Pondicherry - The Chronicles of An Indian Beach Destination The serene beauty and sound of the waves hitting the shores whilst basking in the sun with a platter of the most scrumptious sea food freshly prepared; and replace those sounds with the echoes of bass echoing down to the the furthest part of the ocean by nightfall. Sounds too good to be true to be happening in India? Well take a trip down south to the beautiful city and union territory of Pondicherry (Puducherry) and experience all that and more!
Pondicherry, now called Puducherry, is a city under the Indian union territory of Puducherry. Puducherry in Tamil simply means “new town�. This new official name was adopted in the year 2006, 20th September
onwards. Pondicherry is the region's capital and the largest city of this union territory. The city has a long and interesting history of trade and war. There is a strong French influence in the city, especially in the old quarters, with Rues and Boulevards lined with Mediterranean style houses and bakeries, although the city remains very much Indian. The very reason why French is still understood by locals and the whole city makes for rather pleasant mix of East and West. The alternative Goa for people in the southern part of India, Pondicherry offers you almost the same experience as Goa would; both places have their pros and cons but they are very similar in a lot of ways. For instance, both these places were colonies under foreign rule (Portuguese in Goa and French in Pondicherry) and still carry a lot of that influence in their culture and tradition. They are both Union Territories, hence the alcohol is significantly cheaper than in other parts of India since individual taxes levied by the states are not applicable for union territories. With ultimate beach holiday getaway destinations in India with extravagant beach parties, relaxing resorts and both high end and budget friendly hotels in Pondicherry and Goa, these two places also offer the freshest seafood cooked freshly in the shacks found along the shore. Pondicherry, though small in area, promises to make every second of your vacation worth it. With beautiful beaches like the Promenade beach (Rocky beach), the Auroville beach, Serenity beach and many more, this city is also the final resting place of Sri Aurobindo. The Sri Aurobindo Ashram located on rue de la marine is one of the most well known and wealthiest ashrams in India. There are also a large number of really old churches and temples situated around the city. The dialect the locals speak there is Tamil, although French is also understood. The food is
mostly South Indian cuisine, although we get a hint of western influence in some of their dishes but the seafood is the best -- fresh, simple and delicious. For local transport, the tourists can hire scooters or bikes or simply take an auto rickshaw (tempo/tuktuk) which are readily and easily available everywhere, or they can simply take the local bus running dayto-day. While on your stay there you could also learn something interesting. There are various courses you could take up for a few days and learn from the best like; massage courses. Classes in Ancient Massage/Thai massage. Ten-day course and one-month professional course, runs every month and is recognized by THAI (Thai Healing Alliance International) worldwide and Natural Health Practitioners of Canada (NHPC). Or various other tutorial and training classes that lasts for 3, 4 days like ocean swimming, scuba diving or scuba jumping. If you are a regular beach goer, these are some tricks of the trade you need to have up your sleeves.
Low cost of living and high adrenaline rush of the parties makes Pondicherry the dream location that it is. Low cost of living does not confine only to the cost of food and alcohol but accommodation as well. With the rise in demand of the place and people filling this small city up, especially during holiday seasons, you can find many budget hotels in Pondicherry coming up. Many of these people especially come to a
place like this for the beach parties and do not worry much about the accommodation. So a decent place that fits their budget becomes a nobrainer for most people thus making everything fall within their plan and helping them get geared up for their fun filled vacation.
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