Beautiful wall graffitis, colorful walls, quaint and Instagram-worthy cafes and rocky beaches is what Pondicherry is all about. After much persuasion, my friend agreed to go on a trip with me to the beautiful and peaceful French town. It was our first trip together and Pondicherry was the best option.
The people there are warm and welcoming and you can see a lot girl gangs roaming around the town on bicycles and bikes.
We landed in Chennai on December 20 around 9 in the morning. After not seeing the sun for atleast a week in Delhi, Chennai sun was much of a relief. Beginning two-and-a-half hour journey to Pondicherry, we took a cab from the Chennai Airport. The driver took a road less travelled, much to our disappointment. While reading about Pondicherry before the trip, the highway was described as one of the beautiful highways along the coastline.
We reached Pondicherry around 12 noon and checked into our beautiful 1BHK Airbnb. The host, a retired army colonel, welcomed us and helped us with planning the rest of the day.
After settling down, we took a scooty, that costed us Rs 300 per day, and went straight to the famous Rock Beach. It was high tide day and the ocean was on its full glory.
Watching the ocean makes you realize how tiny you are in this universe. It gives you peace.
Rock Beach is 1.2km stretch with beautiful rooftop cafes. It becomes a vehicle-free zone after 4pm, giving people the much-needed space to move around freely and enjoy the sunset. You can see joggers, dancers, skateboard surfers across the street.
After having our lunch, we headed to shop and trust me the local shops are perfect for shopaholics. The variety of dresses and the cost will blow your mind. We bought 3 dresses for just 1k.
With just three days in our hands, we wanted to explore as much as possible on the same day. But, our bodies didn't allow us. We were sleep deprived because of our early morning flight and two-and-half-hour road journey. So, around 9pm, we ate wood-fired pizza at a beautiful sea-view cafe and went back to our room.
Day 2 of our trip began with a bit of confusion. The breakfast, which was suppose to be part of our room package, was not served on time. After the chaos and settling it down, it was time to check out and shift to our next apartment.
The second place that we booked was just 200m from the Auroville Beach. The beach is swampy and secluded ever since the 2004 Tsunami. The place where we lived for the rest of our trip, The Well, was a perfect place to know more about the local culture and interact with people from different parts of the world. The host of the place, an ex-IT guy, was friendly and helpful. The place has 6 rooms and the surrounding are earthy and aesthetic. We met a Chinese girl who was there for 15 days, a Punjabi family and a Benagli girl. The place also has a cute little puppy named Faith.
After settling down, we went to the Auroville. Auroville is city dedicated to the ideal of human unity based on the vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. It has French cafes, foreigners in search of salvation and the mesmerizing Matrimandir.
Matrimandir is an edifice of spiritual significance for practitioners of Integral yoga, in the centre of Auroville established by The Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Going inside the globe needs patience and times. Visits to Matrimandir and Viewing Point are free of cost and bookings for passes must be done in person.
Spending about three-four hours at the Matrimandir, not lucky enough to go inside the globe, we headed back to Serenity Beach and then to the White Town.
Nightlife in Pondicherry is quiet with handful of nightclubs. One should not expect nightlife like Goa. It is safe to roam around in the town at night. Calling it night at 11pm, we went back to our room.
With a plan to watch sunrise at the Serenity beach, we slept early. We woke up 6 in the morning and headed straight to the beach. Much to my surprise, there were a lot of people like us to witness the first break of day. Sitting on the beach and watching the sunrise gives one a hope. A hope of a better world and hope of better tomorrow.
Trip to Pondicherry is incomplete without a visit to the Paradise Beach. Paradise Beach is an island surrounded by sea and a river. It is a little-isolated beach, and to reach here, you have to take a ferry across the backwaters, which takes around 20-30 minutes. It will cost you approximately Rs 300-2000 depending on the boat. Speed boats costs you more if you book it just for two people. We end up paying Rs 1800 for two-seater speed boat. The ride to beach is serene.
The beach has variety of water sports but as it was Sunday, we couldn't find much to do. We sat down watching the sea for hours and around 4pm went back to the White Town.
With Christmas just a day away, the whole town, old and as well new, was bustling with lights. Christmas fervour took over the whole town.
The same day we met two girls from Mumbai and four of us ended up having a nice time together.
Meeting random and spending quality time is one of my favorite things to do. Talking to other people, knowing their stories and experiences help you grow.
The last day of the trip began a little early. We headed to the Heritage Town for an authentic South Indian breakfast at Surguru.
After the breakfast, we went to a tattoo parlour to get a tattoo. I always wanted to get a tattoo and this trip was perfect to get it. Around 3pm, we left for the Chennai Airport. Saying goodbye to Pondicherry, we landed in Delhi around midnight.