She sells sea shells at the sea shore

"Have we got all the stuff for making sandwiches for tomorrow morning?"

"Should I take 5 dresses for a this 3 days trip?You never know how things go?"

"God am tired of matching accessories with clothes, so I will take all of them and see what goes with what later.."

"Lets carry some booze for the journey, makes the journey easier..how many beers for you?"

How I love such frenzied talks, the night before we embark on a journey..and each time we make the same mistake of over-carrying..but do it again and again..

So I finally did my Pondicherry trip, I have been aiming at, for so many years

I want to store glimpses of it on the blog:

The Stay
I had an amazing sea view room, which would always surprise me when I went to the balcony..to have a view of it while I had tea or breezer:
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Strolling around the beach road is delightful, just by itself..doing nothing..

As I watched the sea waves breaking at the rocky shore, it made me feel as if sea is a passionate lover of the shore
It would come and break itself at the stoic shore, which would stand at its place unmoved
The sea would retreat, only to come back with the same vigor and be broken again...in its steadfast effort to woo the shore

During the day, sea's tranquility would make me feel as if its telling the shore:
"Pleas love me now, I will show you the real me in the night"..and so it does

Maybe its for the shore, or maybe moon is its secret lover...sea never tells
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French Colony
One of my main fascination for this place was its french colony. I found it intriguing that french people stay there as normal residents. I wonder why they chose to, after in 1954 Pondicherry was handed over to India.
Pondicherry is also know as "The French Riviera of the East" (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est).Pondicherry was designed based on the French (originally Dutch) grid pattern and features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. The town is divided into two sections: the French Quarter (Ville Blanche or 'White town') and the Indian quarter (Ville Noire or 'Black Town'). Many streets still retain their French names, and French style villas are a common sight. In the French quarter, the buildings are typically colonial style with long compounds and stately walls

I took pictures of these people, roaming around in bikes, very cool
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Shopping
There is this really pretty store, inside auro ville, for hand printed clothes and home stuff, called "Mira Boutique", where I went little overboard with shopping. It has amazing collection of finest cotton and silk, in both indian and western style, all hand printed. And compared to similar store like "Fabindia", its quite reasonable:
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Eat Outs
I went to a place called "Sat sanga", which people at hotel suggested, for its authentic french food. Apart from me, there was only one another indian crowd. The whole place was full of french people otherwise.
It was fun hearing all that "Je", "Si" around me.

This place had bad service. Was told upfront that we can get a seat, but it wont be before 45 minutes that I can expect food to be served.
Where we sat, the table spread was dirty with food, I asked the waiter to change it. He said there is no change for that, just took that dirty table cloth, threw food aside and put it back, the other way.
Well, if not for all the pain I took in walking from hotel to this place, I would have walked off
But the food compensated for it. Very tasty and very reasonable, at least compared to Bangalore.

There was another place I went to, the next evening, called "Le Club". Very nice ambiance, full of life and service much better
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Aurobindo Asharm
The only word to describe this place is serene. I marvelled at the quiet maintained by one and all inside.
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Cute ones
The paradise beach is the only sand beach in Pondicherry, so people who expect goa kind of experience at the beach, will be disappointed. Dont go to pondicherry for the beach experience.

And there are boats which go to paradise, which closes by 4.30. And back from there by 6. They have just one shack there, with limited variety of food and drinks.
Most placed in Pondicherry close entrance by 4.30, even auro village.

Found some cute kids with me at the beach shack, one of the girls used to beat her chest whenever she cried. I could not help laughing at that..












I loved the other name of Pondicherry, which is Puducherry(It was renamed in 2006). I would chant it many times as it sounds very cute "Puducherry..Puducherry.."

So people, I have achieved at least one of my new year resolves. Please judge yourslef as to how have you guys fared, compared to me :P

Cheers to that..



Lost this anklet to the sea..