At 10 am on a Friday morning, the weekend mood is just about setting in. During my autoride to office, I tell the driver to slow down and get a grip on his steering. I am not in a hurry, I yell at him.
The cell phone beeps, and it's K. "You want to go to Pondi today? I just thought we should make this impromptu plan and show our onsite husbands that we can loaf around too," she quipped.
And that's it! K and me found ourselves on a train to Chennai at 6 that same evening. Tickets? Well, God Bless the agent in K's office and those who created the Tatkal scheme. Saturday morning, 8 AM saw two hungry and famished souls digging into irresistible idly sambar at Saravana's in Chennai Railway Station. At 9, we were on a green bus that had its driver, conductor and front glass scream - ECR Express.
The ECR Express highway is touted to be one of the most scenic highways in the country. With the sea on one side, and meadows on the other, the route truly is a sight to behold. There are plenty of attractions enroute - DakshinChitra, Mahabaleshwar, Crocodile country - but all that would have taken us time, and K and me had just one destination - Auroville.
7 kms ahead of Pondicherry city, the bus came to a screeching halt, and the driver barked at us to get out. We hopped out to find the little gali ( = lane) that takes one to Auroville. We took an autoride straight into the heart of the village, 2 mnts away from the mesmerizing Matrimandir. The Center Guest House is one of the oldest guest houses in Auroville, and it has what every other guest house in Auroville has - friendly dogs! My weekend was made!!!
We hired a moped, and spent the next 24 hours roaming around the village. Dug into the authentic french-style chocolate mousse like we were seeing food for the first time in life! Late in the evening, the Australian lady called us over for meditation and a silent walk around the village. Silent Walk? Well, at 8 PM, Auroville resembles the dead of the night...and a silent walk is no mean task! K and me sat on the stone benches under the Banyan. Little diyas kept at the root of the tree shone like fireflies in the night. The silence was deafening.
On the bench nearby sat the Japanese lady. Next to her were the Italians, the Austrians, and so on... Perhaps, that's what makes Auroville - auroville! So many countries under one Banyan!
A walk by the sea next morning, and shopping on Mission Street brought us to the end of our impromptu Pondi visit. We headed back to Chennai in yet another rickety Green Bus, just about made it on time at the station, and plonked ourselves on our berths.
A 36-hour journey for a 24-hour stay? Well worth it!
The cell phone beeps, and it's K. "You want to go to Pondi today? I just thought we should make this impromptu plan and show our onsite husbands that we can loaf around too," she quipped.
And that's it! K and me found ourselves on a train to Chennai at 6 that same evening. Tickets? Well, God Bless the agent in K's office and those who created the Tatkal scheme. Saturday morning, 8 AM saw two hungry and famished souls digging into irresistible idly sambar at Saravana's in Chennai Railway Station. At 9, we were on a green bus that had its driver, conductor and front glass scream - ECR Express.
The ECR Express highway is touted to be one of the most scenic highways in the country. With the sea on one side, and meadows on the other, the route truly is a sight to behold. There are plenty of attractions enroute - DakshinChitra, Mahabaleshwar, Crocodile country - but all that would have taken us time, and K and me had just one destination - Auroville.
7 kms ahead of Pondicherry city, the bus came to a screeching halt, and the driver barked at us to get out. We hopped out to find the little gali ( = lane) that takes one to Auroville. We took an autoride straight into the heart of the village, 2 mnts away from the mesmerizing Matrimandir. The Center Guest House is one of the oldest guest houses in Auroville, and it has what every other guest house in Auroville has - friendly dogs! My weekend was made!!!
We hired a moped, and spent the next 24 hours roaming around the village. Dug into the authentic french-style chocolate mousse like we were seeing food for the first time in life! Late in the evening, the Australian lady called us over for meditation and a silent walk around the village. Silent Walk? Well, at 8 PM, Auroville resembles the dead of the night...and a silent walk is no mean task! K and me sat on the stone benches under the Banyan. Little diyas kept at the root of the tree shone like fireflies in the night. The silence was deafening.
On the bench nearby sat the Japanese lady. Next to her were the Italians, the Austrians, and so on... Perhaps, that's what makes Auroville - auroville! So many countries under one Banyan!
A walk by the sea next morning, and shopping on Mission Street brought us to the end of our impromptu Pondi visit. We headed back to Chennai in yet another rickety Green Bus, just about made it on time at the station, and plonked ourselves on our berths.
A 36-hour journey for a 24-hour stay? Well worth it!
