Goa was beautiful (especially the sunsets) though unfortunately between Greg and I we spent most of the time we were there stuck sick inside our hotel room. We made it just over halfway through the trip so can’t complain that much, but man we were miserable.
From Goa, we made it to Pondicherry after an only slightly harrowing three hour taxi ride from Chennai in the dark...and the rain...and with a driver who may have had bird flu!
We had decided to extend our stays in both Pondicherry and Kerala instead of going back north to Delhi like we’d originally planned. There were a couple of reasons for this, but a big one was the pre-monsoon heat wave that covered northern and western India. Greg and I could barely handle the 90 degree weather in Pondi let alone the 118 degree weather in the north.
This turned out to be an especially good decision as it took us a few days to get our bearings in Pondicherry. Once we figured out that walking in the streets was easier than navigating the sidewalks and that venturing out anytime during mid-day was a bad idea, things got a lot better. We enjoyed walking along the beach promenade and though “white town” the former French areas where the streets were a bit quieter and the old colonial architecture was still present. I was asked if I spoke french by an astrologer outside a Hindu temple and we found a great little antique store that we could have spent days just exploring. On our last night we had dinner at the Le Dupleix, a hotel and restaurant in the former French mayor’s mansion. Great food, gorgeous setting and an excellent way to end our time in Pondi.
From Goa, we made it to Pondicherry after an only slightly harrowing three hour taxi ride from Chennai in the dark...and the rain...and with a driver who may have had bird flu!
We had decided to extend our stays in both Pondicherry and Kerala instead of going back north to Delhi like we’d originally planned. There were a couple of reasons for this, but a big one was the pre-monsoon heat wave that covered northern and western India. Greg and I could barely handle the 90 degree weather in Pondi let alone the 118 degree weather in the north.
This turned out to be an especially good decision as it took us a few days to get our bearings in Pondicherry. Once we figured out that walking in the streets was easier than navigating the sidewalks and that venturing out anytime during mid-day was a bad idea, things got a lot better. We enjoyed walking along the beach promenade and though “white town” the former French areas where the streets were a bit quieter and the old colonial architecture was still present. I was asked if I spoke french by an astrologer outside a Hindu temple and we found a great little antique store that we could have spent days just exploring. On our last night we had dinner at the Le Dupleix, a hotel and restaurant in the former French mayor’s mansion. Great food, gorgeous setting and an excellent way to end our time in Pondi.
Leave a comment