This is one of the beautiful places near Chennai. From Chennai Pallikaranai it takes 2 hours to reach the place. It is a small fisherman village at the end of TN, almost Andra it is. It is a scenic place where Kosasthalai River meets Bay of Bengal in style.
If you are a bird lover, someone who loves to be with nature, and be on calm beaches, then this is the correct place. It can be only you, the sea and the waves. You can go to a meditative state effortlessly.
Luckily we got one of the fisherman's numbers from a friend of friends. It is a non commercial place and as you get such contacts the entire trip is sealed for a beautiful memory.
The lonnnnng drive in the outer ring road doesn't make you tired as there is lesser traffic. And from Minjur you take a smaller road to reach the Pulicat Bridge. From there fishermen can help you reach the island-like place where the river meets the sea. It is a wavy half an hour boat ride from the bank of the river to the merge point.
As you reach the bank of the river, a lot of cranes welcome you. They stand in order on boats and wait for the right fish. You can also spot pelicans, turns, sea gulls, and painted strokes. In the month of Feb, people say that we can spot many flamingos as well.
Nevertheless we didn't miss the experience of bird watching. As we reached the merge point, there were nearly 70-100 turns waiting to take off. As we landed on the shore they took off and it was a perfect sine wave treat for the eyes.
It was such a beautiful experience to feel the sand on my feet. There were tons of sea shells waiting to be collected. We filled our bags with a lot of shells in an idea to make some crafts out of it. If you are someone who loves to upcycle such stuff, ensure to carry a bag along to fill it with a lot of seashells.
From that point, you can also have a glimpse of Sriharikota launch pad if the weather is all right. Felt immensely proud to witness the place from where we have successfully launched so many missions to outer space. One another Beauty of this shore is, you can view a turn, a deep turn rather where the sea comes in to meet the river. The turn is as amazing as the Kathipara turn. Rest is left to your imagination.
We experienced two types of climate at a time. Breezy and equally sunny. The water beneath legs is cold which adds a sense of eerie. On the sand the waves had formed a natural wavy pattern which looked fabulous. As the crabs go for a march fast, that is the moment you feel grateful for eyes that could see.
If you are a non vegetarian you have options to buy fresh fishes and bigger crabs of Pazhaverkadu origin, which is widely famous in Chennai for its size and nutritional content.
The place is a must visit if you are seeking inner peace. I left the place with a heavy heart, not in a mood to leave this serene place and come back to the buzz of the city. I have never felt so still unlike the boat ride from the bank to shore ever before.
I sincerely wish all of you to visit the place and experience the stillness for at least a few minutes. Never forget your binoculars to do extensive bird watching. One flip side is there are no bigger restaurants near to the place. You should come to ponneri to have a decent meal but all within budget which makes it a pocket friendly trip, spending as many hours as you want on the shore.
Please visit and enjoy nature at its best!
The number of fishermen who helped us enjoy the trip Mr. Yuvaraj - 9710518040. You can reach to him and he will make the trip great.
