Pondicherry (French: Pondichéry; romanized Tamil: Puduchery) is an Indian
territory - and a French colony until 1954 - on the Bay of Bengal, south of
Chennai (Madras). With about 200,000 people, it's big enough to be
interesting and small enough not to be sprawling and congested. Much of the
old French part of the town is preserved. Sightseeing in central Pondicherry
focuses on the French heritage architecture and people-watching by the long
seafront. (The museum is closed due to renovations). The town is also
convenient for Auroville, the alternative lifestyle colony, if you're into
that sort of thing. I took a solo two-day break there over Christmas and
didn't do much other than eat and wander around.
Getting there from Bangalore is relatively easy: 5 and a half hours on a
KSRTC bus (Rs772 return). The seafront area of town is walking distance
(about 1.5km) from the bus terminal: turn left on the main road and keep on
going. Not being in a hurry I walked the 3km north to the Ginger hotel
(Rs1499), part of a 10-hotel "no-frills" chain catering for business
travellers and the budget conscious. They don't do check-in before noon but
they looked after my bag while I wandered around town. Their buffet South
Indian breakfast (Rs100) opens at 7.
MG Road (rue Dupleix) is the main drag of what used to be the native quarter
under colonial rule. Fish and vegetables arrive for the early morning market
vendors and the strip is relatively clean and orderly by Indian standards.
The architecture is vaguely reminiscent of Hanoi or Vientiane: lots of squat
yellow villas. Pondicherry has an air of prosperity compared with its
neighbouring areas.
Entering the French quarter over the covered canal, the first surprise is
actual French tourists. There were dozens of them of all ages poring over
their forefathers' legacies. The territory government has not tried to
expunge the colonial heritage; instead it has used to the advantage of
tourism. The classic white-on-blue street signs - with Tamil script above -
have been restored or replaced, even on streets where the French name has
been largely forgotten. France maintains a consulate and a privately owned
Alliance Française ensures French language and culture are still taught.
A new addition to the culinary scene is Poudou-Poudou (31 rue
Labourdonnais). Its French owner offers a set menu of six mini-entrees, a
main course - I had the calves' liver - and a platter of six desserts for
Rs450. Local wine is Rs250 a glass. (Grover Vineyards, the Maharashtra-based
label, produces a white called Santé just for the Pondcherry market; it's a
lot better than their other products).
Hotel Dupleix (5 rue de la Caserne) is another newer place with an
indoor/outdoor restaurant serving modern food. I had baby spinach served
with grilled apples and pears, followed by a grilled scampi. (About Rs500
total).
L'Espace is an upstairs bar on the same street. Best known for cold
Kingfisher (Rs100), it also serves excellent food, such as a tasty sautéed
squid with vegetables (Rs200). The Hotel d'Orient is part of the pricey
Neemrana group but has a great garden setting for cocktails and
lunch/dinner.
The bus back to Bangalore took slightly longer - just over six hours - but
dropped me off at the Lal Bagh botanical gardens, which is easy walking
distance from home.
Cheers,
George W Russell
Bangalore
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