I was just tired ... really tired of Bangalore.... so when we got a chance to take off , we were like pondiiiiiiiiii....
Pondicherry or Puducheri as it is known as in Tamil is a small tiny kutti little place 200 kms off of Chennai... It is a Union territory ... all that means is ,that alcohol and petrol is cheaper there :P ...
It was not like we had'nt been to pondicherry before ... it was just that I have always loved the little place to distraction. It was a French colony till the the 1974 :O ....... But the French did a good number of the place .. . it is absolutely charming ...
More Details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puducherry
The entire city is divided into 2 parts- The French Quarter and the Tamil Quarter. And as you guessed it , the French Quarter is the place to be ........... The place is a as big as the MG road and Brigade Road put together...All the roads are built perpendicular to each other.... The french quarter place is right next to the sea and the main road is called as the MG Road which runs right next to the sea. The beach is not huge , there are huge boulders to keep the sea out as it is very rough , but the place is charming , small vendors come out in th evening to hawk their wares .. its the usual beach stuff ... balloons .. chats etc ...[takes you back :)] The breeze is brilliant and the hotels and the art gallerias are brilliant ...
We stayed at the Dumas Guest house which is a huge, beautiful and old 17th century house. The owners let out 7 rooms , everything is nominally priced at 1500 Rs.They do not serve food , but they offer to get the alcohol for cheap :P ... The rooms are huge and beautifully decorated with AC... The rooms are surrounded by house plants of every variety.. Since the place is humid all the beautiful flowers bloom .... right outside the door... The only draw back , no TV or Radio .... but you wont mind that at all ... its peaceful ......
There is a Hi design Hotel in Pondicherry right in front of the beach ....Its a beautiful hotel made of wood and glass and has a beautiful rooftop lounge .. they serve awesome food and drinks... Another favorite is La Pondicherry ... lovely lovely lovely cocktails and awesome food .... have always loved that place .... :)
We decided to skip the tourist spots in pondicherry and do something different this time ..... so we went Antique hunting ... Pondi is known for the its antiques .. People buy old stuff - doors,chiars ,tables,boxes,cupboards anything... off of the local villagers and restore them ... man !! those old things are just lovely ... everything is too highly priced and exported. I had my heart set on a couple of them but they were too expensive :( ... and the transportation cost extra ... but none the less very very beautiful...
Then we decided to hit the beach .. but the beach on the outskirts of pondicherry ......... :) .. parallel to the sea ,on the east coast road which leads to the pondicherry city , there are a number of small villages , usually fishermen villages ... lovely ... we decided to go to one of them ... worth it .... the sea is very rough ... we can't get in but the place was awesome ... to take in the breeze .. children playing carrom :) ... fishermen folk lounging around ... charming ...
We like the Aurobindo Ashram , not for the meditation stuff , but for the stuff you can buy ... beautiful ceramics and handicrafts can be bought at the Ashram store.... We also love the Ashram cafe on the way to the Ashram ... its a peaceful place where you can put your legs up and sip your tea and eat almond biscotti ....
Pondicherry is also famous for pottery ....... you would not believe the stuff you can get there ... decorations to lamps to crazy stuff ... :) ... The place is also known for export quality clothes , the ones before they put a lable ... they are cheeeeeeaaaaaap........
Just for kicks we went to this place called Chocola , its in the tamil quarter of the city , we were told that you get exquisite Belgian Chocolates there , boy were they right , awesome chocolates ... quirky ones to just melt in your mouth ... just divine ....
Then it was time to head back :( ... we drove from Pondicherry to Bangalore via Tiruvannamali in 8 hours !! But a hatke trip .. we dint do any toristy stuff .. just exploring ...
Sun [lots of it]... Sand and Culture !!
