These were the days where we implemented our plan of staying like the locals and enjoy the beach. I am not going to describe every individual day but just going to list down my experiences.
Serenity Beach
As told by a local fishermen. This is originally a fishing village and still is one. But after the big Tsunami a lot of houses were destroyed and fishermen moved more inside towards the village. This made way for commercial/tourism development on the beach. These activities in turn gave business opportunity to local fishermen who either sold their houses or converted them to guest house. Most of the houses found on Airbnb on this beach are reworked fishermen houses. The beach itself is clean but not as clean as Goa beaches. Last year there were 14 deaths on this beach due to drowning but still there is not a single life guard on the beach. The problem is most of the people in the water are intoxicated.
During the weekdays the beach was nice and peaceful but over the weekend it got really busy and noisy. There are a few Cafes on the beach such as Theevu Plage (Good fusion food), What up Cafe (Good burgers and Sandwiches) and a few other small kitchens serving food. For Non-veg eaters there is a native family which servers Fish from a small hut which was always busy right next to Whats up cafe.
Whats up cafe V-cross Parked at the house Parking view from the roof Another V-cross spotted over the weekend Rocky shore (Man madel) Fishing Boat Surfing
Me and My wife both enrolled for 5 day Private surfing lessons. There are two surf schools at the beach Kallialay Surf School and Serenity Surf house. We selected Kallialay since it was right outside our house. Must say a very professionally run school full five stars for that.
This was our first experience surfing or even touching a surf board. The lessons were scheduled at 10am everyday and looked easy from outside. But once it started we realized how physically demanding surfing is. By the end of the second day my Wife called it quits since it got too physical for her. Also it didn't help that both of us got stung by a jelly fish on the second day.
About the jelly fish sting, I suddenly felt something wrapped around my toe and a deep sensation of pain which felt like some one had set my foot on fire. Me and my wife got stung on the same day same time. It took a lot of vinegar to calm the stinging sensation. The first time we panicked but the surf school was prepared with vinegar and CPR equipment just in case. I got stung again on my 4th lesson but this time I did not even react and continued surfing.
I must say surfing is a very addictive sport and you just don't want to stop till your muscles give up. My entire body was sore by the end of the training and had to go for a Aurvedic Massage therapy to relax. Oh I did manage to stand up on the surf board from the end of the 2nd session onwards.
Surf School Board Surfing Pics Pondicherry Rock Beach and White town.
The rock beach is a long stretch of shore line just like Carter Road or Marine drive in Mumbai. There are a few monuments there which didn't interest us much. We spent an evening here sipping on coffee at the Le cafe which also serves some good food.
A drive through White town (Difficult in V-cross due to narrow lanes) is good enough to view the heritage buildings. A rooftop restaurant by the name of Bay of Buddha at the Promenade hotel is good if you like oriental food overlooking the Bay of Bengal. Also there is a nice Mexican Restaurant Margarita where we had lunch once.
There nothing much to do in Pondicherry otherwise.
I clicked a few pics here but it was getting dark and kids had started throwing tantrums. All these pics were taken in a hurry.
Rock Beach Dr.Ambedkar Monument Light House AuroVille
Auroville is the place which is a must visit if you are in Pondicherry. Its more of a french locality where most of the business are owned by French. We visited the MatriMandir and did some shopping there. Its a nice place but the heat got to us we could not spend a lot of time there.
We had a couple of meals at Tanto Pizzeria which also delivers at Serenity beach. Another restaurant we like is Bread and Chocolate cafe which serves some nice sour dough bread sandwiches and vegan food. Also breakfast at Auroville bakery is not to be missed.
Matri Mandir Parking at Auroville Huge Banyan Tree Experience
Overall the entire experience to stay at Pondicherry for a week was worth it. We were initially disappointed since we expected the place to be like Goa but as the days went we realized that its a totally different place in a nice way. The locals there especially the grocery store and cafe owners at serenity beach started recognizing me from 2nd day onwards and it was good to have a conversation with them on my morning walk.
The kids had a great time too enjoying the beach every morning and evening. They did miss the TV (Our villa had no TV) but it was good to be disconnected for a while. They made full use of their beach toys.
Boys Toys
After spending most of my Life in Mumbai (West coast) where watching the sunset is normal it was a different experience watching the sunrise and moonrise. It felt weird in a way.
Moon Rise (DSLR) Moon Rise by iPhone Thats the wrap up of my stay at Pondicherry. Cont: Drive Back....