Internship in Pune

earth.anon

I spent 4 college years in Pune in the mid 80s. Things have changed since then - still... as far as what to see in/around Pune - like someone else said - depends what interest you.

for the "casual tourist" - shopping on Main Street in "Camp" area and other tourist places.

for the "a little more adventurous tourist" - simply walk around and go explore the older parts of Pune city - go up Laxmi Road and then go deeeep in any direction. You will find fascinating places - amazing old carved wood and stone architecture, whole "districts" of specialized markets - the flower district,the jewelery district, the clothing district, the musical instruments district, the ironworks district, the kitchen district... quite amazing.

- for the "off the beaten path" visitor - go outside Pune. There are some incredible hikes that take you to forts built way the heck at the top of mountain ranges and plateaus that make you wonder how they got built there. E.g Lohgad Fort - just found this link for pictures of Lohgad fort. I went there years ago and loved it! http://my.opera.com/prabhas2008/albu....dml?id=460009

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'I wish I was a headlight on a Northbound train'

edwardseco

Basic Marathi is easy to pick up. Check out the Deccan Gymkhana area in the evenings..

amyl

Malls......coming from Singapore be ready to lose interests in the 'Malls' there. Even coming from Mumbai I used to look down at some of the 'Malls' they have in Pune. So small.... but yes many have come up recently.

Pyramid, Law College Road(IIRC) is like a small ..very small Paragon(can't even compare with Vivocity ). And then there are some near MG road. A new one in the 'Planet M' area.

Shoppers Stop which is ridiculously far from the center is a waste.

So some of the good hang out places for you are

1. JM Road. They have a 'Singapore Street' there. Nothing new but do walk through for a feel.
2. FC Road ... young crowd with stupid girls on mopeds who are ready to down a biker or two using their superb riding skills.
3. E Square - A nice vibrant place with a good multiplex.
4. IMax, Pune Station...another good multiplex but a little far. Another near your place is City Pride, Kothrud. Small but nearby.

meals.....oh....you will find a Chinese Corner at almost every corner. If you want to try an Indian flavor of Chinese food (hot, spicy, oily, colored) go to the corner at University Circle.
And if you want to try Indian food then there are lots on FC and JM road. My favorite on JM is Gayatri....umm...or is it Gandari....or Jayashree...oh I forgot already lah . Kamat is another on that road, Vaishali on FC road is a nice place to sit with good crowd. Do not remember seeing Starbucks but you have Barista and Cafe Coffee Day(CCD) at such places besides of course the ubiquitous McD. Oh I miss my McAloo Tikki....with cheese. Do not remember seeing a Subway around either. For a good Ice Cream go to "Natural" at JM road. Oh..I miss my all-time-favorite Kaju Kismis


And after meals do try a Magai Paan available at most of the Pan Shops. Better be with some local colleague while trying it out though.


Be ready for a lot....a lot of chaos on the roads. Be very very careful while crossing the roads. It's waaaaaaaaay different from Singapore. You are not Jay walking because 'Jay walking kills'.....and here you cannot cross without it . Faster, pedestrian or biker, wins. So play safe . You will see as many two wheelers on the streets as the number of ppl at Marine Parade on the National Day (oh....that's a hyperbole...but there are a lot)

And relax...no Durians here. But there are other smells to take care of...some more horrible than Durians but not at all places.

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a'mar kono chinta nei

the opoponax

Yeah, I have to say that out of all the cities I've visited in India, Pune was the worst in terms of traffic and difficulty of dealing with it as a pedestrian. I think it's because more people have cars, and there are more newish vehicles on the roads -- traffic moves a lot faster in Pune than other places I've been, even Bombay.

You'll get the hang of it, though. Chalk it up to an adventure!

AwayFromHome

Really? I must try to learn it then. My son was adopted from Pune, and I'd like to learn it and maybe teach him some. Oh, forget it - I can't even get him to speak Hindi, which I am fluent in. Angrez ka Baccha!

earth.anon

I must agree with the comment about traffic... its just awful - be careful.

edwardseco

I sympathize, I can't get mine to do more than nai chaiyay and certainly not much Bengali..

Oyar

On the contrary .. the traffic is soo pathetic because of toooo many 2 wheelers. The pathetic public transport system in pune is the main reason why almost every collegian & office goer prefers their own mode of transport - the cheap 2 wheeler. Infact the amount of school going students with their own vehicles is amazingly high.

Compounded by the lack of basic traffic sence ... you are witness to a lot of entertainment or anguish (depends on how you look at it)

TIP - To travel cheap & fast... get your own cheap brand new 2 wheeler for approx US$ 700. Then use any space available to head to your destination. In case of traffic, the footpaths are very often used to make ground. If no footpath available .. simply go over the mounds of rubble or simply drive on the opposite side of the road without fear.
If you reach a traffic light where a lot of traffic is piled up & you wish to turn right. Wriggle your way through to the front of the traffic from the extreme left - then simply cut across to the right when you are in front.
Traffic light turns red. No problem! You can just go through till 5 seconds after. After 5 seconds .. you must take a left turn .. go about 25 meters down the road & take a U turn... then take a left turn again & you are on your way

Tixx

Thank you all for all the replies once again. I have another question, what would the extra charges be for excess luggage weight for Air India?

amyl

Carry all your extra luggage in your cabin baggage. Arrange it accordingly. Heavy (of course allowable) stuff goes in your cabin. Rest of the with-in-limit luggage checks in. Not kidding...I always do that. Arriving at Changi airport just in time. Bemused at the weight the girl at the counter asked me an innocent question "how many of you are traveling?" I said "Am alone" . 17KG excess, Sir!!!! I got back reshuffled and am through. . And it helps if you have friends along. Just distribute the weight.

Okay your question.... On SIA it was S$24 per KG. I suppose it would be the same for Air India. But for domestic it's 70Rs(~ S$2.3) per KG.

Have fun in Pune.

Tixx

Haha! OK! Thanks!

amyl

Do drop a mail(id in my profile) if you feel like hanging out with some Indian friends. Can get you in touch with some bearable ones of mine . Cannot PM you as yet so this public offer.

barefoot4kids

We had a great time in Pune. The Sangam Girl scout lodge which takes tourists and has an awesome pool, has a great rickshaw system that area hotels would be wise to adopt. They had preprinted laminated cards in Hindi and english of where you want to go and where to return! They had most of the touristy areas covered. It made being a tourist much easier! And they also had fare cards, because in Pune you multiply the fare by 8.

We ate mostly at Sangam, but found lovely restaruants near the university.

edwardseco

If you are going to be in Pune learn some Marathi not Hindi and this puts you a cut above tourist. The words for right and left are quite handy in this regard..

the opoponax

That said, the family I stayed with in Pune do not speak Marathi, and they were all either born and raised there or have lived there since Partition. The matriach of the family dropped me off at the bus stand, took a look at the signage, and muttered sotto voce, "Of course, this would be one of those places where they only speak Marathi..." We managed to get me on the bus regardless.

So I don't think not speaking it will mark you as a tourist or prevent you from getting around. Nobody in the family seemed to have trouble navigating things without Marathi. If they had, one would presume they'd have picked some up years ago.