Death and the sea

The night bus journey was most comfortable. We were warned about its length and prepared for the worst. Not only did we manage to grab enough sleep, we were rather energetic for what awaited us. The first impressions of Chennai though were not the best. Most streets were lined with far too much garbage and too many hospitals. Perhaps there is a correlation, perhaps there isn't. There were loads of people too, smeared with religious marks (tikas) on their foreheads and arms. It wasn't easy searching for something soothing to the eye, until some fleeting good old architecture arrived. Communicating in Chennai isn't always easy. Hindi, the national language is hardly spoken, and neither are people very comfortable with English. A few broken English words are what one needs to use. But it was easy finding a bus to Pondicherry.

The immediate impressions of the Pondicherry beach weren't the best either though it was exactly 8 years since I visited the seaside. There seemed far too many people trying to sell you something or begging for alms. But once you look towards the sea, the perspective changes entirely and the unwanted become easy to ignore. We walked the entire length up to the fishermen's cove, the pier stretching defiantly into the ocean, watching joggers, tourists but mostly the rugged and beautiful sea.

We were lucky to find seats at a neat coffee place on the beach simply called Le Café. And I shall not forget that delicious concoction of strong espresso and condensed milk called Cafe Bomba (or something very close to it) they served. It will surely be the best coffee I've had in a long time. I'll try to make it at home now.