Rickshaw Riding, Elephant Blessings and a Tip of the Hat to Bollywood...
This morning marks our final full day and night on the train. It’s kind of bittersweet. Being on the train is its own unique experience - and though not always totally comfortable - you still get into a daily routine that feels totally normal. With that said - the thought of heading to a Hotel and sleeping in a bed that doesn’t move and taking a shower that doesn’t require the use of handle bars is pretty amazing.
Our day today was spent in the charming seaside town of Pondicherry, which was also our first taste of French influence on this trip. The French East India Company established this City as their headquarters in 1674, having established several trading posts along the South India Coast between 1668 and 1674. During this time period, the city’s French Quarter and Indian Quarter were separated by a Canal. The French remained here until 1954, but what they left behind in the way of their cultural and architectural legacy remains today. In fact, many people in Pondicherry, affectionately known by the locals as “Pondi”, still speak French….or English with a French accent.
When we got off of the train, we were met by a fleet of Rickshaws, which is not the main mode of transport here, but perhaps the most unique. I can safely say that we have been on more modes of transportation on this trip than any of us ever have before. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (3 of each, to be exact). Tuk Tuks, Buses, Boats and Rickshaws. All within two weeks time. PJ and I boarded the same Rickshaw without even considering our poor “peddlers” fate. I mean, we are not exactly small people…and he could not have weighed more than 100 pound soaking wet. I could almost see the fear in his eyes, but he crushed it anyway. My Dad made the wise decision - on behalf of he and his peddler - to ride solo. A much happier ride for the both of them.
As we rode through the streets of Pondi and got closer to the water, you could definitely feel the French Colonial influence throughout the City. Beautiful bright colors decorated with Parisian street names on almost every block. Restaurants, boutiques and Hotels tipping their hat to old world France. We rode through the heart of the French Quarter, also known as “White Town”, you could also tell that this was a vibrant resort town and a destination for locals and tourists alike.
Though this is City heavily influenced by the French - we are still in India - and we were quickly reminded of this by visiting two very important places of gathering, quiet meditation and worship here in Pondi: The Ashram School of Mediation and The Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Devasthanam Temple, where we met one very special guest.
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram School of Meditation is a community devoted and dedicated to the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother - two individuals who were considered pioneers of silent yoga and the physical and spiritual development of the mind and body in all beings. The Ashram grew out of a small community of disciples who gathered around Sri Aurobindo after he retired from politics and settled in Pondicherry in 1910.
In November of 1926, after a major spiritual realization, Sri Aurobindo withdrew from public view in order to continue his spiritual work. At this time he handed over the full responsibility for the inner and outer lives of the sadhaks (spiritual aspirants) and the Ashram to his spiritual collaborator, "the Mother". Present day, Pondicherry has become an important destination for thousands of spiritual seekers as well as tourists.
Upon entering, we were asked to remove our shoes, turn our cell phones off and stay completely quiet. No photos and no talking: a bit of a departure from how we spent the majority of the trip so far. As we entered the main meditation area, adorned with a marble altar of the most beautiful floral display I had ever seen, there were no less than 200 people gathered in a small courtyard. Most approached the altar, got down on both knees, put their heads on the table and their hands on the flowers and meditated. Some for just a few moments. while others stayed much longer. Others were sitting on the floor meditating with their eyes closed. I realized - in this moment - that I wasn’t sure if I had ever been in a place with this many people….with such an incredible silence. The only noises coming from the birds and insects around us. But not one person spoke. Absolute quiet…and one of the most refreshing moments of my time here. A quiet and peaceful moment.
Our next stop was the complete polar opposite to what we had just experienced.. The Temple visit was an unexpected one…mostly because of the presence of Lakshmi the Elephant, who was considered to be the guardian of their Temple. As you can imagine - PJ’s head just about exploded at the site of her.
The “Temple Elephants” have no chains or ropes attached to them and are able to roam free through the street in front of there Temple as they wish. We were told by our guide that all Temple Elephants do go through a “training camp” of sorts, which acclimates them to large crowds, loud noises and busy streets. They trust this training perhaps a bit more than I would be willing to…but it clearly works.
As we stood and watched Lakshmi interact with what seemed like hundreds of people gathered around her, she seemed completely comfortable and calm. At one point, she stepped off the Temple platform and walked a half a block over to where her water source was. Once she was done drinking from the hose, she walked right back to her spot in front of the Temple. It was then that PJ received his blessing - a memory that will stick in his mind forever…and mine too.
As we wrapped up our City Tour of Pondi, I learned a few more random nuggets of information that I feel are worth sharing:
This City has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for two great accomplishments:
This is the only City in the world that speaks over 55 different languages.
This is the only place in the world that has a monument dedicated to a prostitute. Yes, friends….a prostitute. Sure glad we crossed that one off of our bucket lists today.
This City has a deep love for Ghandi, with over 10 statues dedicated to his honor and one of their largest boulevards named after him. They even have T-Shirts made in his honor that are sold on just about every street corner. He's kind of a big deal here.
This City loves cotton candy. Totally random, I know….but true. They sell it everywhere and I saw no less than 20 bicycle vendors selling cotton candy along along the Beachwalk. I’m not sure if it’s a nod to France (do they eat a lot of cotton candy there?), something to do with all the sugarcane they produce here=…or just because they think tourists like cotton candy…but I saw more of this than any other food in Pondi.
After our tour of beautiful Pondi, we headed back to the train for our final dinner aboard the Deccan Odyssey. We were told that it was a Bollywood Themed dinner, which struck immediate fear and anxiety in me. Partially because I was worried there would be dancing required (and we all know how much I love to dance) and partially because I….um….left my Bollywood outfit at home? I mean…how does one dress for this type of occasion?
Luckily for all of us, we were treated to the gift of traditional Indian garments waiting for us in our room. At least part of the anxiety washed away. But the dancing though.
The Bollywood Night was actually a lot of fun and pretty hilarious. I felt like everyone on the train let loose and relaxed and just enjoyed each others company in a way we hadn’t been able to during our time on the train. Because there have been so many tours and movements on and off the train, grouped into tour groups and always on different buses…it wasn’t always easy to just relax and really connect with people. Granted - we do have our group of peeps that we have gotten to be close with, but this was a chance to talk with others that we may not have gotten to know as well. It was the perfect end to a long and wonderful day. And, yes…I may have danced once or twice.
And with that…I will throw it over to PJ:
Hi, PJ here.
The writer’s block just won’t go away, so this will be true to the last couple formats.
Overall, Pondicherry was fun, although we didn’t do much. Right as we got off the train, we hopped in rickshaws, and off we went. We took rickshaws around town, and then arrived at some sort of meditation house thing. We had to be “pin-drop silent” and I achieved that, but some of the residents didn’t. They were laughing at... something.
After that strange experience, we were walking through the town when we saw an elephant on the road. I was SHOOK. WHY. WAS. THERE. AN. ELEPHANT. ON. THE. ROAD. I get that they’re the national animal and all, but I’m an 11-year old American that hadn’t seen an elephant on the road before, ok? I got to pet it, take a picture with (and of) it, and I got “blessed” by it... by giving money TO. THE. ELEPHANT. And it put it in a little bin, too.
Then, it started raining for the first time since we’ve been in India. I was overjoyed about it for 2 reasons:
1. It was raining.
2. I need cooler temperatures to truly thrive. I hate being hot.
We stopped for lunch at a Hotel and I had a piping hot latte that I could NOT drink, no matter how hard I tried to cool it down, and then we went back to the train.
That night, our last night aboard the train, was “Bollywood Night”. I have no idea what Bollywood even is, so it just felt like dinner with a cool outfit that they gave me. There was a lot of dancing (which I didn’t partake in) and good food. Afterwards, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
That’s all I have to say! Goodbye for now, but you all will hear from me in later posts to come.