The most picturesque French town in India, Pondicherry, is where Monks on Wheels will take you to the east coast to relive the history of the French colonial times.
Just 310 kilometres separate Bangalore and Pondicherry, a French colonial town on South India’s east coast. Pondicherry or Puducherry, sometimes referred to as the French Riviera on the Indian coast, is a recent settlement. For more than 350 years, the town was a French settlement, and the influence of that history can still be felt today in Pondicherry.
We will be participating in a variety of activities since this culturally varied and rich region is the ideal place to relax into without becoming overheated and cumbersome. White Collar Hippie has all the bases covered with history hikes, a sailing and fishing trip to get you a bit wet (yes, you read that correctly), exquisite cafés with a mix of European and Indian food, cycling about town, and touring Auroville and Mahabalipuram! However, once you’ve had a taste of this lovely sensation, you’ll be itching for more.
After breakfast, depart from Chennai for Pondicherry-White Town.
After we check into our hotel, we will mount our bicycles and ride to a cafe for lunch.
We will go on the history walk to discover the lovely and picturesque French settlement of White Town after lunch and a break.
A native will lead the walk and take us to view Pondicherry’s historic buildings.
We’ll head to the beach after the stroll. We shall have dinner later.
After that, we will return home to rest and refuel for the following day.
We’ll go out early today on bicycles to tour the town, starting with the Muslim quarter and continuing through Goubert Market and the Heritage Town to Kuruchikuppam.
This will enable us to experience the city’s pulse when it awakens in the morning when the streets are empty.
After that, we’ll go have a good time at one of White Town’s numerous cafes for breakfast to appease our stomach monsters.
After that, we can shop or travel to the well-known Sri Manakula Vineyagar shrine.
We’ll head to Banyan Beach to surf and ride the waves after lunch and a short break.
Both new and experienced surfers may benefit from it. After our evening surf lesson, we’ll spend the evening at the beach and have some beverages and food.
We’ll return to our hotel to unwind and recuperate after a day full of adventure, culture, and discovery.
We will check out of our guesthouse today after breakfast and depart towards Auroville.
As we approach the visitor’s centre, catch the first glance of the Matri Mandir. This is a location to pique our interest and get a taste of Auroville with first-hand and individualised information provided here.
We must first obtain our permits before entering the Matri Mandir the following day (which needs to be personally taken one day before).
This afternoon, we will spend time at the visitor center’s Matri Mandir, which offers a visual tour of the various facets of Auroville life, community, and work through its Photo Exhibition area.
We may browse at the businesses that provide a variety of goods created entirely in Auroville! Read about yoga, Indian culture, and many facets of Auroville, from design to wildlife, as well as literary and other collections written by a variety of local writers, or simply spend some time in their gorgeous book shops.
We’ll check into the guesthouse after having lunch at one of the eateries near the visitor centre.
We will go by bus later in the day to see the Sadhana Forest, a 15-year-old multinational reforestation effort.
A guided walk of the forest will be followed by a film on themes related to the environment, natural history, social issues, etc.
After, we’ll enjoy a delicious vegan, organic supper at the location.
Come return to our inn at night and unwind.
For those who are interested in learning about gardening, we will begin our day very early by travelling to the Buddha Gardens.
Following our breakfast gathering at the tourist centre café, we will enter the Matri Mandir, which is located in the heart of Auroville on a vast open space known as “Peace” and is the spiritual home of every Aurovillian.
We aim to surprise you with what you encounter here, but be confident that it will be the highlight of your journey.
We’ll eat lunch and attend a cheese-making session after our tour here. we discover how to manufacture cheese from scratch.
If it tastes well, we might even take some of the cheese we create and experiment with home.
After the course, we will tour Svaram, an instrument manufacturing facility. Alternatively, anybody interested in developing their dancing technique can join a workshop with live music that promotes flexibility, openness, gentleness, and fluidity in body movement.
Since it’s our final night in Auroville, we’ll unwind, stroll through the town, and explore the area on our own before saying goodbye. This evening, after a filling meal, we’ll say goodbye.
After breakfast, check out of the hotel and head to Mahabalipuram to spend some time viewing the temple and ruins.
We eat lunch at Mahabalipuram before travelling to Kalakshetra, a cultural centre close to Chennai.
This is for individuals whose flight out of Chennai is in the evening. Those with evening flights would travel straight to Chennai.
