Pondicherry: Soaking in the tranquilly of the sands and the sea

It seems delayed dramatic posts about the live experiences have now become my forte.

Here goes a tale of the beginning of yet another new year: 2017

After careful planning and dismissing our Bangkok trip plans, ~ Ready, Steady, and Whoooosh... The flight takes off from Mumbai to Bangalore on December 27th, 2016.

After a few old reunions, my friend and I set off to take an overnight bus to Pondicherry.

 

28th December 2016.

 

A bright morning dawns upon us as we get off the bus in Pondicherry.

We rush to our pre-booked hotel only to find that the check-in time has some time left.

With a mix of excitement and weariness, we head towards a famous café, Le Café. The only TRP of this café is that it remains open 24 hours a day, and it’s a beachside one where you can start a lazy day with gossip and coffee. The café is located near Rocky Beach.

 

The hotel where we stayed was called the White Town area. The area has French colonies, and it is the only shopper's paradise. There are a few lanes here and there around White Town, and you have the shopping streets (the local Pondi markets). The list goes as follows:

 

1. Mission street 
2. Jawaharlal Nehru Street
3. Casablanca: The brand and the local designer shop
4. Hidesign factory outlet: You need to dig deep into their store and find a dusty bag at a jaw-dropping price, and they will polish it for you. Little did I know earlier that it is a Promenade brand. Promenade hotels and restaurants are all over Pondicherry.

 

Talking about the eating places,

1. Café Xtasi: For Pasta and Wood-Fired Pizza
2. Maison Perumal Resturant: For authentic dishes (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) and the ambience, of course.

Food hunting is a task every day, and Zomato is a good rescue.

 

Do not forget to hire a Scooty! It makes life easier in town.

The next day, we hit Serenity Beach and Auroville. On the way back from Auroville, we did some street shopping. The beach experience was a good one. We met some interesting travellers from Mumbai and had lunch with a bunch of unknown people at a shack on the beach, exchanging our experience tales. The shacks offer good sea food. Crab chchopsticksprawn curry with rice (not the Goan style), are worth noting.

You can also try calamari fish fry if you're fond of them.

 

And rises the sun for the day for which the trip was planned! 31st December 2016. We had yet to plan our New Year's destination. We start the day heading towards the most famous beach, Paradise Beach. The beach has clean and clear waters. You can opt for a ferry ride towards Paradise Island or directly land up on the island on your scooter with Google Maps by your side (this island concept did create a lot of confusion in our heads). On our way back, we bump into the "Pandora's Box Festival," which is nothing but a musical concert arranged for the new year. The location was mesmerizing. Having spent the evening there by the backwaters, we head back home only to crash in there again for our New Year's night. If you have a bunch of friends, you can even spend the night there in tents. We had to rush back towards our hotel after the clock struck midnighbecauseor the place where we were staying was far away from the location.

 

On the first day of the new year, we pack our bags to return to our 'business as usual'. Before leaving the place, we visited the "Immaculate Conception Cathedral" church. It's a beautiful church in ancient settings.

 

Who says Pondicherry is worth visiting for only a day or two? It absolutely depends on the way, traveller explores! If you need a peaceful Goa, Pondicherry is the perfect place for you to be away from the busy life in the metro. A place where, when the night approaches and you are done with your exploration around the city, you can slow down and stroll on the silent streets by the sea and get lost in the tranquil land.