Thankfully we have a local travelling with us. Ritesh now lives in Charlotte, but he grew up and attended university in Pune, and his family still lives here. Therefore, we are able to experience more local flavor than I, for one, would have had the courage to do alone. For lunch, Ritesh took us to a lovely little cafe know for its Southern Indian veggie dishes. We sat outdoors and enjoyed Dosa and Tomato-Onion Uttappa and some vegetable soup. Uttappa is the size, shape, consistency and flavor of a pancake. I had mine topped with fresh tomato, onion and shredded goat cheese. It was delicious and very filling; I only finished half.
After lunch, we stopped at a local mall, which is quite westernized. I was the only one who wanted to shop, so Ritesh put the others in rick-shaws back to the hotel, and he went to visit with his parents. The mall is 5 stories with a grocery on the top level. I enjoyed wandering the different departments and noted that for every patron in the mall there were at least 2 - 3 employees; therefore, I was bombarded by folks asking if I needed help. I finally decided, for self-preservation, to stop speaking and just shake my head when questioned and keep walking. After I wandered around all 5 floors, I made my way down the lower level where a couple guys were putting on a mini-concert. They made a big production of wanting to sing for the audience one of their favorite songs, written and performed by a classic American country music star! Turns out the song was Country Roads by John Denver!! I thought of piping up and saying that no one in the US considers John Denver country or a star, but I thought better of it.
I managed to take in a short nap after shopping before leaving for dinner. We headed out to MG Road (who knows what MG stands for? I'll give you a hint: every major Indian metropolis has one. Think MLK Drive in US citites.) for some shopping and a taste of the commercial life before dinner. On the weekends, they close this major thoroughfare to motorized vehicles, and it becomes a Walking Plaza. It was great to walk along without having to dodge rick-shaws and cars, but there were still an amazing number of people walking with us. Pune is a small city by Indian standards, but still 3-4 million individuals live here. For dinner, Ritesh recommended a fantastic Indian restaurant high atop a small hotel on MG Road. It was excellent, and we all left full and satisfied and ready for bed.
I slept wonderfully and awoke with the most intense migraine I've had in years. I blame the wine. A couple excedrin, a steaming hot shower, and a good Western breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee at the hotel restaurant, and I was feeling fine and ready to head to the offices of S1 Pune.
After lunch, we stopped at a local mall, which is quite westernized. I was the only one who wanted to shop, so Ritesh put the others in rick-shaws back to the hotel, and he went to visit with his parents. The mall is 5 stories with a grocery on the top level. I enjoyed wandering the different departments and noted that for every patron in the mall there were at least 2 - 3 employees; therefore, I was bombarded by folks asking if I needed help. I finally decided, for self-preservation, to stop speaking and just shake my head when questioned and keep walking. After I wandered around all 5 floors, I made my way down the lower level where a couple guys were putting on a mini-concert. They made a big production of wanting to sing for the audience one of their favorite songs, written and performed by a classic American country music star! Turns out the song was Country Roads by John Denver!! I thought of piping up and saying that no one in the US considers John Denver country or a star, but I thought better of it.
I managed to take in a short nap after shopping before leaving for dinner. We headed out to MG Road (who knows what MG stands for? I'll give you a hint: every major Indian metropolis has one. Think MLK Drive in US citites.) for some shopping and a taste of the commercial life before dinner. On the weekends, they close this major thoroughfare to motorized vehicles, and it becomes a Walking Plaza. It was great to walk along without having to dodge rick-shaws and cars, but there were still an amazing number of people walking with us. Pune is a small city by Indian standards, but still 3-4 million individuals live here. For dinner, Ritesh recommended a fantastic Indian restaurant high atop a small hotel on MG Road. It was excellent, and we all left full and satisfied and ready for bed.
I slept wonderfully and awoke with the most intense migraine I've had in years. I blame the wine. A couple excedrin, a steaming hot shower, and a good Western breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee at the hotel restaurant, and I was feeling fine and ready to head to the offices of S1 Pune.
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