And I'm back in India again!

Saturday Feb 19

This time my audit takes me to the southwest of India, a short distance from Mumbai. Pune is known as a university town and a little more prosperous. I didn't know exactly what to expect with Pune but from what I've read it will not be nearly as crowded as Delhi, thank goodness! I think I'm still a little traumatized!

It's a long flight this time. I had connections in Denver and in Frankfurt. The Pune airport was way smaller than Delhi. Our flight got in at 3:30 in the morning (1hour early) so the airport was almost deserted. Within half an hour I got my luggage and went through passport & customs.

I think my biggest fear coming here was the heat and humidity. It's 20 degrees warmer here than Delhi in the north. The heat is supposed to be unbearable in the summer. When I checked the weather I saw that it was already up to 90 degrees here. It actually felt nice when I got here so that was a big relief. I don't do humid very well and sweat like a pig.

It's only about 5km to our hotel and I immediately saw the difference. The buildings look old and run down but hardly any trash! There were a lot of big trees throughout. The scenery reminded me of Vietname. There was hardly anyone out so I was optimistic that the traffic won't be crazy like Delhi. Once again, heavy security to get into our hotel. At the gate the guard checks under the hood and in the trunk of our car, even though it was a car from the hotel! Then my bags and purse had to go through xray machine and I had to walk t hrough a scanner, exactly like the airport. My room was nice. Above I posted a picture of the red sunrise outside my hotel window, inside my room and yes that's a bathtub sitting out in the open so you can bathe and watch TV at the same time. Last picture was from inside the little tuk tuk. Which brings me to what I did today. First you have to know that I have this stupid fear of crossing a busy street. At home I hold on to Gary sleeve when we cross the street. In India Laszlo put up with the same.

On the plane from Frankfurt I sat next to an Indian lady who advised me that the best way to battle jet lag is to not sleep when I get to the hotel and to keep myself busy by going shopping. At breakfast I asked the concierge if there was a mall nearby and if it was safe to walk there. He assured me there are sidewalks and it's safe to walk around here. But when he gave me the simple directions all I heard was " you have to turn left and cross the street". I had misgivings already. I remembered Delhi. Even with a traffic light it was still too crazy to cross mainly because people don't follow any traffic rules here. When I walked outside the hotel I immediately saw that it was WAY busier than it was 4 in the morning! But as luck would have it, I saw a caucasian girl walking ahead of me and hurried to stay close behind her. Maybe she's going my way. Where else would a foreigner be going besides the mall?! My biggest fear was crossing the damn street. I was supposed to turn left and cross the street and was watching where the girl was going. I was distracted for a few seconds but it was enough for her to pull ahead and suddenly merged into the traffic to cross the street. I hesitated enough to be left behind. I was by myself and was too freaked to cross the street! Mopeds, cars and the tuk tuks were everywhere I was convinced I would get hit. I didn't want to look stupid standing there paralyzed with fear so I casually turn right so I didn't have to cross the street. I was only able to go one block on safe sideway before I was confronted by a busier street. Shit! I wanted to just give up and return to the hotel but would have been embarassed to return 5 minutes after I left! I then saw a waiting tuk tuk and got into it. I knew I was going a very short distance but who cares. THe guy drove me literally 500 yards but he got me across the street! He didn't care because I gave him 100 rupees out of guilt. The mall was litterally across the street even though I didn't see it before. Again, had to go through "airport security" to get into the mall. It's small but had enough shops for me to spend money. It was a much more fruitful shopping expedition than in Delhi. I bought some clothes for work and then found a nice traditional store where I bought a modern version of the saree and a punjabi. Both were beautiful and I have to think of occasions to wear them. The less fancy punjabi was nice enough to wear for a night at the theatre. I need to find a shop to buy a punjabi for Gary but haven't found it so far. After the mall I found a tiny little store next door to stock up on drinks and snacks. While inside I was eying the street wondering what to do. I could walk back to the mall entrance and see if there was a tuk tuk but the hotel was so close it would be embarassing. When I walked outside I saw there was a young guy waiting to cross the street. In a moment of genius I rushed up to casually stand next to him and followed him as he crossed the street. I made sure to stand on the right side of him so that if a vehicle hits us it would get him first! Can't wait for Rafael to get here tomorrow. I will be feel better with someone else to explore the neighborhood.

The hotel has some really nice facilities. They have a fantastic rooftop pool and bar. I did a workout at the gym and then had a great massage. I had a moment of fear when my masseuse hopped on the table on her haunches so she could apply more pressure on my back. I would have been out of there in a second if she started to walk on me! Actually she was so good I kept nodding off. I didn't want to fall asleep and miss the enjoyment of a great massage. For all I know she could be sipping a cup of tea while I snore away! Just kidding, she was really good. Afterwards they steered me into the steam room and shower and into a relaxation room with a cup of tea. Hopefully all this will help me sleep at a regular hour tonight!