Last year I visited this place and wrote about it and claimed
that my exploration was incomplete. So, this year, a friend of mine (who is to
get married soon) decided to have a mini bachelorette trip to
Pondicherry.
Initially we were 3 girls going on the trip (
ZNMD style :P ), but you know,
there is always someone who backs out at the last moment. Yes, we were just 2
girls riding on the streets of the
French Capital of India.
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Rock Beach |
I first flew from Bangalore to
Chennai on the night of 16
th
June and spent the night at the luxurious
Ibis, Chennai Sipcot. Next morning at
6 we caught a bus and now we were on our way to Pondicherry!
The resort is so damn beautiful you could spend a whole
day there.
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Club Mahindra |
They have their own restaurant, a swimming pool, spa, adventure
sports like- bungee jumping (not literally, but that’s what they call it. I don’t
know what it is actually called), quad biking, trampoline, zorbing, and many
other sports like- cricket, badminton, volleyball, air hockey… and a lot of fun
and games for children like magic shows, a game of housie in the night and dance
classes.
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The pool at the resort |
In the night, they have a few events for all the guests present there.
And to top it all, they have a PRIVATE BEACH. How cool is that!!
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The private beach |
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@the beach |
Despite all the amenities, we decided to go to the main Pondicherry
city. We caught a bus and got off at
Aurobindo ashram. Around the ashram there
are many shops that give you a cycle or a scooter on rent for a mere Rs300 per
day.
By the time, we hired a vehicle, we were very hungry. After
reading a lot of “Must Visit” lists and doing a lot of research, we went to
Kasha Ki Asha.
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Kasha Ki Asha |
First impression was- WOW, who would think that such a tiny place
could be made up so beautifully. The ambience is perfect with a blend of
western and Indian culture. But did this place live up to our expectations?
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The ambience at the cafe |
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The blend of cultures |
Disappointment number 1: this place is pure vegetarian. Me,
being a staunch Non-vegetarian was very disappointed.
Disappointment number 2: The pizza we ordered was plain and
bland. The Pizza Dosai- which we were excited to try was nothing but dosa with the
same bland pizza toppings, the food left us bitterly disappointed. We also
tried their Iced tea, which again did not live up to our expectations.
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Pizza and Pizza Dosai |
Disappointment number 3: they sell really good stuff in
their shop. But everything there is overpriced. We saw a beautiful scarf that
according to me should not cost more than Rs700-800, but they had priced it 3200!
What a waste!
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Kasha ki Asha Gallery |
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The artifacts at the gallery |
Pros: Their French Fries were fresh as ever (not frozen
fries) , their fresh fruit juices is a must try, nowhere have I had fresher fruit juices. And the best thing here is their Chocolate pancakes, which
was more like Choco-chip pan cakes, yet very tasty.
After relaxing at Kasha ki Asha we went to the famous-
Casablanca Boutique, I did not find anything amusing there. They had all
branded stuff that you will find in any major city of India. They had very few
exclusive stuff.
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Inside Casablanca |
We also visited
Auro boutique, which had more options of
exclusive things to buy. We ended up buying some pretty handmade candles and a
few more souvenirs.
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Candles from the boutique |
Now that the sun had begun to set, we hired a cycle (Rs75
per day only) and rode around White town.
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CYCLE!!! |
The roads are even, no ups and downs
and it does not take a lot of effort to cycle on these streets. The cool breeze
at the time of sunset boosts your energy to cycle even more.
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The streets of Pondicherry at night |
We also cycled on
The Promenade, though it was very crowded, the experience was out of this world. I
was adamant on visiting a church and so I visited the church I loved the most
from my last visit-
Eglise De Notre Dame Des Anges. The beauty of this church, has not failed to mesmerize me yet again!
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Inside the church |
We made one more stop at
The Bay of Buddha, the rooftop
restaurant of the hotel,
The Promenade.
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Hotel The Promenade |
This place is so beautiful you could
just sit there all night and do nothing. The ambience is flawless and the music
they play complements the environment.
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Bay of Buddha |
Overseeing the light house and the rock
beach, this place is ideal for a romantic date.
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The View from Bay of Buddha |
They have happy hours from 4pm
to 7pm and it is totally worth the money. They give you 2 cocktails and a
starter for just Rs599.
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HAPPY HOURS!!! |
The food is a bit different, they serve Vietnamese, Korean
and Chinese. We ordered Vietnamese Spring roll, which was cold and did not
appeal to our taste buds. We had Chicken lollypop (this came along with the 2
cocktails during Happy hours) which was extremely palatable and dim sums which
were good enough.
By now we had no place
left in our stomachs and straight away ordered dessert, the highlight of the day-
Coconut and chocolate pot! It is basically cold chocolate mousse topped with a
few pieces of coconut. It is by far the best chocolate mousse I have ever had,
hands down!
After this, we resorted to our resort and had a relaxing
night in the comfort of our club Mahindra rooms.
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The room at Club Mahindra! |
Day2: Ok, so this article is already too long so stay tuned
for Part 2 :)
To be continued ……