Pondy Ho!!! (In 2.5 Weeks) NERVOUS

Indiadancer · Jul 20th, 2005, 03:54

So after months and months of waiting and reading and pacing the time is drawing dangerously close to the day I leave for India. After all that you'd think I'd feel prepared, or at least prepared to be unprepared but my mind is one big question mark.

So in about 2 weeks I leave for Pondicherry where I will live for the next nine months. I'm NERVOUS. I am leaving my family and friends for a long time and of course packing is a giant headache.

So...any general advice? Anyone in the Tamil Nadu/Pondy area? Insert the usual questions about money, phone calls, bla bla bla. I'm considering getting a pre-paid cell phone ordeal. Anyway...any replies greatly appreciated...even just to say Hi is OK.

etin · Jul 20th, 2005, 04:00

Hi, dont worry.... be Happy

deky · Jul 20th, 2005, 04:29

hey you will be fine!!! you going to one of the most beautifull places in India (specially after monsoons). English is very widely spoken in the south, with a very different accent tho, but people are generally helpful and nice. You can easily get a pre-paid phone card you just have to give them your address proof (security issues). calling home wouldnt be much of an issue as there are lots of International Suscribers Dialling or generally known as I.S.D./P.C.O booths.
So as Etin says..dont worry be happy

machadinha · Jul 20th, 2005, 06:14

Just wanted to wish you well Indiadancer. It's been a while in the preparations right. You can be sure it won't always be easy but you'll figure it out as soon as you touch ground -- you have few other options!

Best matey

Roscoe · Aug 2nd, 2005, 09:40

Ah, sweet Pondi...
Let me just say that I'd give up a lot to be sitting in Pondicherri right now. I spent two months teaching in a rural village about two hours inland from Pondi, and the city was our weekend refuge. The city itself was a former French colony, and you can see the old French/Indian division in the architecture. Half of the city is elegant and colonial, the other half is beautifully Indian. If you are the type to miss the food from home, the city offers a number of European inspired joints near the shore-Satsanga, Hotel Pondicherri, and Rendezvous. The local nightlife is quite active too, due mainly to a much lower alcohol tax than in the surrounding state of Tamil Nadu. (remember, Pondicherri is a "union territory", and self governing) So that nice cold 650mL Sand Piper that goes for rs.59 in TN is a mere rs.30 in Pondi. How sweet can life be? As for living locations, there are scads of new developments all around Pondi that Im sure are quite nice, but if i had the cash, id be right down in the French area. Id love to get ahold of one of the old houses and leave the world behind. Cheers!

lonelyaztec · Aug 2nd, 2005, 11:09

Hi

Please read my Travelogue on Pondicherry and East Coast Road. ECR connects Chennai and Pondicherry. It should be helpful for you.

Pondicherry
http://www.indiamike.com/india/article.php?a=57

East Coast Road
http://www.indiamike.com/india/article.php?a=60

and, most importantly, have fun.

Indiadancer · Aug 2nd, 2005, 19:45

Thank you for the link. It was well written and I eagerly anticipate seeing the town for myself. I'm still nervous, but it's mainly about leaving my family. I cannot wait to see India!

Indianflower · Aug 2nd, 2005, 20:48

enjoy yourself IndianDancer! Is this your first time away from F&F? Email and phone calls are generally cheap. Pondy is lovely, I can highly recommend Satsanga restaurant

Indianflower

Merchant · Aug 2nd, 2005, 20:56

Nervousness is good. That which is too easily acquired is lightly regarded. Savor the knots in your stomach.

eddienyc · Aug 2nd, 2005, 22:22

IndiaDancer...You'll find that all your worries are pretty much real. Leaving your friends/family and heading to a country you aren't familiar with can be scary...and it is. I was pretty 'whatever-it's only 6 months' when I decided to come to Chennai, and all my worries were encapsuled in two weeks of feeling like I really should have thought things through instead of throwing caution to the wind.

However, at week 4, I'm feeling much more comfortable with my decision, and really starting to feel like India is giveing me much more than I could give back, and realize that the stress and worries I had for the first two weeks were all to help me unwind, relax, and soul search evermoreso today.

By the way, apartments are hard to find, unless you have a lot of savings you don't mind putting into someone else's bank account for 12 months. (Read: 10 month security deposits).

Cheers,
Eddie

shanthi · Aug 11th, 2005, 13:13

In 2001 I spent 7 months in Pondy - I have mixed feelings about it. It is a lovely Town and has the added pleasure of being by the ocean. Sunset and sundown are remarkable...most of the time. They had just reclaimed some of the beach back that was washed away by a tidal wave some 12 years ago - only to have it washed away again by the tragic Tsunami. Therefore, the beach hardly exists anymore....again. You have plenty of Internet cafe's in Pondy - all with backup generators. Loads of lovely restaurants - my favourite was the Rendevous and there's another that I can't recall the na,e of right now (must be the age or the sun!) that's got a terrace right on the ocean...it's hidden on a back street - The name of the street is .........Salai. sorry about that. There's over 40 Orphanages in Pondy too - and a great variety (if that's what you'd like to call it) of class. There are many Brits and French living there on a permanent basis and wonderful French Colonial architecture. The Pondicherrians walk along ther Beach road in the evenings, every evening......you could be in for a humourous evening if it begins to rain however. One minute you have perhaps three hundred people walking by the ocean on the Beach Road, then as if by magic, when a slight...ever so slight rain falls there is a mass exodous! There are/were many Leper people sitting along the beach road (and elsewhere of course) and you should'nt be surprised if one of these unfortunate people flings himself/herself at you.....it happened top me and I saw it happen to many other tourists who were there. There are a couple of supermarkets there....Nilgiris is the best - not very large, but it's large enough and you can get almost anything in the way of food there. There are a couple of smaller supermarkets that are kinda in a basement setting and you'll have to look for them....or you'll miss them!! They're very small also, but have a multitude of goodies in store. Remember to be prepared to leave your bag (not handbag, but any other bag) in a little pidgeon hole by the door...you'll be given a small disc which you can use to claim your bag back after you've finished shopping. Be prepared also to be "followed" whilst shopping until they get to know you. The Indian Coffee House is a wonderful place. It does have a little room at the back for Ladies, but you can of course sit anywhere. The Ashram is a great place to meet people whilst you're there - if ya gits lonely!

Hope you have a marvellous time - Pondy is one of the nicer towns, on a small scale - I do have very fond memories of it.

shanthi · Aug 11th, 2005, 13:24

Forgot to say......Why don't you take a "virtual tour" of Pondy??
Just put "Pondicherry Virtual Tour" into your search engine (I got mine through Google) and you can literally visit loads of places on this one site in a 360 degree angle in all the photo's they have! It feels like you've already been there when you arrive - I'm one of those people who like to see where I'm going to, and Pondy already felt like home when I got there. Sorry that I can't remember the address of the website, but you'll find it easily enough. It was a little slow to load but then, I'm in Ireland and our ISP's are atrocious at the best of times!

docgirl2005 · Aug 11th, 2005, 13:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanthi

In 2001 I spent 7 months in Pondy - I have mixed feelings about it. It is a lovely Town and has the added pleasure of being by the ocean. Sunset and sundown are remarkable...most of the time. They had just reclaimed some of the beach back that was washed away by a tidal wave some 12 years ago - only to have it washed away again by the tragic Tsunami. Therefore, the beach hardly exists anymore....again. You have plenty of Internet cafe's in Pondy - all with backup generators. Loads of lovely restaurants - my favourite was the Rendevous and there's another that I can't recall the na,e of right now (must be the age or the sun!) that's got a terrace right on the ocean...it's hidden on a back street - The name of the street is .........Salai. sorry about that. There's over 40 Orphanages in Pondy too - and a great variety (if that's what you'd like to call it) of class. There are many Brits and French living there on a permanent basis and wonderful French Colonial architecture. The Pondicherrians walk along ther Beach road in the evenings, every evening......you could be in for a humourous evening if it begins to rain however. One minute you have perhaps three hundred people walking by the ocean on the Beach Road, then as if by magic, when a slight...ever so slight rain falls there is a mass exodous! There are/were many Leper people sitting along the beach road (and elsewhere of course) and you should'nt be surprised if one of these unfortunate people flings himself/herself at you.....it happened top me and I saw it happen to many other tourists who were there. There are a couple of supermarkets there....Nilgiris is the best - not very large, but it's large enough and you can get almost anything in the way of food there. There are a couple of smaller supermarkets that are kinda in a basement setting and you'll have to look for them....or you'll miss them!! They're very small also, but have a multitude of goodies in store. Remember to be prepared to leave your bag (not handbag, but any other bag) in a little pidgeon hole by the door...you'll be given a small disc which you can use to claim your bag back after you've finished shopping. Be prepared also to be "followed" whilst shopping until they get to know you. The Indian Coffee House is a wonderful place. It does have a little room at the back for Ladies, but you can of course sit anywhere. The Ashram is a great place to meet people whilst you're there - if ya gits lonely!

Hope you have a marvellous time - Pondy is one of the nicer towns, on a small scale - I do have very fond memories of it.

I love your description of Pondicherry...Lots of wonderful things and places and lots of not soo wonderful things as well!

THe name of the restaurant that you mentioned is Seagulls. Its on the side street, I dont remember the name either. But its quite good and the views over the Ocean are lovely..especially during the full moon..breezes so nice. My fave restaurants in Pondy are 1.Seagulls (mainly for views and atmosphere..food is alright) 2.Rendevous 3.Satsanga (the waiter speaks hardly any english..only tamil and french! I had a hard time asking for a fork!)

ro-anD · Mar 4th, 2006, 18:38

Lonely Aztec, I cant seem to access either of your articles, could you repost it or PM them to me.
Thanks

axanup · Mar 4th, 2006, 19:16

oh yeah,
pondy!! love that place, one of the best towns in india. as fellow writers have given a vry brief description of the same, i vote for the post too.
a laid back and quiet place with its own french charm, the beach, the restaurants aplenty. a shoppin street, the ashram, beach road and lots more, nine months is it, so explore the place at ur leisure and let us know about your stay here.

comparetively the prices are less in pondy since its a union territory. liquor is dead cheap. and so are the general commodities, its jus a drive away from chennai, so u can always break free for a taste of city life in case

and welcome to india,
do make it to other places when u free

http://afteruse.blogspot.com/

Jul 20th, 2005, 03:54	#1
Indiadancer Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Virgina, USA Posts: 76	Pondy Ho!!! (In 2.5 Weeks) NERVOUS So after months and months of waiting and reading and pacing the time is drawing dangerously close to the day I leave for India. After all that you'd think I'd feel prepared, or at least prepared to be unprepared but my mind is one big question mark. So in about 2 weeks I leave for Pondicherry where I will live for the next nine months. I'm NERVOUS. I am leaving my family and friends for a long time and of course packing is a giant headache. So...any general advice? Anyone in the Tamil Nadu/Pondy area? Insert the usual questions about money, phone calls, bla bla bla. I'm considering getting a pre-paid cell phone ordeal. Anyway...any replies greatly appreciated...even just to say Hi is OK.

Jul 20th, 2005, 04:29	#3
deky Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Jaipur Posts: 6	hey you will be fine!!! you going to one of the most beautifull places in India (specially after monsoons). English is very widely spoken in the south, with a very different accent tho, but people are generally helpful and nice. You can easily get a pre-paid phone card you just have to give them your address proof (security issues). calling home wouldnt be much of an issue as there are lots of International Suscribers Dialling or generally known as I.S.D./P.C.O booths. So as Etin says..dont worry be happy __________________ my-guesthouse-url

Jul 20th, 2005, 06:14	#4
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 9,837	Just wanted to wish you well Indiadancer. It's been a while in the preparations right. You can be sure it won't always be easy but you'll figure it out as soon as you touch ground -- you have few other options! Best matey __________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Aug 2nd, 2005, 11:09	#6
lonelyaztec Maha Guru Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,407	Hi Please read my Travelogue on Pondicherry and East Coast Road. ECR connects Chennai and Pondicherry. It should be helpful for you. Pondicherry http://www.indiamike.com/india/article.php?a=57 East Coast Road http://www.indiamike.com/india/article.php?a=60 and, most importantly, have fun. __________________ Aztec My photoblog

Aug 2nd, 2005, 20:48	#8
Indianflower get_me_back_to_India Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Currently floating around London Posts: 61	You'll have a great time... enjoy yourself IndianDancer! Is this your first time away from F&F? Email and phone calls are generally cheap. Pondy is lovely, I can highly recommend Satsanga restaurant Indianflower

Jul 20th, 2005, 04:00	#2
etin ° Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Confoederatio Helvetica Posts: 252	Hi, dont worry.... be Happy

Aug 2nd, 2005, 09:40	#5
Roscoe Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: here and there Posts: 19	Ah, sweet Pondi... Let me just say that I'd give up a lot to be sitting in Pondicherri right now. I spent two months teaching in a rural village about two hours inland from Pondi, and the city was our weekend refuge. The city itself was a former French colony, and you can see the old French/Indian division in the architecture. Half of the city is elegant and colonial, the other half is beautifully Indian. If you are the type to miss the food from home, the city offers a number of European inspired joints near the shore-Satsanga, Hotel Pondicherri, and Rendezvous. The local nightlife is quite active too, due mainly to a much lower alcohol tax than in the surrounding state of Tamil Nadu. (remember, Pondicherri is a "union territory", and self governing) So that nice cold 650mL Sand Piper that goes for rs.59 in TN is a mere rs.30 in Pondi. How sweet can life be? As for living locations, there are scads of new developments all around Pondi that Im sure are quite nice, but if i had the cash, id be right down in the French area. Id love to get ahold of one of the old houses and leave the world behind. Cheers!

Aug 2nd, 2005, 19:45	#7
Indiadancer Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Virgina, USA Posts: 76	Thank you for the link. It was well written and I eagerly anticipate seeing the town for myself. I'm still nervous, but it's mainly about leaving my family. I cannot wait to see India!

Aug 2nd, 2005, 20:56	#9
Merchant Maha Guru Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: New York Posts: 2,078	Nervousness is good. That which is too easily acquired is lightly regarded. Savor the knots in your stomach.

Aug 2nd, 2005, 22:22	#10
eddienyc What the? Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bombay, India and Manhattan New York Posts: 17	same boat, only one month ahead of you IndiaDancer...You'll find that all your worries are pretty much real. Leaving your friends/family and heading to a country you aren't familiar with can be scary...and it is. I was pretty 'whatever-it's only 6 months' when I decided to come to Chennai, and all my worries were encapsuled in two weeks of feeling like I really should have thought things through instead of throwing caution to the wind. However, at week 4, I'm feeling much more comfortable with my decision, and really starting to feel like India is giveing me much more than I could give back, and realize that the stress and worries I had for the first two weeks were all to help me unwind, relax, and soul search evermoreso today. By the way, apartments are hard to find, unless you have a lot of savings you don't mind putting into someone else's bank account for 12 months. (Read: 10 month security deposits). Cheers, Eddie __________________ You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him.

Aug 11th, 2005, 13:13	#11
shanthi Account closed on user's request Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South India Posts: 785	Perceptions of Pondy In 2001 I spent 7 months in Pondy - I have mixed feelings about it. It is a lovely Town and has the added pleasure of being by the ocean. Sunset and sundown are remarkable...most of the time. They had just reclaimed some of the beach back that was washed away by a tidal wave some 12 years ago - only to have it washed away again by the tragic Tsunami. Therefore, the beach hardly exists anymore....again. You have plenty of Internet cafe's in Pondy - all with backup generators. Loads of lovely restaurants - my favourite was the Rendevous and there's another that I can't recall the na,e of right now (must be the age or the sun!) that's got a terrace right on the ocean...it's hidden on a back street - The name of the street is .........Salai. sorry about that. There's over 40 Orphanages in Pondy too - and a great variety (if that's what you'd like to call it) of class. There are many Brits and French living there on a permanent basis and wonderful French Colonial architecture. The Pondicherrians walk along ther Beach road in the evenings, every evening......you could be in for a humourous evening if it begins to rain however. One minute you have perhaps three hundred people walking by the ocean on the Beach Road, then as if by magic, when a slight...ever so slight rain falls there is a mass exodous! There are/were many Leper people sitting along the beach road (and elsewhere of course) and you should'nt be surprised if one of these unfortunate people flings himself/herself at you.....it happened top me and I saw it happen to many other tourists who were there. There are a couple of supermarkets there....Nilgiris is the best - not very large, but it's large enough and you can get almost anything in the way of food there. There are a couple of smaller supermarkets that are kinda in a basement setting and you'll have to look for them....or you'll miss them!! They're very small also, but have a multitude of goodies in store. Remember to be prepared to leave your bag (not handbag, but any other bag) in a little pidgeon hole by the door...you'll be given a small disc which you can use to claim your bag back after you've finished shopping. Be prepared also to be "followed" whilst shopping until they get to know you. The Indian Coffee House is a wonderful place. It does have a little room at the back for Ladies, but you can of course sit anywhere. The Ashram is a great place to meet people whilst you're there - if ya gits lonely! Hope you have a marvellous time - Pondy is one of the nicer towns, on a small scale - I do have very fond memories of it.

Aug 11th, 2005, 13:24	#12
shanthi Account closed on user's request Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South India Posts: 785	Pondy Perceptions 2 Forgot to say......Why don't you take a "virtual tour" of Pondy?? Just put "Pondicherry Virtual Tour" into your search engine (I got mine through Google) and you can literally visit loads of places on this one site in a 360 degree angle in all the photo's they have! It feels like you've already been there when you arrive - I'm one of those people who like to see where I'm going to, and Pondy already felt like home when I got there. Sorry that I can't remember the address of the website, but you'll find it easily enough. It was a little slow to load but then, I'm in Ireland and our ISP's are atrocious at the best of times!

Mar 4th, 2006, 18:38	#14
ro-anD Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bangalore Posts: 93	Lonely Aztec, I cant seem to access either of your articles, could you repost it or PM them to me. Thanks __________________ --------------------------------------------------- The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing." ~Daniel J. Boorstin

Mar 4th, 2006, 19:16	#15
axanup Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: bangalore Posts: 32	oh yeah, pondy!! love that place, one of the best towns in india. as fellow writers have given a vry brief description of the same, i vote for the post too. a laid back and quiet place with its own french charm, the beach, the restaurants aplenty. a shoppin street, the ashram, beach road and lots more, nine months is it, so explore the place at ur leisure and let us know about your stay here. comparetively the prices are less in pondy since its a union territory. liquor is dead cheap. and so are the general commodities, its jus a drive away from chennai, so u can always break free for a taste of city life in case and welcome to india, do make it to other places when u free http://afteruse.blogspot.com/

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

User Name		Remember Me?
Password

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
A Bit Nervous	rena	Chai and Chat	13	Oct 2nd, 2004 07:37
1st Trip to India...Feeling Nervous	TracyB	Chai and Chat	6	Sep 14th, 2004 04:39
My Two Weeks	mdchachi	Introduce Yourself	14	Mar 31st, 2004 15:11
Getting nervous....need the prozac! (or your help)	Stippy	Chai and Chat	2	Feb 3rd, 2004 08:35
3 weeks and I want it all	steveribs	Uttar Pradesh	5	Sep 14th, 2003 22:20