Pune feels like the Indian equivalent of a college town in the United States that grew as a result of a well-educated workforce. Imagine a place like Ann Arbor, Columbus, or Chapel Hill - then extrapolate the population to 6 million.
The airport only operates two international flights (Frankfurt and Dubai), so it has a very local feel. Riding into the city was a breeze due to more modern infrastructure, which was a welcome change from the hour-long transfer in Bangalore.
I read that horseback riding is popular in the countryside, but I didn't hear back from either of the tour operators that I e-mailed so I had to make my own fun on my day off. Inspired by the spirit of an American college town, I decided to hit the gym in the morning, followed by brunch and a trip to the mall.
Brunch was funny because the hotel had live music that sounded like 90's wedding singers. I'm sure they have used the same playlist for the past decade. While enjoying the music, I wasted almost everything that the waiters brought me to try. T-6 days until I get a break from Indian food.
The mall was literally a mile from the hotel so I decided to flag down an auto-rickshaw rather than renting a sedan with a private driver. It must have been my lucky day because I quickly found one for hire and the driver didn't even argue with me about using the meter. India win.
I don't normally have very high expectations of shopping in India - a country that considers Van Heusen to be high fashion. The workers love to follow me around awkwardly while I browse and they try to be helpful by showing me clothes that are hideously ugly. Shockingly, Phoenix Mall has a much better selection of Western stores (Benetton, Zara, Celio - to name a few) and I even ended up buying a few things.
The week of work was really busy and I didn't even have time to step outside once. From what I was told, I didn't miss anything. I have no plans to rush back to Pune and I would never recommend it to anyone wishing to get a taste of Indian culture. That said, it is a really comfortable place for a Western person to travel for business. It is clear that the city is making great efforts to position itself for future growth through foreign investments. I bet I won't even recognize anything if I come back in ten years.
The airport only operates two international flights (Frankfurt and Dubai), so it has a very local feel. Riding into the city was a breeze due to more modern infrastructure, which was a welcome change from the hour-long transfer in Bangalore.
I read that horseback riding is popular in the countryside, but I didn't hear back from either of the tour operators that I e-mailed so I had to make my own fun on my day off. Inspired by the spirit of an American college town, I decided to hit the gym in the morning, followed by brunch and a trip to the mall.
Brunch was funny because the hotel had live music that sounded like 90's wedding singers. I'm sure they have used the same playlist for the past decade. While enjoying the music, I wasted almost everything that the waiters brought me to try. T-6 days until I get a break from Indian food.
The mall was literally a mile from the hotel so I decided to flag down an auto-rickshaw rather than renting a sedan with a private driver. It must have been my lucky day because I quickly found one for hire and the driver didn't even argue with me about using the meter. India win.
I don't normally have very high expectations of shopping in India - a country that considers Van Heusen to be high fashion. The workers love to follow me around awkwardly while I browse and they try to be helpful by showing me clothes that are hideously ugly. Shockingly, Phoenix Mall has a much better selection of Western stores (Benetton, Zara, Celio - to name a few) and I even ended up buying a few things.
The week of work was really busy and I didn't even have time to step outside once. From what I was told, I didn't miss anything. I have no plans to rush back to Pune and I would never recommend it to anyone wishing to get a taste of Indian culture. That said, it is a really comfortable place for a Western person to travel for business. It is clear that the city is making great efforts to position itself for future growth through foreign investments. I bet I won't even recognize anything if I come back in ten years.
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