It was quite some time since I took a vacation. Where to go on a short 3 day trip? After a lot of discussions it was decided that we go to Thiruvannamalai and have a darshan of Lord Shiva (Lord Arunachaleshwara) and from there drive to Puducherry aka Pondicherry via Tindivanam. We would stay overnight at Thiruvannamalai and two nights at Pondy.
We packed our bags, filled the tank and headed out of Chennai on the 28th Feb (Thursday). It was exactly 12 10pm when we left and en route we stopped for lunch at the SRM Hotel at Kattangalathur on the Chennai-Tindivanam highway. The hotel is exactly 25 kms from the Chennai Airport. (For Soumya Srinivasan it would be 300kms from her place). The place was previously called the Royal Southern Inn but later was taken over by the SRM group. Nearby the hotel is the SRM Hospital...God forbid, if you do land up with an infection after hogging their food, you could always jump into one of their casualty beds!
The SRM is a deluxe hotel set amidst the lush surroundings of a green meadow and has about 40 well appointed rooms, two restaurants, a bar and a boutique. There is a lovely blue lake that offers boating services and also a breathtaking view ahead. A hillock behind completes the picture. Couples in Chennai would find this an ideal and perfect romantic date! Since the Hotel has its own catering college, the food is fabulous. All the automotive majors like Hyundai, Mahindra, Ford and Hindustan Motors have their factories around this area and you can see a lot of foreign clients being entertained there. If foreigners frequent the place, then the food HAS to be good...coz you see we Indians are always obsessed with impressing folks other than our own!
The fish and chips that’s available here is a killer. The tartare sauce is just amazing. One has the choice of an a la carte or a buffet. The buffet for two would cost 550 bucks and is simply awesome for that price. After a sumptuous lunch we hit the highway again heading towards Thiruvannamalai which is 180 kms from Chennai.
To be continued.....
Pics Below....
A view of the SRM Hotel
The Lush Green Surroundings
A view of the Lake and the Highway
Another view of the lake
The Jetty
(This pic was taken a few months ago from a mobile cam)
On the Highway!
Another pic of my GF ;)
To be continued.....
Amen
d_w
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PS: Thanks to all those lovely pals who had sent out a few love notes anxiously enquiring if everything is well on my side:) Hope all you guys are doing great!
Close
300 kilometers is not far when there is a blue lake and a breathtaking view. May be I will visit the place some day.
(But the fish and chips put me off. I am a vegetarian).
Your gf looks cool. Nice pics doc.
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Hey nice travelogue. Nice lake too :-) Looking fwd to the next episode
Cheers,
Madhuri
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Das
I looked again at your GF.. are you sure she's a she...seems like a male to me..:)) all in black...handsome...with a key...are you sure you're not the one who is happy and queer:)))))... a She's got to be green, red, violet, orange...etc etc and has to be a more feminine...:))) this one was too much of a stud...handsome with a key:)))))))))))))
SRM ...runs a University on a 1000 acres in Chennai ...just a stone throw's distance from the north..:)))))
Hope you'll post some pic of Shiva too...
reffy
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Lovely Meera,
Showering attention and affection on the femmes is my birthright and I shall have it ;))))))))))))))) Thou can be charmed and overwhelmed :)))))
We can see that you aint a big eater ;)))))))))
If you like good food...food cooked with great thought...then you need to go to...err......to err....my kitchen :)))))))))))))))))
Thanks for your sweet words:)
LnRnM
d_w
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Lovely Sweet Eye,
Yup, that is where I had been...eloped with my GF ;))))))
If I am not mistaken, the lady aint in blue...it is midnight black....the colour of grapes you could say :)))))))))))
Pondy comes in Stop 8 or so :))))))))
Yea, do not disturb....it was a worthwhile trip....did a lot of window shopping :))))) For my new house thats being built....will go back and buy those stuff maybe sometime in December or so! :)))))) Will shift to the new house in Jan 09.
So how are we doing sweetheart? Need any help? Just holler! ;)))))))))))))
LnRnM
d_w
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Kesh Bhai...
ROTFL :)))))))))))))
If only everything in the world had a key :)))))))))))))))))
Thanks for your kind words:)
Regards
d_w
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Doc !
I am charmed by the affection err...attention I get here :)))))
I love food..not a big eater...but a foodie...anything cooked, done well...I love it... yea...there am a dork and a confuser :P
will look forward to post on the temple. the feel is unique.
Meera
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Dear Sampath,
Thanks for your kind words about the pics
Yea, the lake is inviting...but unfortunately they wouldnt allow me to have a bath and wash my clothes there :))))))))))))
The fried fish, chips and the tartare sauce is a real killer there! I go there whenever I want to eat fish! Its a good drive as well!
Thanks for visiting:)
Regards
d_w
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Sweet Meera,
You should visit the SRM hotel sometime....but I doubt if it is a right place if you want a change from your normal veggie home cooked food! Since they cater to a lot of foreigners...they dont have much of exotic...veggie/non veggie stuff....only typically Tamilian dishes available....
I love to visit Thiruvannamalai...the place has a very mystical feel...very quiet and soothing...more in my future posts !
You are a dork sometimes? Come on...beautiful femmes can NEVER be dorks! Whatever they do is right says me :))))))))))))))))
LnRnM
d_w
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Sweet Sophizz,
A sexy GF? Wow, thanks! Every male likes to show off his GF ;))))))))))))))
Thanks for your kind words:)
LnRnM
d_w
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