As a child I had visited Chennai for may be two weddings. And as I grew up, I heard terrifying stories of how bad Chennai weather is. In my head it was synonymous with bad weather, may I say.
So when my sister said we'll cover Chennai - Pondicherry on a certain weekend, I was skeptical initially. But then I gave in thinking, "Let's not be prejudiced." Plus the thought of visiting Pondicherry after Chennai was alluring. To add to this, I felt really nice to sit in a train after long. I like the train lulling me to sleep.... it has that perfect rhythm :-)
So as I got down to the Chennai station, I was amazed by the size of it! Huge with the train lines coming to an end there. To make it more adventurous, we hadn't booked a hotel! So our plan was to go to Eggmore and find a hotel. And in a tucked away corner we found this decent hotel, in a much cheaper price. Only to find out later that it was at a walkable distance from Spencer Plaza :-D So off we went for some shopping in the Plaza and found an Antique stuff selling shop. I was amazed to see fountain pens from 100 years ago, pocket watches, cuckoo clock and what not! Something to mention would definitely be the Chettinad veg curry that we had in the Plaza. Gosh! It was so delectable! I can actually taste it while I write this! We headed to Marina Beach after that. I was tired to walk till the sea was actually in view! It was a really long walk! And for some reason the crowd on the beach didn't let me like the place so much....
Anyways, we headed to Sarvana Bhavan after the beach. I couldn't give it a miss or else I'd have to hang my head in shame! The place stands true to it's name for South Indian dishes. After having a yummy meal, how could we not order 'Filter Coffee'? :-) Oh yes! The waiters of Sarvana Bhavan are worth a mention. I'll say they make use of technology, the right way. They look like spies dressed up in black and white, have BlackBerrys to take an order. When I saw them, I hid my phone which was kept on the table ;-)
I was more excited for the Pondicherry visit the same night. I love that town, a small and simple one, tourists all around.With the stay being decided upon at a friend's place, it couldn't have been better. I went into 'disconnect' mode when in Pondicherry. A state I like to be in when on a vacation or even small trips. It gives me time - with me when alone, and with the people I'm travelling with, when in a group.
I was missing being near a water body since so long. Especially beaches. So Pondicherry was my hope. We rushed to the beach the next morning. As soon as I saw the sea, I felt at peace. It welcomed me, though it was a bit rough that day. I don't know what it is about water bodies that attracts me. I'm not scared, though I don't know how to swim. Anyways, so I couldn't resist feeling the sand, the water, waves lapping on my feet. I don't like to jump in to the sea per se. I just love that feeling of water and sand.
As I stood there looking at the limitless sea, waves playing around me, I realised later how much I was in the moment. That feeling of waves surrounding my feet and leaving made me realise the importance of being in the moment. And I was glad I try to do so every day - live in the moment. As the waves made me feel being in water, they also made me feel that they're taking away bits of me everytime they leave me. No, I wasn't upset about it. I was happy that somebody is taking away bits of me, and will take them to another place may be. I felt at peace being surrounded by those waves.
It struck me how important it is to disconnect with the world which is different from the actual one - the one dominated by nature, the one I find myself at peace. As I end this blog post while welcoming 2012, I really wish to travel like crazy this year, to see more to life, more to nature, to be more at peace :-)
Happy New Year people! Have an awesome one! :-)
So when my sister said we'll cover Chennai - Pondicherry on a certain weekend, I was skeptical initially. But then I gave in thinking, "Let's not be prejudiced." Plus the thought of visiting Pondicherry after Chennai was alluring. To add to this, I felt really nice to sit in a train after long. I like the train lulling me to sleep.... it has that perfect rhythm :-)
So as I got down to the Chennai station, I was amazed by the size of it! Huge with the train lines coming to an end there. To make it more adventurous, we hadn't booked a hotel! So our plan was to go to Eggmore and find a hotel. And in a tucked away corner we found this decent hotel, in a much cheaper price. Only to find out later that it was at a walkable distance from Spencer Plaza :-D So off we went for some shopping in the Plaza and found an Antique stuff selling shop. I was amazed to see fountain pens from 100 years ago, pocket watches, cuckoo clock and what not! Something to mention would definitely be the Chettinad veg curry that we had in the Plaza. Gosh! It was so delectable! I can actually taste it while I write this! We headed to Marina Beach after that. I was tired to walk till the sea was actually in view! It was a really long walk! And for some reason the crowd on the beach didn't let me like the place so much....
Anyways, we headed to Sarvana Bhavan after the beach. I couldn't give it a miss or else I'd have to hang my head in shame! The place stands true to it's name for South Indian dishes. After having a yummy meal, how could we not order 'Filter Coffee'? :-) Oh yes! The waiters of Sarvana Bhavan are worth a mention. I'll say they make use of technology, the right way. They look like spies dressed up in black and white, have BlackBerrys to take an order. When I saw them, I hid my phone which was kept on the table ;-)
I was more excited for the Pondicherry visit the same night. I love that town, a small and simple one, tourists all around.With the stay being decided upon at a friend's place, it couldn't have been better. I went into 'disconnect' mode when in Pondicherry. A state I like to be in when on a vacation or even small trips. It gives me time - with me when alone, and with the people I'm travelling with, when in a group.
I was missing being near a water body since so long. Especially beaches. So Pondicherry was my hope. We rushed to the beach the next morning. As soon as I saw the sea, I felt at peace. It welcomed me, though it was a bit rough that day. I don't know what it is about water bodies that attracts me. I'm not scared, though I don't know how to swim. Anyways, so I couldn't resist feeling the sand, the water, waves lapping on my feet. I don't like to jump in to the sea per se. I just love that feeling of water and sand.
As I stood there looking at the limitless sea, waves playing around me, I realised later how much I was in the moment. That feeling of waves surrounding my feet and leaving made me realise the importance of being in the moment. And I was glad I try to do so every day - live in the moment. As the waves made me feel being in water, they also made me feel that they're taking away bits of me everytime they leave me. No, I wasn't upset about it. I was happy that somebody is taking away bits of me, and will take them to another place may be. I felt at peace being surrounded by those waves.
It struck me how important it is to disconnect with the world which is different from the actual one - the one dominated by nature, the one I find myself at peace. As I end this blog post while welcoming 2012, I really wish to travel like crazy this year, to see more to life, more to nature, to be more at peace :-)
Happy New Year people! Have an awesome one! :-)
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