Day 169 - French Ganesh

Pondicherry was a French colony. The Dutch managed to dig their claws into it for a few years in the 18th century, but the French were emphatic in their non, non, non, and reclaimed it within a few years. Though Goa has a reputation for being the most European of Indian states, I believe Pondi takes that gateau.

The streets here - pardon moi Les Rues - are generally wide, clean and leafy. Even more exciting, they are on a logical grid and most of them have their names actually posted. As in on visible street signs! These are the first street signs we have seen in all of India (and Nepal too for that matter). Until you have spent three months sans labeled streets, you have no idea the joy of being able to navigate with ease.

Pondi is a tiny city right on the Bay of Bengal. Once we got over the excitement of labeled streets, we spent a good amount of time meandering up and down the beach. In our meanderings, we stumbled across multiple war memorials living right alongside a monument to Ghandi.

As a French colony, Pondi is a foodie's delight. The cuisine is a mix of Indian and French with loads of fresh seafood directly from the Bay. We ate lunch at Madame ___. One wall was decorated with a Rajasthani Poster, the other with Tissot print. The lamps were Indian Mirrorwork, but set between tables with decidedly French gingham tablecloths and roses in white china vases. Being so close to the water, seafood is also incredibly cheap. We plan to eat our weight in fish and prawns.

Perhaps because of the European influence, religion is less visible in Pondi than in other cities in India. That said, where it occurs, it is done in fabulous style. One small temple that lies down a quiet street is dedicated to Ganesh. Ganesh, for those of you who don't know, is the elephant-headed god. And what better to have outside a Ganesh temple than a friendly elephant? For a few rupees, one can buy him bundles of grass and guavas, and in return for the treats, he taps one's forehead in blessing. Even if you don't buy him treats, he is likely to snuffle over you with his trunk - much to the squealing delight of the school groups who come to see the paintings in the temple itself.

Pondi, like Goa, houses a mix of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. As in Goa, the Catholic churches are confections of colour and even neon. BY day, The Church of the Immaculate Conception looks like a pretty standard gold and white baroque church. By night though, the square is floodlit, a red neon cross graces the roof, and Mary floats on a neon moon surrounded by twinkling stars. The front of the building is also festooned with Christmas lights, though today they were not turned on.

Overall, Pondi is a lovely, clean, surprisingly European respite from the hurly-burly that is much of the rest of India. My guidebook says that most people stay longer than they intend to in Pondi. We are no exception. Because it is a small city, we had considered spending only one day here, but have decided to stay for tomorrow too.