Pondicherry Diaries: Sun, Sea and the French charm

The Impromptu Plan

The first time I visited Pondicherry was with my work friends. So, it was our first job, we were all new, excited to be financially independent for the first time, eager to experience anything and everything. Just a month after we joined our work, we were like, let's plan a trip. And so we did.

Pondicherry (officially Puducherry) is a Union Territory, about 170 kilometers away from Chennai. It is located on the southeastern coast of India, along the Bay of Bengal. It is a really famous tourist attraction in India, and that's why we thought it would be a great first place to visit. We were about 10 people, boys and girls, but I was close friends with only three of them. Anyways, I was excited to have a trip with my friends.

A not-so-fun Train Ride

So we booked tickets for an early morning train from Chennai. It was a local train, and the bookings were not made by my group of friends, but the "organizers". So we were completely unaware of what we were getting into. And what we did get into was a very, very crowded train. There was no place to even stand comfortably and it was extremely hot. It was a train ride that would be burnt in our memories forever and not for a good reason. But anyway, we managed the journey somehow. And we finally reached Pondicherry after four hours of travel

Hotel Struggle

We reached our destination at around 11 a.m. and it was blazing hot and sunny. As soon as we got off the train, we just wanted to get to our hotel room desperately and relax. After the harrowing journey we had, we had lost all our will to travel anymore. So we left the railway station and started looking for autos. And obviously the auto situation was bad because we were tourists and the auto drivers were charging us very high rates. Me and my friends were so extremely tired that we were like, okay, take whatever you want, but please just get us to our hotel. But the rest of our gang, was hell-bent on not letting these auto-walas take advantage of us.

So we literally walked from the railway station to the hotel, as our way of protesting against the exploitation lol. I will admit the journey wasn't that long, it was maybe one and a half kilometers, but imagine you have taken an early morning train, a very crowded train where you weren't even able to stand properly. You were in this train for two hours and then you get off the train and then you walk in the hot sun for an hour. Not a great experience. So naturally, as soon as we reached our rooms, we were dead bodies on the bed. Our plan initially was to just go to the rooms, freshen up and then get out exploring. But we were so tired that we just decided not to do it and relaxed.

Exploring White Town

Around 4 p.m. when the sun had gone down a little, we finally headed out. We caught an Uber and the first place we visited was the White Town. White Town is the historic French quarter that boasts picturesque streets and a colonial charm. It has quite a few cozy cafes, stunning chapels and boutique hotels and it is located near a beach which makes it all the more perfect.

This is the park monument aka 'Aayi mandapam'. It is a sculpture made of white Makrana marble.

Next, we visited the Mahatma Gandhi statue, a prominent landmark in Pondicherry. It features a tall statue of Mahatma Gandhi surrounded by eight intricately carved granite pillars.

The statue is located on the Promenade beach and so naturally the next stop on our way was the beachhh! Promenade Beach is the perfect spot for a chill evening. On one side, you have the endless blue sea, and on the other, a pretty road made for long walks. Lining the road are charming French colonial buildings, cute cafes, and some historic landmarks. It’s got a whole vintage, seaside vibe!

French Colonies

Then we got to exploring the French colonies. The buildings were so incredibly beautiful. We visited the baker's street which was a recommendation from @bighungrypanda and it did not disappoint. It was quite packed since it's a quaint little place but we got seats and ordered a coffee, Pain au chocolat and another dessert. All were yummmm.

Next, we visited the Our Lady of Angels Church. Built in 1855 during the French colonial period, it is one of the oldest churches in the area. The architecture had this old-world charm, and the soft pastel colors made it look so peaceful. The lighting inside gave it a warm, calming vibe. It’s one of those places where you just want to sit for a while and take it all in.

This is a Buddha statue just outside the church that adds to its beauty.

After roaming all through the French colonies and being awed by the sheer allure of it, we headed back to our hotel. Instead of taking an Uber we decided to walk. Although we were tired after a long day that included a lot of walking already, it was hard to resist the cool breeze and the experience of exploring a new town. Fortunately, 3 girls walking in a strange city at late in the night did not garner us any unwanted attention and we reached our hotel safely.

Midnight Birthday Celebration!

Most of our group was already at the hotel, just relaxing. Some were smoking, and some were drinking in their rooms. I don’t usually smoke or drink, but I don’t mind if I’m with people I’m comfortable with. But in this case, one of my friends doesn’t smoke or drink at all, so we decided to skip it too.

We had been planning a little surprise ever since we found out that our trip happened to be on my friend’s birthday. The plan was to go to the beach at midnight and cut a cake to celebrate. We secretly ordered a cake and hid it in another room. Since we wanted it to be a surprise, it was a little tricky to convince her to go to the beach so late at night. But we managed! We booked an Uber (because we were done with walking for the day) and headed to the beach. My friend and I were in charge of bringing the birthday girl there, while another friend was supposed to bring the cake.

She was so surprised when she found all ten of us singing "Happy Birthday" to her at midnight on the beach! The best part? This was her first time ever seeing the ocean. So getting to celebrate her birthday there made it even more special. We had some cake, played in the water for a bit, and then went back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep.

Sleeping Struggles

But. Fate had other plans. The room beds could comfortably accomodate only 3 people, but we were 4. And neither of us wanted to leave the room to bunk with other people. And so we cramped ourselves into one king size bed, meant for 2! We all expected to spend the night being suffocated but funnily enough all of us fell asleep soon. Thanks to the tiring day we had.

The End

We had a bus back the next day evening...around 4pm. So we took our sweet time waking up, visited the beach again, explored some street shops. For lunch, we headed to the writer's cafe. I wasn't a fan of the food but it was alright. And then we boarded our bus and were back to Chennai by 8 pm

It was a short 2-day trip with a lot of chaos and ups and downs but it was worth every moment! The trip wasn't only about visiting a new place but the thrill of being young, independent and free to explore. And that's what made it unforgettable.

P.S: Forgive the not-so-great photographs, I was working with a really bad phone camera at the time.