Well, I have officially experienced the most relaxing place of my trip. Pondicherry was colonized by the French and has now been left with a distinct flavor (architecture, language, food, wine). It is also has one of India's most famous Ashrams (or meditation centers). The Sri Aurobando Ashram has 5 guest houses affiliated with it where you can stay for a very cheap price as long as you follow the rules: no alcohol, respect the quiet meditation areas, strict curfew of 10:30pm...
Sarah & I travelled here with 3 other students from San Antonio. We shared a very comfortable car ride and arrived here friday evening. The roads are not nearly as sketchy as I had heard. In fact, I was pretty impressed with the quality of the highways and roads even in the smaller towns. Well, we totally lucked out and got the most sought after guest house and even managed to get a room with an ocean view! The Park guest house has a huge garden for morning yoga or meditation. We sleep with mosquito nets since we're near the sea-- but it makes it seem like an adventure. It is like a big dorm room with 4 beds and a big balcony.
The food is great! Tonight, sarah & I are looking forward to a glass of french wine :) I spent the day on a much needed relaxed schedule, doing some sun salutations on the grass to start my day. They were actual sun salutations, since we are facing east and are literally right next to the ocean! I then headed out for a short run along the waterfront. There's something about beach towns. Even some of the locals here were out walking and jogging in the morning. Our breakfast was fresh and yummy. But our next stop was when the adventure began.
The Prana ayurvedic and yoga center is a hole in the wall run by a little Indian guru. He led the 4 of us in a 1 hour Hatha yoga class. Breathing, stretching, and even a little rough pushing to get my tight muscles into some crazy positions! Sarah & I stuck around to experience Ayurvedic massage. The woman who did my massage did not seem to beat the crap out of me in the same way that Sarah's guy did. But there was LOTS of oil and ultimately some very loosened muscles! It was not remotely what I expected, but I was VERY relaxed afterwards.
I'm going to end here and finish up my Pondicherry summary later. We're going to head to a highly recommended French restaurant called Rendezvous to enjoy a little French wine...
So, more updates soon. Just wanted to let everyone know that I managed to escape the overcrowded city in exchange for a peaceful traveller's wonderland. Definitely lots of travellers here! Heading back to Vellore tomorrow, wishing I could stay here longer!
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