The Kings of Pondicherry

[John Bodycombe]

Greetings from India!

 

Since our last update about 48 hours ago alot has happened so I apologize ahead of time for the length but most awesome and excellent things need to be relayed.

 

After leaving the previous internet cafe (where we used google maps to find where we were since streets are rarely marked here) we wandered our way into the heart of Pondy and by happenstance turned down the correct road to find our hotel.  After a bit of wandering with our heavy packs on and only having to ask one Rickshaw driver where the hotel was we got in only to find that the reservation we made online.... was bogus.

 

Fortunately the website we had booked through apparently stopped working some time again and so it never got charged and the hotel was able to accomodate us in style.  4th floor walk up....A/C.....Bucket in the shower...... we have everything we need.  From there Brendon decided that he was tired since he had trouble falling asleep the previous night in Chennai (clearly I'm going to have to pamper him the whole way through) and that he was going to take a nap.  "Nuts to that" said I, I'm off!

 

My first stop, I decided would be to an internet cafe so as to update/upload some photos (neither of which happened for technical reasons) but what did happen there is the meeting and making of friends.  The cafe I stopped by, Coffee.com as per lonely planet recommendations was a stand out from the local joints, peopled mainly by europeans and possessing wi-fi capabilities.

 

While trying to solve such technical issues I was helped by I nice young lady who's name I can't remember (who happens to be in the cafe now but I am surely too embarrassed to ask her name again (just found out it was Desiree)) and a german ex-patriot who has been living in Pondicherry (or as Brendon mentioned Puducherry) for the past 3 years named John.  I travel half way around the world and I can't get away from my name.  Following the attempts and failures of three capable people John casually mentioned a desire to get a beer. Bully!  We decided to go wake Brendon from his beauty sleep and consume delicous beverage.

 

John led us down the confusing streets to a swanky joint named "Le Promenade" undoubtedly due to the previous french occupancy and the large number of French tourists.  At first I was concerned about prices.... but then I realized that a pitcher of beer at 150 Rs. equates roughly to $3 USD.  Six pitchers later and when the bar was closing (any restaurant that serves alcohol here has to close by 11:30) John decided that we should go back to his apartment to drop something off and then to Salt and Pepper, the only 24 hour proper restaurant in the area.  At this point I should mention that over these beers John mentioned that he had to catch an 18 hour bus ride up to Bangalore in the morning for a New Years Eve party he was putting on in a big fancy hotel and had therefore decided to stay up all night.

 

So we hop a rickshaw to his joint which is in the area controlled by the Fisherman's Mafia as he informs us and then head out to Salt and Pepper. One word.  Delicous. Indian food can be confusing and having someone who knows what they are ordering pick the food is an excellent idea (Butter Chicken Masala with Naan or other bread is delicious!).

 

After more consumption he decides to call around to see what kind of rowdiness around town we can get involved in and contacts a French girl who is having a small gathering on the roof of her building.  "Sounds like a plan"  I say "But first I need some caffeine".  In order remedy this we walk along the beach on the Bay of Bengal to a 24 hour beachside coffee shop next to a 10 foot statue of Ghandi.  Unfortunately, in spite of being a place that is never closed we come upon the door to find it shut and a man sleeping in a chair on the other side of it.

 

So we head out!  On our way to the French girl's place we swing by a stand next to the hospital where a man made me the best chai tea I have ever had and a bunch of Rickshaw drivers who are hanging out start joking with us about how tall we are.  After I point out that much of his height comes from his Indian fro we all chuckle and take off.

 

We get to the house and hop a fence/go up some back stairs to the roof of the building and meet a bunch of people (mostly french) who are clearly much further along with partying then we were so everyone hung out for a while but they started peeling off before long.  Not wanting to be a bother we shove off once we are the only ones left and on the way towards the hotel find some wet cement.  At this point Brendon has the brilliant idea to write our team name in the street.  Note to any authorities who may find this:  It was all his fault.  I only encouraged him and took the pictures.

 

Wandering through the Pondicherry streets at night is an interesting experience.  The only people you see are sleepin on the sidewalks or in vehicles.  Instead, the place is run by meandering cows and stray dogs.  Tons and tons of stray dogs.  It is a unique experience wandering by a hindi temple (to which we made a donation), avoiding stray dogs to keep the rabies away and watching small groups of cows wandering from trash pile to trash pile eating away happily.

 

At this point we get tired of walking and decide to hail down a Lorry (truck) and ask him to give us a ride back for 100 Rs. (roughly $2 USD).  A smile brightens his face as he tells us to hop on and we end up being paraded through the streets standing on the back of a small truck. It is at this point that we give ourselves the title "The Kings of Pondicherry".  Classy, eh?

 

Back at the hotel we hang out and chat while smoking cigars and concoct plans for future adventures, exhange e-mails and long after the sun comes up John heads out.

 

Not bad for less that 24 hours in the place.

 

We finally go to sleep at around 8:00am and sleep in till 2ish when we get up and head out to find the compound in which our rickshaw is located.  After a little searching and a phone call to The Adventurists we find the place and were AMAZED.

 

A warehouse. 70 rickshaws with amazing paint jobs ranging from tiger stripes to family guy characters to a Bill Murray likeness on the Team Zissou Rickshaw.  We take photos/videos and go for a test drive in their test drive ricks (also on video).  Simply amazing.  We meet a few teams, the most friendly of which was Team Zissou out of Denver Colorado.  Four friends who are amazingly cramming themselves into a rick and heading across the country. We get beers, we head back, we crash.

 

That's as much as I want to type right now because my fingers are hurting me and I think people want to use this computer.  Ah well, c'est la vie.

 

Until the next update where we relay how the send off from the Beach with the 10 foot Ghandi statue goes!

 

Best wishes from the land of Curry and Spiritualism!

 

John and Brendon