Continuation... the final episode
Initially, i thought we would get to see Mahabs as well, but it was not to be. Wifey had has hopes high, but they were crushed, when we realized we needed to take a left towards Chengalpattu much before we reached Mahabalipuram.
Since we were passing through Kanchi, i decided to meet up with my engineering benchmate who had donned a father's role rather recently. No, he isnt acquainted to a church but is the father to a little boy, 3 months young at the time of penning this report. This friend of mine was my benchmate for the 4 years i was in college, and somehow i had strayed my way out of contact. He, however was always regular in contacting me. This seemed like an apt time to surprise him.
Literally shocked him out of his skin giving him the news that i was coming to meet him.
Back to the trip : Cruising along the ECR was a pleasure. Some may argue its overhyped, but definitely enjoyable. Along the drive, we got to see saltbeds, and also what appeared to be backwaters.
I spotted the restaurant where Akroy had lunched, but thought i would find some other place up ahead to stop. This was not to be, and therein lay my folly. Once we got off the ECR, coming across a place which looked inviting to stop was like trying to find an oasis in the desert. It was past 1, and with our stomachs grumbling, the hunt was only getting more difficult, and the wait more agonizing.
Wifey was getting more and restless, and myself all the more concerned. Distances in km were also not reducing at the rate we expected it to. Finally at Chengalpattu, we found a decent restaurant, and had lunch there. Tamil meals were ordered, and they tasted real good. Maybe the fact that we were hungry added to the effect, but nvertheless, it was nice.
Buoyed by the new-found energy we continued towards Kanchipuram. While i imagined this road would have less traffic, it was actually the opposite. High lorry traffic and slowcoach Ambys which trudged along lowered our pace. A few sudden speedbreakers were thrown in to add to the fun.
The usual route to Bangalore would involve by-passing Kanchi town, but we had to enter. These were the roads my friends and myself used to roam on our bicycles, and here I was today, driving around my own car!
Bought some sweets and gifts for my friend and his family, and headed out to his place. Spent about an hour there. Kanchipuram being the 'Ciy of Temples', visited a temple made from sandstone nearby my friend's house.
Some pics at the temple in Kanchipuram Spotted a parrot atop one of the domes And then there were two!
It was past 5:30 by the time we got back on the road again, making our way to Bangalore. The Chennai-Bangalore highway which is part of the GQ was amazing to drive on. Did some good speeds on this stretch, and was able to hold speeds close to 100 kmph for quite some time. However, the occassional slowcoaches are always around to slow down the rest of the traffic. Soon light had faded, and the speeds also went down.
At the toll gate we had to pay Rs.60/- (one way) for using this road. This is in addition to the Rs35/- which we had to pay for using the ECR till Chengalpattu. At Krishnagiri another toll of Rs.25/- to add to the bill. Considering all this, this route between Pondy-Bangalore didnt appear to be more inviting over the route we had taken during our Bangalore-pondy drive. Granted the roads on the return were better but the other route was not bad to begin with.
Reached A2B (Adyar Ananda Bhavan) around 9, where we had dinner. From there, the trip home took close to an hour, or less.
To sum up : This trip was quite rejuvenating in terms of what we did, and experienced overall. Pondicherry is certainly an amazing place, and we plan to visit the place again sometime in the future.
This was my first attempt at penning down a travelogue, although i have been around here for a while. Let me know of any shortcomings, and i shall put in effort towards a better next one.
, wherever the destination is, and whenever the time period.
A big
Thank you to all who dropped by and provided their comments and encouragement, and also to those who were silent spectators. Hope you all enjoyed this as much as i did.