Strangers in Pondicherry

Nine of my classmates and I hired a van and driver to whisk us away to Puducherry, also known as Pondicherry, a formerly French-colonized town on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The trip took a good 5 hours, driving past seemingly endless stretches of open land- some rice paddies, some open fields, and some grazing land for cows, sheep, and goats- occasionally interrupted by bustling towns. We passed through several toll stations and then had to get a permit to enter Puducherry- I've heard that Puducherry does not tax alcohol and other "sinful" products and therefore is a popular destination for in'n'out shopping, so the government has instituted permit fees to enter the city. We went to the permit station, but unfortunately it was closed- unfortunately the only way to get a permit was to go back a good half an hour to get a permit. It was difficult to understand the driver and a few people got concerned about what we were doing, especially since it was dark, none of us knew our way around and we were going to a remote area. We turned onto a deserted road and someone mentioned that things were getting a little creepy- but as the driver realized he had missed a turn to go under the highway to the other side, he put the car in reverse and instead of a beep beep reverse sound, Jingle Bells started playing. It was hilarious, all of us singing Jingle Bells in the dark in the middle of nowhere. Needless to say, everything worked out and we made it, tired and hungry, to Ginger- an affordable but semi-luxurious motel with a restaurant, comfortable beds, and functioning showers. I slept like a rock.

Today we ventured into the busy town, admiring the French-influence architecture, bicycle rickshaws, and occasional beach views. Although the beach is a bit dirty, it was still thrilling to see and hear crashing waves. We all put our feet in the water and felt instantly cooled against the unforgiving summer sun.

After walking all over in search of a park we'd passed on our drive on the way to the beach, we finally gave up tried to explain to rickshaw drivers where we were trying to go. We got in and drove literally around the corner, only to see the park right there. This is turning out to be a very comical trip.

Lunch at Le Dupleix- built in the 1800s as the home for the French mayor, the building was impressive and the food was delightful. A welcome reprieve from the heat of the day, followed by some time sitting on the hot rocks at the beach. An ideal day to say the least, and it's not even over yet.