My Not so good trip to Pulicat Lake

scopriobharath · 23rd April 2010, 18:44

Hi Guys,

I Finally managed to make a trip to Pulicat on saturday 27th March 2010. Sorry or the delay courtesy: Office work.

First search was on T-BHP and found two posts/threads on Pulicat Lake visit.

There was nothing binding like a Coorg trip / Ooty Trip, but i found pretty much info about the place.

On Friday I decided to do the following route

Chennai (Padi) - Tollgate - Ponneri - Tada - Sulurpeta - shriharikota - Tada Boating - Pulicat Town – Chennai

Vehicle: 2007 Santro XO Limited Edition coated with a Charming Grey Paint.

We started off at 7:00 am sharp from my house and reached tollgate at around 7:40. Reasonable traffic till Tollgate. After tollgate there is a bridge at Karanodai where the Highway becomes a Single Lane road (one up and one down). This took 15 mins to cross. Just after this we stopped at Jeevas for breakfast. The place was on our right and we took the
U Turn just after Jeeva's and reached the place. It is very neat and a new joint i guess. Loo was clean too, with the exception of Cigarette smell. We Ordered a "Mini Tiffin", "Onion Rava Dosa" and "Coffee". The bill came to around 114/-. Coffee was the coffee day style of coffee. There is ample Parking with a Security Guard. Food was very good.

We started from Jeevas cafe and headed towards Sulurpetta. We reached sullurpeta and took a right at the roundabout, climbed the bridge over the railway tracks and headed towards Shriharikota.

Enroute and saw a board to the right indicating Pulicat Lake. We took that and the road was pathetic. My newly washed car became covered in Red Mud. We did not see or reach anything similar to pulicat lake. It was all barren land. Maybe the lake has dried up. Maybe around 50 years ago there would have been some water around. We came back after going about 6 kms.

We took a right headed towards Shriharikota. The road is scenic and worth the drive. Roads are good without potholes but not smooth. It is quite uneven.

We headed towards GQ and turned towards Chennai, looking for some opportunity for Boating. We went till Tada / Arambakkam but found no clue about boating. Enquiries provides Futile too. There are no APTDC Signs about boating too. We finally halted at Arambakkam for juice and the shopkeeper suggested a place. We had to trace back a long way as there is no U Turn. (P.S. I never drive on the wrong side like most of our members.). We crossed the tracks and took a road but it proved futile. No lake and no Road. Santro had a tough time but managed well. SUVs would have pulled it out with ease.

No luck, we turned and headed towards Ponneri / Gummidipoondi. We went to Gummidipoondi Bustand as there was no Hotel on highway. We went to a hotel, something like Kalyana Bhavan Pure Veg. The ambience is okay. Food is Horrible and service is pathetic. T here are no more good hotels in the vicinity. We hit the road and took left at Ponneri junction and followed the road to Pulicat village or locally called Pazhaverkadu. road is good with adequate signage. It is a straight road, so no confusions at all. Reached Pulicat and had to pay an atrocious Rs 20/- Entrance charge with receipt. The ticket seller pestered me for boating but I refused. We went on and crossed the bridge and hit the other side. We parked there and walked by the lighthouse to the beach. We encountered a beggar speaking good English. No comments here. We came back and visited the Dutch Cemetary. There is no Dutch fort nor do the locals know about it. Google maps shows dutch fort, but there is no one in Pulicat who knows about it.

On our way back we saw a boad to Annamalaiar bird sanctuary and took that road. After 5 kms we were lost, so we headed back. There are roads which split into two, but there is no indication which way to go. I am a paranoid, so I decided to turn back and head towads Chennai.

Tired and fatigued, we finally drove home and reached by 7:00 pm./ Heavy traffic on Saturday evening playing spoilsport.

I would personally recommend not to make a Pulicat Lake trip as it is not worth it.

ImranShahnawaz · 23rd April 2010, 19:05

I would personally recommend not to make a Pulicat Lake trip as it is not worth it.[/quote]

Hi scopriobharath, feel sorry for the trip. But the positve side is you had a good drive with your family.

MX6 · 23rd April 2010, 19:10

Dude. You had an amazing trip. The photos look inviting. Ofcourse, I felt, "where's the lake". But you had a good adventure but ask us not to try that?
Maybe a detour to Sriharikota would have been good.

0-100 · 23rd April 2010, 19:14

hey nice alloys ........

rainthreat · 23rd April 2010, 19:15

Hi Scopriobharath
There is a Dutch fort at Pulicat but mostly in ruins. For a better specimen of a Dutch seaside fort visit Tharangabadi (Tranquebar) in Nagapattinam district about 15 km north of Karaikal.
Further you probably went at the wrong time. During October to March Pulicat lake plays host to a large number of migratory birds including flamingoes. It looks like this year they have returned earlier than usual.

MX6 · 23rd April 2010, 23:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainthreat

Hi Scopriobharath
There is a Dutch fort at Pulicat but mostly in ruins. For a better specimen of a Dutch seaside fort visit Tharangabadi (Tranquebar) in Nagapattinam district about 15 km north of Karaikal.
Further you probably went at the wrong time. During October to March Pulicat lake plays host to a large number of migratory birds including flamingoes. It looks like this year they have returned earlier than usual.

The one at Tranquebar is Danish and not Dutch I guess.

rainthreat · 24th April 2010, 05:30

MX6

My mistake! Ignorance Sir, Pure Ignorance ( to quote Samuel Johnson) Thanks for pointing out the monumental blunder (sorry could not resist the pun)

scopriobharath · 26th April 2010, 12:04

@MX6 – I think I should have rephrased my statement.

There is no “sight-seeing ” like a fort / monument as such. A standard family of dad / mom / spouse may not enjoy it. Auto buffs like us will enjoy it for the Drive, route and a somewhat “off-road experience”. The places we went were like deserts in most places. It is a good place to try Driving in the Sand or over Bushes. It is very much doable by a person with Average drving experience.

@0-100 – Thanks Man. The alloys are the standard factory fit alloys that came along with the Limited Edition car. In fact when i was buying the car, It was the Alloys that made me narrow down to the Santro.

scopriobharath · 26th April 2010, 12:11

We went upto Shriharikota (SHAR Circle) but we were denied entry as we had no permission. There was a board mentioning no entry without permission. The security advised us no visitors were allowed.

MX6 · 26th April 2010, 12:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

@MX6 – I think I should have rephrased my statement.

There is no “sight-seeing ” like a fort / monument as such. A standard family of dad / mom / spouse may not enjoy it. Auto buffs like us will enjoy it for the Drive, route and a somewhat “off-road experience”. The places we went were like deserts in most places. It is a good place to try Driving in the Sand or over Bushes. It is very much doable by a person with Average drving experience.

OK. so the trip was good but you had nothing to see. Now I get the point! Reminds me of our trip to the Stone henge once. We all reached Stone Henge at 9:30 in the night. In pitch darkness we couldn't see a thing. Then we trained our car headlights to see a silhouette. Then I had to do some night time recording on my handycam to get some kind of pic. It was an enjoyable trip though. Finally we saw the stone henge back at home in the internet.

aargee · 26th April 2010, 12:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by 0-100

hey nice alloys ........

Those are OE.

Bharath - Did you consider visiting Tada? That should've not disappointed you or have you visited Tada several times?

OT - So you live in Padi huh? I live in Thirumullaivoyal, we should meet up sometimes.

mjothi · 26th April 2010, 12:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

We went upto Shriharikota (SHAR Circle) but we were denied entry as we had no permission. There was a board mentioning no entry without permission. The security advised us no visitors were allowed.

Do not expect to get permission so easily. I use to work for them as resident engineer, and even to we guys it would be tough to come and and get in.

Not to say that they reorganize the securities (most are CRPF) around the countries for once in 6 months period. Very rarely you can see familiar faces

We were not allowed to have our ICE in car at that time we need to enter the office premises. Not sure about now.

On the travelogue, man you had a wonderful drive. We use to have real dhabaas with those coir cot etc. Not sure if its still there.

I hate the current Dhabaas trend. Any hotel with a few independent tents becomes a dhabaa point

mjothi · 26th April 2010, 12:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by aargee

Those are OE.

Bharath - Did you consider visiting Tada? That should've not disappointed you or have you visited Tada several times?

OT - So you live in Padi huh? I live in Thirumullaivoyal, we should meet up sometimes.

There are few more heads there. Me too from Korattur. But stay in bangy. May be can meetup when I visit there. Where is "Mission Aborted" guy

aargee · 26th April 2010, 12:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjothi

There are few more heads there. Me too from Korattur. But stay in bangy. May be can meetup when I visit there. Where is "Mission Aborted" guy

Safari & I work in the same IT campus

; Good to know you're from Korattur.

scopriobharath · 26th April 2010, 12:33

Dear Aargee - I visited Tada. that was my first time.

While coming from Sulurpetta, After passing the Tada Railway Station to our left, look out for boards with some Bird Paintings on them, and an arrow suggesting us to take left there. I took the left and crossed the railway tracks (Manned) and headed where the road took me. I could see something like water in the far distance. I could not see any birds or an organized boating by APTDC / Private. there were some fishermen who were fishing at some distance. There was too much sand and I was scared of the santro getting stuck in the sand, so did not venture out much into the sand. I did not deal with the fishermen because it was just me and my spouse and security was a concern. I am referring to the place indicated in pics 5,7,8,9,10 from bottom.

If i have missed something in Tada, Let us make a trip there and explore the place. Maybe other TBHPians can also join. I am open on all weekends. We can share the vehicle / costs if necassary.

O.T: I live in Teynampet - near the Cenotaph road Lanson Toyota Showroom / Dhabba Express. We can definetly meet up sometime. By the by my spouse is from Ambattur.

23rd April 2010, 18:44	#1
scopriobharath Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 3,617 Thanked: 1,330 Times	My Not so good trip to Pulicat Lake Hi Guys, I Finally managed to make a trip to Pulicat on saturday 27th March 2010. Sorry or the delay courtesy: Office work. First search was on T-BHP and found two posts/threads on Pulicat Lake visit. There was nothing binding like a Coorg trip / Ooty Trip, but i found pretty much info about the place. On Friday I decided to do the following route Chennai (Padi) - Tollgate - Ponneri - Tada - Sulurpeta - shriharikota - Tada Boating - Pulicat Town – Chennai Vehicle: 2007 Santro XO Limited Edition coated with a Charming Grey Paint. We started off at 7:00 am sharp from my house and reached tollgate at around 7:40. Reasonable traffic till Tollgate. After tollgate there is a bridge at Karanodai where the Highway becomes a Single Lane road (one up and one down). This took 15 mins to cross. Just after this we stopped at Jeevas for breakfast. The place was on our right and we took the U Turn just after Jeeva's and reached the place. It is very neat and a new joint i guess. Loo was clean too, with the exception of Cigarette smell. We Ordered a "Mini Tiffin", "Onion Rava Dosa" and "Coffee". The bill came to around 114/-. Coffee was the coffee day style of coffee. There is ample Parking with a Security Guard. Food was very good. We started from Jeevas cafe and headed towards Sulurpetta. We reached sullurpeta and took a right at the roundabout, climbed the bridge over the railway tracks and headed towards Shriharikota. Enroute and saw a board to the right indicating Pulicat Lake. We took that and the road was pathetic. My newly washed car became covered in Red Mud. We did not see or reach anything similar to pulicat lake. It was all barren land. Maybe the lake has dried up. Maybe around 50 years ago there would have been some water around. We came back after going about 6 kms. We took a right headed towards Shriharikota. The road is scenic and worth the drive. Roads are good without potholes but not smooth. It is quite uneven. We headed towards GQ and turned towards Chennai, looking for some opportunity for Boating. We went till Tada / Arambakkam but found no clue about boating. Enquiries provides Futile too. There are no APTDC Signs about boating too. We finally halted at Arambakkam for juice and the shopkeeper suggested a place. We had to trace back a long way as there is no U Turn. (P.S. I never drive on the wrong side like most of our members.). We crossed the tracks and took a road but it proved futile. No lake and no Road. Santro had a tough time but managed well. SUVs would have pulled it out with ease. No luck, we turned and headed towards Ponneri / Gummidipoondi. We went to Gummidipoondi Bustand as there was no Hotel on highway. We went to a hotel, something like Kalyana Bhavan Pure Veg. The ambience is okay. Food is Horrible and service is pathetic. T here are no more good hotels in the vicinity. We hit the road and took left at Ponneri junction and followed the road to Pulicat village or locally called Pazhaverkadu. road is good with adequate signage. It is a straight road, so no confusions at all. Reached Pulicat and had to pay an atrocious Rs 20/- Entrance charge with receipt. The ticket seller pestered me for boating but I refused. We went on and crossed the bridge and hit the other side. We parked there and walked by the lighthouse to the beach. We encountered a beggar speaking good English. No comments here. We came back and visited the Dutch Cemetary. There is no Dutch fort nor do the locals know about it. Google maps shows dutch fort, but there is no one in Pulicat who knows about it. On our way back we saw a boad to Annamalaiar bird sanctuary and took that road. After 5 kms we were lost, so we headed back. There are roads which split into two, but there is no indication which way to go. I am a paranoid, so I decided to turn back and head towads Chennai. Tired and fatigued, we finally drove home and reached by 7:00 pm./ Heavy traffic on Saturday evening playing spoilsport. I would personally recommend not to make a Pulicat Lake trip as it is not worth it. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by scopriobharath : 23rd April 2010 at 18:54.
	() Thanks

23rd April 2010, 19:05	#2
ImranShahnawaz BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore/Chennai Posts: 132 Thanked: 5 Times View My Garage	I would personally recommend not to make a Pulicat Lake trip as it is not worth it.[/quote] Hi scopriobharath, feel sorry for the trip. But the positve side is you had a good drive with your family.
	() Thanks

23rd April 2010, 19:10	#3
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	Dude. You had an amazing trip. The photos look inviting. Ofcourse, I felt, "where's the lake". But you had a good adventure but ask us not to try that? Maybe a detour to Sriharikota would have been good.
	() Thanks

23rd April 2010, 19:14	#4
0-100 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 69 Thanked: 84 Times	hey nice alloys ........
	() Thanks

23rd April 2010, 19:15	#5
rainthreat BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 28 Thanked: Once	Hi Scopriobharath There is a Dutch fort at Pulicat but mostly in ruins. For a better specimen of a Dutch seaside fort visit Tharangabadi (Tranquebar) in Nagapattinam district about 15 km north of Karaikal. Further you probably went at the wrong time. During October to March Pulicat lake plays host to a large number of migratory birds including flamingoes. It looks like this year they have returned earlier than usual.
	() Thanks

24th April 2010, 05:30	#7
rainthreat BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 28 Thanked: Once	MX6 My mistake! Ignorance Sir, Pure Ignorance ( to quote Samuel Johnson) Thanks for pointing out the monumental blunder (sorry could not resist the pun)
	() Thanks

26th April 2010, 12:04	#8
scopriobharath Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 3,617 Thanked: 1,330 Times	@MX6 – I think I should have rephrased my statement. There is no “sight-seeing ” like a fort / monument as such. A standard family of dad / mom / spouse may not enjoy it. Auto buffs like us will enjoy it for the Drive, route and a somewhat “off-road experience”. The places we went were like deserts in most places. It is a good place to try Driving in the Sand or over Bushes. It is very much doable by a person with Average drving experience. @0-100 – Thanks Man. The alloys are the standard factory fit alloys that came along with the Limited Edition car. In fact when i was buying the car, It was the Alloys that made me narrow down to the Santro.
	() Thanks

26th April 2010, 12:11	#9
scopriobharath Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 3,617 Thanked: 1,330 Times	We went upto Shriharikota (SHAR Circle) but we were denied entry as we had no permission. There was a board mentioning no entry without permission. The security advised us no visitors were allowed.
	() Thanks

26th April 2010, 12:33	#15
scopriobharath Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 3,617 Thanked: 1,330 Times	Dear Aargee - I visited Tada. that was my first time. While coming from Sulurpetta, After passing the Tada Railway Station to our left, look out for boards with some Bird Paintings on them, and an arrow suggesting us to take left there. I took the left and crossed the railway tracks (Manned) and headed where the road took me. I could see something like water in the far distance. I could not see any birds or an organized boating by APTDC / Private. there were some fishermen who were fishing at some distance. There was too much sand and I was scared of the santro getting stuck in the sand, so did not venture out much into the sand. I did not deal with the fishermen because it was just me and my spouse and security was a concern. I am referring to the place indicated in pics 5,7,8,9,10 from bottom. If i have missed something in Tada, Let us make a trip there and explore the place. Maybe other TBHPians can also join. I am open on all weekends. We can share the vehicle / costs if necassary. O.T: I live in Teynampet - near the Cenotaph road Lanson Toyota Showroom / Dhabba Express. We can definetly meet up sometime. By the by my spouse is from Ambattur.
	() Thanks