I've finally made a friend here in India. Philippa's from Boston, and has been visiting the sub-continent for the past three months due to her job. She works in publishing and came to India to meet some of the Indian vendors her company works with. My dear college friend Nitasha put us in touch, since she thought I might be able to show Philippa around. Turns out, Philippa's seen more of India than I have, even in her short time here!
When we first met in February, she told me about this magical place in South India called Pondicherry. I've always wanted to visit, so as a fun farewell to Philippa's last week in India, we decided to take an impromptu break from hectic Delhi life and visit somewhere wonderful.
Pondicherry, now renamed "Puducherry" as a way to throw off the last vestiges of colonialism, has a population of 900,000 but retains the innocence and charm of a small village. There are no airports in this once-upon-a-time French Colonial town, so you have to drive three hours from Chennai (the nearest city) along a coastal road lined with palm trees and beaches.
All along our drive there, we passed these huge billboards advertising Pondicherry and the various resorts in it. My two favorites were: "Pondicherry-- Give Time a Break" and "Pondicherry--Restless and Yet so Calming." Our taxi-driver was a small Tamil man who spoke no English, had a shy smile, and a cell-phone with a ringer that sounded like a rooster crowing!
Just going by the drive, Pondicherry is a place like no other.
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