OK. So I have been pretty mean and uppity about Indian loos, standards of décor, cleanliness, etc etc. Well isn’t it funny how life has a way of teaching us lessons!
I decided to visit Auroville, the world famous ‘New Age’ town 8 kilometres north of Pondicherry and had arranged to meet up with Betty (French but lived in Spain) whom I wrote about in an earlier blog. I got a taxi there, Betty showed me around (on back of her moped!) and suggested that I spend a few days to experience this extraordinary place.
To cut a long story short, I checked out of my modern but bland hotel in the centre of Pondicherry and got the taxi driver to find me the Tenderness Guest House that the accommodation office had mentioned may have availability. Accommodation within Auroville is like gold dust so this may be my only opportunity to be there.
I couldn´t view the room (kitchen and bathroom included) as it was before checkout hour so I left my luggage with Mr Ganesh, paid him the nightly rate of 700 rupees (10euros) and continued with driver a further 2 kilometres to the agreed meet up with Betty
So it was several hours later when I returned by auto rickshaw to see my abode. It’s in the ´country´ about 13 minutes walk to the village (but no street lights and dirt paths through woods). The owner rents out several properties, some like little huts with thatched roofs. Outside toilets or shared!
My self contained apartment is situated at the top of dodgy spiral stairs, contains a twin bedded room, kitchen area and bathroom. Sounds cool, yea? Except this place gave a new meaning to the expression ´basic accommodation´. No soap, towel, loo roll, crockery, hot water but plenty of jungle noises, bats and who knows what else!
The first thing I did was LAUGH.
Then I took photos so you too could laugh… at my expense!
If you could see me now!
SERVES ME RIGHT!
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