Visit to Pondicherry – Paris of the East

Pondicherry, known as Puducherry since 2006, has always been a traveler’s dream. A lot, about the delights of the city, has been written by various bloggers. Through this post. I hope, that I too can share something different with my readers.

During my travels to the city, I have concluded that the charms of the city cannot be explored while living in a beach resort away from the city. There are many good resorts to choose from but my suggestion would be to select a homestay in the heart of the city. Options abound and are available to suit any travel budget.

During each of my visits to this wonderful city, I have always managed to discover something new each time. Be it a spot on the beach, a new café, or a culinary option, there is always something exotic waiting out there to be found. In this post, I am sharing an account of my latest travel from 22^nd to 23^rd July 2022

A few historical facts first!! The region has had a rich cultural heritage going back many centuries. Ruled by Pallava Dynasty until 900 AD, it went on to be a part of Cholas, Pandyas followed by the mighty Vijayanagar Empire. The Sultanate of Bijapur too, ruled the region for a brief period of 25 odd years until it attracted the attention of French travelers in the year 1674 when the first French settlements came into existence. Since then, this trading outpost has been predominantly influenced by French culture and this aspect continues to be reflected even today in the modern-day city architecture, the cozy cafes, and the names of the streets and their layout.

(Disclaimer – The above information is extracted from the current and documented version of history. But in New India, there is a daily tendency to rewrite or redefine history, therefore, a new narrative may come up in the near or not-so-near future. If at all there are any discrepancies between the above and the upcoming version, I entirely and wholly disown any responsibility for that in advance)

During this travel, I and my life partner decided to enjoy the journey on our Royal Enfield 350 cc Thunderbird. It is always a delight to hit the road on my trusted beast. This time too, it was no different. We decided on an early morning start from Chennai. It had been quite a gap, since the time, we had a ride on the bike. Believe me, the beast roared with delight when I gave it a bit of throttle. We took the Trichy Highway NH 45 route. 170 odd km of the one-way journey with some pit stops on the way, was smooth and refreshing. The breakfast experience at Oorvashi was, however, somewhat average. Next time, the breakfast halt will be Murugan Idly or Manoj Bhavan instead.

The homestay booked by us in Pondicherry was 19 Villa Mira, located in heart of White Town with a short walk to Promenade beach. I must thank our host, Mr. Rajnikanth, and his team for making our stay very comfortable and relaxed with their warm hospitality.

After a relaxing shower and a bit of rest, we were on our way to being lost in the welcoming streets of the town. For lunch, we decided to have a wood-fired Pizza. There are many good options but we settled on Auro Pizza joint. It is a small and homely outlet in White Town and the wonderful fragrance emanating from the bakery tickled our taste buds and made our choice rather easy. The Pizza was freshly baked on a thin crust with an array of veggies on it. It was simply great. We gulped it down with Ice Tea and ended the meal with a satisfying sigh. We both can state with conviction that Pizza never tasted better.

Pondicherry is also a tippler’s delight. In this hot weather, I was looking forward to a relaxed evening with Chilled beer. Therefore, bought some Kingfisher Select cans and parked them safely away until dusk in the refrigerator of our Host.

Meanwhile, we continued on our exploration with random walking forays into random streets. The city has a wonderful vibe and an old-world charm that is always enticing. We walked the entire stretch of Promenade Beach and also spend a good time watching the serene expanse of the Bay of Bengal from Rock beach. Our favorite “Le Cafe” on Rock beach was under renovation this time and missed our dose of great coffee and cheesecake. Hope it opens soon.

Mahatma Gandhi’s statue stands tall on the beach. However, I did think for a moment that despite his Non-Violent teachings, it would be good if he rises again and wielded his stick for once to good effect to put an end to the nonsense which seems to be gaining ground in our wonderful country. Expecting the same from the statues of Pt. Nehru and Dr. Ambedkar, which stand majestically on the same street.

Then came the evening and we walked back to our Homestay. Despite the humid weather, there was a spring in my steps, drawn as I was by the prospect of a nicely chilled beer waiting in the refrigerator. After another quick shower to wash away the day’s perspiration, I sat down on the lounge chair and took the first swig of the beer. Wow!!  Whatever wrongs Vijay Mallya may have done, his company did manage to create a good Indian beer.

Followed the beer session with another walk on the streets. For dinner, we opted for the Fish Aurant, another homely joint with a great variety of seafood. Relished all dishes thoroughly. Thanked the hosts and moved on for another after-dinner walk, which concluded with a delicious Belgian Waffle.

On our way back to our Homestay, came across a nice innovation by some Puducherrites to prevent people from peeing on their walls. The stretch of pavement next to the wall was paved with spiked stones making it difficult, if not impossible for anyone to stand and enjoy their second most pleasurable moment. I hope that the below picture explains this better.

Hit the bed early to get up early morning for another walk on the beach. Could not get to see the sunrise due to cloud cover but nevertheless, it was a glorious morning. A lot of locals were out on the beach and exercising as per their endurance limits. Then took the bike for a quick visit to the newly developed Marina beach. We returned to our homestay for a much-needed in-house breakfast and a cup of Hot Coffee.

We then packed up and got ready for a ride to sweet home in our Namma Chennai. We took the ride back home through the famed East Coast Road, which was thoroughly exhilarating and enjoyable. The road has many stretches which are covered with tree canopies, which give you a feel of riding through a tunnel. Tamilnadu state is indeed beautiful and the kind of oneness with nature, which you can get here is amazing.

Thus, ended a wonderful and refreshing outing that made us yearn for more and a promise to come back to discover something new.

Please do share your feedback and comments!

Au revoir friends!! Will be back soon with another travel story to share