October to February is the season for Pondicherry. October is beautiful just before the heaven’s open up in November when there are heavy rains. December and January are important months for the locals who celebrate Christmas and New Year with aplomb. These are also the months when activity at the Ashram increases because of the birth and death anniversaries of Shree Aurobindo and The Mother. Weather wise it is pleasant until March after which it gets hot.
For the most authentic French dishes ever dished out in India, Pondicherry is the place.
Satsanga (Labourdonnais Street),a converted backyard of a rambling French villa serves some sumptuous French and Italian fare. You can relax into a chair and read the morning newspaper over a superb breakfast here. Check out
Hotel Aristo (Nehru Street) for that lip-smacking walnut chicken served with brown rice.
Au Feude Bois is where to go if you are an Italian food connoisseur.
The Wood-fired oven puts out some soft and crunchy pizzas and fresh bread. But this is not all. For people who like typical south Indian cuisine, there are enough restaurants which serve it too.
Blue Dragon (Dumas Street) and
China Town (Suffren Street) serve out-of-this-world Chinese fare. Probably the most expensive restaurant in Pondicherry is
Le Club which, quite obviously, serves French cuisine and wine and beer. For Indian snacks or breakfast,
Indian Coffee House (Rue Nehru) is a good bet. Also,
Appache (Rangapillai Street) is sought after for its Chettinad fare.
Since Pondicherry is a Union Territory, it is exempt from state taxes and hence is a favourite with shoppers. Everything from cars to consumer goods is cheaper here. Shops are open from 10 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 10 pm. Anna Salai, Nehru Street (J.N.Street), Mahatma Gandhi Street (M.G.Street), Cathedral Street (Mission Street) and Romain Rolland Street are the main shopping areas of Pondicherry.. Being a centre for household linen and garment textiles production, textiles are a favourite of Pondicherry shoppers. French and British colonial furniture, leather goods, pottery, aromatics and a variety of organic food products by Naturellement in Auroville are the main highpoints of the Pondicherry shopping experience.
The Aurobindo Ashram makes hip leather bags, wallets and sandals with a unique style where patterns are carved out of the leather. They also sell very good handmade paper, incense sticks and batik that comes from their own factory. Other shops also sell similar ware but you must at least check out the Ashram shops.
The office of Pondicherry Tourist and Transport Development Corporation is at 40 Goubert Salai. It is open daily from 8:45 am to 1 pm and then again from 2 pm to 5 pm. Telephone: 334978
They provide maps, tourist brochures detailing the activities in the area and also conduct sightseeing tours.
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