No hurry in Pondicherry

The two cities that I've lived in for 90.9% of my life have been coastal ones - Chennai and Mumbai - so I like to think that there's some seawater running in my veins. There have been many other beaches and much salty air in my life, but Pondy was a special one.

The bus from Chennai to Pondicherry took us – me and a couple of friends – through the scenic East Coast Road, and there was enough sighing on my part on seeing the color of the sea. After Bombay's sludgy grey green water, I thought bright blue rather suited the sea.

East Coast Road connecting Chennai to Pondicherry

The floods in Tamil Nadu had destroyed a key bridge on the route, so it was after a long four hours that we reached Pondicherry. We checked into a charming cottage with a thatched roof, close to the sea. The charm wore off later in the night when we realised we had company – a variety of bugs, and two rats (I named them Pondi and Cherry). On the plus side, the rats and the mosquitoes kept me half awake so that I managed to catch the sunrise in the morning and swim in the very swim-able waters.

Pondy – as it is fondly referred to – is small, especially the French colony where most of the major attractions are. It is so small that after three days there, I actually felt like I could find my way around without a map. All the major attractions can be covered on cycle, and the place is a treat to cycle in. Tree-lined, smooth avenues with not much traffic dominate. I spent most of my time simply cycling around. Typical tourist-checklist items like the Gandhi memorial, French war memorial and the Old Lighthouse are on the seaside promenade. When I got tired of cycling around in the sun, the famous churches (like the Sacred Heart Basilica) made for a cool retreat. Pondy's laid-back vibe was so infectious, that I didn't mind that I'd missed out on the museum (closed because it was a Monday).

Sacred Heart Basilica

Pondicherry is home to the Aurobindo ashram.The ashram was an island of silence in a sea of calm. The many squirrels bounding about enthusiastically were perhaps the only source of sound, apart from the occasional ashram employee scolding people who don't walk in line.

One of the cool things about the ashram is that there are many cheap, but quality guesthouses affiliated to it. These have spartan rooms/dorms at unbelievably low prices, and it's at one of these that I stayed on my second day. I had to hunt for about two hours to find a place that still had a room, but it was well worth the trouble. A word of warning – most of them have a curfew and all of them disallow couples.

Pondy used to be a French colony, and so the French influence here is everywhere – from our cycle-rent guy who spoke fluent French to the French "Mother" who established the ashram with Sri Aurobindo. The churches and architecture too add to the colonial feel. For a foodie like me, especially, the mix of cultures was a great thing. Where else would you find a "European thali" on the menu?

So that's how I spent the rest of my time in Pondi - trying out different restaurants (Lonely planet's recommendations are a good start) and in the process meeting interesting people. Pondicherry is a great place to meet new people. Most of the businesses are small-scale, quality enterprises. While we were having the aforementioned thali at the rooftop café Kasha ki Asha, the owner herself cleared our table and asked if we were having a good time.

Giant wood-fired pizza at Cafe Xtasi

The people who left an impression on me were a Kashmiri psychologist, a French artist and a decidedly persistent Italian gentleman by the name of Franco. Franco insisted he hadn't eaten for twenty days (he kept lifting his shirt to show how lean he was) and that the sun was the source of his energy. It started out well – he explained how most plastic waste was due to food, and how we needed to "research" ourselves to find true meaning. It got annoying when he kept at it for about 30 minutes and started talking about how plants talk to each other. As a parting comment, he did say, "You are intelligent, Anjali. Research, find out."

You got the intelligent part right, Franco.

Here's a silly poem for Pondy:

Pondicherry, Pondicherry
Pretty union territory
A calm and cool feel
That's your deal

Cycling, walking,
Eating and drinking
A calm and cool feel
That's your deal

Looking for fun?
Then Goa's the one
A calm and cool feel
That's your deal

Don't be in a hurry
In Pondicherry
A calm and cool feel
That's your deal