Earlier i mentioned one of the items on my wish list was to try n have atleast 4 vacations in a year. Some as a personal trip to let loose from the hectic schedules @ work,  and a few when i can sneak in pleasure with business 😉 . A trip which would count among  of the most memorable ones happened when i decided to make a trip down to Puducherry (formerly known as Pondicherry a.k.a Pondy).  When i decided to head down to Pondy for bout 4 days, a lot of my frens asked me whatever i planned to do around there for such a long time, but then when i finally got there, i found my calling… The place is magical, it has an unusually beautiful ambiance anywhere you go around in the small town. Went around to the Auroville Ashram where you find the mammoth Matri Mandir, There is every possibility that you would find yourself to be a minority among the huge foreign tourist population.  The route to the Auroville Ashram is covered with a Green Canopy almost as soon as you leave the ECR highway and head left towards the Ashram. The Auroville beach was a disappointment though however when i drove further north on the famous East Coast Road, i landed at a remote beach at a village called Marakkanam which could probably be one of cleanest beaches which i have been to.  Apart from a handful of nearby villagers, i couldnt find any modern crowd around there.  The other place was the Chunnambar boat house from where you can hire a speed boat to the Plage Paradiso beach. The thrill of sitting in a speed boat with the wind in your hair is really an awesome experience. You sure wouldn’t wanna miss it. Food and booze was never a problem, You should visit LeClub, LeCafe, LaTerrace, Satsang, LeSpace (my favorite)…Try the banana flambe, pancakes, Firewood Pizza and several delicacies.. Treat your taste buds 🙂 I learnt some french words myself, fun to walk in to a restaurant and ask for Poulet, Poisson, Crevette, etc..  By the time you return, you’d ve gotten used to addressing a street as Rue 😉  Obtain a Pondy tour map from the Tourist Centre on the Goubert Avenue facing the sea at the Bay Of Bengal. Its very informative and can be really useful to locate some of the heritage buildings. I would love to visit Pondy again and next time probably try n stay at one of the several colonial  heritage buildings and live life french ishtyle 😉 . Here are a few random clicks taken during my stay @ Pondy.

Cheerios