Three days in Pondicherry : Serene escapade to tranquil town
Hello all,
After a short glimpse of cold, winter has now suddenly taken a turn, and we are missing those cool evenings. All summer clothes are already hibernating, and winter sweaters are peeping from the closet. My mind is already drifting into wintering mode. What is wintering? It is the beautiful phenomenon that teaches us to slow down. As my courtyard and balconies are full of neem leaves, the trees have taught me resilience. The trees which stand tall and proud in summer, giving us all the softness and coolness, are now shedding their leaves because they are resting. Or should I say they are preparing themselves to bounce back again in the summer? Don’t we humans also need this? Winter teaches us to slow down. Enjoy cool mornings. Have a fun night snuggled in warm blankets with family. Chat, eat, play board games or watch TV. But those nights will be your memories of a lifetime. Winter teaches us stillness. How animals and plants, though they appear still, prepare themselves, we should also do the same. I am not saying we should stop working, but lazily, quietly, steadily and slowly, enjoy this beautiful season with all the calmness it has to offer, collecting and gathering positive vibes and giving just 15-30 minutes of slowness.
Pondicherry is one of the best places to experience slowness. Be it the spiritual part of Auroville or the vibrant, coloured French colony. We spent three days in this fantastic town, and we fell in love with it. Here is the itinerary of our three days:
Day 1:
Arrive in Pondicherry.
Spend the afternoon and evening in leisure at the beaches.
There are many excellent beaches in Pondicherry.
Rocky beach:
It is the heart of the White Town. As the name suggests, the coast is rocky, so you can not swim here, but that makes it even more beautiful, as you can enjoy the pure essence of the sea just by viewing it. It is also known as Promenade Beach or Gandhi Beach. Enjoy the view with coffee at La Café or stroll around lazily… we are sure it will be one of the most memorable moments.
Auroville beach
It is one of the best beaches in Pondicherry. It is also known as Auro Beach. This beach is an ideal spot for those fond of swimming and water activities.
Paradise Beach:
It is one of the best sandy beaches of Pondicherry. There is A beautiful ferry ride from this beach.
Serenity Beach:
This is an idyllic beach with gorgeous views. Try to go early the morning as it gets crowded later on. There are numerous water activities available here for you to enjoy..
Take a leisurely walk along the beach road. When we visited, there was an amazing street exhibition of recycled art. All the paintings were fabulous. We were amazed to witness such beautiful art pieces.
We also visited Craft Bazar in White Town, where you can get beautiful local items, handbags, shoes, shell crafts, etc…During sunset, if you feel Promenade beach is too crowded, you can always go to the Broken pier.
Day 2:
Spend a morning at Aurobindo Ashram:
There is something in the premises of the Ashram that makes you feel at ease as soon as you set foot there. There is calmness, and that is the reason that the strict silence policy won’t bother you at all. The volunteers and staff are so generous and kind. They will guide you to the most peaceful place in the Ashram, which is Samadhi. Adorned with flowers, it will attract you like a magnet. It soothes your soul and compels you just to sit there and meditate. By just sitting there, a sense of gratitude will reflect in your mind.
The other part of the Ashram features a bookstore and a gallery with a wide range of books in many languages, and amazing postcards and photographs. Shoes are not allowed inside the Ashram. They will make you switch off your phones at the age of the ashram.
Other units of the ashram:
We got a map of the ashram premises for the bookstore. There are several units of the ashram, like the Marble Printing unit, the Batik unit, the Hand Embroidery unit, and the Handmade Paper unit. All the ashram units are of grey and white colours. So we can easily identify them. You can find details of them here.
We visited the Batik and the Marble units. You can shop from there. Just watch for the timings beforehand.
Afternoon, have lunch at one of the beautiful cafés in white town.
Evening Pondicherry cycle tour. You can visit some of the important historical sites during this tour.
Day 3:
Visit Auroville and Matrimandir. This requires the whole blog, and I will write about it shortly, but please keep at least half a day for your visit to Auroville, as there are many aspects of this place, which is one of the most unique cultural and spiritual places of India.
How to reach?
Pondicherry has an airport, so there are a few connecting flights.
But the best way is to reach Chennai, and from Chennai it is 145 km, so approximately 2 2-hour and 45-minute drive.
Here is our Taxi Driver’s contact number: Mr. Prabhu – 9514748431
Places to stay in Pondicherry :
White Town is best if you are not bothered by city and town life, as it has the best sea view. A few good places are: Seaside Guest House and The Retreat
We opted for Le Pondy, as it is away from the town. But in hindsight, any beachview hotel in White Town would have been a better place to stay.
Food:
What can I say about food? This town has the best cafés and restaurants, and you can read about them here
Shopping guide:
Aurobindo Ashram – Books, postcards and their crafts.
Pondicherry Craft Bazar – for local craft.
Aura – they have the craft of Aurobindo Ashram, with clothes as well as jewellery.
Meraki – they have crafts from Pondicherry as well as from other parts of India. I purchased a few ceramic items from there.
So this is a small and short gateway to this culturally unique town, which will stay in our minds for a long, long time.