[haisaikat]

Great Read SS-da. History and Heritage when served on the plate with lip smacking food the result is always sweet and when there is Rhymelogue on top of it, its goes even a notch higher. Thank you for taking us with with you on this journey.

[Rajjay]

First of all, hats off to your patience. I have never seen such pictures in any travelogue. Are you a poet? what a poetic language!

[car_addict]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

It was smooth sailing to the TN-PY border,
Everything seemed to be in order.
Then the RTO chap speaking no Hindi or English made me madder.

Not to make this political, but this para is frankly quite insulting to all other states in India who do not have Hindi as a primary language. We are a multi-lingual country. Please respect it & learn to live with it. We do not expect people to talk in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu or Malayalam in other states.

Although I did enough other parts of the travel log.

[Theyota]

I must say that I appreciate the theme of your vacation and how you and your family enjoys trying out a wide variety of foods although I personally prefer vegetarian food. Not many Indians ( and Chinese and Italians) have acquired tastes for consuming non native foods for extended periods of times like your family.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Stopped for some green coconuts on the way,
Annoyingly, thirty rupees each, we had to pay.
Locals who speak Tamil, pay a lot less, okay?

Forgive me for saying this , but 30 rupees isn't much for raw coconuts. You are not complaining about 1100 rupees Pizza menu which is typically made from the cheapest flours and meats and which was always supposed to be a poor man's nutrition! Members from "Gods Own Country" can vouch for how difficult it is to find a coconut tree climber now a days.

[Suprit]

One of the best travelogues I have read after a long time! An entirely in verse too!
Happy anniversary and wish you both many many anniversaries to come!
And may you celebrate each anniversary with a new verse :-D

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

There was a foodie...
...
But only when topped up with some jelly.

Great rhyme there! Impressive!

Brilliant thread. Brought back memories of my time in Chennai from 2000-2004, when I used to frequently visit Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry with friends on my humble Splendor.
Happy New Year and thanks for the nostalgia trip!

Good to know this thread stirred your memories. Happy new year to you and your loved ones too!

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

The food you guys had on the trip,
...
Even missing Le Dupliex didn’t sound like a sore thumb

Rhyming sentences isn't too difficult, is it!? Took me a long time to write this travelogue, though!

Le Dupleix was on our list, and we did try to find rooms there too. However, they did not show any option for a 3-bedded room or suite to accommodate more than 2 people. Somehow we missed going there for a meal too.

Wishing more trips and annoying moments to you all, it was a joy to go through this lovely juxtaposition of words. Many thanks for sharing the travel, just revisited many a places which I travelled some years back. Happy new year to you all and wishes on the silver anniversary of your getting bonded.
Sharing the travel link here, too many similarities in terms of food and pictures

Happy new year to you too. I did read your travelogue as well, before finalizing on our plan.

Originally Posted by vigsom

This thread will go down in the Guinness Book as the longest thread in the history of team-bhp.com. You're gradually getting younger and naughtier, Dada.

Ouch! I hope not.

Beautiful log, which showcases Pondicherry better than the tourism dept.
Although I've been in the south for many years, I never ever drove to Pondicherry because the roads in town have become narrower, and there are a whole lot of parking restrictions. The nongu and the tender coconut are roadside delights, but it is common practice for vendors to overcharge by a mile if we don't speak the local lingo.

The lanes were not a problem, but parking was an issue all right. Yes indeed, the price we paid was 3x what the locals did.

Originally Posted by SinghShu

This is a mind blowing thread. Details, pictures and the description took me back to my trip. Relished each and every word and it was like I am transported back in time.
Thank you for this!

Glad you liked it! Thank you.

Originally Posted by clix22

Superbly written. We are part time citizens of Pondicherry (otherwise we are Bombaywallas). Fellow Tbhp members are welcome to stay at our place just outside Auroville.

This seems like an open invitation, thank you! I'm hoping to visit again, and go further through my list of eateries. Your invitation will certainly come in handy.

Originally Posted by vikispeaks

Having lived in Pondicherry for close to half my life this brings back wonderful memories. And the exceptional writing had me hooked the entire way. What a way to start the New year. Thanks for this.

Thank you. Your appreciation makes me very happy.

Originally Posted by RaghavEvoX

This is a great read.
Have been to Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry multiple times and seen almost everything in the pictures.
But those that looked quite normal to me is seen from a different perspective which was exciting to read.

Thank you.

But 2 things I have to mention.
1.Our street has at least 5 coconut trees in almost every household but still coconuts are sold for 50 bucks in the market. So its not that locals get cheap and they steal from outsiders. (They steal from locals too !!)

It's not the price of coconuts that was annoying, but the differential pricing for locals and non-locals. When we pointed out that the other customers were paying Rs.10 while we were paying Rs.30, the man rudely said: Tamil, Tamil!!

2.This is a constant complaint that no one speaks Hindi in Tamilnadu. It's the same feeling when we travel to Northern states when no one speaks Tamil there. It is fine when we are not able to speak to someone and still able to communicate. That's part of the travel experience.

Lack of knowing a language has never been a barrier for us. I know the Northern states don't charge you 3x for common food items, just because you don't speak Hindi.

And your poetic way of summarizing the trip was amazing.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Great Read SS-da. History and Heritage when served on the plate with lip smacking food the result is always sweet and when there is Rhymelogue on top of it, its goes even a notch higher. Thank you for taking us with with you on this journey.

Glad you enjoyed the travelogue, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Originally Posted by Rajjay

First of all, hats off to your patience. I have never seen such pictures in any travelogue. Are you a poet? what a poetic language!

Thank you. No, I am certainly no poet, though I occasionally try my hand at rhyming sentences.

Originally Posted by car_addict

Not to make this political, but this para is frankly quite insulting to all other states in India who do not have Hindi as a primary language. We are a multi-lingual country. Please respect it & learn to live with it. We do not expect people to talk in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu or Malayalam in other states.

I don't know why it should come across as insulting, since the RTO chap wanted Rs.500 as a bribe to accept my tax, and after speaking to the rental guys in Tamil, he let me go. Is it a crime to not speak Tamil in TN/PY? I am absolutely sure no one in Delhi will try to charge you 3x money for street food, or take a bribe to do routine work, just because you don't speak Hindi (or English).

Although I did enough other parts of the travel log.

That makes me so happy!

Originally Posted by Theyota

I must say that I appreciate the theme of your vacation and how you and your family enjoys trying out a wide variety of foods although I personally prefer vegetarian food. Not many Indians ( and Chinese and Italians) have acquired tastes for consuming non native foods for extended periods of times like your family.

Thank you. We do enjoy all kinds of food from all parts of the world.

Forgive me for saying this , but 30 rupees isn't much for raw coconuts. You are not complaining about 1100 rupees Pizza menu which is typically made from the cheapest flours and meats and which was always supposed to be a poor man's nutrition! Members from "Gods Own Country" can vouch for how difficult it is to find a coconut tree climber now a days.

I am not complaining about the pizza prices because:
a) You and I pay the same price for the same pizza. If you paid Rs.1100, and I paid Rs.300, you'd certainly be annoyed!
b) I pay a lot less than any of you for gourmet pizzas when our daughter makes them, but it is very hard work to make a good pizza. And it's expensive to organize a wood-fired oven for that particular smoky flavour; and
c) Good pizzas do NOT use cheap meats or cheeses. Though you prefer vegetarian, do try to get good quality cheeses like mozzarella, parmigiano, Brie or Gorgonzola - these are comparatively cheaper in Europe or Australia, but are difficult and expensive to source in India.

OTOH, as I've mentioned before, Rs.30 for us versus Rs.10 for the local customer is certainly annoying, whether it was for a tender coconut or 3 kernels of nungu! However, we did pay the inflated price, only because nothing should spoil our holiday. That does not mean I can't write a one-star review of roadside coconut and palm kernel vendors, as I did for the Seashore Restaurant at Mahabalipuram, on Google!



As you can see, the owner of Seashore Restaurant tried to justify the bad food mentioned in my daughter's review, so I went there and gave him another one-star review.

Originally Posted by Suprit

One of the best travelogues I have read after a long time! An entirely in verse too!
Happy anniversary and wish you both many many anniversaries to come!
And may you celebrate each anniversary with a new verse :-D

Thank you. Your appreciation means a lot!

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

I hope I haven't annoyed you with this travelogue in verse,
The food pics may have ruined your keyboard - that's worse.
It's already the New Year, so I send you greetings diverse!

Well written, thoroughly enjoyed the food pics and your eye for detail , have noted some of the restaurants you mentioned for my next outing to Pondy.

You arrived this side at the right time, right before you came was heavy rains, and some time after you left there was huge commotion and protests in Auroville.

Spike

[cule1899_bhp]

I opened this travel guide,
hoping for a mini ride,
whatever maybe the rhyme's intent,
it made my heart's content.


Great travelogue, you included everything from stays to restaurants and what not.
Will be using this for my trips in the near future, thank you.

[RoadTrippin]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

It's not the price of coconuts that was annoying, but the differential pricing for locals and non-locals. When we pointed out that the other customers were paying Rs.10 while we were paying Rs.30, the man rudely said: Tamil, Tamil!!

Great thread but I live in Chennai and my farm is very close (the next village, less than 2 kms away actually) to the Nungu vendor that you have pictured and I am a regular customer of his. In fact, the lady that you have pictured for the Tender Coconut is also one of my regular vendors. She has her stall just past Mahabs on the right. Seeing their pictures actually made me feel wistful and your comments that they conned you seem out of place to me.

If you think they sold a coconut to anyone for Rs.10 i can assure you you are absolutely mistaken. You can't buy a coconut for Rs.10 even from the farmer himself, let alone the guy who's got a stall out on the highway, who has paid for the coconuts with cash and is hawking them retail. You can rest assured that your confusion is likely from a miscommunication and you were definitely not conned. Coconut prices in that stretch vary from 30-50 depending on the size of the coconut.

[chinkara]

Nice thread. Brings back memories.

Way back in 2000-01 as interns we had done a beach bike ride to Mahabalipuram - the beach bungalows had not come up then - there were odd 1 or 2 houses. Nungu / Talshash was available at 3 for 5 (i.e. 3 * 3 = 9 pods) while coconut water was some 12 rupees or so. So we hogged on them - 12 pods each for lunch.

This was April and unable to bear the heat we went to a secluded place in the beach and took a dip in the sea. The problem was that while coming back we saw a couple of aunties had discovered the same spot and chilling with lemonade and coconut water. We had to stay put in the sea till they saw the sunset and went away (we were in no condition to appear before ladies). Completely osmosized skin after 5 hrs in the sea. And my friend, who was driving his roomie's bike fell down 5-6 times on the way back as he had no strength left in his legs. A whole bottle of dettol and gauge of cotton spent. Happy days...

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

Well written...

Thank you.

You arrived this side at the right time, right before you came was heavy rains, and some time after you left there was huge commotion and protests in Auroville.

We realized later that we made it in and out just through the right window - the Auroville protest...

Auroville protest

...then the rain came back with a vengeance afterwards, and now the fresh restrictions due to Corona, it was as if there was nothing untoward happening just for the week we were there. Lucky us!

Originally Posted by cule1899_bhp

I opened this travel guide,
...
it made my heart's content.
Great travelogue, you included everything from stays to restaurants and what not.
Will be using this for my trips in the near future, thank you.

Your poetry rhymes so well! Thank you. I certainly hope this travelogue will give a good idea of the options in PY and Mahabalipuram for future travellers.

Originally Posted by RoadTrippin

Great thread...

Thank you.

...I live in Chennai and my farm is very close (the next village, less than 2 kms away actually) to the Nungu vendor that you have pictured and I am a regular customer of his. In fact, the lady that you have pictured for the Tender Coconut is also one of my regular vendors. She has her stall just past Mahabs on the right. Seeing their pictures actually made me feel wistful and your comments that they conned you seem out of place to me.

If you think they sold a coconut to anyone for Rs.10 i can assure you you are absolutely mistaken. You can't buy a coconut for Rs.10 even from the farmer himself, let alone the guy who's got a stall out on the highway, who has paid for the coconuts with cash and is hawking them retail. You can rest assured that your confusion is likely from a miscommunication and you were definitely not conned. Coconut prices in that stretch vary from 30-50 depending on the size of the coconut.

The world is such a small place - the fact that you know BOTH the tender coconut vendors personally (different days, different locations) is nothing short of amazing. Whether they overcharged me or not, I think the issue is well-settled by you through your post, and that is one less annoyance so far as anyone is concerned! I'm grateful to you for taking the trouble of explaining in full detail.

That just leaves the annoyance of the RTO chap wanting a bribe, and the auto-rickshaws overcharging, which can also be buried into forgotten unhappy memories.

Originally Posted by chinkara

Nice thread.

Thank you.

Brings back memories.
Way back in 2000-01 as interns we had done a beach bike ride to Mahabalipuram - the beach bungalows had not come up then - there were odd 1 or 2 houses. Nungu / Talshash was available at 3 for 5 (i.e. 3 * 3 = 9 pods) while coconut water was some 12 rupees or so. So we hogged on them - 12 pods each for lunch.

Those were the days of cheap fuel and cheaper food!

This was April and unable to bear the heat we went to a secluded place in the beach and took a dip in the sea. The problem was that while coming back we saw a couple of aunties had discovered the same spot and chilling with lemonade and coconut water. We had to stay put in the sea till they saw the sunset and went away (we were in no condition to appear before ladies). Completely osmosized skin after 5 hrs in the sea. And my friend, who was driving his roomie's bike fell down 5-6 times on the way back as he had no strength left in his legs. A whole bottle of dettol and gauge of cotton spent. Happy days...

That description of you folks skinny-dipping had us in splits! I don't think there are any such secluded beaches anywhere in the country any more!

[Raghunath Singh]

Excellent travelogue and appreciate you adding lot of details especially on food. Details like hotels, restaurants, local eateries will be helpful as I'm planning to visit with my family.

Been there long back as a bachelor. While my friends were tripping on the alcohol due to low cost, I went on recce and found this amazing Chettinad restaurant, had some lovely food there. Not able to recollect the name, might have to dig some old pics.

Once again, appreciate all the details and hope you get to explore more places this year, will be on the lookout for your travelogues.