Brief Getaway to Paradise

As I watched the giant waves crash against big black rocks, I managed to spot a boat. It was fascinating to look at the boat mastering its movement against the dominating sea. Then I saw the horizon and took some time to stare at the orange lining making for a perfect background for birds to bid adieu for the day. I sat for longer and watched ladies in red saris strolling by the shore. That evening wasn’t my first one at a beach but the Promenade Beach I saw in front of me had me glued to the sand.

To be honest, I have hardly enjoyed travel in my life. The first word I can think of when I hear “exploring” is fatigue. Maybe this is why it took my friends a year of convincing to make me visit Pondicherry. It was the new years eve and I didn’t feel like spending the last day of an excruciating academic year in my dorm room. So I packed my bags and without much planning, I hit the road.

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The image of Pondicherry fed to me by my friends seemed a little incomplete and dishonest when I saw the hustle-bustle of a south Indian city skirted with french architecture. People often do that, they exclude the parts of a story which doesn’t appeal to them. This is why I never trust recommendations when it comes to places and cinema. Pondicherry seemed more beautiful to my eyes because of the bright colours added by its locals.

If you ever visit Pondicherry with only two days in your hand, I recommend you only one thing: Do not go exploring. What you can do instead is pick one or two things and hope to god that you enjoy those things. Luckily, it worked for me. The first thing I did after getting off the bus and settling my stuff in the hotel room was food hunting. I might not be the one to chase sceneries but I absolutely love hopping from one cafe to another. To my delight, Pondicherry has lots and lots of them to offer. You can easily run a Zomato search like me and end up at one or another decent place to eat. Because I couldn’t choose, I enjoyed my appetizer at one place, the main course at another and ended up at my favourite Le Cafe for dessert. Evening skies, Pondicherry

The smell of chocolate croissants, the sight of mouth-watering gelatos and the sound of sea waves at the Le Cafe had everyone hooked. Surrounded by so many french people engaged in animated conversations, I almost forgot that I was in Tamil Nadu. I was amused by how I hadn’t felt like going back to the hotel room like I always do during vacations. I decided to take my cup of ice cream closer to the beach. If my partner hadn’t reminded me of our new year eve’s dinner plans, I might have waited for the orange lining to fade completely.

Since I wasn’t hungry on my way back to the hotel, I let myself get a little lost in the french beauty of the city. As someone who loves nerding it out about art, I found the pastel walls of french architecture in Pondicherry speaking of something very simple yet exotic. Apart from some people stopping at every corner to click pictures, there was nothing that I would have changed at that moment. Of quiet pastels, Pondicherry

After the quiet streets come to an end, we saw the evening crowd patiently waiting outside the liquor stores. I guess half of the tourist population of the city are there for taxfree alcohol. Doesn’t matter if you like to fill your glass with high-end spirits or cheap easy-to-get-wasted alcohol, Pondicherry will not disappoint you. Considering that it was the 31st of December, the liquor stores( which by the way are in great numbers) of Pondicherry seemed one necessary pit stop.

After a blissful day of sightseeing and cafe hopping, I started to get ready for the last dinner of 2019. If you are not as bad as me at planning stuff ahead, I advise you to never depend on walk-in restaurant reservations on new years eve. I saw the restaurant owners straight-away dismissing to add any more people to the waiting list. How could they? The lines were growing longer and longer with midnight etching closer. After getting turned down by several places, we reached Satsanga. There is nothing fancy about this little open-air cafe. The orange and brown ambience of the place shined brighter with huge and tiny light decorations hanging all over it. Just when I got excited about the menu, the cafe presented us with a buffet menu. Personally, I have nothing against buffets but I think I never enjoy limiting my options and with food? No chance. White town, Pondicherry

Fortunately, we found an open-terrace restaurant named Madame Shanthes and had our perfect dinner. It was almost midnight and I saw people in huge groups moving towards the beach. I couldn’t stop myself from following them. Turns out I wasn’t the only one following a big crowd to the beach because, by the time we reached, we saw the whole city there. It was like a huge concert with Tamil music blasting from speakers. The waves added bass to the loud cheering and dancing. In no time the clock struck twelve and I saw the best new year celebration of my life. How unfamiliar faces danced to the unfamiliar tunes, drank from an unfamiliar bottle, hugged each other wishing a joyous year ahead. Maybe it was the day, the place, the people or all things combined that gave a feeling more familiar than most feelings.

From the September 2020 issue of FHM India.