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Hip-cupping - (v) the act of laughing whilst hiccuping


Day 0


Pondicherry (also called Puducherry) is a 7-hour bus ride away from Bengaluru. I booked my bus tickets through the redBus app which is now my go-to for all bus travels. I chose Greenline Travels which provided for a smooth and safe journey.

Alternatively, from Chennai, you can board one of the State government buses that takes about 4 hours to reach Pondi.

Day 1


The bus reached at 6 am, which isn’t a very ideal timing to occupy a hotel room. Treebo Red Lotus allows check-in only 10 am onward so I decided to stroll the very lovely streets of White Town. I head to the Promenade Beach (also known as Rock Beach, don’t let Google Maps confuse you). At the Promenade Boulevard you can see the Gandhi Statue against the blue waters which makes for a pleasant sight. For breakfast I went to Le Café where the omelettes are delish! Although if you aren’t a big fan of crows, you should probably avoid this place since I had a hard time consuming my food, with the birds believing it was theirs. If you like giving out postcards as souvenirs you must check out the Hidesign flagship store at The Promenade which also has a wall full of interesting trivia on how the Hidesign stores in India originated.

Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away

was the quote calligraphed on a wall of my room and the place stayed true to the statement.

I lunched at Café Xtasi and I’ve not had a better Spinach & Olives Pizza since then. Police Museum is a simply a tiny armory the size of a room above a police station. So when I entered the station, the cops were at unease until I said “I’m here for the museum!”

I covered the religious bit on the first day by visiting Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple and Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In the evening, I went over to The Storytellers Bar which was cherry on top of a cake of a day! The place was a combination of my 3 favorites – Jazz, Wine and Crab. With a hand on my heart, I exclaimed “I’m happy!”

Day 2

Woke up the next morning to Treebo’s breakfast spread. It didn’t have a lot of variety like the higher star hotels do; but enough to head start the day.

For all parts of my trip I walked to the places I visited, thanks to the central location of my hotel. Although for Auroville, which is quite a distance from White Town, I took an Ola. So Pondi is unlike other UTs – the areas are scattered. That way you’ve to cross Tamil Nadu to get to Auroville (which is partly in TN and partly in Pondi). Auroville has a rich historical culture. It brings together individuals from various nations. For the inauguration in 1968, people from 124 nationalities brought with them a sample of soil from their countries and deposited it in an urn at the amphitheater. In Auroville I came across a ladybird kind of insect – red in color, with symmetrical shapes of black on its body; fascinating. Along the walk to Matrimandir (a meditation center) are monoliths with life quotes inscribed on them. Pro tip – Try renting out a cycle at Auroville, it’s a huge place and the walks are tiring. The Matrimandir was shut for an interior construction so I couldn’t get in, but the structure is breath-taking even on the outside.

I went over to Le Morgan for some food and got my hands on a season special – Mango Chicken Steak with mashed potatoes and salad.

Back from Auro, I head to Creamy Station for ice-cream and take my word for this – ORDER THE CHOCOLATE BOMB. The chef pours melted caramel over a big ball of chocolate which breaks to unveil a chocolate sauce drenched brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice over it – brilliance! To be honest, what I recollect of Pondi is only walking and eating on repeat because the streets are so picturesque and the food so appetizing. To refresh myself from all the walking, I ordered a mint cooler at Villa Shanti and it was reviving. 

Day 3

I don’t keep a lot planned for my last days. It’s nice to be laid-back on at least one of the days of your travel so you don’t have just site-seeing scrambled in. You really enjoy the locale in its true sense on the lazy day. For brunch I chose Les Alizes in Palais de Mahe and ordered the Day special – Grilled Prawns with Aioli Spaghetti. If you’re a seafood lover, you precisely know how prawn can brighten up your day!

One thing you have got to do before leaving P’cherry is splurge and glutton on baked goods! I walked into Baker Street which had a variety of jams, cookies and almond financier. The prices are on the higher end but the quality is top-notch so you wouldn’t mind making your pockets a tad lighter. Pondi has a great collection for street shopping, some clothes even having authentic H&M tags! You can also find women selling coin purses made out of saris.

I’ll leave you with a motivational line painted on a rock at Auroville –

Do not think of what you have been, think only of what you want to be and you are sure to progress
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