Aurobindo in a day

I am staying at a guest house that is part of Auroville. It is a strange city of about 2000 people, many from France and Germany, and many Indians. They all follow the teachings of Sri Auribindo and his follower, a French woman who passed away in the 70's, whom they call The Mother. In many depictions of the two of them, it kinda looks like Jesus and Mary or something similar.

Separate, (and I learned that people are touchy about this) is the Sri Auribindo Ashram which is located in the center of Pondicherry. The city of Pondi, as it is commonly referred, is about 15 minutes drive from Auroville.

The city of Pondicherry has two parts. There is the Indian part, that looks a little shitty and run down, partly due to the fact that is was damaged during the tsunami. And there is the French part which is much nicer. The French part is still motorbike filled and crazy but it has some cute shops and quiet gardens.

I made a new friend yesterday who is also staying at the same guest house as me. Her name is Arpita and it is her first time travelling alone. She is from the central part of India. Her sense of local culture, her confidence on the motorbike and my general sense of being made for a very good combination.

After I took a tour of Auroville and it'sholy site-- this central golf ball structure that holds dirt from 140 different countries, we rode to Sri Auribindo Ashram. I bought a couple books from the ashram library. The space itself is pretty small. There isn't a place to sit or learn. People leave their shoes outside and bow/meditate before a bed of flowers. Then that's it.

We then went for lunch and checked out other hotel options. I like where I am staying but there are zero activities on site. If I stayed closer to town I could easier grab a tuk-tuk/3 wheeler or walk to civilization. Another option is to stay here for the weekend and go to Chennai a day early and see some temples. I have to leave from Chennai which is a 3 hour drive from here anyway on November 3. My flight is at 9am. Anyway, sorry I am thinking as I am typing.

Back to the activities of yesterday. We walked along the beach,visited an Ayurveda hospital. I didn't have a treatment done but the place seemed pretty legit.

I bought toe rings. My friend Arpita told me about all the signs to show that a woman is married. Toe rings - matching, one on the same toe on both feet is part of the deal. Arpita took photos. She will e-mail them to me.

We then had tea/coffee at Le Cafe on the beach in Pondi and then made it back to our guest house for a shower and dinner.

The rains came down again last night but it has been dry all day. There was a tremendous boom with every stroke of lightening. I think it is the most impressive thunder that I have ever experienced.

Signing off from Pondi. Love -Noa