Pondicherry

This French-influenced resort-type town on the South-East coast of India was the weekend destination of myself and fifteen other interns. It was also my first time crossing state lines here (went into Tamil Nadu state). For that priviledge there was, of course, a fee. On the bright side, this trip was only seven hours each way and the roads were better once we got out of Karnataka state (apparently this is a well-known phenomenon).

Pondicherry has three sections: the French part near the water, the Indian part away from the water, and the nice sand beaches to the North and South of the city itself. The French section was pretty nice, with broad tree-lined streets, interesting stores selling books and antiques and dental services, historical-type buildings, and good restaurants. The Indian part, disappointingly, was dirty and crowded and felt much like the bad parts of Bangalore. Unfortunately, that's where our hotel was.

Arriving in the early morning, we walked across town to the water. Our plan of enjoying the beach was almost thwarted by our discovery of the beach in town consisting entirely of large rocks. As there were a few local boys braving the small waves, a number of us interns decided that it looked safe enough for a dip. The water was surprisingly warm (I'm used to California beaches - some of which require wetsuits) and refreshing. It got even better when we found the sandy beaches 8km outside the city.

After lunch (a restaurant meal in India seems to require at least an hour and a half regardless of the size of your party, complexity of the dishes, or the time until your bus departs), I walked back through the local open-air market. After some initial trepidation about the seafood section (see the pictures below), it turned out to be a whirlwind of colors, textures, smells, people shouting, others begging, and many wanting their photos taken. And while it looked pretty small from the outside, it was actually an unknown number (at least to me) of interconnected spaces connected by walkways and corridors. It probably filled two city blocks.

In the evening, and again the next morning, we made our way to the aforementioned nice beaches. Palm trees, waves crashing on the sand, and brightly colored fishing boats rounded out the weekend. I swam and tried my hand at body-surfing (the waves weren't big enough), laid out with a book on the shore (Borges and beaches are a strange combination), and even got a little sunburnt.

Though I was expecting more, I still enjoyed the weekend. Before heading back to Bangalore, we visited the locally famous Sri Aurobindo ashram. There was an elaborate floral arrangement and nice gardens where people came to meditate. Peaceful and interesting to see, but it was a little odd to have that plopped down right in the middle of the town - not to mention around the corner from an elephant temple. It really drove home the unlikely combinations that seem to make up Pondicherry.