I have been to India six times and probably a hundred towns, but I think I like Pondicherry best. It’s so quiet, has a beautiful ocean promenade, most streets are narrow and shaded by old trees, there is lots of restored colonial architecture which is much nicer than what passes for architecture in modern times.

No Mughal palaces in this part of the country of course, but numerous temples with their beautiful colored ornamental roofs populated by god figures plus a cow here and there. Inside people line up to see and touch the many shrines. Pondicherry also has a collection of the usual Christian churches, and a mosque.

What Pondicherry doesn’t have is sidewalks, everyone walks on the street. And where they do have sidewalks they are blocked. And where it’s not blocked it ends after ten meters. Pondicherry doesn’t have sidewalks, it has porches.