Day 152 23 Nov Weds Chennai to Puducherry

We attempt breakfast before catching an auto rickshaw to the bus stop.

 

 This is an interesting bamboo shack where we watch the world go by amidst piles of rubbish, flies and cows! We board the bus and travel the scenic East Coast route to Pondicherry - a cosmopolitan enclave a couple of hours south of Chennai.

Unusually for us we arrive and book straight into the first guest house we visit -  It is a great find, even though we have to have two double rooms. After lunch we stroll through the streets just taking in the atmosphere and trying to acclimatise to the Indian way of life. Pondicherry is is a former French colony and  a remarkable degree of French influence exists to this date. The entire town is divided into 2 sections, the French Quarter (Ville Blanche or 'White town') and the Indian quarter (Ville Noire or 'Black Town'). Many streets still retain their French names, and French style villas are a common sight in Puducherry. In the French quarter, the buildings are typically colonial style with long compounds and stately walls. The Indian quarter consists of houses lined with verandas and houses with large doors and grills. After lunch we stroll through the streets just taking in the atmosphere and trying to acclimatise to the Indian way of life.

   

 We stop for a drink and a very hazy sunset (we didnt see it) at a cafe on the beach before returning to the Kailash and  then out for supper at a rooftop Italian restaurant where David enjoys beer from a teapot! We later discover that this is a cunning way of getting round the stringent licensing laws!