PONDI”CHERRY” WITH THE APPLE OF MY EYE!

It was my first, with my first born! A little late in the day as he was now officially an adult! So if you keep aside the funding aspect of the trip (hopefully next time that too will be his domain  …hear me?!!!!), it was more like he taking me for a holiday than the other way round!

We were in Chennai for his admission, and Pondicherry was just   two hours away, and that explains our choice of destination! It was more a matter of convenience and practicality and less about our “dreams’!

But it did become a dreamy holiday! More about that as we go along!

Teen there? Don’t do that!

The holiday was different yet same in many ways! When you are out with a teenager the difference is more palpable as opposed to the sameness. How so? 

Forget early mornings

 With a teenager by your side early mornings are a no-go! Unless , like me you decide to  venture out alone!

In a place like Pondicherry that has beaches and pretty lanes you want to step out and feel the place in its full glory and no better time to experience it than at the crack of dawn when the birds are chirping and the wind is fairly comforting even in full blown summers!

Stepping out by yourself is not bad at all! It was a rather calming experience to walk through the lanes of the White Town laced by pretty cottages embodying country charm. There were pretty blooms, mainly Bougainvilleas in varied colours hopelessly falling over these facades. I was in awe!

For those planning a getaway at Pondicherry I strongly recommend early morning walks by the beach through the pretty lanes! Carry your phone as the view deserves a capture!

“Food” is the central theme

I paraphrase the age-old adage and have my own version of it “the way to a teenager’s s heart is through the stomach !” Especially if it’s a teenaged boy! O boy! With him, the meals were not the regular breakfast- lunch- dinner! They were further classified into sub-types! Coffee at one place, main course at the other and dessert at yet another! This, according to him was the only way we could cover the umpteen French Cafes around the town! And I am glad I followed him as we did manage to cover quite a few places, barring some favourites which were packed through the weekend!

Of the many cafes we visited Bread & Chocolate was really pretty! The smoothies were yum and very different. Do try!

This apart, on one of the nights I managed to squeeze in my desire to have roadside barbecued chicken for dinner  . I highly recommend it! So does he!

Space out!

I am lucky to have a teenager who doesn’t need “space” in the typical sense of the word since he has reasonable tolerance for family provided he is allowed his time on the phone playing games and watching Netflix ! I get it and so I decide to use my time well!

I walked around into the local shops picking up stuff like candles, incense sticks, pottery and handmade lamps and lights! It’s a delight to walk into the shops because they are aesthetically pleasing  . I also used the time to visit the embroidery unit of  Aurobindo Ashram , it was a cute little unit but  honestly  they need to graduate to better embroidery styles. This apart , the local crafts bazar was nice too, average stuff but took me back to my childhood days of little “melas” by the roadside.

 Adventure Please? 

In Pondicherry, there isn’t much when it comes to adventure , at best you could hire a bike and ride through the lanes braking every few seconds  as two-wheelers zip around recklessly. And we did exactly that! We rode sans-helmet  as helmets were not provided (I imagine it’s part of the adventure !!) and had our fair share of excitement! I did earn some extra brownie points for this!

Insta-friendly sightseeing is welcome! 

Surprisingly he was game for visiting the “touristy” places! Its only later that I realised sightseeing had high insta-worthiness and so he happily agreed. (I am guilty of it too!) We mounted our bike and zoomed to the first stop-Our Lady of Angels Church. It is a beautiful church inspired by Greco-Roman architecture. The only church where Sunday mass takes place in three languages (Tamil, English and French)

We then proceeded to the Aurobindo Ashram . Cameras were not allowed inside and so I couldn’t click pictures of the beautiful blooms inside. There were beautiful flowers all around. It was serene and calm.

By this time, he had had enough and prodded me to move to the beach . It was already dark and the moon was shining bright. We parked near the beach and sat on the rocks for a while, the place was magical and scintillating. There was enough crowd with some cultural show happening by the side . I didn’t mind the crowd at all, it had a happy energy. We then walked to Le Café and had our coffee and pasta by the beach.

The next morning I woke him up early as we had planned a visit to Auroville. I tempted him by saying we would stop for Pizzas at Tantos and he jumped out of his bed!

Auroville is an experimental township aimed at creating harmony between people from all walks of life. Its not particularly beautiful but it certainly is very different and mesmerising. What I enjoyed the most was our walk to Matrimandir (temple of the Mother). The one kilometer long walk gave me an insight into what my teenager thought of world peace and harmony. On our walk back, however things were different, there was little harmony between the mother and the son as he was thirsty and hungry and wanted to head to a café!!!

Retire in style

Here I concur with my teenager . A good place to retire after a long day on the road can be rejuvenating. One needs to choose a comfortable, clean and pretty place to stay. Not necessarily high on luxury but certainly high on comfort, cleanliness and aesthetics. Keeping these factors in mind I was rather impressed by Petit de Palais . It suited our pocket and our style. Very understated yet charming. The location couldn’t have been better. Everything worth visiting was walkable from the hotel.

While it certainly is one of the best in Pondicherry, other recommended ones are Hotel Promenade (right on the beach) and The Retreat (beach side) .

 Au revoir

And just like that it was time to bid goodbye! Our holiday was interesting, enjoyable and extremely invigorating. I have now become a fierce proponent of a holiday with children. The experience is beautifully different. As a mother I am beginning to understand that generation gap is real!!!! But its so exciting when you are pushed to jump over the gap to reach out to your child. And there is no better push than a vacation with them!

 P.S. Apart from fiercely proposing a parent-child holiday I am also  now a fan of Pondicherry ! It’s a must visit (preferably in winters)