Pondicherry
Pondicherry Though nothing can really prepare you for the unusual and somewhat outlandish jumble that is Pondicherry, one has to aver that the East Coast Highway that connects Pondicherry to busy Chennai, is a nice ‘unwinding do’. The superb highway stretches along the Coromandel Coast and takes you through the suburban chic farmhouses of Chennai’s elite – built way too close to the coast to pay much heed to ‘silly little creatures’ like the olive Ridley turtle. The road then goes through the pretty touristy town of Mamallapuram, with its line of ‘solely for the white backpacker’ Kashmiri ‘emporiums’, lined with kurtas (long-sleeved Indian shirt) and T-shirts printed with the omnipresent, psychedelic ‘Om’, that one has yet to see across the chest of an average god-fearing Indian. Then through cashew nut groves and tiny villages that skirt paddy fields and coconut trees, the road winds along salt-processing fields to gradually meet Pondicherry.
Every person with wanderlust has Delhi on their list and for the right reason. This culturally diverse city is known for it’s ancient heritage, colorful noise and rich background. Plan your visit soon, for this city has a lot to offer.