White Town here we come!!

So after a long week of adjusting to the hustle and bustle of Vellore, we've decided to take a weekend trip to Pondicherry, this seaside city off the Bengal coast that was once a French Colony, and has been referred to as the French Riviera of the East.

Fortunately, we rented an AC car so the ride was pretty comfortable, despite all the bumps in the road. Our driver was a friendly guy whose English was decent enough for us to share our milk bikis (cookies).

Now there are two sides of Pondicherry, an Indian side (further inland)known as Ville Noire and a French side (on the coast) known as Ville Blanche, and the differences are stark. After driving through the Indian markets with the food stands and people gallore, we came upon some cobblestone roads, colonial architecture and the pedestrian traffic seemed to disappear--we knew we had found what the Indians refer to as "white town" or the French side of Pondicherry.

We managed to get rooms at the Park Guesthouse Ashram for only $10 per night! and we had an oceanfront room!

At first I did not understand what an ashram is, but it is basically a meditation center. Here's the definition from Wikipedia:

"An Ashram (Pronounced "aashram") in ancient India was a Hindu hermitage where sages lived in peace and tranquility amidst nature. Spiritual and physical exercises, such as the various forms of Yoga, were regularly performed by the hermitage residents. Other sacrifices and penances, such as Yajnas were also performed. Many Ashrams also served as Gurukuls or residential schools for children. The word ashram is derived from the Sanskrit term "aashraya", which means protection."

The Park Guesthouse has a beautiful oceanfront garden, perfect for doing yoga or meditating. We spent several hours our first morning using it for this purpose. I did not bring a yoga mat with me so I sat on a bench and watched the sun rise. it was beautiful.

There were all sorts of people up as well, from western yogis to Indian children. Everyone was up doing sun salutations in their own way. It was a site to see.