2nd Excursion- Pondicherry

8/3 - 8/5/2012

2nd Excursion- Pondicherry!

Beginning of the month, and it's already time for our second excursion! Anu sent a car, and we drove two and a half hours down to meet her.

We arrived late afternoon and before we even got into the hotel, checked out the beach. We were still stuck, awed, even as Anu and her girls arrived fifteen minutes later… and we should have gotten ourselves checked in. The water was so captivating, and it had been a long journey by taxi- two and a half hours.

We encountered some difficulties with checking in, and decided to do that later. Anu treated us to a walk in the city, showing us the main roads and the shops we should visit during our free time.

Before dinner, we meandered around the streets. Anu showed us one temple. Usually an elephant also stays there, but was ill and being treated in another location. First temple to walk around in! This was built for the Hindu god Ganesh; we could tell by the different symbols that are his, along with the many, many paintings and depictions of him. Through all of these, the stories are shared and illustrated and thus passed down. Ganesh is the god of good travels and success, and one identifier of him is by his elephant head- hence, the significance of the elephant. Temples are very common to see here. They differ in size, which some you can walk in, such as in Pondy, and some are small, which I learned people worship by walking around or standing in front of. Either way, they are usually a center for meditations and a place for people to have pujas (religious ritual honoring a god) for special or significant occasions.

Then, we ate at a Chinese place. I had my first taste of lamb soup- very good!

We tasted some Pondy ice cream, and then headed back to check in at the hotel and sleep.

After waking up, we got a continental breakfast (toast, butter, omelette, and banana) and then sat on the beach for half an hour. We wanted to get some pasta at a local place, so we walked all over to find it.

In the process, we found a really neat park, and several fun shops.

The park was so green! Such a nice break from all of the buildings and people...

Plus, they had really neat sculptures.

The pasta was great- a little taste of home! And then, we walked to the bakery, where we indulged in donuts and sweets. After that, we got in the taxi to go to Anu's home.

The trip out to her house was a bit of an adventure. She actually lives in the country, so it was fun to explore there. 

She took us to Auroville, a town nearby, known for it’s intentional living style, comprised of people from many different countries and living and working in one common space. Right now, the community has around 1,500 members, but aspires to grow to 50,000. The town started under the leadership of “the Mother”. She had a vision that all people could live sustainably in one community peacefully, regardless of what origin. And, this would mean that the land and everything they have is collectively theirs. No specific piece of land belongs to one specific person or family. Everything is shared. 

Auroville is made up of several communities, which all have specialize further into one area of work. Some are agricultural, some manufacturing, some textiles, some are doctors, some teach, etc.

Within this thinking, it was part of the plan that your spiritual life should and could be a part of everyday living; so much so, that they have a spiritual center, the Matrimandir, in the middle of Auroville, where citizens go to meditate and try to reach the innermost part of their being. This place is closed most of the time for visitors. Only the people who are serious about worshipping are allowed in.

Anu took us to the bakery on the outskirts of the community, before heading back to the house. We bought bread and pastries, and then went to the house to make dinner.

Upon arrival, her two girls were also glad to see us, along with  her five dogs, some turkeys, and many chickens.

The girls took us on a walk down the road and through their field (like a pasture to us), which was very rocky and in some places, dense with plants. The dogs of course, came with. After about an hour of exploring, we came back hot, tired, and ready to eat. Dinner was a little later, about two hours.

But, in that time, I was able to get my fill of dog-petting, talking, and learning how to cook a couple of Indian dishes.

Our Indian meal!!!

I helped make the puri (light, airy bread in the bottom right of the plate.) Puris, anyone? And no, I did not eat totally with my fingers, this meal.

Sunday, we shopped in the morning, and looked in a DVD store. This was a great place, especially if one likes cheap copies of DVDs… Unfortunately, watching movies isn’t really my cup of tea, so I helped find some for the others and then watched them go through difficult dilemmas of finally narrowing down their choices.

Then, went back to the pasta bar for lunch. It happened to be Friendship Day, and at the end after our bill, the waiter came out and gave us each Friendship bracelets. Soooo cute! 

So, happy Friendship Day everyone! (It was really August 5th, but five days late isn't too bad, right? Everyday's a friendship day.) 

A little shopping (surprise…) at the grocery store finished our day, and we were back on the road. 

We got back to MCC, and we were all ready to rest up from the long weekend.

Some interesting pictures:
-A family on an outing to the beach. Here, people get really dressed up and make a day of it. So, the women wear their saris, men in nice western clothes, and the children are all done up.

Then, they all stood as close to the water as possible and a couple waves came that absolutely soaked them. So funny! They looked like they had such a good time.

-statue of Mahatma Gandhi alongside the Bay.

*notice the other tourist taking a video of me taking a picture of the statue, Laura, and consequently, him as well... :)