Jan 23-26 - Week 3: Checking Off the Bucket List

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I haven't gotten around to posting about my last week in India until now (5 months later), so I'll do my best to remember with the help of my camera roll.

Though we had lived in Pune for two weeks, we hadn't visited many of the main attractions in Pune. The biggest landmark is arguably Shaniwar Wada - a fort that served as the great seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire in the 1700s and 1800s. Most of it has burned down but it was cool to guess what the buildings might have looked like based on the foundation alone and explore the gardens that have now exist.


You can walk up to the top of the fort walls, though the stairs are quite steep.


Me in what might have been a cellar??

We also checked off a restaurant recommendation from both Vidya's and Rishika's family. Vaishali's serves Southern Indian food including various dosas, idlis, and others. We had the masala dosa, onion tomato cheese uttapam, and sabudana vada. The masala dosa had spiced potatoes and lots of ghee; it turned out heavier than expected with all the ghee. Like the dosa, the uttapam is also made with fermented lentils and rice but it is thinner and crispier. The uttapam reminded me of pizza (though a bit sweeter) with the tomato and cheese. The sabudana vada is a crispy patty of tapioca pearls - very filling and more tasty with a chutney. I decided to YOLO it and try the chutneys. One was a slightly sweet red lentil based chutney and another was a coconut chutney (straight up tasted like coconut). Both were good and worth the risk.

Uttapam

Sabudana vada

While waiting 40 min for the Uber (roads were blocked due to affirmative action protests), I bargained for the first time. I bought a phone case for 100 rupees ($1.20) though apparently I still got scammed. A good experience nevertheless. The internet says not to take bargaining too seriously - just a game. Also best to just know the actual price. (Back in Boston, I put my new skills to use at Haymarket, or at least my new confidence).

After the purchase, the Uber was still far away so we visited Haldiram's. I bought some Soan Papdi which is like cotton candy with thicker threads, coated in chickpea flour, perfumed with cardamom - one of the best foods ever!

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Before leaving India, I also wanted to try the fruit stands and coconut water since we passed them all the time. The papaya wasn't as fragrant as I wished but still lightly sweet and refreshing. I also tried a tart apple-like fruit that I can't remember the name of. The fresh coconut water was amazing! Not oxidized, smooth on the tongue, no weird feeling on the tongue or added flavors - just refreshing coconut!



According to my camera roll, I also had a cucumber-like vegetable which was delicious when sauteed with ghee and ginger garlic paste.


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On the last day with the students, we played Kahoot with the students and exchanged gifts. 


That wasn't actually the last day because Rishika and I returned the following day for Republic Day festivities. I participated in a 3-legged race and a 600m race. Chamber music came in handy for coordinating rhythm in the 3-legged race :). I was a bit out of shape for the 600m though.

And I returned the day after that to go on a trip to the hillstation Lonavala with a few of the students. Rishika and Vidya were both gone and I wanted to make the most of my time in India. 

Lonavala is known for its nature, though it is not as lush in the dry season (when we went). 

We vistied Bhaja Caves...




... a Hindu temple ...


... and a few lookout's (Lion's Point, Tiger's Point, Monkey's Point I think). 


In classic Indian style, a few of the spots that showed up on Google Maps or travel sites were not very accessible, but at that point in the trip that was nothing to be upset about.

For lunch we visited Kunverbai's Kitchen, a Gujarati thali restaurant. Thali is a plate of food with a variety of dishes to make a complete meal. This restaurant was all you can eat, so think Indian lunch buffets in the U.S. Except the food was much better of course.
  • Srikhand - sweet yogurt with cardamom
  • Galub Jaman - fried ball with syrup
  • Sev Khamani - crushed with khaman dhokla (chickpea flour cake) with chilis and spices, similar to chaat, slightly sweet as per Gujarati style food
  • Punjabi Samosa - potatoes and peas
  • Paneer Tikka Masala - creamy and flavorful, my favorite gravy on the plate to dip roti in
  • Aloo Raswala - stew with lots of different vegetables in it! including eggplant, green plantain, and many more (owner claims there were 23 types of vegetables), sauce is greenish!
  • Phulka Roti
  • Dal + Rice - the standard lol
  • Achar, Chutney, Crispy Fried Things (various including some that looked like shrimp chips)
My favorites were the Aloo Raswala, Paneer Tikka Masala, and Srikhand.

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By the time my flight came around, I was sad but ready to leave (and come back to India another time). At the airport, my nailclippers got taken away and even the air stewardesses got stopped, making me realize how country-dependent and personnel-dependent airport security is. In the Delhi, I had some OK chicken briyani and rava kesari (sweet made of semolina, saffron, ghee, fruits and nuts, and some weird artificial pineapple flavoring).



When I boarded the American Airlines flight from Delhi to NY, I already felt at home with the American air stewardesses who spoke quickly and loudly, friendly but firm to the passengers. 

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P. S. I never ended up getting food poisoning in India, but I caught the norovirus (stomach virus) back in the US. My first bout of illness was in late February and my stomach is upset every so often (much more frequently than before norovirus). And now I probably lactose intolerant. The irony haha...

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BONUS
Many quotes were posted around NavGurukul. During our breaks, it was fun to come up with "counterquotes" that were equally valid. 
  • Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible —> Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.
  • Everything you want is on the other side of fear. —> Fear keeps you alive. 
  • Push yourself because no one else will do it for you. —> When I was 5 years old my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment and I told them they didn't understand life." - John Lennon
  • If you are waiting for the right time, it’s now. —> Patience is a virtue.
  • The pain you feel today is the strength you feel tomorrow. —> Diamonds form under pressure but bread rises when you let it rest.
  • Every thing is easy, when you are busy. Nothing is easy, when you are Lazy. —> I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it. -Bill Gates

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