Karen and I had a fun weekend, exploring Pune.
We went to Vaishaly Friday night – a popular restaurant serving a wide variety of food. It was nice to be in a place that was well kept up and bustling with life. I had something called an uppatta with cheese, tomatoes, onions and butter. It was excellent and a nice change from the veggies and dal we have been existing on every day.
Today we went on a trip to a part of Pune I hadn't visited yet. Our first stop was the German Bakery. This is where people staying at Osho hang out. There were several people wearing the burgundy clothes required of the followers. The cafe had a strange vibe – there were many hippy types smoking away. Both Karen and I felt overly scrutinized there. The bread and cake I bought were delicious however!
Next Nana drove us around the Osho campus so that we could peek in. The campus looked really nice and beautifully landscaped. We saw a couple of boys leading camels down the street, offering rides to people. We asked Nana to drive us past Bund Garden thinking we could go in. But Nana advised us not to go in because of the crazy people. We asked him if they ever compel the crazy people to leave and he said “No, no, such parks are meant for the crazy people.”
We then drove over a new bridge and Nana showed us the incredible development that had sprung up because of the bridge. He said that before the bridge, there was nothing there.
Our final stop was at the Aga Khan Palace, where Mahatma Ghandi was interned for several years and where his ashes have been put to rest. The palace was beautiful, the grounds pleasant (no honking!) and the displays interesting. It was sad to note how poorly the displays were being maintained, some of the descriptions were barely readable.
Also, we picked up our tailored clothes. They turned out beyond our expectations! We both look great (if you don't mind a little bragging) in our new salwaar kameezes.
I feel a bit under the weather today, and hope that it is only temporary.
I have observed the beginning, intermediate and therapeutic classes. All extremely interesting and I will share more about them later.
5 comments:
Nina, glad to read you had a nice weekend. You should try the Indian chinese (there is a very nice restaurant on Senapati Bapat Road in one of the shopping complexes. Its not far from RIMYI. Also visit the Le Meridian hotel and try their lunch or dinner buffet as a treat. If you were not vegetarian I would have suggested the restaurant Koila which serves Hyderabadi food. I took Terry there and he loved it. There vege stuff is pretty good. They serve tandoori dishes. Its very close to RIMYI. I look forward to reading about your observations....
Nitin
Sounds like you are doing great, Nina! Some travelers have concluded that INDIA stands for I'll Never Do It Again, so don't be surprised by having a variety of reactions to your experiences there. Uttapam is more common in south India - another great south Indian dish is dosa, which is also a nice change of pace. Butter dosa is just a plain dosa (good if you are tired of spicy) and paper dosa is a really thin crispy dosa which I remember as being fabulous. Thanks for sharing!
-- Tena
I have been following your interesting Blog and it is very usefull for me. I am going to Pune, for the first time for classes, and am very curious about everything. So please go on talking about your stay and a big thank you.
Hi Nina,
Sounds like you are having many fun adventures. I just wanted you to know that I am thinking about you.
I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling under the weather. I hope it passes quickly.
Take care,
Karin
P.S. I got the job at Norm Thompson. Thanks for the tip.
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