Oct 10, 2009 02:52 PM
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(Updated Oct 10, 2009 03:01 PM)
Pondicherry/puducheri is another union territory of our country & is a multi-faceted town. It is divided into the French Quarters or White Town, Tamil Quarters and Muslim Quarters.
The Indian town is a bustling market place with lots of activity whereas the French Quarters is a serene and clean locality. It is definitely worth a visit as there is lots of history, amazing architecture, spirituality at the Aurobindo Ashram, beautiful beaches, awesome French cuisine, and so on.
I visited this amazing place during my trip to Chennai few months back. It just so happed that my bzns meeting was cancelled for the day (CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT...LOL.)……..So I decided to check on this…UT……. & luckily I had the company of Ross uncle…..he volunteered in to scout me there...
. consider myself lucky here to know 'MS'..OTHERWISE I AM COMING TO CHENNEI FROM LAST 10 YEARS N NEVER VISITEWD ANY PLACE
My client obliged me by providing a chauffer driven sedan..FOR THE DAYWe rocked the road early in the morning I started at 6.30amfrom my hotel and reached Anna nagger to pick Uncle from his residence. We took the EAST COAST ROAD…
On way uncle showed me kovolam beach(WHR HE MANAGED TO HAND ME HIS BLACKBERRY WHEN I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAVE POOL &…LOL…HIS BLACKBERRY TASTED……..THE SLINE WATER OF THE SEA)..OUR next stop was ‘THE SHORE TEMPLE’ AT MAHABALIPURAM...whr I was harassed at every gate .lol.they asked me to buy tickets at the foreigners price they were like he is an American…….anyways I showed the my……….PANCARD
ALERTiAvoid eating food at the TNSTDC……RESTRURENTS...AS THE FOOD WAS .….YAK
We reached pondi in 5/6 hours and then we started moving around. Although that was just a day trip to pudu.but even then I enquired about the hotels for my future trips. By the time uncle was busy finding shop for his blackberry…..poor soul……….
If you stay at any of the Ashram guest houses, (I stay in ashram when I visit pushkarji & rishikesh) you get a pass to visit the Ashram and dine (breakfast, lunch and dinner) at the Ashram Dining Hall for a measly sum of Rs. 20 per day (per person).
However, they have godforsaken timings so if that doesn’t suit you; you have the option of dining at some of the finest French restaurants in town. You can feast on lobsters, crabs, other varieties of fish and meat. One of the best places to dine in Pondy is Rendezvous. This place has an impressive menu and the food is awesome. The lobsters served here are simply delicious.
Other places worth mention are La Maree, a restaurant at Hotel Du Parc where they serve some amazing crab and Madame Shanthe (run by a family) which serves Poisson Grille (Grilled Fish) and Boeuf(beef) en daube (French meat stew) which is simply divine. Other nice places to dine are Satsang (vegetarian) and the Lighthouse, which is a rooftop restaurant at the Promenade Hotel. The food at the Lighthouse is delicious and the view is worth a visit as you get to dine overlooking the Promenade and the Bay of Bengal. There is a lot of sightseeing you can do in and around Pondy. You can visit the Ashram, take a walk down the Promenade or even visit Auroville, which is 15 km from Pondy.
You can hire a bike and explore and zip around the Promenade and French Quarters. You can also pay a visit to the Sacred Heart Church or Pondicherry Museum especially if you are interested in the history of Arikamedu. You can hire cycles at the rate of Rs. 35 per day or bikes around Rs. 150 to 170 per day.(ALL INFORMATION BEEN GIVEN BY MY FRIEND WHO IS A LOCAL FROM PUDUCHERI)
ITS BASICLLY A SMALL PEACEFUL TOWN DON’NT HAVE ANYTHING MUCH TO EXPLORE BESIDES . City Beach, Light House, Aurobindo Ashram, Chunnambar Boating, Nehru Street (Shopping) Auroville Town Immaculate Conception Cathedral
