A trip to Pichavaram Mangrove Forest- India’s Amazon

The sound of the waves crashing into the beach could be heard from a distance. I couldn't wait to get there, all I wished that the boatman rows a little faster. As I was approaching, little did I know that an unexplored beach was waiting to welcome me. Much to my surprise the beach was clean, without any garbage or litter thrown. The water was so transparent; I could see what lies underneath. Visiting this place was a true bliss for a beach lover like me. 

The boatman stopped near the shore and we had to walk for about 10 minutes to reach the beach. I rushed towards it and did not need a ‘Let’s see who will get there first’ challenge from my friends to get there any sooner ;)

Now comes up the question that how did I come across this unexplored beach? I reached here through the mangroves of Pichavaram. 60 kms away from Pondicherry, Pichavaram is home to the second largest mangrove forest.

Mangroves of Pichavaram

You know you have entered Pichavaram when you come across a rope tied across the road. Just when you start wondering what’s going on, you would notice a little girl walk towards you for a rs 50 toll. I never came across this kind of toll-gate. One of a kind, isn't it?

We paid around 900rs for a group of 5 people for the boat ride to take us through the Pichavaram mangroves. Having heard a lot about this place, I was already excited to explore. (Tip: it is better to opt for row boat instead of speed boat because they take you through small pathways inside the mangrove)

The boatman asks an extra amount of 75rs per head to take you through the small pathways of mangroves, of course you can bargain with him.

There are just two things that one can do at Pichavaram – sit back, drift through the mangroves for about 2 hours and take pictures, lots of them. We took a lot of pictures too, until we were satisfied of capturing the beauty of Pichavaram. One gets lost in the scenic beauty of this place. The view is so breathtaking; it would leave one gasping for breath.

Amidst overhanging branches

After around 40 minutes of drift on the backwater, you enter a zone where you find overhanging branches, creepy sounds and there rises your excitement level. You certainly haven’t seen anything of this sort in India till now.


Amidst the overhanging branches, through the small pathways, we were busy searching for snakes. We thought we would be lucky to find atleast one.

Much to our disappointment, we did not find any.

Words used to describe the beauty of Pichavaram would look like an understatement, it could be understood only when you explore it yourself. Till then, let the pictures do justice.

New girl in the city of Chennai

Independence and freedom, everybody craves and does much to achieve it. I, of course, had freedom at my home back in Hyderabad, but independence? Well, all families have their set of restrictions.

My dream came true when I got an offer to work with a company based out of Chennai. Though almost everybody criticised the place and filled me with negative impressions about this city, I still looked forward to it. Relocation was a sort of adventure for me. This was the first time I was leaving home. I knew I would miss home but I was game to explore this new city and experience something that I haven’t till date. 

I stayed in the comfort of my house till date, it was time to step out and face so many challenges. Language was the first one. I had to befriend strangers here, make a conversation and grab the bit of information that I am looking at. For example, while travelling in public transport I always needed one to inform me when my destination arrives. Language is still a challenge but I learnt bits and parts to manage a conversation with an auto rickshaw driver without hinting at him that I don’t know the language. And if it gets out of my mind, all I do is politely say “Tamil teriyada” (meaning I don’t understand Tamil). People who can’t speak English still try to give me the bit of information I am looking at, through sign language. The bottom line is I need to learn more of Tamil ASAP and yes, the people out here are very friendly (Note: Do not add auto rickshaw guys to friendly list. They are NOT).

The second challenge was to search accomodation. Destiny had me stay at hostel. My friends who were hostilites state that hostel creates memories one would cherish forever but I have a contrary story to narrate. Nothing was going right. I hated the food, a thief tried to sneak into my room, nobody from the hostel’s management understood English, and I was supposed to be back by 8:30pm. I knew that I will have to adjust with my comfort and I was ready to do that, but bad food, not-so-safe accommodation, be mastered by hostel management, this is not what I had relocated for. I started searching for an alternative; I found an apartment shared by 3. I stay with them and I am much happy with the company, accommodation, location and the NO RESTRICTION part. 

The third challenge was to learn how to cook. Out of all, I consider this as the biggest challenge, at least to me who hardly entered kitchen. My life had now become a routine and me a machine. Get up in the morning, cook, pack lunch, take up the train, reach office on time, work till 7, take a train back, cook, have dinner, sleep. I then realized for the freedom and independence part I am compromising much. I sat wondering if shifting had added up more problems to my list. I then realized that I had no much time to think as my routine life wanted me to finish all the tasks asap and hit the bed soon so that I can wake up early next day and do things as per schedule. By now I have learnt a little bit of cooking and also got appreciation from a friend who found my upma “yummy”. Well, matters a lot to me.

 

Before you start pitying me, let me tell you how fun my weekends are. Wink! Wink! I don’t have to cook, I hangout with friends, I explore the city, watch movies, play UNO and much more. 

Everything has a positive and a negative side to it. Though I started complaining at first, now I realize how much relocation has added up to me. It boasted my confidence, I now know I can tackle things on my own whenever in trouble, I am still positive that I shall learn the language someday, my mom can proudly say that her tomboyish daughter can finally cook and yes, I feel much independent now.

It’s just been a month and I have so much to explore. I’d blog next when I add up more to the list. 

Adios!