When you mention "Kuta Bali", everyone will know and be on a beach in Bali. Yes, Kuta is one of the clean and beautiful beaches on the island of Bali. Located in Kuta District, Badung. Kuta Bali is a famous tourist destination because its waves are almost perfect for surfing spots. This Bali beach is a pioneer of tourism on the island of Bali. As the icon of Indonesian tourism, Kuta beach Bali becomes a meeting place for tourists from all over the world including local tourists.
Before becoming a tourist attraction, Kuta is a trading port. Where products from locally traded to buyers from outside Bali. In the 19th century, Mads Lange, a Danish merchant, came to Bali and established a trading base in Kuta. His expertise in negotiations made Mads Lange a famous trader between Balinese kings and the Dutch.
Hugh Mahbett has also published a book entitled "Praise to Kuta" which invites local people to prepare tourist accommodation facilities. The goal is to anticipate the explosion of tourists visiting Bali. The book then inspired many people to build tourist facilities such as lodging, restaurants and entertainment venues.
The main charm of Kuta beach is its vast territory and its clean white sand. Located on the west side which makes this beach as a good place to enjoy the beauty of the sun at sunset. Its popularity not only makes Kuta Beach crowded at certain times, but Kuta is crowded hanpir every day for 24 hours.
Many activities you can do in the afternoon at Kuta beach, such as surfing on the beach of Bali, swimming, and sunbathing. There are even people who play beach volleyball, soccer or just sit with friends while enjoying the beach and the beautiful sunset.
With its white sand, this Bali beach offers a fun holiday tour filled with joy. Not only in the morning and evening, even at night was Kuta beach still looks crowded. The place is never quiet, that's the impression when you visit this area. Most of the shops and hotels around Kuta beach are never quiet with visitors.
sunset kuta baliDisamping its beauty, Kuta Beach Bali has become the world championship surfing place, because it is supported by good waves. This beach has stolen the attention of surfers around the world. Not only for professionals, there are also many beginner surfers who are still learning to conquer the beach waves kuta.
Once tired of surfing, sunbathing or just watching the sunset, you can try to get around on foot on the beach. There are many souvenir shops with various materials and shapes provided on Kuta beach, such as rings, earrings and various knick-knacks including clothing.
So, when you are in Bali, do not forget to visit this Kuta beach, not a complete holiday if you do not visit Kuta Bali. No matter the time, day or night, whenever you have time, Kuta will always be open for you.
Access
It only takes about 10 minutes from Ngurah Rai International Airport to Kuta Beach. You can go to the beach area at any time by taxi or private vehicle. If using the bus, usually stop at Central Kuta Parking. From here, you can continue the journey to the beach with public transportation, at a rate of about Rp. 10.000, -.
Entrance ticket
For admission to Kuta beach no entry fee is charged. But if you come with a private vehicle, then you have to pay a parking fee of Rp. 5,000, - per vehicle.
Accommodation and Facilities
Kuta Beach is usually crowded with tourists during the holiday season, ie July - August and December - January. Make sure you have booked the hotel far - long days before when you want to visit Kuta in that month.
As a very famous tourist destination, Kuta has complete accommodation facilities. In this area you will easily find lodging from five star hotels, guesthouses, to cottages. Some of the famous Kuta beaches are Bali Dynasty Resort, Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel, Santika Beach Premiere Hotel. Click here to find some hotels near Kuta beach. You can also easily find entertainment venues such as cafes, bars, pubs, discotheques, or karaoke.
If you want to surf but do not bring surfing equipment, you can rent surfboards at various places scattered around the beach, you will also receive a short training from the surf instructor.
To keep the safety of tourists who visit Kuta beach at least 40 guards on the beach
About Goa: Goa is a state in India within the coastal region known as the Konkan in Western India. It is bounded by Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea forming its western coast. It is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Goa is India's richest state, with a GDP per capita two and a half times that of the country. It was ranked the best-placed state by the "Eleventh Finance Commission" for its infrastructure and ranked on top for the best quality of life in India by the National Commission on Population based on the 12 Indicators.
Duration of the Trip: This was 5 days and 6 night’s trip from Bangalore. We started on Tuesday night and return back to Monday morning. Transportation: There are multiple modes of transportation available from Bangalore to Goa, including bus, train, and flight. The best mode of traveling to Goa is a long drive from Bangalore. However, the mode we choose was a flight from Bangalore to Goa and for returning back we opted for a bus from Goa to Bangalore. This is considering the budget and available leaves we had.
Details of the Trip: Night 1: We boarded the flight from Bangalore at 11:00 pm which was due at Goa around 12:00 am. But due to some technical issues, we finally landed at Goa around 12:30 am. So after making and canceling and remaking plans for last 6 years, here we are in Goa!! Finally!! But then, which Indian has reached Goa in their very first plan? :P :P We came outside of the airport after collecting our luggage and hired a cab from the prepaid taxi stand at a cost of Rs 250/-. Though the distance was not of Rs 250/-, due to late night, the charges were high. We checked in at Vasco Residency (a Government of Goa undertaking) near Vasco Da Gama railway station. We booked the hotel online beforehand. So they allowed us to check-in at the wee hours of the night. Tariff for a night was Rs 1400/- per night. Though the hotel is in the city, as it was not near to any beach, we had booked the hotel only for the night with plans of moving to beach front next day morning. The hotel was very under maintained and not for staying a long time.
Day 1: After waking up, we ordered breakfast in the room service. They had very limited options and quite high priced. As I already mentioned, we booked Vasco Residency just for one night, we checked out from there by 11 am. We called the same driver who dropped us previous night (Bitti: +919049158267) for dropping us at Om Sai Beach Hut at Agonda Beach. Bitti charged us Rs 1900/- for dropping. The Agonda beach was very clean and with very less crowd, a perfect place to spend leisure time in Goa. We had booked a hut for 4 nights at it cost used Rs 10,476.00/- inclusive all the taxes. Agonda beach is one of the south sides beaches and really far from the famous tourist spots and beaches of Goa. So, this place is not for the people who are in Goa for the beach parties but definitely a heaven for the peace lovers. Once we settled down in the room, we went to the seaside restaurant of Om Sai Hut and had our lunch with famous kingfish and fenny ( a definitely not be missed when in Goa). Food was delicious and not really expensive. We spent the evening by sea bathing, thrift shopping and chilling out on the beach in front of our hut. Oh yes, we also booked a cab for sightseeing for next 3 days from the travel agent Vilas ( contact numbers: +91-9421246036, + 91-9921245389) at a cost of Rs 6000/-. Sounds expensive? But once u read the entire post, you would definitely feel it was the cheapest deal possible in Goa. We had our dinner in the restaurant of another beach hut called White Sand.
Day 2: After getting up, we went for a walk on the beach. Nothing can be more relaxing and refreshing than early morning beach. It just washes out all the negative things from the mind. This is the most divine feeling to be wherever I am in any of beach places. We had our breakfast in the restaurant of Om Sai beach hut and started for the sightseeing by 9:30 am with Vilas. The places we visited are Fort Aguada and its lighthouse is Portuguese fort which was constructed in 1612. This was the most prized and crucial fort for Portuguese. Built on the mouth of river Mandovi, it was strategically located and was the chief defense of Portuguese against the Dutch and Marathas. A freshwater spring within the fort provided water supply to the ships that used to stop by. This is how the fort got its name: Aguada, meaning Water. Later during the Salazar Administration, Fort Aguada was repurposed for use as a prison primarily.
Light House @ Fort Aguada
There is no entry fee for this place.
Calangute Beach is the largest beach in North Goa and visited by thousands of people every day. During the peak season, this beach gets really crowded. This beach offers different kind of water sports like parasailing, banana boat, water skiing and many more. Also, outside the beach, there are lots of stores for buying local Goa t-shirts, junk jewelry, and other stuff. After spending a day in the serene environment of Agunda beach, this place was a real disaster for me. Crowded and dirty beach, people with inappropriate attitude was a big turn down and we spent a very less time and left the place. Baga Beach is the most famous beach in North Goa. This beach is named after the Baga Creek which is located at the end of the beach. Like Calangute beach, this place is also famous for different water sports, local stuff. This place also had a variety of restaurant serving awesome seafood. This beach was also very very crowded but either it was better than Calangute or we had got used to by the crowded beach and stopped comparing them with south Goa beach, we choose to go for parasailing. The charge for parasailing while booked in Rs 800/- while booked from the beach. This includes the boat charges for going till the point of parasailing and going up till 30ft height. There are multiple top-ups which can be added in this. Rs 500/- for going to the full height which is approximately 50ft and staying there for 2-3 minutes; Rs 600/- for going up to full height and coming down and taking dip till waist; Rs 800/- for going up to full height and coming down and taking full body dip. I opt for the package of Rs 500/- as I was not carrying any extra set of dress.
Crowd at Baga Beach
Parasailing
We made a mistake of not caring our extra dress but the bigger mistake was not carrying the camera to the boat. One can carry all their stuff and it's completely safe. Baga beach is also famous for the Goa nightlife. Anjuna Beach is another famous beach in Goa. Unlike, other beaches this beach is more of rocky than sandy. Anjuna beach is also famous for its trance parties held during the peak tourist seasons.
Anjuna Beach
Every Wednesday the famous flea market is held in Anjuna where you can purchase products from all over India, as well as from foreigners, ranging from fruits to jewelry, clothes, hashish and electronic devices. From the boat riders of our parasailing, we heard there are places for paragliding in Anjuna beach however we couldn't find any, but then didn’t search much as well. We had our lunch in one of the restaurants of Anjuna beach. By the time we finished our lunch and started for the destination, it was around 4:30 pm and we headed for Dona Paula.
Dona Paula beach is situated at the Sangam of the Arabian Sea and Goan rivers Mandovi and Zuari. There are lots of local legends about the place Dona Paula beach. One of the most famous is, Dona was married to Paulo, a lowly fisherman. He ventured into deep seas for fishing and is said to have never returned. His dutiful wife Dona supposedly waited for him at the jetty, for so many years that she finally turned into stone, which is the famous statue we can see at the jetty. However, the truth is, Paula Amaral Antonio de Souto Maior. She was married to a Fidalgo from Spain, Dom Antonio Souto Maior. South Maiors was an extremely affluent family, and the entire property from the present day Cabo Raj Nivas all the way to Caranzalem belonged to the Souto Maior’s. Dona Paula was a woman of charity and is known to have helped the villagers and worked a lot for their betterment, so after her death, the villagers decided to rename the village as Dona Paula. Another famous local legend goes that Dona Paula is supposed to be seen emerging from the moonlit waves wearing only a pearl necklace. Several tourists, as well as locals guided by this myth, visit the beach for a glimpse of Dona Paula.
Sunset @ Dona Paula Beach
Dona - Paula
While listening all the legends and stories about Dona Paula from our driver Vilas, we enjoyed the enriching sunset. Oh yes, how can I miss the Bollywood value of this place! This is the place where famous scenes of the movie Singham was shot. One can witness lots of nimbupani, tea stalls are named as Singham ;) The next place was Miramar Beach. But we had had enough of our beach darshan and were extremely tired and post-sunset it became dark also. So, we decided to skip Miramar beach and headed for our hut. We reached back Om Sai Hut by 9:00 pm. After enjoying a delicious candlelight dinner at the sea beach, we called it a day.
Day 3: This was the busiest day for us in Goa. The previous day we covered the north Goa beaches, so how can we miss the south Goa beaches. Also, we covered the famous old Goa churches and the not to miss in Goa, Cassino. Here is how the day went for us, After finishing the breakfast we went to the south Goa beaches and the first place on our list was Patnem Beach is much smaller and less crowded beach than the north Goa beaches. But the roads are very narrow which causes a traffic blockage. On top of that the day we visited, there were quite a number of cars and the entrance was completely blocked. Because of the same, our driver took us to another side beach which was completely empty and Patnem beach was within walking distance from this place. But we decided to spend some time there and leave the actual Patnem beach. The place was rocky, calm and serene and quite a photogenic place.
Next, we visited Palolem Beach, another beautiful and cozy south Goa beach. This beach also has quite a number of beach huts and it must be a superb experience to stay there.
Apart from the beautiful, silent beach, another special attraction of Palolem beach is thrift shops alongside the road. It has a long spread of thrift shops with an awesome collection and much cheaper than the shops of North Goa. We did some shopping there before heading back to our hotel.
Part two of the day started shortly after having lunch and getting a bit freshened up. The places we visited are Cabo-De-Rama fort is named in the honor of Lord Rama. It is said that the fort was home to Lord Rama and Sita during their exile. The Cape is crowned with the Fort since ancient times. The fortress was built by Hindu rulers, but during its dramatic history it passed from hands to hands – Muslims, Portuguese, English succeeded one another in the possession of this amazing architecture masterpiece. Some of the most important battles in Indian history took place here. Restored by the Portuguese in 1763 the Fort had 21 cannons, a chapel, military barracks and commandant's room. From 1935 till 1955 the Fort was used as a prison but then was abandoned. Now the main entrance into the fortress is reconstructed, but the rest of the citadel still lies in ruins, and only one of the walls is completely preserved. Nevertheless, Cabo de Rama Fort is a very attractive touristic attraction. From the top of the fortress really magnificent view onto the Arabian Sea and the Goan coastline appears to the eye.
Cabo-De-Rama Fort
The gap between two stones was made by cannon blast from the fort
Rajbag Beach is another beautiful beach. If one wants to stay amidst nature, then Rajbag beach is definitely the place to consider.
Rajbag Beach
Basilica of Bom Jesus is located in Old Goa, the capital of Goa during Portuguese days. Construction of this basilica started during 1594 and the church was consecrated in May 1605. In current days this places is can be considered as one of one of the most famous churches in Goa or perhaps in India. We couldn’t go inside the main altar of the church as it was booked for a private marriage. However, we could visit the courtyard and the display hall.
One more interesting fact about this church is, the body of St. Francis Xavier is kept inside the basilica. After death, the body of Francis Xavier was first taken to Portuguese Malacca and two years later shipped back to Goa. It is said that the saint's body was as fresh as the day it was buried. Every ten years, the remains of the saint are kept for public viewing during his death anniversary and still attract a huge number of tourists from all over the world. The saint is said to have miraculous powers of healing and many believe that his nails grow till now. Apart from the exhibition days of saint’s body, it is kept in a silver casket on top of a mausoleum.
St. Francis Xavier's Casket
The basilica in houses the Bom Jesus Basilica Art Gallery, containing the works of the Goan surrealist painter, Dom Martin.The basilica closes at 6:00 PM.
The Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina, known as Se Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and the seat of the Patriarch of the East Indies. It is located in Old Goa, India. The Se Cathedral's tower houses a large bell known as the "Golden Bell" on account of its rich tone. It is said to be the largest in Goa, and one of the best in the world. The main altar is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria, and there are several old paintings on either side of it. On the right, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles, where a vision of Christ is said to have appeared in 1619. There are six main panels, on which scenes from the life of Saint Catherine are carved. There is a huge gilded reredos above the main altar. The Se Cathedral also houses a baptismal font made in 1532 which was used by Saint Francis Xavier in order to baptize several Goan converts.
This church also closes at 6 PM. The Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church is located in Panjim, Goa. This church was first built during 1541 as a chapel however during the 1600s it was replaced by a larger church. n the 18th century the stairways, in a symmetrical zigzag form, were added to the church. The second largest church bell in Goa was installed in a bell tower in 1871.
By the time we reached Panjim, the church was closed so we couldn’t visit the church. However, from the external view, this was the church I liked most. After a lot of church visiting, it was time for some making some sin :P.
We headed to Casino Pride, one of the premium casinos in Goa. We parked our car opposite to the church at Panjim and walked up to the casino. One needs to keep in mind that all the casinos have a dress code like formals and no shorts and no flip-flops. Entry is strictly prohibited without a proper dress code. Camera, laptop etc are strictly not allowed inside the casino. However, they also have locker facility to keep your belongings. Entry fees for the casino are Rs 2000/ per head. After buying tickets from the office, we had to board the boat of Casino Pride to reach actual Casino which is situated on a ship in River Mandovi. While buying tickets they give Rs1000/- worth of coupon which can only be used in roulette table and has to be used in multiple of 500/- and also only for limited kind bets. So basically the coupon can be considered as waste. Also, they have unlimited food and drinks at the table. But the kind of time they take between taking an order and delivering the food, no one will be in the single table. So, that also can be considered as waste. But if we ignore the freebies at Casino Pride, it is a really good casino with a number of roulette tables and other games. On one of the upper floors, they have a good restaurant and bar as well. Taking pictures is strictly prohibited inside the casino. After we were done at the casino, we had dinner at a really nice restaurant called Sher-e-Punjab near to Panjim church and headed for agenda beach. We reached our hotel by 12:30 am.
Day 4: This was a day of complete leisure. We spent entire day sea-bathing, resting. We took our lunch at H2O Agonda, a place with great food and ambiance. We had our dinner at Dunhill, Agonda, another great place.
Serene Evening at Agonda Beach
Evening view of Om Sai beach hut
Day 5: This was the most happening day for me on this trip. We booked a Scuba Diving from Dive Goa, SinQ Beach Club. We booked the tickets from Atlantis Water Sports at Rs 3999/- per head. But there was a discount of Rs 499/- for sharing their link on Facebook. So, we had to pay Rs 7000/- for two. We started our day really early at around 4:30 am and checked out from the hotel at Agonda and headed to Dive Goa which is near to Taj Holiday Village. Reporting time at the divining center was 7:00 am. After filling the declaration form, we had a small session on using breathing using oxygen cylinder, do’s and don’ts during diving and sign languages to be used inside water.
Abir posing during swimming pool session
We had our breakfast at diving center and headed for SinQ beach. In case one doesn’t have any personal vehicle, the diving center arranges a vehicle for pick up and drops to the SinQ beach from the diving center. After loading all the equipment, oxygen cylinders and some snacks in a boat, we started for Grand Island, the actual diving point at around 9:30 am. After an hour of a scenic boat ride, we finally reached the destination.
There were 5 instructors with us and we were approximately 20 people on board. They got us ready by putting fins, oxygen masks, and oxygen cylinder and one instructor took one person at a time. Finally when my turn came and I was just not able to move due to excitement, tension and a heavy oxygen cylinder being tied to me. But somehow, they managed to get me jumped and it felt like I am drowning inside and water for good and will never be able to come back. But that was just a matter of few seconds and I came out of water floating. My instructor Kishor was awesome. Before taking me back into the deep water, he made me rehearse all the instruction once again so that I don’t miss breathing or get pain or hurt. Then the moment came when we started going down. With every foot we went inside, the beauty of underwater life came exposing itself. It was around 20 minutes of dive. We visited a sunken ship and with lots of underwater flora and fauna. This will definitely be going to be one of the memorable experience of my life.
After everyone completed their diving, it was a calm and content ride back to SinQ beach. Someone played the poetry which Farhan Akhtar's did after their scuba diving in the move ZNMD and everyone seemed to literally live the moment of their life. We were supposed to be back to diving center around 3:00 pm but finally when we reached it was 5:00 pm. We changed in the changing room of Hotel SinQ but there was no proper bathing place. Still-photographs of the diving was included in the package. We paid Rs 250/- per head for the videos. Here is a short glimpse of my amazing experience.
And here ends our much awaited Goa trip. For returning back to Bengaluru we booked a bus from Manish Travel. We booked a cab to reach Panjim bus stop from the diving center and it charged Rs 700/-. The bus came half an hour late. There was a stop for dinner at the worst restaurant possible somewhere around 11 pm. We reached Bengaluru next day morning 4 hours late than the actual scheduled time.
Note: From my experience below are the few tips I want to share. 1. For scuba diving, you need to carry your own dress. 2. If you have any plans of returning back or any other activities, make sure to have enough gap between the scuba diving end timings and the next activity. We might have missed our bus if it was not half an hour late. 3. If you are traveling by bus, make sure to carry some food as the restaurants in the ways are waste of money.
Disclaimer: We went on this trip in January 2017. There are chances that price has changed. Please check with Adventure activities, Hotel and local cabs about current rates. I have tried to provide as much as details are possible for the trip. For any further information, feel free to post a comment on the blog or contact me@dutshilpi@gmail.com.
Today I'm trying out something brand new for this blog: a video!
It's the first one I've made for Traveling With Kids, and it's really more of a slide-show, showcasing some of the great kid-friendly beaches in and around the Vancouver area. I'll be making more videos, and hopefully get better at using the technology and making travel tips available in this format, as well as sticking to my regular blog posts.
About Pondicherry: Pondicherry, recently renamed as Puducherry, is a town tucked away on the Eastern seaboard of India. Among its diverse attractions are, a coastline of 32 kms, palm-fringed beaches, backwaters, fishing villages, beach resorts, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the international city of Auroville, the French Boulevard town with its French heritage, and so on. A remarkable degree of French influence in Pondicherry exists to this date. Pondicherry was designed based on the French (originally Dutch) grid pattern and features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. The town is divided into two sections: the French Quarter (Ville Blanche or 'White town') and the Indian quarter (Ville Noire or 'Black Town'). Many streets still retain their French names, and French style villas are a common sight.
Duration of the trip: It was a three days and three night’s trip from Bangalore. We started from Madiwala, Bangalore at 11 pm on Friday and reached back to Bangalore on Monday midnight.
Transportation: We traveled by bus from Bangalore to Pondicherry and vice-versa. We board Sea Bird Tourists bus from Madiwala at 11:00pm and reached Pondicherry next morning around 6:30 am. For coming back, we board the Sea Bird Tourists bus from Pondicherry at 4:00 pm, Monday and reached Bangalore at around 11:30 pm. For going to Pondicherry, we opted for an AC sleeper coach bus which cost Rs 650/- per head and for coming back, we booked A/C semi sleeper, costs per head Rs 500/- per head.
Details of the Trip: Day1: After reaching to Pondicherry bus stand in the morning, we hired an auto for Rs 70/- to reach the hotel, Hotel Ram International. We were three people, and we booked and Standard double bed room at Rs. 1200 and for the extra person, we took an extra bed at Rs 250/-. The hotel was very clean and service was quite good. Though the hotel was not very near to any beach, but ‘Gandhi Beach’, the main beach of Pondicherry was at 5 minutes distance in auto. Upon reaching to the hotel, we had our breakfast and took a small nap. In the evening, we hired an auto and went to Chunnambar Boat House. From our hotel to the boat house, the auto fare was Rs 180/- each way. The auto driver offered us to wait until we come back without any charge. From the Chunnamber boat house, one can hire boats for long and short back water trips or can go to nearby island, ‘Paradise Island’. There are two separate ticket counters also, one for taking ticket to go inside the boat house, and another is the ticket counter to boats.
Boat House and Ticket details for Entrance
Boating Ticket Tariff
Inside the boat house there a small restaurant and kids play area also available. We bought tickets for motor boat and went to Paradise Island. The beach is quite good, but if one compare with beaches of Goa or Andaman or Kerala, he has to be disappointed.
Paradise Island
We spent over two hours over there and came back to main Pondicherry land. In the evening, we planned to spend some time at Gandhi Beach but due to rain, we had to drop our plan.
Day 2: We woke up early at 4:30 am and reached to Gandhi Beach as we didn’t want to miss the sun rise. If anything in Pondicherry is not to be missed, then that is Sunrise @ Gandhi Beach. Divine, Godly, Out of the world are very small words to explain the feeling over there. The beach was full of people but no sounds other than of waves were there. We enjoyed every bit of this. The cleanliness, the discipline maintained over there is not something, which can be seen in India. The promenade called Goubert Avenue is one of the best promenades I have ever seen.
Sun Rise @ Gandhi Beach
Gourbert Avenue Promenade, street along the Gandhi Beach
We also visited the graceful and majestic French War Memorial, which stands tall as one of the architectural wonders of Pondicherry. Situated in the Goubert Avenue promenade, the French War Memorial was constructed in honor of the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the altar of the World War I.
French War Memorial
Statue of Dupleix is a 3 meter high statue built to honor Francois Dupleix, who governed Pondicherry until1754. This was commissioned in 1870.
Statue of Dupleix
We then returned to hotel, got ready, took breakfast and started to explore Pondicherry. We again hired an auto in Rs 1100/- (yes that’s the amount; auto is the best option to travel in and around Pondicherry). The places we visited throughout the day were, Prithyankara Devi Temple, also called as Atharvan Kali Devi Temple, which is 72 feet in height and 500 years old in age. It is situated near Auroville. This Deity is the powerful goddess of Mantra, Tantra and Yantra.
Prithyankara Devi Temple
Auroville or City of Dawn is an "experimental" township in Viluppuram distrirct near Pondicherry. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (also known as "The Mother") and designed by architect Roger Anger. As stated in Alfassa's first public message about the township, "Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women from all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity."
Aurovilla and shops of crafts made in Aurovilla
In the middle of the town is the Matrimandir, which has been acclaimed as "an outstanding and original architectural achievement." It was conceived by "The Mother" as "a symbol of the Divine's answer to man's inspiration for perfection." Silence is maintained inside the Matrimandir to ensure the tranquility of the space and entire area surrounding the Matrimandir is called peace area. Inside the Matrimandir, a spiraling ramp leads upwards to an air-conditioned chamber of polished white marble referred to as "a place to find one's consciousness." The surface of the dome has 56 kg of Gold, which was sandwiched between as thin sheets. At its centre is a 70 cm crystal ball in a gold mount, which glows with a single ray of sunlight that is directed on the globe from the top of the structure. According to Mother, this represents "a symbol of future realization." Matrimandir is equipped with a solar power plant and is surrounded by manicured gardens. When there is no sun or after the sunset, the sunray on the globe is replaced by a beam from a solar-powered light. Radiating from this center are four "zones" of the City Area: the "Residential Zone", "Industrial Zone", "Cultural (& Educational) Zone" and "International Zone". Around the City or the urban area, lies a Green Belt, which is an environment research and resource area and includes farms and foretastes, a botanical garden, seed bank, medicinal and herbal plants, water catchment bunds, and some communities. To see the Matri mandir from inside one had to book from appointment from days ago. However we were not aware of the same and we couldn't visit the Matrimandir. However, there is a view point to see it from where we saw the Matri Mandir. From the information center of Auroville, busses are available to go to the view point. The place also can be reached by walk. The view point is situated at around 2 km distance from the Aurovilla.
Matri Mandir and way to Matri Mandir from Aurovilla
Auro Beach or Aurovilla Beach is one of the most famous beaches in Pondicherry. I was told this is the best beach but I kind of didn’t like this place. There are many hotels and huts available near this beach. Anyone who wants to stay at a walking distance from beach, hotels near Auro beach are best for them,
Auro Beach
C.S. Perrotet established Botanical Gardens, a beautiful tourist attraction in Pondicherry in 1826. During earlier times, the garden used to enclose a good collection of exotic and rare plants but now due to lack of maintenance there is nothing much to see and frankly speaking, I felt visiting this place is purely waste of time. The botanical garden houses an aquarium. Aquarium displays many sea living organisms, including a variety of fish flora. It also exhibits various methods of fishing adopted in coastal areas. Entry fee for botanical garden is Rs 5/- per head and camera is Rs 10/.
Fossil of a tree @ Botanical Garden
Church of Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the best churches I have ever visited. Sacred Heart Church situated on the south boulevard of Pondicherry is an oriental specimen of Gothic architecture. It contains rare stained glass panels depicting events from the life of Christ and saints of the Catholic church. Construction of the church was completed in 1902. In recent years, it has become one of the famous pilgrimage spots for Christians. This 100 years-old historical church is 50 mts. long 48 mts. wide and 18 mts. high with Latin rite cross shape in arial view is in Gothic style. 24 main columns hold the structure. The biblical verse from 2 Chronicles 7:16 is written above the entrance door in Latin "sanctificavi locum istum, ut sit nomen meum ibi" which means "I have consecrated this house, that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there forever." Inside the church, we can see glass pictures of 28 saints who were related to the devotion of Sacred Heart of Jesus. This 100-year-old church has been led by twenty parish priests. The Grotto for Our Lady of Lourdes, Parish Hall, Adoration chapel and the new parish community hall were some of the development of this church in the last 50 years. After 2005, that is after the arrival of the present Parish Priest Rev.Fr.Thomas, the church has been fully renovated both in and out. Statues for the four evangelistshave been erected beneath which four lamp posts describing the life of four evangelists and the inviting Jesus, and the twelve apostles on the front facade have also been erected. The Grotto for Sacred Heart of Jesus facing the City Railway Station are new additions, and church has been illuminated in and out with chandeliers, focus and flood lights.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church
After visiting all this places we decided to take lunch and went into a pizza shop called Café Xtasi. The pizzas were just awesome here and double in size than the normal Regular Pizzas.
Pizza @ Cafe Xtasi
Post lunch we visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, located on Rue de la Marine, is a spiritual community established by Sri Aurobindo on the 24 November 1926 (Siddhi Day). At the time, there were few disciples staying with Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo subsequently decided to withdraw from public view for continuing his spiritual work and handed over the responsibility of the Sadhaks (spiritual aspirants) and the Ashram to his spiritual collaborator The Mother, Mirra Alfassa. The Ashram till date houses a library with biographies, photographs of Shri Aurobindo, The Mother, and many other spiritual books. The samadhi or the place where the mortal remains of Aurobindo and The Mother are kept in the central courtyard under a frangipani tree and are covered daily with flowers and surrounded by supplicating devotees. The ashram is open to all from 8 am - 12 noon and again from 2 pm - 6 pm. Children under 3 years old are not allowed into the ashram. There is no entry fee, and photography is not allowed inside the ashram.
Entrance of the Ashram
Samadhi of Shri Aurobindo and The Mother, Picture Courtesy: Google Image
The Pondicherry Museum housing some of the superb collection of sculpture is located in the Bharathi Park. This museum has an excellent gallery with sculptures and has the remains of archaeological findings from the Arikamedu Roman settlement. One can go through the history and legendary French colonial details in the section of the museum. There is also a very good collection of snail shells brought from the Pondicherry region. Bronze sculptures of god and goddess, a wide gathering of temple lamps, handicrafts and art are also here. Some specimens of Chola and Pallava art from Pondicherry and Karaikal are displayed in the sculpture gallery.
Pondicherry Museum
The Place Du Gouvernement is a brilliant example of town planning in Pondicherry. Comprising the 18th century Palais Du Gouvernement-now the Raj Nivas (not open to the public)-and the old tribunals-now housing the Legislative Assembly-along with a neat three-sided line-up of other handsome buildings. At the centre, surrounded by a well-tended garden, stands the Water Monument, sculpted to commemorate the introduction of good drinking water for the population. Some exquisitely carved monolithic pillars, brought to Pondicherry from the Gingee Fort after its capture in 1751, adorn the place.
Raj Niwas
After visiting we came back to our hotel. In the evening again we went to Gandhi Beach and spent some time there but the picture of the beach in morning and the same in evening are just poll apart. The beach was fully crowded and was as dirty as people can make it.
Day 3: We went to beach again for seeing sun rise or to tell the truth is to erase the worst picture about the beach we saw last evening. At an end of the beach, there is fishing harbor, we visited the place too.
Fishing Harbor
Then we had our breakfast in the famous Café Casa in the Gandhi Beach and returned to our hotel. Later in the day we visited Paradise Beach again and spent half the day in sea. It was a real fun. But all fun come to an end and so was our trip. After taking bath in the sea, we took bath in the bathrooms available in the beach, though I hardly found any difference in the sea water and in the bathroom water. We came back to main land of Pondicherry, took our lunch and started for Bangalore around 4:00 pm.
Disclaimer: We went on this trip in Sep’ 2012. There are chances that price and timings have got changed. Please check with Travel Agencies and Hotel about current timings and rates.
I have tried to provide as much as details is possible for the trip. For any further clarification, feel free to post comments in the blog or contact me @ dutshilpi@gmail.com.
Lonely Planet recently published their list of the top 10 countries to travel to in 2013. It's a very exciting and inspiring list, and made me think of the many places around the world I'd love to take my kids to. So where would I take them, if money was not a consideration? Here are 13 of my travel dreams:
Cove beach near Lagos, Portugal.
The Algarve, Portugal In my youth (a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away), I lived and worked in Lagos, Portugal for a year. I've been back to visit with my husband before we had kids, but I would LOVE to take my children there too. It's a beautiful part of the world with gorgeous beaches, great food, and some very cool old towns to visit.
Egypt In my 20s, I visited Egypt and saw Cairo, the pyramids, Abu Simbel, and even did a Nile cruise. It was a spectacular trip, and a simply amazing destination. To stand in an old temple and see the actual paint of the murals left behind after several thousand years is mind-bending. Egypt also has some fantastic beach spots along the Red Sea: definitely a place I'd love to show my kids.
Long Beach, Tofino, BC, Canada.
Long Beach, Tofino, Canada This place is located very close to us, just across the water on the west coast of Vancouver Island, so this is a place we might actually get to sooner rather than later. We were there when the kids were very small, but I think they'd enjoy it even more now when they're a little older. Great beach-combing, fantastic hiking trails, and just a gorgeous part of the world.
Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone is a fascinating place for any age-group, but I would love my kids to see this place to learn about geology up close and personal, in a very exciting and hands-on way. I'd also love for them to see the buffalo roaming the park. A camping trip to this place might very well be in our future!
Southern France When I was a teenager, my family drove from Sweden through Europe, all the way to the French Riviera. It was a fantastic trip, and that part of the world is an amazing place to visit: great beaches, legendary food, and so much history everywhere. I'd take my kids to places like Cannes, Nice, Antibes, St Paul de Vance, and Grasse.
Australia If money was not a consideration, this is the place in the world that I would go and visit with my family. It's just one of those places that I've seen in so many movies, nature documentaries, and TV-shows, and I would very much like to see it with my own eyes. I'd like my kids to explore the outback, see the wildlife, have fun on the beaches and in the ocean, and also visit some of the country's bigger cities. An African safari Both my children are very interested in animals and the natural world. They've seen the animals of Africa in so many movies (cartoons and documentaries), but I think it would absolutely blow their minds to experience lions, rhinos, elephants, and so much more up close. Also, I would just love for them to have traveled to this part of the world and learn more about it.
Costa Rica's jungle I've read good things about Costa Rica in many places online, and have also heard good things from friends who have been there. My family is very much into the outdoors and learning about wildlife and nature, and I think this might be the perfect place to both enjoy some good beach-time, and explore the natural world of the rainforest. Sri Lanka This island is one of those places that I've heard so much about (we have acquaintances who moved to Canada to flee the now-finished civil war there), but that I know very little about. What I have read about the place does make me very curious to visit: history, beaches, natural wonders. Definitely sounds like a place my kids might enjoy!
Antarctica Yes, it is possible to travel to Antarctica. I'm putting this one in the category "Bucket-List Long-shots". Seeing penguins up close might just make my daughter speechless. Maybe.
The Arctic This is a spectacular part of the world, and I would love to explore it with my kids, whether we'd visit Greenland, northern Canada, or northern Norway. Maybe we might even make it to the North Pole one day?
Japan Over the last year, my children have fallen in love with the movies of Hayao Miyazaki. Through movies like Spirited Away and Ponyo, and the non-Miyazaki movie The Cat Returns, they've become familiar with things like Japanese food, Japanese spirituality and folk-tales, and also the Japanese landscape. Taking them there to see these things for themselves, would be a dream come true.
Madagascar Yes, my kids did recently watch the third Madagascar movie, and that is part of the reason why I'd like to take them to this island off the coast of Africa. But there are other reasons too: the very unique wildlife for example. Like Sri Lanka, this is also one of those places that have had a problematic political period, but now seems poised to become more stable and tourism-friendly.
