Puducherry: first two days

FLIGHT to Pondicherry was boarded in a rush. I was at office till midnight on Friday and checked in at the airport at 8 next morning. By noon, we landed at Chennai and took a taxi to Puducherry.
The ride along the national highway was smooth despite traffic and the driver was a nice man. I mean he followed all the traffic rules. When the unruly vehicles zipped past the police check post, this gentleman got off with his taxi registration papers and came out of the check post smiling. He was attentive to the rear view mirrors and when we would get impatient with his consistent driving at 50 kmph, he would say: ``Sir, not allowed!''
We had a good journey, though. Contrary to our expectations, weather in Chennai was pleasant. We had started from Delhi in trench coats and jackets. In Chennai, we took off every woolen on our bodies and expected to begin sweating soon. But the sea breeze kept getting cooler as we approached Pondy.
The first thing we did after arriving was to take bath and head in an auto to hire a scooty. Pondy is quite a small place and much to my delight, the city cycles and bikes a lot. One can get around the city on either of the vehicles in no time. The dealer agreed for a rent of Rs 150 per day with a thousand bucks in advance and an identity proof as deposit.
We are staying in a semi-luxury French villa here. Since yesterday evening when we checked in, we have only seen the French crowd. They all are staying in various rooms in and around the Thai cottages, one of which is ours right now. The room view is lovely : the wooden balcony overlooks the swimming pool and even as you sip your morning coffee on one of the teak benches, you can see the blue water reflecting at you. It's beautiful.
Even the room is deliciously done. There is no television in line with eco-friendly theme of the hotel. All furnishing is done on prints of leaf-green and minimal lighting. The balcony has sliding doors to allow maximum sunlight into the rooms and these are fairly large rooms with an open bathroom (yes!) with just a curtain to separate the bedroom from the bath area and the entrance overlooks a large vegetable garden. The hotel is particularly famous for its home-made cheese and fish. There is a small fish pond as well within the premises.
We settled for this place primarily for the swimming pool. My apartment pool closes in September as is customary with most open pools in Delhi. This one is open, and yet, very, very private. Never have I felt so comfortable wearing a bikini as here. It's secluded and covered with huge palm trees, beyond which lies a tastefully done up restaurant and bar. Because the hotel is mostly visited by French tourists, a majority of swimmers are also French. This morning, I swam for about 90 minutes and an old French lady kept taking my pictures on request. A couple of times, she corrected some of my breast strokes, though in broken English.
By noon, we were darn hungry and landed at Le Cafe, an exotic resort with attractive restaurants, at Goubert Avenue to lunch at. I admit I hogged considering I had swum extensively - French onion soup, chicken 65, sizzlers and melting chocolate!
It began raining by the time we stepped out. Goubert Avenue is very French in appearance - from buildings to design of roads to even street names. To escape the rains, we entered into a handicrafts fair and ended up buying pearls, a buffalo leather bag and a candle stand. If nothing, I can gift them away and I have plenty of people to count who I owe gifts to. Phew!
After a while, we moved from street to street, enchanted and joyous. The colour saffron and yellow in building paint is predominant here and so is graffiti on walls. Some of them bear instructions such as `Do not pee' and `Respect women; they are life.' They all made for great photo opportunity. We stopped for coffee by a roadside stall when it began raining thickly. The coffee and  locally-made biscuits to go with it were delicious. The old man offered to us the raised slab at his entrance door to be seated. That's where we sipped coffee and got ourselves clicked. :)
Pondy streets at Goubert remind me of European towns: structured, small, bicycle friendly and the buildings make for a riot of colours. A small walk down the streets leads to the Promenade, which for many remains the biggest attraction of the city. It's a scenic side of the sea where waves lash against the rocks and couples and families sit and enjoy their evenings. On a weekday, one can find government babus strolling at the Promenade. The heritage buildings bang opposite the Promenade houses the Puducherry Secretariat, the French Consulate, the state legal services authority among others. The Aurobindo Ashram along with Gandhi statue and Ambedkar memorial too remain famous landmarks, though monuments seldom appeal to me. History, culture and livelihoods fascinate me. I am the sort of tourist who will wander from street to street expecting serendipity, laughter and personal bonds with people of the places I visit instead of memorizing details on monuments which are historically relevant.
Our exploration was hindered by late evening rains which got so bad that by the time we reached our hotel, we were all drenched. The drive all the way back to the hotel was dangerous with rain lashing at Raghav as he steered the bike.  Someone told us this is the monsoon time in Pondy right now, so tomorrow, we will buy an umbrella.
Back in the hotel room, we had hot soups and sizzlers again. And, piping hot coffee. Time to sleep now. It's 2 am already and we have to hit a beach before sunrise. It's still raining, though. Nonstop. Let us see.
See you.