http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , India , Pondicherry en-us Sun, 06 Dec 09 04:30:02 +0000 Sun, 06 Dec 09 04:30:02 +0000 hello everyone. im sorry if my spelling gets a bit erratic but laura's mini lap top seems too small for my big hands Sokay well we're here there was some trouble with the flights because luckily air india deided to strike on the day we wanted to travel. all was okay though we got to fly with jet airways and i experienced my first plane ride with films..and i went crazy. i watched 3..one being http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-441215.html Up early and out for a walk around the very French Pondicherry. Had breakfast in a french bakery very tasty almond croissant an an apple danish yum Then walked the French quarter visiting Sri Aurobindo Ashram on Rule de la Marine and had some time to sit amongst The Mother's devotees and meditate. The Mother is Mirra Alfassa a Paris born painter musician and Aurobindorsquos close compa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-440226.html Today was really just a traveling day. The train was of course late by 30m but the 5 hour journey passed okay. Were not in an ac carriage but it was fine. We then had a 1.5 hour journey by car from Villapuram to Pondicherry. The end of the journey really dragged on as we sat in traffic for ages and everyone was extremely relieved to arrive at the hotel. Had an awkward moment in the room wher http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-440149.html I left Trichy to go to Pondicherry by car. This city is now officially known as Puducherry but that only cuts the name down by one letter so the old diminutive of Pondy is still in use and sounds much nicer I think. The French name is also very slightly shorter as they spell it Pondichery with only one r. But any advantage this may give them is lost because they use an acute accent over http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-433258.html 'Silambattam' the art form a traditional Dravidian martial art based on fighting with sticks dates back 5000 years when the stick was the primary tool to defend oneself. The oldest traditional martial arts of Tamil Nadu has become increasingly popular with tourists as they take up the art form learning and mastering its intricate movements and techniques. International Silambattam and Kuttuwar http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-425274.html AgraHoy toca ir desde Delhi a Agra por lo que me vienen a buscar a las 6 de la maana y me montan en moto para salir del bazar para coger un autocar que haba contratado con aire acondicionado yo me imaginaba algo con aire turistas cmodo.... pero no como iba a ser algo normal me encontr a 60 indios esperndome con cara rara... luego descubriremos que es la cara que ponen siempre Tras http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-422312.html Hi Welcome to the angel67 blogpage. In case you wish to contact any of angel67's members please note down the following email addressdaniel5043ymail.com Danielangel67ymail.com The BandAny further information will be given via mail. This is to ensure no strangers know too much about angel67.Thank you http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-409741.html Whenever I sit to write these blogs my normal routine consists of compiling tid bits of information jotted down in a journal and trying to weave something into logical form for the readers enjoyment. Last night I looked at my point form notes and was at a loss as to how to formulate a blog tale.....thus my solution is to do the opposite in true Indian fashion and tell each pointform note as i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-408027.html The Dune is a thematic hotel designed to cater to the growing demand for long stay destinations with soul and comfort where cultures ideas and people merge with one another.A 35 acre ecofriendly beach hotel with unique 30 aesthetic villas and 20 rooms fusing modern and traditional architecture swimming pool organic farm tennis courthellip and 700m of sea front welcoming guests all through http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-397271.html After a night in Mahabalipurum David and I headed down the ECR towards Pondicherry which is a former French colony and is considered an autonomous state where French is actually an official language.We had planned to take the state bus to Pondicherry like we did from Chennai to Mahabalipurum and it cost a whole of 1 for 2 people but you really need to know how to jump onto buses to do that si http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-396048.html Pondicherry one of the locations i wanted to go from years. One of the attractive tourist locations in India. I was wondering what would be driving so many tourists to that place all these years. You want to holiday with all the peace in the world Pondy is the perfect place in India. Not too many people crowding behind you to do marketing not too many strange eyes gazing your movements lets you http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-385463.html This old French colonial town gives a nice break to India with its wide streets and grand houses fronted by a promenade along the seashore it feels as though you have stepped back into Europe. Here we had our first row with a tuk tuk driver. Having assured us that he knew the hotel we were going to we found he hadn't a clue. He repeatedly stopped to ask for directions but this seemed to make lit http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-376938.html Aravindhar AshramManakulavinayagar TempleNonakuppam Boat houseBeachMusiumMathirmadhi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-374837.html There were many things said about 'Pondy' before I arrived in this unknown territory like much of India to me. I tried not to let these preconceptions effect my own perspective. The one thing that was relayed and stuck in my mind is that it is a former French colony so I was expecting to some extent for this to be reflected in the architecture. As for anything else I wasn't sure of and my onl http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-373192.html Sitting a couple hours further south of Mallamaparum is a place which is in complete contrast to both the India we had seen on TV and the small dose of this country we have had since arriving nearly 2 weeks ago. Pondicherry or Punducherry as it is now known has a bus station just like every other bus station the autorickshaw from the bus station was ridiculously overpriced just like every autor http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-370918.html Uncertain unsure undefinedhellipyeah these were the starting points of our weekend trip. It was midweek with work looming large on my head yet the thought of missing my hubby out on a working trip for two whole days and the lure of seeing the unseen with my best travel companion a.k.a Hubby ever was too much to resist. So be it I gave in to my travel temptationsmdashpacked our bags an http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-271784.html july 11 grrrr. i maintain tourist offices in india SUCK. we most definitely do not have to go to mumbai before going to goa as the lady in the tourist office at the train station tried to make us believe. we're also pretty sure that all trains to vijaywada are not booked until next thursday as they tried to lead us to believe either. gtnot that we don't love puri the beach is n http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-265555.html 'What do you like about India' vraagt de corpulente en besnorde Indier me.Het is een vraag waar ik niet lang over na hoef te denken. 'The people' antwoord ik naar waarheid. ik laat maar even achterwege dat ik ze ook geregeld regelrecht haat de Indirs. Uit het diepst van mijn hart. Maar haat en liefde liggen dicht bij elkaar.Het zijn niet alleen die twee emoties die de mensen waar ik dagelijks m http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-254653.html Wherersquos The Bloody ZooWhile I was on the train heading across the Indian continent Piscine Molitor Patel was telling me a thousand wonderful facts about the Pondicherry Zoo. Stories of exotic animals living happily in their synthetic enclosures while the young Indian boy ran amok around the area trying to collect as many religions as he possibly could were rolling around my mind as Paul an http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-247335.html We left Chennai for Pondicherry for our visit to Auroville an experimental sustainable living community. Before we left we spent the morning with an consumer action group called ToxicsLink. Incredibly bright and empassoned staff learned a great deal about how it works in the Indian energy system and government action or inaction.On our drive to Pondicherry we briefly stopped at Dakshina Ch http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-244033.html