lunch siesta, moved out again in the evening and visited the Submarine Museum, which gives you a good insight of the interior of a submarine and life in there. Entry fee is Rs.40/- per person. Strolled / drove along the Beach Road for some time. The Ramakrishna Temple was illuminated beautifully for the forthcoming Puja. The aquarium nearby was also very interesting. Had a quick dinner, and then drove up to the Waltair Jn., but this time through the main roads, unlike yesterday’s narrow over crowded streets.

Ramkrishna Temple

Looking back, it makes me feel very sad that just after a fortnight of visiting this beautiful city, the dreadful cyclone Hudhud struck and ravaged this place costing several lives and tremendous damages. The scenes of the devastated city flashed repeatedly on the TV news, including the massacred Kailasagiri, the damaged statue of the gigantic baby, the battered Submarine Museum and the collapsed War Memorial still haunt me. I sincerely pray that this city is restored to its former glory as soon as possible.

Beach Roadside Beauties

Day 13: VIJAYWADA TO VISHAKHAPATTANAM

Boat from Island

Bridge on the river

Reached the bank of the very wide river Krishna early morning and watched the first boat from the island reach. Next, had a leisurely walk on the green lawns of the hotel, followed by getting ready, having breakfast and hitting the road once again, after having a glance of the barrage on the way. Lost some time in locating an ATM to withdraw some cash. That done, headed towards our next destination– Vishakhapattnam, 445 kms. away, via Rajamundry. This was much lesser than what we had covered on the previous day while travelling from Mahabalipuram to Vijaywada (and also the longest distance travelled in one day during this entire trip of 650 kms).

While driving on a straight and wide stretch of the highway at a good speed, I suddenly noticed a snake (must be about five feet long) crossing the road in front of me. I tried to swerve sharply to save it, but it was too late. From what I could see in my rear view mirror for a moment, it seemed I had run over the snake. Despite being thankful that there was no other vehicle close to mine or that I did not lose control, I felt very sad over this unavoidable loss of life, as I always respectfully give priority to animals crossing in front of me.

At Rajamundry, we stopped by the river bank for a short while and watched people dressed in red clothes taking bath in the river. I realized that this was a religious ritual for the ongoing navratras. Passing thru the city, we could see the preparations for the Dussera festivities on in full swing.

By this time, I was getting very hungry, so started watching out for a possible lunch stop. After some time, I did spot one- The New Swagat Dhaba at the Auto Nagar Turning at Diiwancheruvu on the NH 5. Had a good meal, and piece de resistance was the serving of Prawn Masala, a spicy preparation that was great in quality as well as quantity. As I could not finish it off, I had the leftover packed and carried it along.

Lunch stop off Rajamundry

As we drew in at a refueling station late in the afternoon, a rustic local man carrying a big gunny bag s was approached me and started saying something, but I could not understand his language. I presumed he wanted a lift along with his load, so I tried to express my inability for the same as I normally regret such requests to avoid any undesirable situation on the road. Observing this confusion, the young attendant at the station came to our rescue, and explained to me in broken Hindi and English that the man actually wanted to sell me tender green coconuts he was carrying in his sack. On asking the price, I was informed by the young guy (who now acted as the interpreter between the two of us) that they were Rs. 10/- apiece. This was almost half or one third of what we pay in the cities, so I gladly drank the sweet refreshing water of four of these coconuts. The man suggested that I buy the remaining ones as well and carry them along, but I declined and drove on.

We reached the beautiful port city of Vishakhapattnam of naval importance as the Sun set. I intended to stay at the Haritha Hotel of APTDC located on the end of Beach Road on the first night, and at their Beach Resort at Rushikonda on the next. However, as I landed at the wrong end of Beach Road after driving through very narrow and congested streets from the railway station (Waltair), it took me time to reach the property. Luckily,  got a good room overlooking the Bay.

While going for dinner, I stealthily carried my packet of prawn masala, which I had heated on my induction cooker in my room, and relished along with the food I ordered there, much to the suspicion of the waiter there.

APTDC Hotel Haritha, Vizag

Day 12: MAHABALIPURAM TO VIJAYWADA

We reached the Tiger Cave just a short distance away from the town on the highway towards Chennai. This rock cut temple complex was excavated after a tsunami some years back. This place was perhaps used as an open air theater and has several carvings of tiger heads, lions and also one of Mahisasurmardini or Goddess Durga. Being early morning, we were perhaps the first travelers to reach the spot, and the serenity was wonderful.

Rock Sculpture – Mahisasurmardini

Tiger Cave

Shiva Lingam Note the litter left by tourists in the foreground

Sculpture

Having enjoyed this serene and peaceful place for about an hour, we took a short walk on the beach just beyond the temples. Fishermen were busy attending to their nets. On coming out on the highway, we had breakfast of pongal, idly etc. at the small restaurant just opposite the site and proceeded towards Chennai for our next destination Vijaywada in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Though I did not intend to get into the city of Chennai to avoid the rush hour traffic, I suddenly realized that I had entered the city, having failed to read the direction signage in Tamil. Had to navigate right through the heart of the city and passed by Chennai Central railway terminus for about an hour.

After entering Andhra Pradesh, we stopped at the APTDC Tourist Complex for a short coffee break and resumed our journey, as we had to cover 650kms to reach Vijaywada, and as we had no reserved accommodation, we wanted to reach as early as possible.

Crossing Ongol & Guntur, we reached APTDC Hotel Haritha at Vijaywada around sunset, and were relieved to know that rooms were available. However, despite being rather tired after the long drive, had to wait for some time for check-in, as the desk staff was busy attending to the visiting departmental officials team. The weather was rather hot and humid. The hotel is located on the bank of the wide Krishna River. The hotel also has an island resort and operates boating for tourists and localites.

APTDC Hotel Haritha, Vijaywada

As it was close to Vijayadashami time, a lot of preparations and decorations for the festivities were going on in the city and also the hotel grounds. We had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, and had to leave the terrace door of the room open for cross ventilation for the badly required good sleep.

Day 11: PONDICHERRY TO MAHABALIPURAM

Pure Bliss!!

Having enjoyed a couple of days in pure bliss at Pondicherry, it was time to move on again. After having breakfast in the cafeteria, we proceeded to the Honesty Store, a departmental store operated by the Society. My intention was to buy a few packs of the cashewnut toffees, which I had tasted the previous day and liked very much. The store however, opens only by 9 am, and we had reached rather early. So I killed time by strolling on the street and sipping water of tender coconut.

Once the store opened, I grabbed all the toffee packs available, and also a pack of ‘Sunderkai Vattal’ on the suggestion of the store assistant, though despite all her efforts to explain the recipe, I had no clue how to cook it. We then proceeded towards Mahabalipuram, planning to do the sightseeing quickly, and proceed towards Vijaywada. On the way, we passed by the Odiyur Lake.

Odiyur Lake

On reaching, we stopped at the very first rock cut sites, Valayankuttai and Pidari Rathas and then proceeded towards the Kodikal Mandapam, Thirumurthy Cave, Krishna’s Butter Ball, Ganesha Ratha, Five celled Caves, Arjuna’s Penance etc.

Krishna’s Butter Ball

Arjuna’s Penance

We then visited the Maritime heritage and Lighthouse museum near the lighthouse, which show cases the models of ships, boats, historical as well as recent lighthouse equipments. From there, I proceeded to climb up the lighthouse. Going up, and coming down the steep and narrow spiral staircase had a thrill of its own. And the panoramic 360° view from the top, as well as the gigantic lamp was amazing.

View from lighthouse

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse

View from Lighthouise

Back on the ground, we drove towards the famed Shore Temple of Mahabalipuram.

By this time, I was feeling starved, and pounced on the fried fish, rasam and rice in one of the shack stalls nearby, and gorged to my heart er.. tummy’s satisfaction.

Frying Fish

Fried Fish

As we pulled out of the parking lot, some one pushed in a handbill exhorting us to visit India Seashell Museum nearby, opposite to the Five Rathas.  Though I had not heard about this earlier, we promptly headed in this direction. And believe me, if you have not visited this place, you have seen nothing so far as seashells are concerned. The collection is mind boggling. And their outlet sells all kinds of shell made goodies at a very reasonable prices. I also chanced upon meeting Mr. Raja Mohammed, who has created this vast collection.

India Seashell Museum

By now, I was feeling rather exhausted and decided to stay back for the night instead of driving on. As this was an unplanned stopover, I had not made arrangement for accommodation in advance, so I visited the local tourist office of TTDC. On their suggestion, I then drove to the TTDC Beach Resort. However, only suite rooms were available, and I had no intention of shelling out money for a luxury stay, we headed back and found a room at Abhirami Guest House, just opposite the Radisson Resort.

Abirami Guest House (Courtesy: Chennai 360 degrees)

For dinner, we went to Good Luck Café in the Fishermen’s Colony, which was rated by Tripadvisor as the best place to eat at in Mahabalipuram. The ambience on this simple terrace restaurant was really relaxing, and the sea food we tried out was great.

Day 10: ANOTHER DAY AT PONDICHERRY

Walked down the adjacent lane leading to the gate leading to the jetty in the morning. The guard posted there tried to make a quick buck by demanding an entry fee @ 50/- bucks. I literally said “b***s” to him, and made a detour from the beach side to the spot where the fishermen’s boats were returning with the night’s catch.

Fisherman’s catch

After breakfast, I rented one of the bicycles @Rs. 80/- for the day and set off to meet Gopalda at his residence, whom I could not meet the previous day. After a brief meeting with him, I proceeded to meet Mr. Lalit Verma, a reputed artist and photographer, whose masterful photographs feature in the book ‘Delhi’s Diplomatic Domains: Chanceries and Residences of Chanakyapuri and Imperial New Delhi’, (by Gladys Abankwa-Meier-Klodt), about whom my niece Rashmi had told me. He has set up a impressive studio cum gallery cum guest house named ‘Aurodhan’, and I must admit that having almost zero knowledge on the subject of art, I felt almost like an illiterate amongst all the surrounding art work. Mr. Verma is a very amicable and likable person, and over a cup of coffee, he invited me to a musical event in the evening, which I willingly accepted.

The museum was next on itinerary on the cycle tour. Despite not being a very big one, it gives good information on the history and culture of the region. This was followed by a ride through the streets and the shopping areas of the town. For lunch, walked into a restaurant and had good meal of mutton biriyani and chicken chettynad. Here too the staff was polite and helpful.

Musical evening at Pondicherry

In the evening, I headed off for the concert. The ambience of the venue, which was a lawn with coconut palms and other trees and plants at the back of an beautiful house, added to the charm. The music was kind of French folk music performed by a trio and was very much refreshing. By the time the fully enjoyable session was over past 10 o’ clock, it was almost curfew time at the Guest House, where the gates are closed at 10:30 pm. So I hurridly thanked Mr. Verma for the wonderful evening, reluctantly regretted his kind invitation for dinner and pedaled back furiously, not having time even to pick up some dinner.

Day 9: A DAY IN PONDICHERRY

The morning was clear, but we could see the mess the night’s weather disturbance had created in the lawn. Had a nice breakfast of cut fruit, muesli, buttered toast, cheese omelette and coffee at the cafeteria. From the information board of the Society, I learnt that bicycles were available on rent on a daily basis. The streets of Pondy, specially the rues and more specifically, the Beach Road (Goubert Avenue) with its sparse traffic, are wonderful for cycling. I however, borrowed the scooter of one of the guards on a (unofficial) rental of 250 bucks for the day, and went off to do the sightseeing.

The city is divided into two parts: the French quarters, along the beach and the Tamil quarters. The French part is the main attraction of Pondicherry, with its neat rows of streets (‘rue’ in French) and the well maintained French colonial architecture. The Tamil part (where roads are called ‘Koil’ in Tamil) has the major markets.

We reached the Aurobindo Ashram, which also houses the Samadhi (the marble shrine at the final resting place) of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. After darshan of the same and paying respects, visited the Gallery and the Book Store, where publications, photographs etc. can be purchased. I bought a laminated photo of the Samadhi for our home.

Our next halt was at the Botanical Garden, near the bus stand. Here, the Aquarium was of much interest. The cool ambiance was very soothing as the day was getting rather warm. Another attraction of the place is the  Sound and Light Show held every evening.

Little girl at the Aquarium

Next, we headed via the East Coast Road for the Auroville,  an universal township founded by the Mother. The vision behind this project, which still has a long way to go, was that people of all nationalities, religions, caste, creed etc will live together in harmony.

Matri Mandir at Auroville

At the reception area, we were given an audio visual orientation about the history, vision and mission of Auroville. After a long walk through a landscaped forest area, we reached the centre of this place called Matri Mandir, which has a temple in the shape of a huge golden sphere. This is a restricted place for meditation. After viewing it from a distance, we returned to the reception area, which also has a number of cafes and souvenir shops. I however, decided on having lunch at one of several road side restaurants and cafes nearby.

Once back in town, we entered an outlet of Nilgiri, a reputed chain of departmental stores to buy some green tea and brown rice. Next, I proceeded to meet Gopalda, a very senior member and official of the Aurobindo Society, whom Mita knew very well. Unfortunately, it being a Saturday, he had left for the day by the time I reached his office. Coming out from there, I went on to see the place marked as ‘The Mother’s House’ on the map I had collected from our Guest House, and then returned back.

Ayi Mandapam, Bharathi Park

In the evening, kept roaming on the Beach Road, had coffee at Le Café, a historical building which was the Port House two hundred years back, the Bharathi Park and the Ayi Mandapam, which also has a very interesting history.

The Light House

The War Memorial

Statue of Joseph Francois Dupleix near Park Guest House

For dinner, I settled for ‘Lappa’, a paratha made of flour and eggs, with filling of shredded chicken. And it sure was filling!

Day 8: RAMESHWARAM – PONDICHERRY

On getting up, quickly reached the sea front and waited for the sunrise. As my luck would have it, the horizon was cloudy. However, the hue was wonderful, and after enjoying the colourful glow for some time, came back to the hotel. Much to my irritation, I discovered that the tree under which my vehicle was parked, was a favourite one for the night stay of birds and my vehicle had got a nice ‘poop treatment’ from them. There were several cars parked under other trees, but were in a much cleaner condition. Had to spend almost an hour to clean the droppings, and thereafter had the usual south Indian buffet breakfast in the restaurant, consisting of idly, upma, pongal etc.

Road to Dhanushkodi

Note different colours of tender coconut on my left. The blackish ones are palm fruit that I am enjoying

We headed off to Dhanushkodi, the narrow strip of land on Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka, where Lord Rama had supposed to have built a bridge. Towards the end part, the road was a long straight stretch, and the sea could be seen on both the sides frequently. This once was a thriving township, which along with a train carrying 115 people, was washed out by a tidal wave in a severe cyclone in 1964. Today, ruins of some remnant structures can still be seen. There is a watch tower from where one can get a good view of the surrounding, but I found the access blocked with thorny shrubs.

We returned to Rameshwaram, and crossing back the Pamban bridge, continued driving towards Pondicherry via the East Coast Road. Past 1pm, I started feeling hungry again. But much to my annoyance, almost all food joints alongside were marked ‘Vegetarian’. I was very reluctant to stop in such places, as I was feeling that I badly needed some high-protein (i.e. Non-veg) diet to replenish my sagging energy level. So I drove on and on, but ultimately had to give in, and was compelled to halt at Aryaa Bhawan, a simple looking vegetarian hotel & eatery. The food was simple and elaborate (I counted up to 13 items, served on banna leaf and small bowls), like south Indian thalis (fixed meals) normally are, but the smiling gentleman serving us with his efforts to ensure that I have a good meal, really won my heart.

We Reached Pondicherry around 6 pm, and drove towards the Beach Road (Goubert Avenue), but were told that this road is closed to any type of vehicular traffic from 6 pm to 7 am everyday to enable people to stroll around. So had to leave the vehicle in a lane and set off on foot to hunt for an accommodation. Checked a couple of hotels, but none were worth the exorbitant tariff demanded. Moving a little further, I suddenly noticed the Park Guest House, and went in to enquire. It turned out to be a sizable accommodation, owned and operated by the Sri Aurobindo Society. We got a nice, clean & no frills (no TV, no room service) room with a balcony having awesome view facing the sea for a very reasonable rate of Rs. 700/- only per day. There is a well maintained garden and lawn in front of the building block. They also operate a library and a good cafeteria where one can have breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Not being exactly a hotel, strict rules regarding cleanliness, discipline, timing etc. are enforced.

Park Guest House

Lawn of the Guest House

 

 

Having relaxed for a short while, went out for a walk on the Beach Road & collect my vehicle. Suddenly, it started drizzling. Stepped into one of the several nearby restaurants, serving French and Indian cuisine for dinner. During the night, the drizzle turned into a thunder storm and heavy rain lashed the place.

Day 7 : KANNIYAKUMARI TO RAMESHWARAM

The new light house

Hotel Tamilnadu, Kanniyakumari (with the new light house in the background)

Moved out from Hotel Tamilnadu, Kannyiakumari in the morning and headed for Rameshwaram (about 320kms). As planned earlier, we dropped in at the Vivekanandapuram, the head quarter of Vivekananda Kendra located on the outskirts of Kannyiakumari. This is a self contained setup with accommodation, bank, school, dispensary, bus service to the town etc. propagating the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda. It is a serene place and is a good place to spend a few days in peace.

We had breakfast in the canteen (vegetarian only) and toured around the place. I found the picture gallery to be most interesting and informative. From the Sunrise Beach, we got a good view of the Vivekananda Rock.

Moving on, we crossed the outskirts of Trichy, and could see the Tiruchirapally Rock Fort Temple at a short distance from the highway.

We reached Tuticorin, and as it was getting rather warm, we drank water of tender coconut. These were of a orangeish colour instead of the commonly seen green ones, which were also available. Around noon, we again got closer to the coastline, and though I could not see the sea, we passed by several salt pans, where salt is derived from evaporating brine pumped from the sea. We stopped once more to taste the delicious ‘taal saas’, the tender water filled core of palm fruit. It was quite hot outside by now.

Fresh Salt !

We reached Mandapam, just short of the road and the rail bridge at Pamban. From Kanniyakumari hotel, I had made a booking at the TTDC hotel in Rameshwaram. Seeing the sign of the hotel on my right, drove in only to find a dilapidated building where apparently some construction work was going on. However, on calling up the Kanniyakumari hotel, I was directed to proceed further to Rameshwaram beach. Accordingly, we drove over the  Indira Gandhi Setu, and could see alongside the Pamban Rail Bridge, which folds up to allow large marine vessels to cross.

Pamban Rail Bridge

 

We finally arrived at Hotel Tamilnadu, Rameshwaram, which is quite close to the Ramnathswamy Temple around evening. As we had had no lunch and were almost starving, ordered for Paneer Pakoda and tea. The room was sea facing and comfortable, but the tariff, with the additional tax, seemed comparatively high. More so, the restaurant of the hotel, which was undergoing renovation during our stay, had a rather limited menu.

After a short nap, I headed towards the temple and the beach, where people come from all over the country for offering ‘tarpan’ to their forefathers. Mita, my wife, who had travelled to these places way back kept guiding me regularly on phone, informed me that this temple has the longest temple corridor in India.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After visiting the temple, which was sparsely crowded at this late hour, took a ride on the city bus. Roaming in the streets later on, had chai (tea) and dinner in the market place. My misconception that one has to drink kappi (coffee) mostly in South a tea is not easily available was busted during this trip.