Paradise (?) Beach

We are at the backwaters in Kerala right now, and struggling to update the blog :) It's been a hectic few days, and since we hadn't had a strong enough connection since Puri, we haven't been able to post.

Here's where we are today:

Paradise, right? It's a far cry from the place called Paradise Beach in Pondicherry where we thought we could have a peaceful day on the beach.

It started with a over-congested boat ride that lasted for 30 minutes. We had to pay admission fees and camera usage fees to the park which led to the dock where we had to pay boat fees... we realized later we shouldn't have paid for the camera fee, and maybe we could have asked to waive the park entrance fees - but nobody's there to explain anything; they just ask for money then wave you in.

We were ferried to the river's edge... where a wide strip of sand tries to hold back the violent waves of the Bay of Bengal.

A series of deaths has prompted authorities to ban swimming, but the water was still full of people...

But they were not necessarily swimming... so the "lifeguard" (or guy with whistle, since he doesn't really swim) could only shake his head.

The real problem is alcohol. Pondicherry has the cheapest booze in India, and if you live in a holy place where drinking is prohibited (only in public, because we were offered hard liquor even in holy places) and alcohol is sold at three or four times the original cost then Pondicherry is indeed paradise.

So the guys get piss drunk on the beach, become unruly, push each other, and try to swim out of bounds. While trying to catch waves, some of these drunk guys crashed into me and Henri in the water. Then they would float away and panic once their feet are unable to touch sand. It's sad.

At one point, I had grown tired of their shouting and roughhousing and went back in the sand. Then I heard a whistle and some policemen came, calling the young men back in. They were being arrested!

And for a few minutes, Henri had some peace and quiet in the water, free to chase waves.

Dragging unwilling girls into the water is also one popular pasttime. The screaming is annoying, but I have a mean streak so it's also entertaining to see them drenched in their saris and jeans.

After the day in "Paradise" we wanted a cold drink, but this woman was trying to overcharge us. A real bru (witch).

That night we ate at Satsanga where Henri had his first steak in India! Ooh la la!

It's owned by a French guy, and it was actually a good steak. I wanted a break from meat so I took the gratin. Mmm-mmm!

After dinner, as if we were not full enough, we went back to the ice cream place Manoj introduced us to on our first night in Pondy, the one that makes ice cream from real fruits. They made me try the rose-chocolate and the saffron-pistachio. Henri got atis (I forgot the Indian name, sorry!) and I got something safe, so safe and bland that I don't even remember what it was :)

And so, even though we didn't have the "paradise" we were looking for on the beach, we were in heaven because of dinner.