on the rocks...

On the rocks... A very common terminology when it comes to drinking but the term took a whole new meaning for four of us adventurous people. Despite the warnings of the well meaning friends we went there hoping for the bare minimum. The night before over a lovely dinner of parathas and pepper chicken accompanied by bubbly sparkling wine and beef we are told that the place is not all that great if you arent going there to drink. The Explanation sounded to shady i must say, a place renowned for its drink.... hmmm. Heard the booze is cheap a zillion time before. We finished our quite dinner little realising that this would be the last meal we'd have being treated like normal human beings. Suprising nah... well you will get to know soon. We hit the road early the next day, half an hour behind schedule, driving made worse by demented truckers. the morning scenario was something like a scene from some hollywood flick... woooo, all you see in the morning is a pair of headlight on high beam coming at you from all directions....

After over 30 kms of this torture and dragging we finally hit roads wherein you can touch 140kmph with relative ease and the continued for over 50 kms before our turn to pondicherry via thiruvanamalai. Our first stop for the day was at the religious town of Thiruvanamalai, a town we actually covered on foot. Believe it or not we actually parked on the outskirts and walked throught the whole town engulfed by a sea of red (the devotees to the temple are supposed to wear red as opposed to the pilgrims to sabrimala who wear black), in search of a decent hotel. tanking up on a decent enough tamil breakfast we start to our destination, Pondicherry.

A stop over at the foot of the gingee fort put forth the seed of wanting to climb to the very top. With just that plan we drive on to Pondicherry.

Entering Pondicherry through the route we took gets us into the city throught JIPMER maintained public property. This brought a temperory smile to our faces but one that was short lived. After the university ended so did the beautiful roads and sidewalks. The tree lined streets gave way to a grossly overcrowded street where a car can hardly inch past unless he is part of an automobile manufacturer. the city surprisingly bring to mind images of a China, only this time its more polluted with all the two wheelers that ply through them.

Cops donned in white uniforms and red hats are more like city ornaments as they are of absolutely no use and help. All this was the prequel to the seashore. Well since expectations were short we were in for a shock cause even short expectations are too much... There is no seashore, as is shore with sand!!! Its just rocks and rock stretching the entire coastline. the sand behind the rocks looked more like mud excavated from a building site, and since they had no [lace to dump it they dumped it on the seashore... Well one disappointment down this got all our enthusiasm out and we pretty much started contemplating on a wasted trip.

Roaming around the city too proved too futile, resigning our fate to two hotels that did have vacant rooms we settle on the one that charged us the most. hmmm.... funny for a budget trip. Getting the room was just one step to a rather wide array of problems yet to be faced. Lunch too proved too strenous an affair. The following dialogues were our constant companions

1. Sorry, we are full.
2. We shut shop at 9!
3. Sorry all our ingredients are over.
4. We dont have any of the seafood dishes


Hearing these answers from almost all hotels is bound to breed frustration and boredom for sure. But after the day was out we started getting the hang of how things function in this sleepy side of town. A proper ight out for a total teetotaler would be something that goes like this head out for dinner at around 6:30(even earlier) then go for a walk on the rocks and return to your shack considering that you just had a wild night in town.

The next day was much better as we have got the hang of things in Pondicherry and the way the restaurants worked. Not intending to stay in a crowded city by the coast without a natural beach was too depressing and at the same time a motivation for us to drive out of town and look for quiter beaches... The gods seemed to have favoured us this time as we not only got an empty beach but also got a fisherman willing to take us out to sea and also one kind enough to patiently teach us to fix a broken net. Picking up knick knack lying on the beach and sunbathing occupied the rest of the afternoon before it was time to head back to the hustle of the city.

Making our way to the hotel to freshen up we decide on a hotel to have dinner and make sure we get in without out being rejected. Fully prepared we head to the local pizzeria, apparently one of the best in the area. this time we had a backup plan of actually haveing a couple of restaurants ready. After literally eating the whole menuwe head for the beach and as they say theses days lucjy by chance we hit on a rock concert... all though quite decent the first thing that hits you is the strong scent of ganja... Listening to rock till dawn is not something you actually expect after the low expectations you have formed of a city.

The next day the speed in whch we actually headed out of the city only prompted us to consider the decision to drive to pondi a bad one. An expensive city even by Bangalore standards and one with really poor service. well if i were to sum it up in a sentence i'd say it was ON THE ROCKS!