Pondicherry, popularly called as Pondy or Puducherry, has a long and interesting history of French settlement until 1954. If you are interested to capture the view on the way towards Pondy, it’s better to travel in the daylight. The stretch of coconut trees, the serene beach, the historical significance of the place, the influence of French settlement in the nooks & corner,continental cuisine – the conglomeration attracts tourists from all over parts of the world.

The weather is quite hot and humid here during summer , so pack for more of cotton clothes and comfortable wear. The weather is comparatively pleasant during the time of October and February.

It’s the place where you get an amazing variety of continental and Italian cuisine. On the way to the beach, all the restaurants, cafes and hotels are lined up. A lot of restaurants provide authentic French food as well. Some of the popular French items are croissants, baguettes, Italian baked beans,stuffed cabbage and many more.

The erosion of Pondicherry beach is not an exception in India. This rocky coastline has been created especially to control erosion of the sandy bank. The pilot project for beach storage and shoreline stabilization is jointly funded by National Institute of Ocean Technology and Pondicherry Government (NIOT). NIOT immersed India’s first wedge shaped near shore artificial reef at the coast for beach conservation.

This temple has been in my wish-list while exploring the place. The Shore temple,located on the shores of Coromondel coast of Bay of Bengal in Mahabalipuram, is one of the oldest temples constructed more than 1000 years ago.

This temple is classified as UNESCO World Heritage sight since 1984. The best time to visit this temple is either sunrise or sunset when it glows with the sun rays. It is near to this temple where the submerged city of Mahabalipuram once surfaced off during 2004 Tsunami but again was lost under water leaving some clusters of buried sculptures.

There is a chill out place away from the city, a cozy little island called as Paradise Island. You can take some snack break in the shacks and enjoy boating. Boating was rejuvenating and quite refreshing experience. Houseboat stay is also available in this island.The golden sand and the sky- blue water are the perfect combination of this beach

I was almost done with exploring Pondicherry and had night flight on the departure day. Before leaving, I just thought to get a view of the night beach. Finishing my dinner a bit early, I headed for the beach. From distant, I could make out that it’s a full moon night. The shimmer of the gleaming moon light on the bed of the night sea gives a picturesque beauty to the night sky. Two hours just flew away by sitting at the beach but I couldn’t take my eyes off the spectacular view. I wish my flight got delayed or cancelled. The romantic New Moon Night will always call me to Pondicherry.