Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
Down by the delta
|
Kadalore: yes, if you like peace and quiet, says PRINCE FREDERICK
|
FIRST THINGS first. Though both can be reached via the East Coast Road, Kadalore is not Cuddalore. The former, which is the subject of this week's RLT, is a village that lies near the confluence of the Palar and the sea, some 80 km from Chennai.
It is tempting to say that it lies where the Palar empties itself into the Bay of Bengal, but that - in these rain-starved times - would be an untruth. The water in the broad mouth of the river is formed by the ingress of the sea, something that is encouraged by the local fishermen. They breach the sandbanks to let the seawater in along with its inhabitants such as crabs and fish. So wide are the waters in these parts that they encircle a sandy island that lies like a brown lozenge in the Palar's broad mouth. It is known in these parts as the Kadalore delta.
Catamarans are the only form of transport. As I flump down on one and go around the delta, the silence is interrupted only by birdsong and the occasional cries of fishermen greeting each other. Kumar, who guides my catamaran, tells me that in certain places, the water has a depth of eight feet. For someone who would find it a struggle to stay afloat in a bathtub, this piece of information is, to understate the point, far from comforting.
After the catamaran banks, we reach the Kadalore beach after a brief walk. The slanting rays of the sun strike the earth like bright fiery arrows and the undulating sand stretches far and wide. The beach is clean but the construction of the ECR has resulted in inevitable changes in and around Kadalore. Land has changed hands and the rich city folk have acquired tracts in these parts.
Occasionally, people from the city are said to picnic on the sands. But Kadalore is way out of the tourist map. Part of the reason for this is the lack of accommodation. There is no place to stay except at the NGO located near the delta and named The Delta. It has rooms for tourists and facilities that are ideal for organisations that want a quiet secluded place to conduct seminars and workshops.
Verdict: Worth a visit if you are the kind who is happy with a day or two of peace and quiet and some communing with Nature.
Getting there
You may take a bus to Kalpakkam, which is 15 km from Kadalore, and hire a cab from there.
There are buses from Kalpakkam to Kadalore, but they are few and far between.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
|
