Auroville

We were up and ready early to make the most of our trip to Auroville.

Auroville is an International Community built on land donated by 124 countries .There are 43 nationalities living here. There are kindergartens schools , a hospital health centre, but as an outsider it is difficult to see much of this as the aurovillians are very private and many of the communities are tucked away behind trees to keep prying eyes away.

This is what we came across first.

We all got a bit greedy at this point and filled up on brioche pastries and cakes , but it was so tasty !

Next was the visitors centre to get some background information as to how the place works.

Two thirds of the community are foreign so it was quite odd seeing white faces riding about on their motor bikes .

Our first port of call was the Visitor Centre, followed by a trail with stones along the way like these.

The mother referred to here was the founder of the idea a French lady turned guru . She died aged 97 in 1973

This walkway led us to the Matrimandir which is the spiritual heart of Auroville and looks like this

The Aurovillian spiritual centre .

Inside this giant golf ball that looks a bit like the Epcot centre is a massive crystal ,the largest in the world at 70 cms in diameter and is not for public viewing. Not everyone likes it but I thought it was quite impressive.It didn't make me feel very spiritual though !!

We had a tough job negotiating getting through the barriers to see what goes on in real life here but eventually we were allowed. It was all very disappointing really . It seems like the communities are I suppose a bit like individual homesteads , French in one area Tibetans another Germans in another ...and so on. I have heard mixed reports about how well the communities really work together. Somebody somewhere has to be making money but the community relies on donations and. I expect university and scientific organisations pay to have research carried out . 

We went to "The Solar Kitchen " for lunch , the hub of the place by the looks of it, although it is quiet in this picture we couldn't get a seat 20 mins earlier.

We took our seats next to a very elderly French man , one of these people that for some reason I instantly feel sorry for . Anyway he is a resident and has been for the last four years. He lives in a one bedroomed house , very simply  no money is used here so in return for living and eating in the community he does  some teaching , has people staying at the house sleeping  ( on the floor ) . He will help with the vegetable gardens, infact anything or nothing as he said but I find that hard to believe , I am sure you would soon be out on your ear if you didn't participate . Actually I have remembered that he said you have a one year probationary period and then the community decides whether you are fit to stay or not and at meetings there only needs to be a 10% turn out for decisions to be made.

The food looked lovely here but we were still too full only had a drink . We asked our wee old man what to do about payment as obviously we couldn't give the time , he said nothing but in the end we gave him a few rupees for him to pass onto the powers that be . All very strange and "new agey " for me .

There were three shops there full of lovely clothes, leather ,skin care products and lots more so spent a while here buying and browsing before heading off to the beach.

It was boiling hot so was hoping for a lie under a palm tree with a gentle breeze cooling me down , But ...another but 

I did dabble my toes in The Bay of Bengal, but the beach was filthy dirty and littered with groups of young Indian men drinking !

I kept away but the others got lured in to having a photo taken with some . I suspect my age had something to do with the lack of interest in me , and that suited me fine .

I did like this picture though 

cooking sardines .

Sadly we made a speedy exit from the beach and headed back to the hotel for a rest. The temp. Is up in the 30's and really takes it out of you. You constantly feel like you need a shower. 

Had to sneak this picture in .

Directing the traffic on the beach front near our hotel, gloves and all !!!

So that pretty much sums up our Saturday. Not sure what's next , maybe a wee selection of photos from here and there .