India, despite its recent love affair with materialism, is a deeply spiritual place. Tamil Nadu is full of temples and other holy places. Spiritual centres are based on a holy person are called Ashrams which revere both living Gurus and those no longer with us in the flesh. The Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry has many businesses which support the work of the Ashram. There are many guest houses in the town and we stayed in the Park Guest House. We were lucky as we thought the time of year gave us a good chance to get in without booking in advance. This is our preferred way of travelling in India after organising the first week or so. Being associated with the Ashram means that they are strict about not disturbing the peace of the place with late nights, alcohol and drugs, including tobacco. This suited us just fine and we did not find any part of the restrictions onerous. There was a small dining facility but only for breakfast and light snacks during the day. Our view overlooked a beautiful and quiet garden with just over the wall, the beach. We watched the crashing waves and the brilliant sunrises from our balcony. The room had twin beds with mosquito nets. The toilet/shower room was fully equipped and with hot running water.The cost was ridiculously cheap but we found no drawbacks and would reccommend it to anybody.
