We did Yercaud, Hogenakkal, Mettur dam and then we wondered what to do .. we still had 2 more days to go ! We did not want to go too far - so finally decided on Pondicherry which was about 3.5 hours from Salem.
So off we went. I must say the roads in Tamil Nadu seem better maintained than the roads in Maharashtra. Even the main golden quadrilateral in Maharashtra seems to be perpetually in a state of construction !! Here the roads - even small roads were in reasonably good shape. Was nice driving.
Matrimandir at Auroville :
The drive to Pondicherry was uneventful. We wanted to see the Matrimandir but found out we had to purchase the tickets a day or two in advance. One person said online but when we enquired at Auroville they said no online ticket exists ! Well .. confusing. Anyway we went to Auroville and saw Matrimandir from outside and enjoyed the walk. Browsed the boutiques and then later on went to beach road.
Beach Road :
There is no beach here mainly rocks on which one can sit and enjoy the spray from the high tide. The sea side promenade walk is a crowded place ( may be 'cos we went there during the weekend ) and there are plenty of hawkers who ply you for food / balloons / small toys / ice creams etc.
This area does not allow vehicles so you can walk down this road at a leisurely pace. There is a war memorial at one end and a Gandhi statue after a kilometer or so.
Tips :
Do ask how to get back to the highway rather than use google maps here. I think the google maps uses information mostly from bike riders and we found we were stuck in one place !!! Luckily one person helped us find a better way to the high way.
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| Matrimandir |
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| Matrimandir |
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| Enroute Matrimandir |
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| Flowers in front of the visual room |
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| Beach road - rocks only and no beach |
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| Beach road - rocks only and no beach |
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