MAY 4, 16 .. PONDICHERRY .. THE BEACH

We have beaches and we have beaches. 

Below are two beaches just to refresh your memories of what a beach looks like.

We will begin with our recent beach-friend ..

ARAMBOL BEACH .. GOA .. INDIA'S WEST COAST.

Now I will introduce you to a new beach-friend ..

SERENITY BEACH .. TAMIL NADU .. INDIA'S EAST COAST

Serenity Beach is North of Pondicherry in the Kottakuppam District due North out Mahatma Gandhi Road.

Today's Rhetorical Question: What one thing do the above beaches have in common?

Today's Answer: Sand. Lots and lots of Sand.

I suppose that I could 'Google' and I could 'Wikipedia' Pondicherry Beach. 

I did. I did NOT find out what happened to the sand on Pondicherry's Promenade Beach.

No doubt serious erosion threatened The Promenade and large rock rip-rap had to be imported to stabilize the beach front.

PROMENADE BEACH .. Pondicherry

Don't fall over. Don't be stunned.

Where did all of the sand go?

I asked Patti .. 

"Where did the sand go?"

 Somewhat bemused Patti looked at me and then looked away.

 Patti looks deep-in-thought about where the sand went.

Sand or no sand .. 

It is utterly hypnotic to just sit on a rock and become mesmerized by the power and the rhythm of the water crashing upon the rocks.

I asked the Leader of the Band ..

"Kind Sir! Do you know where the sand went?" 

He just smiled and he and one of his sons continued to play their 1930's, 1940's, 1950's wonderful music. Oh My their music was just wonderful! 

I even asked the Aayi Mandipam in Bharati Park ..

"Do you know where the sand went on Promenade Beach?"

Poor Aayi Mandipam .. It can't speak to me. It would if it could.

The monument to Mahatma Gandhi on The Promenade in Pondi.

"What's that 'Zilla?"

"Enough of the rocks Captain. Show us a sunset."

"Hush Patti!"

" 'Zilla would never have known that on the East coast there are no sunsets over the water. In Pondicherry the sun sets to your back as you gaze the the Bay of Bengal."

Rocks .. Rocks .. and more Rocks .. 

Let me tell you .. Everybody rocks on Promenade Beach in Pondi.

The man on the left above is pointing to the vixen of the group. Below it looks like she has-eyes for him also.

 Fun lovers down from New Delhi for a weekend at Pondi.

"Patti?" .. 

"Were we really sick-as-two-dogs in Pondi?"

"Yes Cap .. We sure were."

"Should we go back some day Patti?"

"We just did in this Post." 

Much Joy from Cap and from Patti ..

MAY 2, 16 .. PONDICHERRY .. THE HOTEL SUN PARK

Patti and I arrived in Pondicherry (Puducherry) in the late afternoon of Friday January 29th 2016. Having been here in 'Pondi' twice previously (January 13th to February 7th 2012 and February 21st to March 27th 2013) I certainly 'knew-my-way-around' Pondi.

With little or no 'fanfare' we got a really nice room that was 'as-good-as-it-gets' for me. I am typically a very (extremely) frugal traveler. With My Queen Patti along, to a fairly large extent my Modus-Operandi changed. 

Have you any more vast and radical understatements for us Captain?  Just getting a taxi here to Pondi from Chennai was a radical departure from my 'MO'.

Taa-Daa .. I present you with .. THE HOTEL SUN PARK!

 Looking up-the-street at the Hotel Sun Park.

 At night they 'light-up' their rooftop sign.

"You are welcome 'Zilla." .. 

'Zilla just told me to 'put-up-a-decent-photo' of the hotel.

Our absolutely positively 'magnificent corner room' was on the 4th (of 5) floors. One view (fifth photo below) from our room looked out through the large round window you see in the exterior photo of the hotel above.

 Hi Queen Patti .. peeking out at us from below.

In the above photo Patti is sitting where our wonderful refrigerator (below) was located.

Room? We had room-for-one-more as you can see to the right below.

The window below is part of the round window I mentioned in the fifth photo (the exterior of the hotel) above.

Below are an assortment of photos that I snapped from our two windows.

"Trust me!"

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

 "I don't DO .. Rooms WITH-A-VIEW!"

To go to the ocean we walked straight up the above street.

The ocean is in the far distance.

On the left edge of the above and below photos you can see part of the enormous round exterior window I have mentioned previously.

Little did I know .. Little did I realize .. That when we checked into the Hotel Sun Park how nice our room would be for us because, as I have mentioned on my Dot.NET website, the two of us both got pretty ill here in Pondicherry.

So our magnificent room-with-a-view, a super king-sized bed, air conditioning, a refrigerator and all-the-perks sure stood-us-well.

If you are going to be sick, be sick in a room with all of the bells-and-whistles.

Cap and Patti .. Feeling much better on May the 2nd!