Entries by ffa

DAY 13: My place is located in Koregaon Park which is considered the most prestigious neighbourhood in Pune. There are many gorgeous houses belonging to wealthy people, as well as 4+ star hotels like the Westin. Also nestled among them are spots like the one in this picture. I find it a little odd, not …

DAY 12: I am not sure what breed of Dog these are, but they are everywhere. Living on the streets and skinny (you can guess why), they are golden in colour, and have very short hair. When one of them starts howling, all of the other ones (and there are lots) repeat their call, and …

I came across an article about the Big Mac Index a few years ago. Since its inception, the BMI has inspired various related studies as well. So when I travel, I make a point of checking out the local McDonald’s offerings and verify the study myself :) Except in India, where there is no Big …

DAY 10: after getting sick, working long days, and not having had much time to myself since I got to Pune, I decided that today would be dedicated to me, and what better way to relax than to meditate. Considering the Osho International Meditation Resort is right in the neighbourhood where I was staying, I …

DAY 9: So tonight was movie night. Bollywood or Hollywood? I decided on Bollywood, and based on the driver’s recommendation, I went and saw Housefull 2 (poster in the middle above) which was in Hindi. I was afraid I would not understand what was going on, but I ended up doing pretty well and laughing …

DAY 8: People seem to be quite friendly and polite around here. Everyone opens doors for me, smiles, says hello, waves goodbye, you get the picture. In my office, this nice lady comes by several times a day, brings me bottled water (which I have to double check, since she sometimes re-fills the empty ones …

DAY 7: My co-workers took me to a very nice “veg” restaurant next to the office today. The food was absolutely amazing, specially the Dal (I didn’t know vegetarian food could taste this good!). After lunch, we stopped at a street vendor, where they bought me Paan. No, this was not the ones with tobacco, …

DAY 6: I was tired of having such a nice kitchen with nothing in it, so I decided to go grocery shopping. The regular evening driver, whose shift was 5 minutes from ending, took me to the nearby “Spar Hypermarket“. I walked back and was almost chased by the local dogs, which are apparently harmless, …

DAY 5: You’re wondering what those things are? I had the same question. Being Persian and all, my first hunch was that they are a form of Samovar. But my co-worker kindly informed me that they are actually hand-wash stations! Yup, these are located on the rooftop at work, where staff can wash their hands …