Trip to Pondicherry

Recently when Adi, my 1 and half year old daughter, was away at her granny’s place, I and Ashok decided to take a much required break and sneak off to a place where we could relax and guzzle cheap beer.

We decided to head off to Pondicherry(or Puducherry) because I have always been fascinated by Pondicherry although I have never been there. So we unanimously decided (Ashok doesn’t have a say, so it’s only me deciding) to holiday in Pondicherry on Aug 9^th and 10^th. Yes, the long weekend when people were either holidaying or celebrating Eid.

Being a long weekend we had trouble finding available seats on buses plying to Pondicherry.  We realized that quite a few people had the same idea like us. Everybody in Bangalore seemed to be heading off on vacations and Pondy, being only 6 hours away from B ’lore, seemed to the ideal location on all minds.

Finally we were able to secure 2 tickets in SAM Tours and Travels AC bus for 999/- each. The tickets were costly since the bus we were travelling in was an additional bus that was arranged on demand. So word of caution: if you are planning for getaway during long weekends, don’t forget to book your tickets in advance or else you’ll end up paying extra, like we did.

So the night of our bus journey, I and Ashok, set off jauntily, singing 

“Yunhi chala, chal raahi, Yunhi chala, chal raahi
Kitni haseen hai ye duniya”

But unfortunately we had to wait for a couple of hours before we could board the bus since the bus was late due to traffic jams and rains. Finally the bus arrived at the station and all passengers boarded it with a sigh of relief.

Ashok and I slept like babies throughout the journey after all the tiring wait. We woke up around 7 AM and as I opened the window curtains, I could see beautiful sceneries of vast, open lands with tall trees swaying merrily in tune to the light breeze blowing with drizzling rain. After the pollution clogged air that we breathe in B’ lore, the clean and fresh environment was rejuvenating.

We reached Pondicherry around 8 AM and the first thing that I noticed was clean, organized roads with lots of people (foreigners included) riding on bicycles. It was like we had gone back in time to a different era where people were cheery and jovial without a worry on their minds.

Pondicherry Entrance. Courtesy: pondicherryinfo.in

Anyway once we got down from our bus my reverie was broken by a squabble with an auto rickshaw driver over the fare. We had booked our rooms in Sri Krishna Guest House located in Rangapillai Street .The auto drivers in Pondy are worse than their counterparts in Bangalore. So it’s better to either walk to the place you plan to visit (most of the places are within walkable distance) or hire a cab/two-wheeler. You can also rent a bicycle but since I don’t know to ride a bicycle we had to take an auto.

The auto fare demanded was 50/- for a 5 minute drive. Ashok and I decided to catch the local bus after our encounter with auto drivers.

Sri Krishna Guest House turned out to be a small lodging house offering AC/Non AC double and single rooms. The rooms were not so clean and it looked more like men’s dormitories with most rooms occupied by teenage boys. But the advantage of this boarding house is that it’s right in the heart of the city, so all the tourist places are close. 

Our rooms at Sri Krishna Guest House

Our rooms at Sri Krishna Guest House

After a brief rest and refreshments, we headed off to visit the Beach Road and the Gandhi Statue. Pondicherry, now a union territory, was the largest French colony and the French connection can be easily detected in the city’s architecture. The road to the beach is peppered with majestic statues and green parks.

On the way to Beach Road

The old Pondicherry Municipality, now a dilapidated building

The old Pondicherry Municipality, now a dilapidated building

Near to Beach Road is the magnificent Promenade hotel which boasts of sea facing suites and open air roof top restaurant. The sea side itself is an ideal place to sit, relax and spend a cozy evening with family, friends or just with your special someone. The weather was balmy due to rainfall but temperatures can soar especially during summer, so remember to pack loads of sunblock creams.

The sea side, a place to relax and chill out

The sea side, a place to relax and chill out

A Panaroma view of the sea

The magnificent Promenade Hotel

Next we visited the Aurobindo Ashram which is at a walkable distance from the Beach Road. The Aurobindo Ashram, a spiritual destination for thousands of travelers every day, houses the samadhis of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Here you can sit in absolute silence and meditate in calm and serene environment. There are also literature works written on spiritual and devotional topics for sale. The Ashram is open for visitors between 8 am to 12 noon and then again from 2 pm to 6 pm.

The Aurobindo Ashram from outside

The Aurobindo Ashram from outside

The Aurobindo Ashram from outside

Courtesy:http://www.sriaurobindoashram.org/

 

Ashok and I were feeling hungry now and we decided to have an early lunch.

There are lot of restaurants in Pondicherry catering to all tastes and budgets, you can pick from a choice of South Indian delicacies to Chettinad cuisines to Mediterranean and Continental dishes and of course a mind-boggling sea food delights. The food and drinks are comparatively cheaper in Pondi, so we had a stomach-filling lunch at Surguru hotel located at Mission Street. The lunch was delicious but the service could have been better.

After lunch I decided that I wanted to eat chocolate and like any good husband, Ashok agreed to take me to a place where I could fulfill my sinful chocolate cravings. 

So we headed off to Choco La located in Mission Street, where looking at the various assortment of chocolates spread out at the counter, my mouth started drooling. Not to be missed are the delicious chocolate drinks that are served with dark chocolate spoon. Heavenly wicked and totally luscious.

Photo Courtesy: http://www.ebonyfoods.in/

Photo Courtesy: http://www.ebonyfoods.in/

After the sumptuous dinner and desert, we headed off to the resort where we had a luxurious room booked right next to the beach, yes, you read it right, RIGHT NEXT TO THE BEACH.

To read part 2 click here

The post is written for Happy Travellers contest organized by Yatra.com at Indiblogger.in