August 17th: Pondicherry

Statue of Ghandi on the promemade

This morning we were treated to quite a large breakfast with market-fresh eggs, croissants, pineapple, papaya, and watermelon juice. We then went out to FabIndia, a store that sells traditional, authentic, and handmade clothing and home goods which also "promotes inclusive capitalism." Thanks to the help from the stylish male employee, we are all now well outfitted in traditional Indian clothing for the rest of the trip!

School boys playing in the park



These boys were selling boys purses on the street and wanted their picture taken. They beamed with joy when they saw the digital image.

We continued our exploration of the city on foot, checking out various stores and exploring Bharathi Park in the daylight. The park was filled with Indians enjoying the shade of the many trees as well as kids enjoying the playground. All five of us fit, barely, into a tiny autoricksaw and we drove to the Ghandi statue and promenade along the beach. We ate lunch on the terrace with a beautiful view of the Bay of Bengal.

Andrea, Sarah, Alison and Marjorie in the park



Women enjoying the shade of the park

Lakshmi, the elephant, outside the temple

After lunch, we visited a Hindu temple where we got jasmine flowers in our hair! It is a Tamil Nadu tradition for women to wear fresh flowers in their hair. The smell of the jasmine overpowers the everyday aroma of the city. There was also an elephant, Lakshmi, who befriended us and accepted our gifts of grass. Lakshmi is a Hindu deity, the goddess of prosperity, wealth, generosity and beauty. We then darted through the busy streets of a bazaar, full of shops of sweets, clothing and jewelry. After a few minutes of exploration, we noticed threatening clouds in the distance. We hopped into an auto-rickshaw and returned to our hotel before the rain began to pour. Now we are off to sample more Indian cuisine on our last night in Pondicherry.

Alison getting jasmine flowers placed in her hair with the help of a worshiper passing by.



Alison and Rachael approachhing the temple with jasmine flowers in their hair