Pondicherry or Puducherry, as it is called is one of the prominent tourist destinations in South India. It is primarily known as a spiritual centre, being the headquarters of the Aurobindo Ashram. Pondicherry is also known for its beaches. And that was the main reason for my weekend visit to Pondy with family.
My daughter had not seen the sea and thus we had planned a sea/beach visit. The nearest sea is in Chennai, but considering the fickle weather there, we decided to go to Pondy.
Location & Travel
Pondicherry is a union territory, which is a former French colony and hence the French influence is prominent in the buildings and especially the roads (eg : Rue Francois, Rue Vinayaka Kovai). Pondy is located some 300km from Bangalore and is easily accessible by road. But we preferred the train route for convenience.
The Garib Rath Express is an excellent train, with flawed timings!! It leaves on Friday night and reaches Pondy on Saturday morning, but returns on Saturday night itself and thus allows visitors to stay only for one day. For those who want to reach quickly, you would rather prefer the bus.
Stay
Since we were not staying overnight, we preferred to choose a smaller hotel. There are a large number of good guest houses, but unfortunately all were booked. We chose Hotel Kanchi after reading an internet review. The less said about the hotel the better. It is not a hotel, rather a cheap dilapidated lodge. The only thing I want to say about this hotel is – avoid like the plague.
For those visiting Pondy, you can try to book a beach resort or stay in one of the guest houses, which are clean and very economical (but you need to book in advance).
Local Travel
For those who want to travel on their own, cycles and motorbikes/kinetic honda are available for rental. For others, there is the autorickshaw. I always thought Bangalore autorickshaws were the biggest bandits, but the Pondy rickshaw drivers take the cake. There is no meter installed in the auto and you have to bargain beforehand.
Some of the tourist locations are outside the city and a weird part is the trip to the location costs lesser than the return journey. But once you finish your sight-seeing and want to return, the autodrivers know that you are at their mercy and hence they fleece you. It would be a wiser thing for you to book an auto or taxi for the entire day, rather than haggle with these money-grubbers.
Places we saw
There are lots of things to do in Pondy, but keeping in mind the time constraint, we could visit only a few places. Here are details thereof :-
1) Paradise Beach : This was the highlight of the visit. You need to travel to the Chunnambar Backwaters boathouse, which is around 8km away from the city. The facilities there include a park for children. It also has motor boat rides and jet scooter rides. But what you should do is take a boat trip (Rs.75/- per head) and they take you to Paradise Beach (15 mins boat ride).
Paradise Beach is an island located in the backwaters, surrounded three sides by the backwaters and on one side by the Bay of Bengal. The beach is pristine clean, thanks to the entry fee and to the limited flow of visitors. You are asked to stay for an hour and then return, though no one monitors your timing. Clean white sand, the gentle blue sea, place to sit and watch the waves – this is heaven!! For those who like the beach, you can easily spend a couple of hours here and have a gala time, like we did.
Food though is a problem for veggies and hence we had to leave early. My suggestion to visitors is to spend half a day here and pack a lunch with you (though the boards say outside food not allowed)
2) Serenity Beach : is the main beach located 10-15 mins away on the East Coast Road. The entrance to the beach is through a small lane between houses. The beach is crowded, dirty and the water too is soapy. The waves here are rough though. Overall you can drop in for a few minutes, but this is not a place which you would enjoy with family. It is suited for those who like to drink, smoke and ogle at foreigners.
3) Promenade Beach : is located in the city, but this beach has been dammed with rocks to prevent visitors from playing in the water. This was done after the tsunami. Also, the current is very rough and if you venture close, you can be washed away or can break your head on the rocks. Throughout the length of the beach, you have vendors selling a variety of foods. It would be nice to sit on the rocks and watch the sea and experience the spray on your face. But unfortunately, the place stinks of excreta and you would be better off standing or taking a walk. Good place to spend an hour in the evening.
4) Bharathi Park : This has the famous monument erected by Napoleon. It also has a small playground for children (not maintained well).
5) French quarters : The city is divided into the Tamil and French quarters. The French quarter is different in the way the buildings and roads are built and it would be interesting to take a walk here in the evening.
6) Vinayaka Temple : There is a beautiful Ganesha temple to visit, for those who want to satisfy their religious urges.
Other places to see
1) The Aurobindo Ashram in the city was where Aurobindo Ghosh and the Mother stayed. A good place to visit for the spiritually inclined.
2) Auroville : is a community with people from many nations staying. This is located 10kms outside the city and has a beach (infested with hippies).
3) Botanical Gardens : has a musical fountain show in the evening
4) Sacred Heart church : is known for its stained glass art.
Places to eat
Pondy is a paradise for non-vegetarians, who can get a variety of sea food. Veggies have lots of options in the city, but not many options outside.
a) Adyar Anand Bhavan (A2B) offers fantastic finger-licking good south Indian food.
b) Bombay Anand Bhavan is another good option for veggies.
c) Pizzeria : near Auroville, is famous for its hand-tossed, wood fire pizzas
d) Le Café : near the promenade is a good place to have a cuppa coffee in the evening.
Overall opinion:
Pondicherry is a great place to spend a weekend. Not much to see for more than 2 days. But it is a pleasant place to visit especially in the winter. Summers though are unbearable. If you are spiritually inclined or a sea lover, then drop in to Pondy for a weekend visit and make sure you spend lot of time at the beautiful Paradise Beach.
Some photos posted at https://mouthshut.com/gallery/myphoto.php?user=deepak27catname=Pondicherry
