Pondicherry:

The inherent ambience of Pondy, as Pondicherry is fondly called, becomes most evident in the oldest part of the town, which flanks the seashore boulevard. Colonial buildings, some which trace back to the 18th century, line along a grid of straight clean streets and house the French institution, private homes and businesses, and the sprawling premises of the famous Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Mellow colors of cream, yellow, pink and grey greet the visitors flamboyant bougainvillea bursting over the gates and compound walls of cool courtyards.

Quiet beaches and peaceful resorts to the north and south balance the town's bustling,yet easy going life.

Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

But Pondy has not only its town special attraction to offer. It is perfect base to explore the rich destination around it, even in daily trips: Auroville, the internatinal city of Unity; the imposing Gingee Fort, the holy temple town of Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai and Chidambaram, the heritage sculptures and magnificent rock temples of Mamallapuram and the cool and lush hill stations of Yercaud and Kodaikanal.

Like any city Pondicherry has its own festivals with its own colorful ambience, like The International Yoga Festival in January, Maasi Magam in February-March at the beach of the Fishing Village and Fete de Pondicherry in August.

Pondicherry is best accessible by road from Chennai, Bangalore and even from Kerela. Chennai has an International airport, which directly connects to the highway to Pondy. And good transit hotels are available in the vicinity for travelers who arrived in the night.

Pondicherry has a wide choice of hotels for most visitors. Beach resorts for the easy going tourist and families, heritage hotels for those who want to experience something else, high class commercial hotels for the corporate visitors and the neat Ashram Guest Houses for spiritual seeker. And ambient restaurant serve a rich variety of French, Indian, Asian and Continental food, with the latest pizza.

For the shoppers, Pondy has a lot to offer and is fast becoming a favorite shopping destination of the southern metro cities. Pondy is soft on purse with taxes low or non-existent. It is known for its traditional doll making and textiles and silks. But it is also the birthplace of several world class brands in leather, pottery, aromatics, fashion and handmade paper. These excellent products came to renown solely by their superb quality. A new trend is the proliferation of exquisite décor boutiques and export-quality antique furniture galleries.

Ooty:

Called the "Queen of hill stations" picturesque, the green Udhagamandalam, better known as Ooty is the most popular hill station in south. Located in western ghats at height of 2240 meters, Ooty is the headquarters of the Nilgiris district where the two ghats meet. Nature has been generous with this region, which is by far the most beautifulin the State. Apart from coffee and tea plantations, trees like confers, eucalyptus, pine and wattle dot the hill side in Ooty and its environs. Summer temperature is rarely higher than 25C with a

Places of Interest:

Botanical Garden - The botanical garden is maintained by the Horticulture Department of the Govt. of Tamil Nadu and has a very variety of plants that includes different types of roses. There is also a beautiful Italian Floral Garden.

Ooty Lake - The artificial lake, yet another of Sullivan's contributions, has facilities for boating and permission to fish can be obtained from the office of the Assistant Director of Fisheries.

Also for the nature lovers are sprawling 20,000 acres of Winlock Downs, which was once the scene of the famous Ooty Hunt.