After touring Dakshinachitra, the next day morning we started at 7 to Nevyeli through Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry .This time instead of the regular NH45(short route), we decided to take SH49 also popularly called ECR( East Coast Road). Many a times we had planned to travel this route to Neyveli, but time was always a premium and so we missed traveling this route which was inside our bucket since long. So another cross on my bucketlist, since we traveled this scenic highway to Pondicherry which is loaded with getaways like storky lakes, bayside resorts, floating restaurants, theme parks, crocodile bank, boating parlours, artists village, roadside antique shops, fishing hamlets etc.,
A backwater enroute, notice the storks in a straight line( taken from a moving vehicle on fast mode
the shimmering Bay of Bengal taken again from a moving vehicle
The fishing boats have reached the coast after their early morning work. the fishermen go early in the morning at 4 and come back at 9. They sell their stock in the evening, the fish are cold storaged with ice till then. (info courtesy: Gopinath)
He was excited to see his photo in the camera and we were happy to see his radiant face.
Those little huts where the fishing nets and motors of the boats are kept made a beautiful sight. I liked the lighting in this pic.
you will find many sculptures crafted at road side workshops on ECR
And the road leads to an ancient open air gallery of exquisite art and a port of Pallava times -Mahabalipuram - A UNESCO world heritage site which is my destination.
At regular intervals, small roads run perpendicular from the high way to reach the beach and we drove through one such lane to catch the beach waves and experience the mid-morning routine @ Pattipulam - a fishing hamlet which was badly hit during Tsunami.
Some shots enroute Mahabalipuram and at Pattipulam( some clicks may lack focus and clarity since taken from a moving vehicle). Click to feel the place.
The waves and shore at Pattipulam,
This is Gopinath, a fisherman's son who was playing on the beach. A student of class 5. I liked the way he was balancing and told my son to click this shot. He was so happy and immediately he did the below acrobatic feat so that he could be captured again.
Unknown places and routes like this make me feel that sometimes, the journey and not the destination is more interesting and fascinating and hence this series.
