Pondicherry, honestly, was quite a disappointment. Compared with Goa. Where you find Goan things all around you, here it is entirely different. Pondicherry is basically is nothing but just another Tamil town - with a tiny little French Quarter in it.
French Quarter in Pondicherry
There is a small beach there and a road runs parallel to it. Then there are another 3 roads parallel to that road. The entire Frenchness of Pondicherry ends there. The entire French part of Pondicherry must be around 1 km by 300 metre. Rest all is Tamil. All that is there, are some nice bungalows that are painted with flamboyant colours. Yellow, Purple and such Probably they have taken inspiration from Goa I wouldn't know.. It took some 40 minutes for me to find parking and then I took a stroll in these French Quarters. I found these two absolutely stunning churches. Then there was famous Arabindo Ashram. Walked around looking at several lovely and expensive looking cafes. And returned to where I was staying. Well, that's about it all to Pondicherry.... I might have missed some attractions, but somehow I was totally disappointed with the place. The only saving grace was the place where I stayed. It was simply beautiful. it was in a jungle just outside Auroville. Many villagers from the villages on the outskirts of Auroville have now started excellent Homestays, Hotels and Hostels.
All in all Pondicherry is just another Tamil town with a tiny little beautiful French segment in it. And the only French thing in it seems to be the names of the streets like Ru De Ronald and police wearing funny looking French hats. Nevertheless, it had its own charm.
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