Saturday night: Out on the town

I barely spent a few hours at home this weekend. That's of course bad news for my apt (needed cleaning) and my clothes (needed washing). But it was worth it. It started off with cricket like last week. People were in better shape and fewer injuries. That was followed by a trip to a "Andhra Mess". I'm loving discovering these new eateries around town. This one in particular is closer to home and I anticipate coming here to eat once a week. (Incidentally, this mess is in a giant neighborhood called "Magarpatta City": more on this place later.)

Then I went home with the intention of taking a nap but couldn't sleep. I got a call from a friend who wanted to hang out, so I went to one of the malls in the city called E-Square. Turned out, my friend wanted to hit up a lounge called "Not Just Jazz By The Bay". This is a place that offers music and food and drinks. A slightly upscale clientèle and definitely one of the places to be on a Saturday night. Lots of well-dressed people, although you must keep in mind, in India jeans apparently count as "well-dressed".

They had a "cover" of Rs. 500 but apparently the way it works in most clubs/bars in India is that you pay the cover, and get coupons for that amount to be used there on that day. So in essence it turns out to be a "Rs. 500 minimum" instead of a cover. That was fine by me since I was starving and didn't want to pay an additional amount to eat the expensive "bar food". Also, we had to sit at the bar since all the tables were reserved. I didn't mind it so much and even got to chat a little with the bartender.

On Saturdays this place features a live band and on that day it was "One Night Stand" from Mumbai. I think this was a former college band that recently had a reunion. They covered a lot of popular classic rock songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's, so you can imagine I was very thrilled to be there. (I hate listening to new music unless it comes highly reviewed and recommended. Yeah, I'm close minded.) They were very good except for a few places where their guitarist screwed up the guitar solos.

One very odd thing I observed there is that there were kids in the place. And yes, they weren't "carding" anyone. So I guess underaged drinking isn't really a problem here. Also, my friend told me about how Shiv Sena went on a rampage a few years ago trying to shut down places like these. I just left that place thinking it's gotta be really hard to try and live like an Austinite over here in India.

I'm pretty sure I entered a red light district

(These are the first non-violent thoughts I've had since the attacks
in Mumbai. I don't think I want to share the violent thoughts yet.)

Friday evening I decided to go shopping at the Lakshmi road area but
that plan quickly disappeared due to too many choices. So I decided to
make the most of it and picked up about Rs. 10 worth of boiled and
salted peanuts and just walk around in the neighborhood. The area is a
lot of fun with plenty of random stores specializing things you
wouldn't think they'd have stores for. Like wooden horses, I saw about
three different stores selling those.

I parked my scooter at a big intersection and explored all the four
quadrants around that. I didn't even realize I was (probably) in a red
light area for a while. It wasn't the whole neighborhood but in one
area I saw a big group of women just standing around, standing very
close to each other. I assumed they were waiting for a bus but it
didn't seem like a bus stop, and the street was too narrow to actually
allow a bus in. Then I thought they were waiting for milk or some
other groceries. Again, they were a little too dressed up for that.
Then I noticed there were no men near them. Considering atleast of
them were dressed up like housewives, I thought they'd be accompanied
by their husbands. But then I kept walking and saw another group of
women standing around. And then another.

When it hit me I tensed up so bad my neck started hurting. I avoided
making eye contact with anyone and just walked out of there as fast as
I could. You always think you'll act cool when put in awkward
positions, but I did not want anyone to walk up to me and ask me if I
wanted a good time. I think I'd have a heart attack!

The only reason I am not sure I saw what I think I saw is that I
didn't see any negotiation take place. There were a few guys walking
on the street, and a few sitting in restaurants etc in that area. But
not a single one of them was talking to any of the women. Also, from
movies etc, I expected atleast a few women to be brazen and solicit
customers. These women just stood there. Maybe it was because they
didn't want any complaints about them harassing people. Or maybe they
were just really waiting for milk.

Somehow I doubt it.

View from a temple

Everyday as I go to work, I see this giant sign that says "Om Namah
Shivayah" (written in devanagri of course). I had wondered why it was
there but finally, about 10 days ago I checked it out. Turns out it's
the Tarakeshwara Temple. It sits on a small hill right next to the
busy Yerawada Bridge. I parked my scooter at the base and climbed up
the rather steep steps to the top, all the time wondering how people
managed to do any maintainance on that hill, seeing as it's so
inaccessible. I found out once I got to the top that there's a road
that leads right to the top of the hill :) Oh well, good exercise.
The view from the temple is just amazing. You get a great view of the
river and a bunch of buildings on either side. I decided this would be
a great place to shoot from early in the morning. I wanted to scout
the way to the hill first since I didn't want to be searching for it
and miss the sunrise. And that's how I got to meet another wonderful
Punekar.
Basically I got lost in some alleys and I stopped to get directions.
This guy was sitting on his scooter, talking to someone in a store.
When I asked him for directions he was dismayed that I was so very
lost. Then, instead of just giving me directions, he started up his
scooter and asked me to follow him. He only left after pointing out
how I could get the main road. Maybe he was going to leave anyway, but
he didn't have to do that.
(And yet I hear from these people who claim Punekars are rude and
annoying. Wrong!)

I never got around to visiting the temple during the daytime yet.
Partly laziness, but also the morning mist/fog these winter days is
too think to get good photographs of the sunrise. It provides for a
different type of look but I wanted a clear sunrise. Maybe I'll try it
anyway. But summer is when it should be fun to shoot.

More hippie talk

The White girl who was sitting with the desi guy ended up already
having a boyfriend. And the desi seemed to be hitting on her inspite
of that. She was Italian actually. He kept asking her to teach him
Italian.

A desi family sat down next to them. Their little girl got a cake and
her mom explained to all of us that she loves cutting the cake and
have people sing "Happy Birthday" to her everytime she cuts a cake. So
we all sang and clapped!

A skinny guy in a hat walked over to me and inquired about my laptop.
He introduced himself as, "I'm *****, I'm catholic. I'm from the
Philippines, the only catholic country in Asia." And then went on to
rant about Muslims (more Muslim bashing!) and how they want to rule
all, and they can, because they have oil! He asked if I worked in Pune
and then when I said I did, he recommended I go to Australia or
Europe. "Not US though, because you'll have to give Barack some time
to set the country right."

So this is where the weirdos are hiding - Austin in Pune

I'm sitting at this place called "German Bakery" in Pune right now.
I'm logged wdith my laptop and my USB card. I just uploaded this
picture from my phone using the bluetooth connection on my laptop. I'm
feeling really geeky right now.

I'm also feeling terribly nostalgic for Austin. This place is full of
hippies. I don't see any ashtrays or hookahs otherwise I'd assume
they're all stoned from their body language. About half of them were
non-desi (the population turned more brown in the next hour as I
stayed here). We had White, Asian folks mingling with browns. (There's
a Buddhist store right next door.) The bakery itself sells a variety
of food and drinks. There are pastries of course, omelets, salads.
Fruit juices, a bunch of exotic coffees. I just had a couple of White
chicks walk in looking very Austiny. One of them sat at the table next
to me and kissed the brown guy with the long hair on both his cheeks.
Very chaste, so definitely NOT his girfriend. And started talking some
philosophy immediately, I kept hearing the word "love" like, "This is
what love is, you love everyone. Universal love". There was a White
guy who was talking in perfect Hindi. I could go on, but you get the
idea.

And to think, I found this place by accident. It's Friday evening and
I decided I was going to find a Coffee Day and park myself there till
I felt hungry and then went in search of the closest Subway. Instead I
walked into this place by accident.

I'm so thrilled right now.

My first hike in Pune: The snake

Ever since I saw those beautiful hills on my flight into Pune I've been wanting to hike on those hills. Sunday I finally managed it. I was woken up early by a bad stomachache and wondered if I'd still make it. But the good thing was that it helped me get an early start. Managed to leave by 7am.

The places is about 10 kms east of where I live; I found it by just looking at the contour map of my area on Google maps and seeing where a hilly region appears. I'm pretty proud of myself for my ingenuity in finding this place, and later, my ability to find the place from memory. Just took off on Sasha and drove and sure enough, the hills popped up right in front of me. The drive was beautiful, the city just waking up, the roads slightly misty, the roadside dhabas just opening up for business.

I managed to get close to the hill on Sasha and started climbing. I had my sweatshirt on since it was chilly. It was a nice climb and I enjoyed the view (photos coming up). I reached the first peak and was walking along the path when I saw a giant snake cross my path, about 5 meters ahead. I froze! This was the first time a snake was so close to me in terms of accesibility. I saw a few in parks in the US and in IIT in India but there wasn't a real chance of the snake coming close to me. This time I was utterly vulnerable. After about 3 mins of just standing there, I decided that if the snake was going to come back, I'll just fall back on my reliable back up - scream like a girl and run. But for now, I just kept going.

I'm glad I did since it was a beautiful hike. The hill was very interesting, had some interesting rock formations and some green formations on rocks that looked like copper oxide. (If anyone buys that hill after reading my blog, I want a share of the profits.) I got to watch a ballet between two birds which seemed to be dancing with each other.

Getting off the hill was a little trickier though. I fell about three times, which is three times more than what happened in my years of hiking. The pebbles were loose and the ground was very slippery. Finally I just decided to show the hill a lot of respect and took my time getting down by scrambling down on all fours. That took care of the falling.

Pune shocks me again

The lemon juice near my place. Every evening as I get home I try to get either coconut water or a glass of lemon juice. The juice vendors - lemon, sugarcane etc - try to up their profit margin by adding ice to the juice one way or another. Either crushed ice to fill up the glass, or ice being left to melt in the juice receptacle which dilutes the juice. This is an acceptable level of theft which I don't normally make a big deal about. But last night the juice tasted really watery. I got pissed off and start yelling at the vendor. Even before I could finish my rant, the guy simply says, "Shall I make a fresh glass for you?" That I was not expecting. I felt bad immediately and tried to wave him off but he just took the glass out of my hand and poured the juice out and squeezed me a fresh glass. Like I mentioned before, this is hardly the first time a vendor behaved in an honest manner when he could easily have been a bastard about the whole thing. I hate to say this, but I don't think the situation would have been that smooth in Hyderabad. Pune, my biggest compliment to you yet, your citizens are better humans than Hyderabadis.

I'll even go one step further. I keep hearing comments on how Pune autos are atrocious and tend to fleece you. Well, I would take the worst auto driver in Pune and rather pay him to run his auto over me than pay a Chennai auto driver to transport me. I think of some terrorists whose lives I'd save before I saved the life of a Chennai auto driver. So, yes, no matter how bad people might think auto drivers in Pune are, they're all saints compared to their counterparts in Chennai.

Streets of Pune, Maharashtra

I was muddied and dirtied I couldn't tell
from which street
Why do these lips of mine taste just like feet
I saw my reflection in sasha's mirror I didn't know my own face
Oh helmet are you gonna leave me with bad hair
On the streets of Pune, Maharashtra

I walked on DP Road, till my whites turned brown
I heard a shopkeeper who wouldn't keep his voice down
At night I could hear them shout some more
the couple who wouldn't close their front door
on the streets of Pune, Maharashtra

Ain't no protein to nourish me,
It's just rice and chapati my friend.
my clothes don't fit me no more
I tried a thousand restaurants
just to get some fibre

The night has fallen, I can't fall asleep
I can feel the oily curry burning deep
so pray for me brother so there's no power cut
as I waste away here, bored to death
on the streets of Pune, Maharashtra

The honest shopkeepers

I was in a daze for a good amount of time today evening. I met another honest shopkeeper!!

It wasn't the first time it happened during my stay here, but it hit me the hardest. I'd purchased a screw driver set to fix my bathroom door at this roadside "Big Store". Basically a giant tent under which they sold pretty much everything from mops to sneakers. I got mine for Rs. 35 and even got a bill for that. When I went home, the teeth at the base connecting the stem to the grip of the screwdriver came loose and when I checked it, the teeth had broken. I was pissed off at this. I knew that when I purchased something from a store that doesn't have walls, I should just be happy that it didn't decapitate me as soon as I touched it. But I was pissed nevertheless and I wanted to atleast go yell at the shopkeeper. I found the bill - normally I just throw away these bills since I don't expect these stores to honor any returns anyway.

I got to the "store" and almost right off the bat I am being hostile. I show the guy the damaged screwdriver and angrily ask why it's damaged. I have a whole speech memorized about how this is unethical and so on. The guy smiles and says, "Sir, I can replace that for you." Just like that. No questions asked, no bill asked for. Since they were out of the type of box I purchased, he showed me a bigger box which I liked. He fixed up the new screwdriver and just like that my confidence in mankind was restored.

Like I said, this was the first time it happened. On atleast two other occasions earlier where I expected the seller to deny he sold me a product or just in general push some limits to see what he could get away with, they came through and gave me what I wanted. It was quite remarkable.

The Saturday Palace on Saturday: Pune's biggest romantic spot

What a difference a day makes! I am watching cricket at my apt, typing up this email on gmail on my laptop, sitting on my fantastic reclining chair and just finished a long call to Preethi. Life is good. 

Yesterday as I went out in search of the chair, I saw the beautiful palace fort of Shaniwar Wada. This wasn't wholly unexpected, I knew it was on the way. I just wasn't sure if I wanted to check it out then. Then I remembered that I had nothing to do for the rest of the day and went right in. Shaniwar Wada was a palace built by the during the 1700's, a relatively recent construction, but still older than independent USA! 

As with most Indian tourist attractions, the place had a much higher price for foreigners. This is one place where it sucks to be White or Asian I suppose. Someone from the middle east, or any other country from South Asia, or even say Latin America could walk in without much comment. There were a lot of school children on the outside, I imagine this is a big favorite for excursions in the city. The palace itself was acceptably impressive, but doesn't compare to the magnificent Mughal palaces or the ones in Rajasthan or even the Golconda fort in Hyderabad. It was primarily meant for recreation by the looks of the gardens, but it's hard to be sure because most of it was burned down in a great fire. 

The best part of the visit was seeing all the young couples in the palace gardens. Clearly this place is a big meeting spot for college kids since there aren't enough parks to hang out. They were there all over the place, everytime I turned a corner to explore a slightly hidden part of the palace, there was a couple there. Talking, sitting next to each other, sometimes sitting so close they were touching and (gasp!) holding hands! One couple was being even more enthusiastic, I was surprised the policewomen nearby didn't stop them. 

To be fair there was a decent number of college kids who were there to study. They brought their books and notes and were pouring over them. I guess for either set of people, at Rs. 5 per person, this was a nice cheap alternative to Domino's pizza or Coffee day as a gathering spot. 

It made me really appreciate Austin as a nice place for young people. With all its parks and river banks, coffee shops where you can sit for cheap, Mount Bonnell and "the Cliff", there are plenty of places for couples to hang out in private without running into people they know. It also gave me a glimpse of what my life would have been like if I was in Pune in college, with a girlfriend :)

Coming to terms

"Always leave yourself an out" - Rounders

Well I ran out of my outs sometime in the middle of July 2008. You know those scenes in scary movies when someone walks gingerly into a creepy room and suddenly the door behind them slams shut, and soon all the windows and other doors slam shut too? And the person stares blankly for a while? That was me for a whole week. And then, in the midst of having a fight, I said some words which were repeated back to me - "I know that in 20 years this is not going to make a difference but ..." Well, the rest is not important. As long as I know that this is temporary, it doesn't matter much. So I very begrudgingly came to terms with the fact that I'll be moving to Pune for an year.

As I write this, the balance has shifted from "bad things about this trip" to "good things about this trip". I fully intend to enjoy this trip and hope to come back a better person.