Auroville, the land of Matri Mandir, some good coffee, a great run place in Feb and almost a non-Indian place in India. Its been some time since we went there, so this time, when Nikesh suggested for a group trip, it was settled for Auroville. Just a day before, there was news of big hurricane over Southern India. Schools at Pondicherry were closed for couple of days before our trip. We were in two minds - to go or not to go. We decided to make the trip anyways with lots of board games just in case we are stuck in our homestay. As luck would have it, it did not rain much and we had a great trip!
Day 1 -
One of the main reason to choose Auroville was to visit Matri mandir from inside. For first time goers, a pass is needed that can only be obtained in person. The pass is available at the visitor center at a time window of 10-11 am and 2-3 pm. Our objective was to reach in between the latter window and all plans were done based on that. We stopped for breakfast at Murugan Idli shop (the same one in Chennai) and it was a very good breakfast. This meal would set this trip as an epic foodie trip. From here, we did not stop anywhere all the way to the visitor center reaching at 2:45 pm, with 15 mins to get the pass.
At the entrance only, the guard mentioned that the Matri mandir was undergoing renovations and it was closed till 16th Nov. This would now be my third visit where I have missed it. During the first one, I did not know about this place. During second one, I forgot about the in-person pass thingy. This time, I had remembered but Crowley had some other plans. We still went in and breakfast at the Dreamer's cafe in visitor center. The cafe food was awesome. They make homemade hummus and olive paste. They take olives and grind them to paste and spread it over bread giving it a very nice flavor.
From the visitor center, we went straight to our homestay - Gaia's homestay and rest for a while. Gaia has amazing trees/garden with couple of man-made ponds that make it very peaceful. No network too. Our dinner was done at Tantos post that we went to Auroville beach just to get the night sea-breeze.
Day 2 -
Day 2 plan was simple. Good food and beach. The day started with a majestic breakfast at Auroville cafe. For that food, the food charges are lower than my lowered expectation. The cafe is closed on Sundays so we made it our plan to have food there on Saturday itself. Food was very delicious and prompt service. From the cafe, we went to Paradise beach, first stopping at the Chunnambar boathouse for the tickets.
There was bit of a queue at Chunnambar boathouse but it cleared soon enough. We took the speed boat. The distance was only for 10 mins between the boathouse and Paradise beach but the wind hitting face with seawater in it made it worth it. Paradise beach is indeed very clean with enough state support of changing rooms, shower and even a rain dance setup. Weather was perfect to go in the bay and the beach is a great one, nice waves and not so rough. Soon, all of us were inside the sea and had a gala time. It was difficult to leave the place once we were tired and hungry, we decided to pick a good place for lunch. Not before a good rain dance shower.
Lunch was done in Pondicherry at this old, cozy and simple restaurant with simple Thalis both South Indian and North Indian. Once back at the homestay, we took showers and slept. I was reading Good Omens book and I could not have cared less if we decided to spend all time in the homestay. Good Omens is a must read. At night, Nikesh found this highly rated inner place in the heart of Auroville - Naturellement cafe. It took a while for us to get there, and that too in all darkness. But the dinner place was worth all this. It served very good food and an even more delightful dessert.
Day 3
We had debated lot of plans for the next day morning, go to Auroville beach, spend more time at the homestay, stroll in Auroville but eventually slept and then had breakfast at Aurolec. Aurolec had opened just for us. Under the trees, it is a peaceful place to relax and do nothing and have good food. We decided to check out the centre for evolutionary consciousness next to it but we were denied entry without prior appointment. It seems like an ashram kind of place. While having breakfast, I read this article on Slate and it was a delightful read.
We decided to head back to BLR but not before stopping at Marc's cafe to buy some coffee. The drive back was good - we played an interesting game - think of a word that has two or more meanings, in different context. Example - tip, charge. We stopped for lunch at this weird looking place in Tiruvannamalai called Dreaming Tree. On the rooftop of a residential building, it takes you by total surprise. It is a Yogisthaan kind of cafe, an Aurovillian cafe in the middle of nowhere. Full or foreigners, who are just relaxing, I wondered, why are so many people here? Surely, they all could not be travelers. But regardless, it was very good. Buddha bowl dish was the best and amazing.
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