Now now, don't get your knickers in a twist! These are not the list in a memory game designed by Shashi Tharoor while campaigning at Thiruvanthapuram. These three stopovers had been suggested by a friend who had backpacked these areas, and I promise you, each one is a gem!
Today's drive was 300 km, for which a straight run might take 6 hours. We managed to stretch it to 11 hours! We left Puducherry at 7.30 am, foregoing the free breakfast being offered by the hotel (for roadtrippers, that's a big sacrifice). By and large, we travelled down the coast till around 4 pm, then cut west to go to Tanjore (see map above). After Cuddalore, NH gave way to SH, then to simply H, but the quality of roads in TN continued to be very good. We saw a lot of road work going on, which meant lot of diversions for us, but the rate at which dual carriages are coming up in SHs is really impressive.
Weather was sunny and hot throughout, probably because thunderstorms had been predicted. However, with lots of disciplined hydration, from which Lawrence of Arabia could have taken a lesson or two, we got through the day with neither crow's feet nor chapped lips.
Mangrove forest @ Pitchavaram (9.30 am)
Yep, that deserves a double take, right? The second-largest mangrove forest in the world, the biggest being amchi Sunderbans. But whereas in the Sunderbans, boats will not be allowed into narrow creeks for fear of the RB Tiger showing an unhealthy interest, in Pitcha the rowboats... but let's take it in order.
After a quick brekker of roadside idlis (one daughter rushing off to exams while muttering about hall tickets, so yes, three idlis were only 20/-), we bought our rowboat tickets at 9.30 am, then remained hanging around for half an hour longer. Why? Because the boatmen were having a meeting. I was impressed. Gemba in a TN govt dept? Further enquiry revealed that they were deciding whether to down tools that day, as a protest against something or the other. Luckily, they took up oars by 10.00, and we were off for an hour's boat ride.
Like I started saying, these rowboats are able to penetrate into very narrow channels, where we had to keep dogding the hanging adventitious roots. For an extra fee, the boatman took us to areas where these tree skeletons formed ethereal tunnels, with Hobbits ready to peep out without warning. The plops of water frogs jumping and the swish of the boatman's pole pushing the boat along were perhaps the only sounds. Worth every penny!
Danish fort @ Tharangambadi (12.30 pm)
These Danes were very lonely fellows. They would come in lonely ships, drop anchor at a lonely inlet, do their best to pronounce the local name and then give up, and sort of keep a low profile. They did it in Frederiksnagore (Serampore) in West Bengal, and they did it here at Tranquebar. Fort Dansborg, built in 1620, was in fact the first Danish trading post in India. They sold all Danish posts to the Brits in 1845, the silly buggers.
Current Tranquebar has a series of old Danish buildings flanking a road that leads up to the fort. A very pretty vista, with churches, convents and old houses. We went around the fort, well labelled in a functional manner. But what really captured our heart was the Tranquebar beach - pristine, with a flattish friendly slope where bathing would be a pleasure. Apart from an overpriced 4-star 'Bungalow by the Beach', there were hardly any accommodations available. Tranquebar has somehow been flying under the radar of toxic tourism. May it stay that way.
I grabbed some lunch on the way out at Aryaas (Panna was still being careful). When we left AP, we had all breathed a sigh of relief at there being no more Andhra thalis, right? Well, a promise is a promise... I had a Tamil thali instead. That should be allowed, isn't it?
Basilica @ Vailankanni (4.00 pm)
Vailankanni is a town with 30% Christian population, and this Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, enjoys an influx of 20 million Catholic pilgrims annually. It was built in the 16th century and later expanded by the Portugese.
The Basilica (an exalted church) sits on huge grounds. It itself has three shrines/halls in the main building. The vast grounds contain a number of chapels used as confessionals. At one part of the grounds, we could see people walking on their knees as some particular penance.
The Basilica, apart from being an impressive structure, is a massive centre of business, as evident from the surrounding shops, hotels, oulets for religious literature and prayer paraphernalia. The 11-day annual festival ending 8th Sep, is a big event.
Hotel Abi's Residence @ Thanjavur (6.30 pm)
We trundled into Tanjore after dark, though driving after sundown is something I try to avoid. We had chosen an accommodation which was close to the two major landmarks of Thanjavur, viz Brihadeeshvara temple and the Thanjavur Palace. This would result in minimum travel when sightseeing. Tomorrow is a non-driving day for us, to enjoy the rest and look around Thanjavur.
