Friends bachelorette and Pondi is the place we choose for the celebration. This being our first all girls trip we were very excited and nervous too. The excitement kept growing with the ticking clock while the nervousness just faded away.
Located at about 450 kms from Bangalore city, Pondicherry also known as Puducherry is the perfect place to spend the weekend.
French colonial settlement in India until 1954, now a Union Territory town Pondicherry is a great place on the east coast. A not to miss place for the beach lovers.
Transportation To Pondi:
We took the train from Yeshwantpur Bangalore at 9 pm and reached Pondicherry the next morning at about 7. The train is definitely one of the cheapest and best modes to reach Pondicherry from Bangalore.
On the way back from Pondi we took the KSRTC bus. The bus took just about 6 hours.
Attractions : Upon arrival at Pondicherry you will spot The Basilica Of The Sacred Heart of Jesus right opposite to the station. You would definitely get a glimpse of this place on arrival.
Auroville an experimental township. Walk around the place capturing pictures as you head to the globe (MatriMandir). You could also grab a cycle to get to the Auroville globe.
The paradise beach indeed is one the best beaches. A boat ride and then straight to the beach. You should definitely another pair of clothes if you wish to enjoy the beach. You could find a small well at the shore of the beach where you could enjoy drawing water to get the sand off your flip flops.An evening ride from the beach back would also mean witnessing the vivid colours of the clouds as the sun sets.
Day 2 was a walking tour of Pondicherry. We walked down to the Rock beach. There are plenty of ice cream shops & cafes all around the place to help keep yourself energised all the way.
The billow hitting the rocks hard and splashing water as you stand up the rocks enjoying the colours of the sea is truly mesmerising. A walk by the promenade and some photographs at this place would help you cherish your trip later.
Accommodation: We choose to stay at a place name Pleasant Inn near mission street one of the hip streets of Pondicherry. The place costed us about Rs 500 per person per day. Place has a wifi zone only at the reception. We choose Anand Bhavan for breakfast which a couple of blocks away from Pleasant inn.
From dominos to pizzaria, Nilgiris to mission Cafe all are less than a 100 steps away.
Transportation within the city: We choose the local transport "A 7 seater Auto Rickshaw". After being demanded lot of money from several rickshaws (3 seater) around the railway station we choose to walk to the hotel when we met this person named Jamal. Jamal a humble 7 seater auto owner promised to drop us all (A group of 7) at a price as low as Rs. 120.
We hopped in and he took us to the hotel. We took the same auto for our visit to the Auroville and then the Paradise Beach.
There are plenty of other transportation options too. Scooters bicycles are available almost every where in the city at a very reasonable price. You could probably walked down the lanes early in the morning before the start of the day to explore and get a great deal.
Food: There are plenty of cafes, south indian restaurants and bakeries for a quick bite all over the place.
Post this exciting and beautiful journey we feel more confident at life. Along the trip we met many nice helpful people spent time mesmerising the beauty of the nature. At every instinct we experience confidence. The two days over the weekend resulted to be one of the best and most well spent weekends of the year.
Quick tips :
Grab a map. Navigating with in the city is simple therefore a map would come handy.
Sun screen & your favourite shades to beat the heat.
An umbrella to protect yourself from the sudden showers & the heat.