For the next couple of weeks I am working from our office in Pune, India. We have been building out our development teams that work on my products, and it felt like I was overdue on meeting the new team members. It’s going to be a busy week - I have a very full agenda to get through, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to explore the area and experience a bit of the local culture.
My destination for the next two weeks.
The trip to Pune was about 25 hours door-to-door - maybe a bit longer as I was a little nervous about the first leg of the trip, so I went to the airport a little bit earlier than I needed to. That ended up being OK, and having access to the lounge is always a good way to start the journey.
My trip was going to take me from Vancouver to Frankfurt Germany, then on to Mumbai India. From there it was about a 3-hour drive from Mumbai to Pune. The company has a car services to do that. I didn't sleep at all on the Vancouver to Frankfurt leg. I managed to sleep for an hour or two on the Frankfurt to Mumbai leg. We were about an hour delayed due to thunderstorms in Frankfurt.
Frankfurt is an awful airport to connect through. I don’t know why I forget these things and booked this routing. Having to go through security again is insane. you need to give yourself at least 2-3 hours to make it safely. I did have enough time, and again having lounge access makes such a difference.
Mumbai from the air as we landed in the wee hours of the morning. It does seem to go on forever.
Once I got to Mumbai, the airport process was quite smooth. The queue to get my Visa and entry approved was reasonable. Probably a half hour wait, which wasn't too bad. And my bags were on the belt when I got through! From there, I headed out to see if I could find my ride. The driver was waiting outside in a huge crowd of people picking up arrivals. And this was at 3:00 a.m.! It was the first time I've ever had someone with a little sign with my name on it waiting for me. It didn’t take us long to get on the road.
The drive from Mumbai to Pune was longer than I had expected it to be. It was dark, and I didn't see much. I did manage to sleep on and off during the drive. The roads were very bumpy - not pot holes or unmaintained, just really bumpy. It didn’t help with the sleeping. Part of the reason the drive was so long is that the speed limits are much lower than I would have expected. Even on the highway (3 lane divided road) it was often 50 km/h. One stretch on the expressway (much newer, better highway) it got to 100 km/h, but generally it was much slower than expected. The other reason was the traffic - at 4:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. For a good portion of the drive there was three lanes of traffic, much of it big trucks. The trucks are scary - most seem to be in poor repair, and many are loaded badly. At one point we had 3 lanes, jammed full, bumper to bumper for a good 10 km.
One thing I found disturbing about the traffic was that ambulances get no support (on the highway at least). We had one with it’s lights and sirens going beside us for a while - no one gets out of the way. They get treated like any other vehicle. Eventually we arrived at the hotel - it was about 6:00 a.m. and I was exhausted!
The sun was just starting to rise as I got up to my room on the 20th floor. It was really the first time I got to see anything.
Pune
Pune is a vibrant city located in the western state of Maharashtra, India. Known as the "Oxford of the East," it is a hub of education, culture, and technology. The city boasts of a rich history, which can be seen in its many historical monuments and landmarks, including the Shaniwar Wada, Aga Khan Palace, and the Sinhagad Fort. We are hoping to see some of the sights on the weekend.
Pune is also famous for its pleasant climate, which makes it an ideal destination to visit throughout the year. The city has a thriving food scene, and you can find a wide range of delicious local cuisine, including the famous street food like vada pav, bhel puri, and misal pav. I’ve been told not to eat the street food, but I am tempted to try!
Pune is the second-largest city in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, with a population of approximately 4.3 million people in 2023, about 10 million if you count the surrounding metropolitan area. It’s a big city. The city has a diverse population, with people from different regions and communities living together harmoniously. The official language spoken in Pune is Marathi, but Hindi and English are also widely spoken and understood. The majority of the population follows Hinduism, but there are also significant Muslim, Christian, and Jain communities in the city.
The hotel, a JW Marriott, is very nice, a standard 5* hotel. I had forgotten about the extra security in Asia. On arrival the driver has to open the hood and the truck for inspection. And you have to go through airport-style security scanners coming in and out of the lobby. That gets old very fast. I didn’t have anything on my mind other than sleep - I got checked in and went to bed for a few hours.
I got back up around noon, and then headed out for a little walk about. The streets were busy, but not as crazy as I was expecting. I did a short loop around the major streets, just to get my bearings and see what was around. I didn’t want to get totally lost. Sadly, it wasn't really that interesting in the immediate area.
The view from my hotel room window. It’s a pretty big city.
Right next to the hotel is a very western-style mall. Lot's of the usual brands and very familiar feeling. There are a bunch of restaurants that seem worth trying. I had some lunch and a beer and then headed back, after making a stop in the grocery store for some provisions.
That evening, Kedar and Dattatray had offered to meet up with me to do a short hike in the local hills. I was feeling up for that, as it would be good to get up and get moving for a bit. I needed to get onto the local time zone. They took me up this small hill that provided a nice view over the city.
The view from the hill. So may cacti!
It was interesting, as they explained it to me even a decade ago the “park” and the hill were barren, no trees. But the local community has started planting and watering the trees and have turned it into a nice place to walk. The city now provides concrete cisterns and pumps for water, but it’s still a community that looking after everything.
As usual, I managed to find some time to do some birding and added a few new species to the “life list”! The best was a purple sunbird - a breeding male with vibrant purple metallic feathers. He was making a lot of noise and was so cool. I also saw a red-vented bulbul, which is apparently quite common, but is still new to me! The other cool thing was that there are dozens of black kites - birds of prey - which I was not expecting. They were soaring over the hills. Finally, towards the end of our walk we saw a Greater Coucal. This is a rare one and is supposed to be lucky. I’ll take it. I took a bunch of photos with my camera, but those will have to wait until I’m back home.
Eventually we worked our way back into civilization. We ended up on Fergusson College Road, one of the more vibrant streets that I had seen so far. We stopped at a couple of places to try some new foods that I have not had. There was a particular restaurant that Kedar wanted us to go to. It is a local hotspot and there was a huge line out front. I was doubtful, but we put our name on the list and got called within 15 minutes.
Inside the restaurant.
It was crazy inside too, but the food was good. I tried Dosa for the first time. Dosa is a popular South Indian dish that is made from fermented rice and lentil batter. It is a thin, crispy, savory crepe-like pancake that is typically served with a variety of chutneys and sambar (a vegetable lentil stew). It was really good.
Dattatray and our dosas. Yes, they were huge!
A second view of my dosa.
Looking down from my hotel room at the traffic on the main street.
I was fading fast, so it was time to call it a night. I headed back to the hotel and went to sleep.
Monday and Tuesday were days in the office. Everything has been going really well - very productive sessions. We have big lunches every day - more unique Indian food so far each day. Way too much food.
This sign is just outside the entrance to the lobby of our office building.
Tuesday after work I took a short break and stopped by the pool to float about and enjoy the sun. It’s quite a nice hotel, and I’ll go on about the breakfast buffet another time.
I’m not sure how many of these posts there will be. Most of the week will be pretty uneventful, but we will see.