Un viaje a Pondicherry

The cool breeze from the sea blowing through my hair, the rain pouring as it were the first in hundreds of years, sitting on a colonial style balcony and sipping a cup of hot coffee. Yes it did seem like a dream. But my heart was pounding as hard as i have ever known it to beat. Not what you'd expect given the setting but just being there was magical. Well, I wasn't woken up by anyone. It was true.
Some months back as i was going on endlessly about my biking trips and my "unfailing love" for my machine i had made a spur of the moment suggestion about a trip to Pondicherry - a place known for it's strong colonial connection with France. Months went by and i never realised when my first semester of engineering came to an end and it was time to go home. Well, to be very honest going home isn't my favourite part of my vacation majorly attributable to a lack of friends back home. So when i got home i started looking for getaways and holiday destinations not so close-by. It then struck me that there was Pondicherry, a place to which i had planned three trips in the past with none of materialising. So i spoke to the only friend with whom i wanted to do this trip and before i knew i got busy with reservations for the trip.
So one fine night i got the last bus to Madras, my pit stop enroute to Pondicherry. The next morning i woke up to a wet Madras smelling, pleasantly, of the sea. I saw the early morning rush at the bus stand and found a place, a rather unlikely one that i'd prefer not elaborating to freshen up. I then caught up with my fellow traveller and found the first bus to Pondicherry.

Though we intended to take a bus which took us via the famously scenic East Coast road which as the name suggests is all along the eastern coast we managed to board the bus which took us through some of the innermost villages of Tamil Nadu, another experience in itself. Nevertheless our incessant conversation kept us busy throughout the way and as we passed through some really small villages, saw some beautiful lush green fields (i also learnt that "paddy green" was a colour), quietly noticed the roadside idli vendor make idlis and i swore never to eat idlis at a wayside stall ever again.

In a few hours we reached Pondicherry and the moment we entered Pondicherry there was a paradigm shift in the fauna, not the variety but a thick foliage almost completely cut out the sunlight, a marked difference from hundred metres before. We reached our hotel and soon headed out to explore the place on foot. We wandered through the market and new pondicherry before entering old pondicherry which again was totally different from new pondicherry. The buildings were all colonial style buildings and the names of the streets suddenly changed from the likes of "pillaiyar koil theruvu" (ganesh temple street) to names like "Rue De St Peter" (St Peter street). The colour of the buildings had changed from vivid shades of green and pink to the more sombre white, off-white or ochre yellow with typical balconies and spiral staircases. We then sat on the edge of the beach seeing the waves crashing against the rocks, a very new and alien feeling for a hopeless romantic like me. But the rain Gods do seem to have an affinity for me for they showered me with their blessings once again when i was holidaying.
It was the rain which forced us to seek shelter and led us to the very dreamy colonial balcony that i have already described.
Thereafter we proceeded to a shop and picked up some souveneirs for friends and ourselves, some supposedly "peace offerings" for my mom , who wasn't particularly happy about this trip of mine. We also walked into a random book shop selling some random books and picked up one which talked of nomadic travellers much like us. The next day saw us going to a temple and an authentic french bakery and lots and lots of downpour. We however managed to get our bus back to Madras and this time we did pick the correct bus i.e. the bus which took the East Coast road back to Madras. The natural beauty "all around" me was at it's blooming best and i even saw a beach house i might contemplate buying someday if Godwilling i have that kind of money. We even had an imaginary beachside party there. (Thank God imaginations are free of cost). We then arrived at Madras and had our dinner co-incidentally at a restaurant called "French Loaf" thereby continuing our french connection. We also had an extremely heavy conversation on our way back very unlike our trip which had been quite light hearted and loads of fun. Heavy but necessary conversation it was. What the conversation was is anybody's guess. We then parted company, goodbyes were said thankfully with no tears or promises to make such a trip every year or every six months. Such promises never last anyway. All in all an unplanned and amazingly executed trips. So just two words to all the unplanned trippers. Bon Voyage !!