Ashram And Beach (In That Order) Draw Tourists To Pondicherry, Which Is Called Pondy For Short By The Locals. It Belonged To The French Until 1954, But Today, The Town With A Population -Of 100,000, Is A Territory Directly Governed By The Central Government In Delhi. Traces Of Its Former Masters Can Be Seen Though, With Many People Still Speaking French, And Pondicherry Still Looks European With A Slightly Mediter¬ranean Charm.
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In This 5km From Pondicherry Nest, Which Is In Tamil Nadu Again, There Are A Few Nice Places, Including Cottages And Bungalows Right On The Beach Run By A Frenchman. A Cottage Costs For Single Occupancy And For Two; A 2-Bed Bungalow With Bath Costs . Restaurant Nearby. Don't Be Frightened Of The Dogs, They Bark At Every Newcomer. You Can Also Stay With Fishermen, And In A Few Improvised Hotels Nearby.
Auroville is about 12km (7 miles) north of Pondicherry, and has an area of around 20 sq km (8 sq miles), so it is difficult to get around Auroville on foot.
Take a bus to Madras, and get off about 10km (6 miles) from Pondicherry at the turnoffto Auroville, and walk from there. This route is cheap, but difficult.
You could also hire a bicycle, or go by fixed price scooter or rickshaw. Ask at La Boutique d'Auroville in Pondicherry. Whole day sightseeing tours run by the Tourist Office to Auroville cost 2ORs and visit Auroville at midday
This and the temple elephants which guard the longest colonnade in india are worth seeing.
Even though the border with sri lanka is still closed, it wasn't peaceful on palk strait. Quite often tamil warriors and refugees cross the straight illegally for around 500rs. On top of that, there are fishermen and smugglers who transport heroin and kerala 'grass' to sri lanka and return with video cassettes and electronic goods. And, in the middle are the navies of india and sri lanka.
As in other holy places, there is a bathing ghat for pilgrims about 200m from the tourist bungalows. Pilgrims pay
Tower lodge, near tower junction, (not far from the bus terminal) and azad lodge (don't confuse it with the restaurant azad hotel). It was recommended to me that i should go to a small coastal village about half an hour's drive away as it has a beautiful beach.
On the way to kannakumari is the bus interchange of nagercoil, from where there are good services to madras, trichy and madurai. There is usually a bus every hour from trivandrum to nagercoil, and the trip takes 2 hours. Nagercoil is, comparatively speaking, one of the cleanest small towns with few tourists.
