The first impression

My flight arrived in Madras the 20th of December around 3 am. Maria was waiting for me with a cab and we drove in the dark and rainy night to reach Pondicherry. It took us 3 hours. We stopped to have a quick tea in a little open shop, my first "chai " experience. Maria's house is outside the city, in a fishermen's village along what is called "serenity Beach". My first vision of the beach in the dim light of early morning made me think it deserved it's name.