This weekend I was able to explore Pune with a few coworkers! The city center is about a 30 minute drive from the hotel. The first stop for the day was to a fort - it was so neat to walk in and look around! It is situated smack dab in the middle of the city and offered a great view from the lookout points.
Can you believe that it cost approximately $400 to build this?!?
I was even able to catch a few of the locals playing a game of cricket in the field just outside the fort.
Our next stop was to the palace where Gandhi stayed while in Pune. The palace was beautiful - everything was made of marble!
In one of the rooms they displayed the shoes he wore (it would take lots of practice to get used to walking in shoes like these!).
In the courtyard they had a meditation area situated next to the shrine that held Gandhi's ashes.
Just before lunch time we stopped at the Osho Ashram. We weren't able to go inside because you must be a member but what I saw seemed very peaceful!! Everyone is required to wear a maroon robe during their stay. A day at Osho starts with morning prayers and then members are able to participate in meditation or just simply relax within the facility.
By 1pm we were ready for lunch at ABC Farms - it was so good! I had another great meal: started off with some Tandori chicken and mushroom appetizers and then shared among the table a lamb dish (below) and a paneer dish (cottage cheese and red sauce).
After tasting these great dishes, it was time for dessert - this is a famous dessert called Gulab Jamun. It is served warm and is similar to a donut hole with sugar syrup.
Can you believe that it cost approximately $400 to build this?!?
I was even able to catch a few of the locals playing a game of cricket in the field just outside the fort.
Our next stop was to the palace where Gandhi stayed while in Pune. The palace was beautiful - everything was made of marble!
In one of the rooms they displayed the shoes he wore (it would take lots of practice to get used to walking in shoes like these!).
In the courtyard they had a meditation area situated next to the shrine that held Gandhi's ashes.
Just before lunch time we stopped at the Osho Ashram. We weren't able to go inside because you must be a member but what I saw seemed very peaceful!! Everyone is required to wear a maroon robe during their stay. A day at Osho starts with morning prayers and then members are able to participate in meditation or just simply relax within the facility.
By 1pm we were ready for lunch at ABC Farms - it was so good! I had another great meal: started off with some Tandori chicken and mushroom appetizers and then shared among the table a lamb dish (below) and a paneer dish (cottage cheese and red sauce).
After tasting these great dishes, it was time for dessert - this is a famous dessert called Gulab Jamun. It is served warm and is similar to a donut hole with sugar syrup.
Stay tuned - tomorrow I'll post the rest of my weekend adventures
Kelsey, Looks like a great weekend...I am so glad that you have met some nice people to take you around to the fabulous sights! Have fun, do great work and leave a mark with your contributions and attitude!
ReplyDeleteThe shoes that Gandhi wore (and a lot of other people in India wore for centuries): I understand they are tough to strut around in but I think its not as tough as women wearing high heels, that's quite a balancing act! Men will never get it :-)
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