Saturday 27 March 2010

PUDU post 2oo!


It’s called ‘Peaceful Puducherry’ for a reason! There’s nothing more relaxing than a warm day on the beach, the waves playing with your toes and the breeze in your hair. The lack of junk jewelry vendors makes a refreshing surprise after exploring the more commercial beaches of Goa. I found the people much friendlier and the accommodation more economic.

The lesser known weekly train took us on an 8 hour journey from Yeshwantpur, Bangalore to Puducherry. A walk to through Auroville village gave us an insight to the range of accommodation available. Luckily we found a boathouse, which was, in fact, a shack build over a boat, with an attached bathroom. It made a truly amazing place to spend a weekend.

Food was our next Priority. From Breakfast in a four star hotel, to lunch in a Pizzaria! The choice was ours. Local food was available as well. Our meals included chicken fried in peanut paste, prepared by a French cook and spicy prawn curry served by a Chinese gentleman.

Though most of our time was split between the boathouse and the beach, we did get to explore some interesting stores in and around Auroville. Candles, hand woven hammocks and orange essence were among the many treasures in our shopping bags.

A day on Beach road involved lazing at ‘Le Café’, a quaint little place overlooking the rocky beach. Many people were surprised to find local tourists, however we seemed to have ‘Bangalore’ stamped to our foreheads. Everywhere went, people were eager to help and entertain us.

Our last day in Puducherry was spent dressing an Israeli lady in a sari. We shared stories about our different cultures. The journey back was by road. We travelled along with a volunteer from the Netherlands and an Afro-American gentleman who was carrying a heavy knapsack of books for his students in Korea.

The moment we hit home we realized that when people say ‘Pondi is Amazing’, they really mean that the time they spent there was amazing. The trip is truly enriching not only for the pleasant weather and the clean beaches but the food and the friends as well!

7 comments:

  1. Did you take a trip with the local fishermen into the sea? Its absolutely worth the 100 rupees you pay for it.. A rocking boat, no land in sight, an uninhibited dip in the sea and some banter which will belittle all your worldly problems in a matter of a second. Pondi is quite the experience.

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  2. Sigh..that does sound good! Will try the next time around...

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  3. :D It's like an overview cos I never finished the last one ;)

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  4. Le Cafe and its beach chairs :)

    Oh yeah, did u see the sunrise at the beach?

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  5. Nope...would never be able to wake up that early! lol

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  6. Oh ofcourse! We did a night-out for that! :D

    Btw,na naam na pata.. am confused. :P

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