After our arrival to India at the minor port town of Nagapattinam and failed attempts at obtaining sim cards, we were very happy to be on our way to a larger city where we would have a few nights to relax and get ourselves sorted for our time in the country.  From the first moment we stepped off the ferry on Indian soil I was buzzing. The best way to describe India is a complete sensory overload. And we were only in a small town! It was overwhelming and we were both feeling a bit stressed about not having SIM cards. We were able to buy a bit of data using e-SIMs, however they are expensive and not always the best connection. 

Pondicherry (commonly called Pondy) was a French settlement for over 100 years until 1954. We had booked our accommodation in the french quarter known as White Town. This charming seaside town felt more akin to the South of France than the South of India. The leafy cobblestone streets are lined with beautiful colonial-era French villas, cafes brew delicious coffee, while bakeries serve mouth-watering pastries. After a month of mainly Sri Lankan and South Indian food, we were excited for some variety. At the same time, we were feeling a bit overwhelmed by India, and wanted some time to find our feet.

It turned out to be a bit of a process getting our SIM cards. The first company we tried wasn’t available for foreigners. We then tried going to another provider and had to give them the address of our accommodation so they could send someone there to give us the SIMs. This was a bit frustrating as we had to wait at our accommodation rather than exploring on our first night in Pondy. However, when the technicians finally arrived they managed to get our SIM cards up and running quickly. This experience was a good reminder that you can’t rush things in India, it will happen eventually but sometimes you just have to wait.

We spent most of our time in Pondy wandering between boutique stores, art galleries and beautiful colonial churches. The rest of our time was spent eating delicious food at French inspired cafes and bakeries. It was the first time on our trip where we weren’t mainly eating local food. Of course we were very excited to dive into South Indian cuisine, but we felt that while we were somewhere with amazing western food we should take that opportunity. It was a nice reset and a cleanse of our pallets from the Sri Lankan food we had been eating so much of.

One of the main events of our time in Pondy was the grand final of the ICC Champions Trophy which is an International cricket tournament. This was a major event because it was India vs New Zealand, and Cricket is by far the most popular sport in Sri Lanka and India. 

This is a very common conversation we have in Sri Lanka and India:

“Hello, what is your country?” 

“Hi! We’re from New Zealand!” 

“Oh very nice country! 

“Thanks, this is a nice country too.” 

“Kane Williamson is a very good player!”

For those who don’t know, Kane Williamson is a New Zealand cricketer and the former captain of the Black Caps. He is held in very high esteem in this part of the world, maybe even more so than back in New Zealand where he is regarded as the greatest New Zealand captain and batsman of all time. 

So being in India for this big clash between the New Zealand and Indian cricket teams was at the same time exciting and a bit concerning as we didn’t know how we would be treated if New Zealand won. We ended up watching the game at a craft beer brewery which had the game playing on a big screen. We met a very friendly and chatty guy there called Arjuna who was visiting Pondy from Chennai to watch the cricket. He was a real character and gave us lots of shit as the Indian team picked apart the New Zealand team in the finals. It was a close game and while we were sad to lose, it is kind of a relief we wouldn’t have to deal with the potential repercussions for the rest of our time in India. 

On our last day in Pondy our new friend Arjuna took us to his favourite South Indian restaurant for breakfast where he explained the menu to us and recommended some things for us to try. It was a great introduction to South Indian cuisine, and made us really excited to go back to our normal travel routine of only eating local food. 

Puducherry is a beautiful place with a wide variety of Indo-French inspired food, amazing shopping, and beautiful colonial architecture. It was the perfect way for us to start in India as we really needed a few days to relax and find our feet. Next up we are heading off to explore ancient southern India at historic Mahabalipuram