Pondicherry - Baguettes and Nutella - bliss!

Trip Start Oct 07, 2007
1
19
42
Trip End ??? ??, 2008


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
shadow

Flag of India  ,
Friday, December 28, 2007

There are those travellers that say Pondicherry is not real India - you can see their point - Pondicherry is actually clean! Well cleanish anyway - Jono still managed to spot a couple of rats about the place but he does have a keen eye! Pondicherry is a French colonial town and while there isn't anything particullarly spectacular to see or do it's a quite pleasant spot to stroll the streets with their colonial buildings and eat some good French food.

Our parents were treating us for Christmas so stayed in a really nice hotel for a couple of nights. Christmas dinner was unorthodox but to us heavenly - fresh French baguettes with Brie, tomatoes and cucumber! Even managed to get English mass on Christmas day which was really nice. Christmas is a bit different in India - they still celebrate it but in a much leass commercial and more understated way. Most houses have chalk murals painted outside theirs doors and star lanterns hanging about but very little else by way of decoration.

The promenade though was buzzing in the evening, with loads of families taking a stroll, people playing music and selling toys. We saw one group of beggars masquerading as carol singers - they sounded awful but seemed to be cleaning up nonetheless. On Christmas day we met up with a few Scots for drinks (now that you can't do in Ireland!). After about half and hour I noticed I was the only female in the bar along with about 50 men! That wasn't too bad until I decided I needed to use the Ladies - there wasn't one so the gents had to be cordoned off for the ocassion!
Slideshow Print this entry Pondicherry hotels