Of all the posts that I have written so far, this is the one I am most excited to share with all of you. It would be the first travel post on my blog and like I said in an earlier post, this year would certainly feature many of my travel experiences.

Traveling is something most of us enjoy. We love exploring new places and getting to know that there’s so much we haven’t seen yet. This motivates me to do better in life so that I can travel if not to all of the places but most of them.

There was no better place in my mind than Pondicherry for getting started with my travel section this year. India has seven Union Territories of which this is the third one I have got the chance to visit (Not counting Delhi, as it is my hometown) and would love to cross off the rest in near future. (see below) 😉

Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Daman & Diu
Chandigarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Delhi
Lakshwadeep
Puducherry

Pondicherry is hugely known for its tranquil site and beautiful French colonies. People come here from all over the country and even outside of it to experience the days in peace. There are a lot of people who have come and settled down, managing their own little business of handlooms and eateries.

Weather
I have experienced roasting days and cool breezy nights during my visit in March. It’s really difficult to go out in the daytime and even if you do, be ready to get tanned. Not carrying a good sunscreen lotion is a big NO NO. The damage done by UV rays are real and cannot be taken for granted. My go-to sunscreen lotion is Lotus SPF-40, which I never fail to carry with me when traveling. I realized, after coming back to Delhi, that my skin color has almost gone down three levels in just four days. Never mind, the experience was completely worth that (extra) tan.

Language
You must know Tamil or English to conversate with the localiites (residents of the locality) there. But even if you don’t, you’ll meet the most considerate people who’ll be happy to help.

Food
Crisp and fresh seafood is all over the place which is quite evident since the place is surrounded by the sea. If you’re a pure vegetarian and do not prefer to take chances, go for a basic South Indian menu which wouldn’t disappoint your taste buds and pocket both. Being from the northern part of India, I am obsessed with salted and spicy food which was definitely a miss there.

Transportation
In the name of public transport, you shall only find auto rickshaws available and they are the only ones there who’ll take an advantage of you being an outsider. They charged meaningless prices from me for hardly a kilometer or so. The only smart way to survive and not get overcharged is to rent a two-wheeler of your preference.

Places To Eat

Pehle Pet puja,
baad mei kaam duja

This is a famous quote in Hindi which means you should feed your stomach first before stepping out for any other work and honestly I do believe in that. Food is the ultimate love of my life and thinking to go without having good food even for a day can make me go nuts! We didn’t leave any stones unturned to find great food and cafes to spend our evenings at. Just to let you know, if you ever plan to go for dinners at any of the cafes, make sure you’re there inside before 8:30. The kitchen of the cafes closes around 10 which we couldn’t really digest for most of the nights while we were there.

1. #Dilliwaala6
This is not only a place to fall in love with its interiors but they serve equally amazing food. After all the hit and trial days in Pondicherry, we were bewildered if we would even find good food or not. This cafe looked and sounded striking to us so we couldn’t miss getting our butts in there and gladly came out with full stomachs. Being a #Dilliwaali myself, I can’t resist north Indian food for more than two days so I had to have something which my taste buds are more familiar with. The food was finger licking good. They also have a small cafe beside this place which offers shakes and smoothies. The quantity and quality of cold coffee which I tried was quite satisfying.

2. DisDis & Co.
It has the most romantic interiors and by the time we arrived, the kitchen was closed. We could only get our hands on a kebab roll and a fish item which tasted pretty decent to me. I will also give a plus point for their good looking staff member who was really helpful in managing to get us food even around 10:30 pm. 😉

3. Asian House
This is a fine-dine restaurant with some really good music and food. A perfect place to have a couple of beers with seafood and platters. 😉

4. Madame Shanthés Cafe
The name, interiors and the fact that it’s in the White Town would definitely convince you to give this one a try and just so we did. We ordered a variety of food items but none was pleasing enough to me. We found insects lying in two of our dishes which was creepy and not something we could have expected from a high priced restaurant like this.

5. Eat My Cake- French Restaurant
This is a french restaurant in the White Town, highly known for its uber exotic breakfast and desserts. I had tried almost all the desserts which are drool worthy after having the worst breakfast ever. If not for breakfast, you can definitely pay a visit for desserts and to get yourself clicked in a pretty background.

Drinks
Temperature is usually boiling there so, opt for a beer or a smoothie. If you’re a beer person, you will be happy as a clam to know that beer merely costs 2/3rd the price what we get in other parts of India and probably that’s the cheapest drink after Nariyal Pani.

Places To Visit

1. Paradise Beach-
   The name gives complete justice to this location where you just cannot miss an opportunity to spend a day alone or with your loved ones. This is a few kilometers away from the main town. Take something along to eat or you’ll have to get through the day with chips and junk food, available at a shop nearby. You wouldn’t find a lot of people here which is why it’s clean and much of a place to chill and adore the beauty of blue waters.
2. Sri Aurobindo Ashram
   It was my last day in Pondicherry when I visited this ashram. There were still many places left for me to check out (obviously!) so, I couldn’t stay there for long which I truly regret.  The place is so peaceful sending calm and pleasant vibes. People sit at a certain spot to meditate and spend some time alone to refresh their body and mind. You’ll also find a library which has books by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother at very reasonable prices. I couldn’t click any pictures as cell phones and/or any other electronic devices aren’t allowed inside the premises.
3. Promenade
   The promenade is a shore which has rocky structures separating the land mass from the water body. You can sit back and sip your beer/coffee in the evening while listening to the sound of those waves and experiencing cool wind touching your hair. The view of the ocean under the moonlit sky is mesmerizing which gives yet another reason to visit here in the evening/night.
   
4. White Town
   For the love of fancy buildings, clean roads, and colored decoratives, this is the most exciting place to wander with easy accessibility to exclusive restaurants, bars, and hotels.
   
   The last picture is also a sneak peek for the next outfit post on the blog. 😉
   Also, I hope you’ve enjoyed the post as much as I did while writing it down. The thought that so many of you guys would be reading my travel experience is overwhelming.Will be back soon. 😉
   TadaLove,
   Priyanka