A long hiatus and Wunderhauz

I had been away to Pondicherry and though i promised myself to begin blogging, the Internet refused to work and i had to wait to come back to resume writing on this very neglected blog of mine. 

It was hot. Swelteringly so. Till there was a little respite after 3 days. The incessant and irregular power cuts just made it worse. The mosquitoes made sleeping difficult.  The roads are narrow and bumpy. Yet, I'd highly recommend a trip to Wunderhauz in Chinna Mudaliar Chavady, about 8 km before Pondicherry. No, i haven't gone completely insane yet.

Remember Kedar, my Wundershop friend? He has constructed a house in CMC that has 5 spacious rooms, old furniture lovingly restored,  colored glass windows, surprising details that you will continue to notice 3 days into your stay, a big open courtyard with a beautiful cashew tree, a hammock that hangs on it, a swing you can spend the entire day on, a cane mat you can lay anywhere and lie down on when you feel like it, where you feel like it, the only sounds you hear are the chirping of birds, or the rustling of leaves, the vegetables are fresh, the food that the cook / help Hamsa makes is finger - licking good, and there is this adorable size zero dog who will shower you with love and make you feel special. Then there is the fact, that he knows a lot of people so they visit and you can socialize or maybe not, if you are not up to it.

You could go visiting people who live in forest communities and get spooked by the rustle in the undergrowth, the stillness all around and stories of big vipers. You could go on a 45-minute long walk to the beach even though it is ten minutes away, because the longer road is pretty. You could hire a moped and drive down to the quiet beaches or just use it go around the village, or to Auroville to eat fancy food, or to Pondicherry for delicious meals, walkabouts in Frenchtown, a movie or a spot of shopping. Or you could drive down to Dune, hire a fisherman's boat on a pleasant day, and just hang around in the middle of the sea or jump into it, fully-clothed (If you are wondering if i did that, i did that. Of course, you couldn't call what i did jumping in, it was more like slinking in...). You could make Pondicherry the base and go to Madurai for a 2 - day trip, or Kodaikanal, or one of the many nearby temple towns if you feel like it.

So yes, it's like this perfect getaway, pretty and not too expensive, silent, yet there is ample opportunity to socialize and meet new people and have interesting conversations with.

As for the power cuts, Wunderhauz will be running on solar power after this week, so that problem is solved. And the weather is already getting better. The mosquitoes... hmmm... you can choose from odomos / mosquito net / electronic mosquito repellant; a small price to pay for the fantastic vacation you will end up having.

{To see pictures of Wunderhauz, click here. To experience my kind of a vacation, contact Kedar on 09751869781.}

PS: There are loads of other things you could do in Pondicherry, and i intend going back for more, sometime soon...