Sushan woke up early to see the sunrise that morning. I was very aware she had left the room, but continued sleeping till my alarm rang at 8. Still, it was rare for me to be up so early on a beautiful Sunday morning. After lazing around for quite a bit, we left in search of breakfast and discovered a few interesting things about Pondicherry that we missed during our walk the previous night.
1. Stay in the French Quarter
If you prefer chaos and swarms of people and constant horns, stay in town. We learnt about the vast difference when we headed into town for a taste of the Sunday market. The French Quarter offers pretty affordable accommodation like the one we stayed in. Lotus Hotel is a basic, clean hotel located right next to the beach and didn’t make any dent in our budget. Of course, if you care to splurge a little bit more, you could try for the boutique guesthouses or the swanky four star luxury hotels in the neighbourhood.
2. Have breakfast in one of those hole in the wall places
There weren’t many places in the precinct that are opened for breakfast, so we were lucky to have chanced upon this one. We had a simple breakfast of toasts, omelette, jam, chai masala and tea. It was just okay, enough to tide us for an hour or two while we explored.
3. Take a leisurely stroll around the French Quarter
The weather was less than desirable at the time of course, but the things we discovered made up for it. We went into three different churches, chanced upon shops selling legit antique furniture and vintage knick knacks.
To hear vehicles sounding their horns at each other is a norm in India. As a first timer to India, I felt overwhelmed the first few days and then I got used to it. Imagine our surprise when we saw a sign that says NO HORN. We thought the building next to the sign could be a school, but it turned out to be a library! Didn’t go inside because it was closed, oh well.
Walking a little further, we saw a building that got Sushan and I a little excited. It was a school, specifically an Infant Jesus Convent. We were both at one point in our lives, Convent girls (she was a St. Theresian and I was from Katong Convent). Too bad it was a Sunday, hence there were no students at school. We settled for just taking a picture in front of the school gates. As we walked on further, we walked past a French school too. Taking a peek inside, it reminded me of the grounds of my old Primary school. It looked well shaded and pretty, I wouldn’t mind studying there.
4. Indulge in some French pastries
We walked and walked and walked till the canal and once we crossed the canal it was a different place altogether. Gone were the peace and tranquility, and we’re back in India. Cars honking at one another, auto rickshaws and people. Loads and loads of people. But we were still in the precinct, because we saw a French bakery and decided to have our second breakfast for the day. Partly because we were still waiting for the boys from Chennai to arrive, and we were hungry. So.
Bakers Street was packed with the pre-lunch crowd when we arrived. They had salads, sweet breads, savoury tarts and soups. The crowd seemed to have been there since breakfast, most of the pastries were gone. Sushan and Puneet had their share of croissants while I, having very little appetite settled for a bowl of broccoli soup. My advice: come early if you don’t want to miss wide selection of baguettes, cakes, pain, and croissants.
5. Ride an auto rickshaw
Auto rickshaws are used as a common mode of transport in India. If you thought they’re all the same, you thought wrong. I learnt that the auto rickshaws in Pondicherry are different from the ones in Delhi. One obvious difference had to be the horns. While in big cities, the horns are built into the handle of the auto, the ones in Pondicherry have little horns that you squeeze attached at the side (as seen above). Of course, the honks aren’t as loud, but they served their purpose keeping people and other vehicles away.
They’re everywhere, and if you are lazy to backtrack under the scorching hot sun, just locate one of the autos, negotiate a price (50 rupees for destinations within the town is reasonable) and the driver would take you wherever you want to go without having to fuss.
6. Get your beard shaved the old fashion way
Puneet had a work meeting in Mumbai and needed a shave. While walking down the street in search of a salon that does henna art (it ain’t easy to find someone who does them) we stumbled upon a saloon that specialises in shaving and care for men. I was really amused by how the barber slathered cream all over Puneet’s jaw and began his work. He brandished out his shaving knife and I was instantly reminded of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Nope, this barber wasn’t out to kill, I still had my friend back, stubble-free.
7. Receive blessings from an elephant
… or have some sense knocked into your head, whichever you choose. Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple, a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh, is where you’ll find Lakshmi, the resident elephant. She’s one of Pondicherry’s most-loved residents and her job is to bless everyone. Offer her a coin or a treat (I learnt she loves watermelons) and she’ll tap you gently on the head with her trunk.
8. Take pictures with the Bay of Bengal as a backdrop
We had to drive deep into the villages to get to this part of the beach. Apparently where we stood was an old jetty where boats docked. Wasn’t sure if it was for commercial or passengers. During the day, the vastness of the Bay of Bengal wasn’t as formidable as the night before. Still, I’ll never get used to seeing a horizon not dotted by ships or neighbouring land.
9. Sunday market in Pondicherry town
If you’re as lucky as us to be in Pondicherry on a Sunday, head down to the open air market spread down M.G. Road. It is a very long road lined with vendors selling almost everything. From clothes to footwear to old coins and bootleg books, it kinda feels like being in Singapore’s Thieves Market. We walked for quite some time, inspecting the wares and soaking in the atmosphere, wondering where the end of the road was. We never found out. Azar, who has been to Pondicherry a few times before, said that on normal days the M.G. Road wouldn’t be as crowded nor as colourful as it was on a Sunday. Weaving in and out of the crowd, losing our friends along the way made me incredibly thankful that we stayed at the French Quarters. I didn’t think I’d be able to handle the crowd and chaos.
10. Auroville
We drove to Auroville on the way to Chennai in hopes that we’d be able to take a picture of the famous golden sphere. None of us had any clue to what it actually was. Cars were allowed till a certain point and we had to get out and walk for a good 15-20 minutes in almost darkness to get to the gate and take a sneak peek.
If we were there during the day, we would have been able to experience a different kind of lifestyle than the norms we are used to. Auroville is an experiment township where ‘men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities’. I need more understanding of this system to comment further, but it seems like a very interesting way of life dedicated to human unity and the promise of a better life.
