Pondicherry

Pondicherry is a little south of Chennai. On the map it looks close. I'm not sure how many kilometers it is, but it took about 3 hours on the bus. The official name is Puducherry, but the only places that is seen is on buses and government buildings. Pondicherry was a French settlement and is quite different from other places in India. Michael said it is a place unto itself. The street signs are posted on the walls of the corner buildings and the architecture has a lot of French influence. They have pastries there! Quite a few people speak French, and signs tend to be in French and Tamil instead of English and Tamil. It is right on the Bay of Bengal. This statue of Ghandi is facing the street with the bay right behind. Between the street and the water there is a sandy area, but it doesn't make contact with the water. The bay is rough, and huge black rocks are placed to make it difficult to get to the water's edge. It is very beautiful.