Pichavaram

Deep in the Mangrove Forests

We started of for our next 'short' trip on our long weekend (1 May being friday). We started early at around 6 to escape the atrocious heat of Chennai. After crossing the suburbs of Chennai, the surrounding changed dramatically with green fields and trees on one side and the distant view of the untouched beaches on the other side. The drive was pleasant considering the early hours and the immaculate surroundings.

For people keen on boating, there are at least two prominent boat houses: Muthukaadu Boat House, very near to chennai and Mudaliyarkuppam Boat House. We did not have enough time to enjoy boating since our ultimate destination was Pichavaram. We had breakfast somewhere after crossing Mahabalipuram. The place was like a garden restaurant; the ambience was good, the food was bad. All they had to offer were set dosa and tea, both tasted terrible. But there are other good hotels and drive-ins all through the ECR stretch. The road became narrower after Mahabalipuram running into villages with fields, lotus ponds, streams and so on. My advice is to get a driver to do the driving job, so that you can sit relaxed and enjoy the scenery.

After 3 ½ hours, we were back to the city, this time it's Pondicherry. The traffic was no way comparable to Chennai, but still it was extremely difficult to ignore the fact that we were in a city. We'd have loved to shop, but did not stop over due to time constraints. After a 45-minute drive, we were in Chidambaram—the massive and the famous Nataraja Temple welcoming us.

The rest of the day was spent roaming in Chidambaram and a village called Parangipettai (anglicized Porto Novo) near Chidambaram. In Parangipettai, there is a small mangrove forest and we enjoyed boating in the backwaters. We also visited a museum in the Annamalai University's Centre for Advanced Studies.

The next morning we started our mission to Pichavaram. We visited the temple at Chidambaram and started a little later than planned. We reached the place only to get disappointed with the scorching Sun. The board at the entrance boasted that those were the famous mangroves filmed in the movie, Dasavatharam. There was an option to go boating till the sea for about 2 hrs. We decided to take the 40 minutes boating fearing the heat.

Here is a short introduction on the mangroves. The mangroves are trees or forests that grow in brackish water. They have a unique root system which helps in the growth of many young organisms. They protect the coast from erosion, storms and tsunamis. Pichavaram is the second largest mangrove in India after the Sunderbans. The place is so beautiful and it's no wonder it appears in many movies.

The boat we took was a motored one and it moved really slow due to the short depth of the water.

We were disappointed that we were late and missed the early morning's pleasant climate. But that instantly evaporated when we went into the water. The place is a taciturn beauty; you just feel gifted being cloistered away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. We loved each and every moment of the trip, the estuaries, canals were exciting for our monotonous souls.

Pichavaram happens to be favorite destination for Bird Watching. We were not keen on watching the birds this time. We just sat back and enjoyed the trip.

After boarding the boat, it was 40 minutes of non-stop enjoyment and photography. You just go to the place and I'm sure you'll bliss out. The place was serene with green estuaries everywhere. You feel as if you're in an isolated island except for birds, crabs and insects to accompany you.

Halfway through, our boat had a problem. The net for catching the crabs was laid in the water and it winded up with our boat's motor. We waited in a small canal while the boat man tried to unwind it. It was thrilling to sit in that silent location and listen to the sounds of insects and watch crabs. After 10 minutes it was fixed but god, we were scared.

We saw a lot of crabs and there was one crab which made us all curious. It's called 'Dobhi Crab' and it walks in a unique way with one arm, resembling a washerman washing the clothes. All in all, a wonderful experience.

There are no options to stay in Pichavaram as the government-run Tourist Guest House was affected in the tsunami. The nearest option is Chidambaram. Hotel Alritz and Sharadha Ram are decent options. For people looking for more luxury, there is always Pondicherry to consider.