I haven't been to Sri Lanka although we've considered it. I've heard it is India light, so I'm not sure we'll rush there.

I've been to both (or all three if you count northern India and southern India separately). Definitely India lite. I wasn't impressed with the ruins in SL, and the southern Indian temples are much more arresting than the SL stupas. On the other hand the scenery is pretty good, and it is SO much quieter on the roads!

I have loved this report!!

I too get very discouraged in writing these reports. I have cut way back. the new breed of fodorites do not speak up, question or make constant comments, which is discouraging to the writer. the management at forors has now created an environment where this is not encouraged---shame!!

I do find that in writing the reports it helps you to focus on what you did and saw more clearly. it also provides an easy site for giving references for others who may ask.

Really enjoying reading this, dgunbug! You've been having so many wonderful experiences in the last few days!

While you're in Pondicherry, you have a lot of non-Indian food options - for your husband, and maybe you too at this point! So here's a few:

We stopped at a very good bakery/patisserie called Baker Street at No.123, Bussy Street on the way to Chennai Airport. As soon as we tasted the croissants during the drive, we both regretted not having gone there sooner! We even gave our driver his first pain au chocolate (you never forget your first time!). You'll probably need a car or tuk tuk to get there, it is about 10 minutes by car from your hotel.
The chocolate and almond croissants were to us as good as the ones we had in Paris last fall.

We went to a fascinating temple that I'd also been to on my last trip. A writer who lived in Tamil Nadu had told me about it. It is devoted to the fierce Goddess Kali. For want of a better description, I'll say that the architecture seems to this westerner a combination of Hindu temple, Manga cartoon, Disneyland, and a Pixar movie. I know that was politically incorrect, but it also happens to be true!

Below is a description I had copied from a Hindu website:

<i>Prithiyankara Devi Kali Temple is a Hindu Temple situated in Moratandi, Pattanur, Near Thiruchitrambalam Koot Road about 8 km outside of Pondicherry. It is dedicated to the powerful goddess Sri Prithiyankara Devi.
The height of the statue of the goddess is 72 feet. The deity has a lion head, with bulging eyes, a long necklace of skulls around her and her skin is a blue colour. In her right hand, she holds a trishul (Trident) and in her left hand, she holds a head.</i>

It is hard to find, but hopefully your driver will know it. Ours didn't, and neither did anyone at our hotel (Neemrana's Hotel de l'Orient)!

But they did a search and finally got directions. it is located down a dirt road off a main highway, maybe 20 minutes from our hotel. Both times I've been there, we were the only people not there to worship, which largely happens outside, involving open fires. This place is quite unusual and seldom visited by tourists. My wife was amazed! And I got a lot of photos on both trips.

We had a very pleasant lunch at La Maison Rose at No. 8, Roman Rolland Street. It is located in a lovely shady breezy outdoor courtyard garden behind their quirky boutique housewares store. They serve good casual international cafe food. I remember liking the summer rolls with a sweet chili dipping sauce, shrimp ceviche, lime mousse with a guava compote. They have pretty good cappuccinos and cold coffees, too.

We liked Villa Shanti at 14 Rue Suffren Street enough to go twice for dinner. Reservations are essential, and we went a bit early to beat the crowd. Very attractive contemporary look, but relaxed. I remember we enjoyed Ginger-pumpkin-sage soup, Spinach salad with apples and walnuts, Papaya salad, Prawn tikka, Tandoori Tiger Prawns, Creme caramel and Chocolate eclair.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

I forgot to mention that Pondicherry has colorful bicycle rickshaws. That would be a great way for your husband to be able to see the lovely streets full of colonial buildings (sometimes draped with bougainvillea) without straining his knees. My wife also has knee problems, and this was wonderful for her. Of course you can always go in your car, but this lets you see so much more!

Your hotel should be able to have one pick you up - that's what ours arranged. You can go by the hour - we went for 2 hours because we not only wanted to go up and down all the streets in the French Quarter, but also wanted to visit the Muslim area, which also has a lot of memorable architecture. It is much breezier and cooler than walking, but it is still quiet, and provided great views. Also, you can have your "driver" stop whenever you see something especially interesting. If you find the seating is tight for 2 sitting next to each other, there is a seat across from the main seat, so that one of you can sit backwards. We only accidentally found out about this option!

I forget what we paid, but I remember it was cheap. And of course, tip at the end!

On this trip, Pondicherry was a great place to recharge before heading on to weeks of travel in Rajasthan. Hope you enjoy your time there!

Appreciate the comparisons between India and Sri Lanka. Thursdaysd, I have more positive impressions of the temples in Sri Lanka, but it may be in part due to my having not experienced those in India.

we didn't go to SL principally for the temples [which I can take or leave, frankly] but for the general experience which did not disappoint. if you plan carefully, you can have something interesting to do every day, and there are no long drives with nothing much to see, except perhaps when trying to get from the airport/Colombo to the cultural triangle.

on our next trip we hope to explore the north and east, and more of the Hill country which we loved.

<<On the other hand the scenery is pretty good, and it is SO much quieter on the roads!>>

really, thursdaysd? we found some SL roads pretty terrifying so goodness knows what indian ones are like!

@ann - I said quieter, not necessarily safer... I flew into Colombo from Chennai, after six weeks in southern India, and on the drive to Negombo I at first thought I had gone deaf.

Great info Rje! We will definitely try finding that temple. Nice info o Sri Lanka as well. Thanks for all your contributions.

It is 2:00 and we just returned to our room. Thank you again Rje - I will not reiterate what you have already said about the Prithiyankara Devi Kali Temple as you've described it so well. It is quite unusual and shouldn't be missed, especially if you visit Auroville which is close by. The temple itself is not large and can be visited in just a short time. Cows and goats graze nearby and there are several shops lined up on the way to the temple. We were the only visitors there as it is quite isolated down a dirt road. Our driver and hotel were unaware of the temple, but our driver indicated that he will take future guests here as it was so interesting. This temple reminded us of the bizarre white temple in chiang rai, although it did not quite compare in its beauty. Still it was very different and worth a visit.

As noted, we also visited Auroville which is about 10 km outside of town. This is an experiment in alternative living and is known as the city of the new dawn. The sci-fi looking Matrimandir can only be viewed from the outside unless arrangements are made ahead of time. The structure itself looks like a huge gold golf ball. Inside is a meditation hall. The people who live in this community do not practice any religion, but instead strive for world peace and they strive to protect the environment. A visit was interesting, but I wish we had made prior arrangements to see inside.

Rje - this morning we tried to find the bakery which you mentioned as our driver had not yet had his breakfast and who can pass up French croissants! Unfortunately we were not able to find it. Perhaps I will try to get directions from the hotel so that we may stop there on the way out of town tomorrow.

It is extremely hot today so we are now back at the room to avoid the heat. For us Pondicherry was ok, but we did not feel like we needed to recharge our batteries. We drove around the French quarter streets, but quite frankly were not that impressed.

We were surprised to see that the people do not use the beach here for swimming as we were told the waves are too dangerous. Perhaps there is an undertow, but the waters did not look particularly dangerous to us.

It was nice to eat non-Indian food last night in our hotel's restaurant and I had a tasty fish dish with mashed potatoes, spinach and olives. My husband chose an eggplant parmigiana which was also good. Tonight we have reservations for the rooftop restaurant at our hotel which we have been told is especially good. The menu is pan-Asian. I will report back later.

Tomorrow we will leave Pondicherry and will head to the chennai airport, stopping at mahalapurim (sp?). It should prove to be a long day as we do not depart until 3 am.

Any suggestions on how to pass the time will be appreciated. We can either go to airport and have dinner there and sit in the business lounge or go to a nearby airport hotel to have dinner and hang out till closer to departure time.

Safe journey home, Dgunbug! I imagine you are exhausted after a long, long day. You're flying business class, right? Enjoy!!

When you have the time and energy to reply to this...no rush:

In answer to my curiosity about name of village where meditation center is you, you wrote:
"the village that we visited yesterday just outside of Madurai was Thirpunam Kundram."

Maybe I'm confused by the time/sequence. I meant the one the day before with the meditation center. Here's your description in case that helps with name:
"We were invited into a mediation hall where I met a Bhrama kumari, an unmarried woman who dedicates her life to God. She explained a bit about the purpose of the meditation hall through our driver who served as our interpreter. The woman at the center were all anxious for us to learn about their meditation center."

Don't worry if you can't recall it--but it sounded like a great discovery! Or maybe it is the same village which you mentioned two consecutive days on your trip report.

Sleep well on that plane!

I've enjoyed reading your TR. Safe travels home.

It has been a pleasure to follow you on your journey. Your details, honesty and feedback to questions have been amazing from start to finish. It has really been a joy! Thank you for bringing us along.

Good morning, dgunbug!

On your way from Pondicherry to Chennai, there are places where workers extract salt from the seawater called Salt Pans. You won't see them from the road, but the places are nearby. When I was doing research for our trip, I saw some photos. Seems like a great photo opportunity. The large areas of white salt contrasted with the colorful clothes of the workers! I am annoyed at myself for not having had the energy that day to go (our flight to Jaipur was early, so we were up at the crack of dawn). But since you have a lot more time today, you might consider asking your driver to stop at one. Not many tourists know about these, so it could be interesting.

I wish I could help you with ideas for Chennai, as I've never been closer than the airport!

And thank you for writing this TR. So much fun traveling with you! Have a good flight home!

Thank you Junebug for sharing your trip "live" with us. Each day i was anxiously awaiting to open fordor TR to read about your new experiences. Well written and i thoroughly enjoyed your entries along with the other contributers. Sad (for me) your journey has ended. Safe journey home.......

Safe travels, June and Mike. Thank you for bringing me along for the journey. You've helped given me a more nuanced perspective on India.

Thanks for the "on the ground" report. Hope you have a safe and comfortable trip home.

Good morning. We awakened early to a barking dog. Calinurse - I will ask my driver again for the name of the village. I remember being confused when I wrote the name here. Rje - thanks for the suggestion regarding the salt pits. I've so appreciated everyone's comments along the way and the fact that you've enjoyed my journey with me has made it a joy to write this trip report. I'll be back later with the last of my report and will try wrapping it up from the airport.

Safe travels June and many more. It's been a great journey !

I too enjoy posting live from the road, everything is so much fresher in the mind.

Thanks for an enjoyable read.

dgunbug,
Once again, thank you for the "on the road" report -- it's been so much fun to be following along in real time and experiencing the trip with you. I look forward to the rest -- and I imagine you're looking forward to some rest and time to absorb your trip.

Safe travels home!