Soul Serendipity

Last year I visited this place and wrote about it and claimed that my exploration was incomplete. So, this year, a friend of mine (who is to get married soon) decided to have a mini bachelorette trip to Pondicherry. Initially we were 3 girls going on the trip (ZNMD style :P ), but you know, there is always someone who backs out at the last moment. Yes, we were just 2 girls riding on the streets of the French Capital of India. 

I first flew from Bangalore to Chennai on the night of 16^th June and spent the night at the luxurious Ibis, Chennai Sipcot. Next morning at 6 we caught a bus and now we were on our way to Pondicherry! 

We reached Pondicherry at 9:30 am. Since I am a member at Club Mahindra, we thought it was best to stay there. Little did we know, that the resort was almost 20km from the main city of Pondicherry. We had arranged a pick up from the bus stand to the resort, and we reached the resort hassle free! 

The resort is so damn beautiful you could spend a whole day there. 

They have their own restaurant, a swimming pool, spa, adventure sports like- bungee jumping (not literally, but that’s what they call it. I don’t know what it is actually called), quad biking, trampoline, zorbing, and many other sports like- cricket, badminton, volleyball, air hockey… and a lot of fun and games for children like magic shows, a game of housie in the night and dance classes.

In the night, they have a few events for all the guests present there. And to top it all, they have a PRIVATE BEACH. How cool is that!! 

Despite all the amenities, we decided to go to the main Pondicherry city. We caught a bus and got off at Aurobindo ashram. Around the ashram there are many shops that give you a cycle or a scooter on rent for a mere Rs300 per day. 

By the time, we hired a vehicle, we were very hungry. After reading a lot of “Must Visit” lists and doing a lot of research, we went to Kasha Ki Asha. 

First impression was- WOW, who would think that such a tiny place could be made up so beautifully. The ambience is perfect with a blend of western and Indian culture. But did this place live up to our expectations?

The ambience at the cafe

The blend of cultures

Disappointment number 1: this place is pure vegetarian. Me, being a staunch Non-vegetarian was very disappointed.

Disappointment number 2: The pizza we ordered was plain and bland. The Pizza Dosai- which we were excited to try was nothing but dosa with the same bland pizza toppings, the food left us bitterly disappointed. We also tried their Iced tea, which again did not live up to our expectations.

Pizza and Pizza Dosai

Disappointment number 3: they sell really good stuff in their shop. But everything there is overpriced. We saw a beautiful scarf that according to me should not cost more than Rs700-800, but they had priced it 3200! What a waste!

Kasha ki Asha Gallery

The artifacts at the gallery

Pros: Their French Fries were fresh as ever (not frozen fries) , their fresh fruit juices is a must try, nowhere have I had fresher fruit juices. And the best thing here is their Chocolate pancakes, which was more like Choco-chip pan cakes, yet very tasty.

After relaxing at Kasha ki Asha we went to the famous-Casablanca Boutique, I did not find anything amusing there. They had all branded stuff that you will find in any major city of India. They had very few exclusive stuff.

Inside Casablanca

We also visited Auro boutique, which had more options of exclusive things to buy. We ended up buying some pretty handmade candles and a few more souvenirs.

Candles from the boutique

Now that the sun had begun to set, we hired a cycle (Rs75 per day only) and rode around White town.

CYCLE!!!

The roads are even, no ups and downs and it does not take a lot of effort to cycle on these streets. The cool breeze at the time of sunset boosts your energy to cycle even more.

The streets of Pondicherry at night

We also cycled on The Promenade, though it was very crowded, the experience was out of this world. I was adamant on visiting a church and so I visited the church I loved the most from my last visit- Eglise De Notre Dame Des Anges. The beauty of this church, has not failed to mesmerize me yet again!

Inside the church

We made one more stop at The Bay of Buddha, the rooftop restaurant of the hotel, The Promenade.

Hotel The Promenade

This place is so beautiful you could just sit there all night and do nothing. The ambience is flawless and the music they play complements the environment.

Bay of Buddha

Overseeing the light house and the rock beach, this place is ideal for a romantic date.

The View from Bay of Buddha

They have happy hours from 4pm to 7pm and it is totally worth the money. They give you 2 cocktails and a starter for just Rs599.

HAPPY HOURS!!!

The food is a bit different, they serve Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese. We ordered Vietnamese Spring roll, which was cold and did not appeal to our taste buds. We had Chicken lollypop (this came along with the 2 cocktails during Happy hours) which was extremely palatable and dim sums which were good enough.


By now we had no place left in our stomachs and straight away ordered dessert, the highlight of the day- Coconut and chocolate pot! It is basically cold chocolate mousse topped with a few pieces of coconut. It is by far the best chocolate mousse I have ever had, hands down!

After this, we resorted to our resort and had a relaxing night in the comfort of our club Mahindra rooms.

The room at Club Mahindra!

Day2: Ok, so this article is already too long so stay tuned for Part 2 :)

To be continued ……