BigWeather's Blog

Awoke and had breakfast at the hotel with Lynneth and Nikola at 7a.  Sharing a car, arrived at the office quite early and did a little work before beginning knowledge transfer with Anshul.

Entrance to Magarpatta City

Ring road in Magarpatta City

Anshul, myself, and a co-worker named Omkar had lunch at the cafeteria — a yummy repast of chapati (a flat break torn and used as a scoop) and chicken curry accompanied by some excellent eggplant from Anshul’s home.  For desert there was a pinkish ball of cake-y dough as well as a pastry with regular and white chocolate on top — basically a doughnut.

Omkar and I walked across the street to the park that sits within the ring road of Magarpatta City, called Aditi gardens.  We strolled past an amphitheater where music groups practice and the Ganesh Festival is held annually.  It was quiet now, however, save for groups of wild dogs that milled about minding their own business.  Seriously, I think India’s wild dogs may be better behaved than the US’ domesticated ones!

Aditi gardens, Magarpatta City

Wild dogs relaxing in Aditi gardens

Tree with beautiful orange blossoms

In addition to many beautiful imported trees there was a very nice pond with lotus plants and some birds.  We met Ravindra walking about the park as well and had a chat.

Omkar and I visiting Aditi gardens in Magarpatta City

Coconut palm in Aditi gardens

Pond in Aditi gardens

As we completed the circuit around the park we came upon Ganapati Temple, a small but really impressively carved temple made some kind of pinkish stone.  Beautiful!

Ganapati Temple

Ganapati Temple

Ganapati Temple, Aditi gardens, Magarpatta City

Ganapati Temple carvings

After a few hours of work we went down to the cafeteria at 4p for some panipuri (also known as golgappa), a street food popular in this part of India.  It is a crisp hollow ball of puri that has a hole poked in it and is filled with flavored water, chutney, chili, masala, potato, onion, and chickpeas.  Once filled it is just popped into the mouth in one go, not nibbled on.  I had five or so, mostly of the sweet variety as the other one was a bit spicy.

At 5:30p Nikola, Lynneth, and I took the car back to the hotel via a stop at the Bombay Store.  I bought a couple of magnets but Nikola and Lynneth shopped for people back home.  The way to, and the neighborhood near, the store was gorgeous — banyan trees (painted white – red – white to make them easy to see by vehicles) hugged close to the street.  We passed several military installations along the way, including one with an old tank and jet on display.  Near the store there was some begging but it wasn’t too bad — not nearly as bad as in Egypt.

Relaxed a bit in the room until past 7p then met Lynneth and Nikola at the hotel’s Italian restaurant named Prego.  It was great!  We had bread and marinara for starters and Nikola and Lynneth were treated to wine tasting by the owner.  I had pepperoni pizza and a nut brownie and vanilla ice cream for desert — it was wonderful!  Nikola had pork on a bed of mashed potatoes and amazingly thin an crispy bacon.  We talked and relaxed until 11:45p when I wished them a farewell and good travels (both were leaving) in the coming day.  Headed to bed shortly thereafter.

Ate breakfast with Lynneth at 7a and caught a car with both her and Nikola to the office.  Along the way the driver explained the difference between Hindi and Marathi — both use the same script but have different words.  He also spoke about the rapid growth of the area and that in the past fancy cars like Mercedes and Audi were cause for staring but are now passe, that the concrete jungle that Pune has become is changing the local climate.  The monsoon season the year prior was extremely dry, leading to a low water supply.

Early morning street scene in Pune

Another view from the route to the office

Bollywood poster on the outside wall of the movie theater near Margapatta City

Beautifully painted truck

Shortly after arriving at work I caught up with Ravindra.  Following that was knowledge transfer until lunch around 1p.  Ate at the cafe with Anshul, a meal of red beans and rice and some delicious food, including cauliflower, Anshul brought from home.  Anshul mentioned that his family had celebrated Lohri the previous night and that today was the day that many would fly kites.

As we finished lunch very quickly Anshul suggested we head to a nearby Starbucks to get some coffee.  I got a coffee frappaccino that was every bit as great as those at home.  We chatted about movies, including a video of an epic one that I had seen a clip on YouTube.  Turns out it was the highest grossing Indian movie in history, Bahubali.  What’s interesting is that Bahubali is the product of the southern Indian film industry which is very much in the shadows of Mumbai’s Bollywood.  The movie is about two brothers that are vying to rule a kingdom, proving themselves by trying to kill an enemy that is trying to take over the kingdom.

Starbucks Coffee in India

Returning to work we worked until 5:30p then headed back to the hotel solo (Lynneth and Nikola had dinner plans).  Filmed the trip back to the hotel but unfortunately the traffic was fairly tame (Indian rush hour is closer to 6p – 7p rather than a bit earlier in the US).  As I arrived at the room the Muslim call to prayer was going out.  Worked on the blog, worked on work, and turned in around midnight.

After breakfast at the hotel I had a car to the office alone.  The driver, despite saying he was learning English, spoke very well.  He talked of getting his kid through school and his twelve hour workdays.

After a full morning of work Anshul and I went to the cafeteria.  Wednesdays there is a vendor that is brought in who sells chicken biryani, a rice dish with chicken that tastes a bit like chicken curry to me.  Was quite excellent but I was surprised that the chicken was chopped but with bones still left.  It was an amazing value at 80 rupees, along with 20 for a fried vegetable appetizer.  Afterwards watched some co-workers play ping pong before heading back up to a full afternoon with Anshul.

Ping pong area adjacent to the cafeteria

Cafeteria

Office space

An auto-rickshaw (or tuk tuk) hoping to pick up a customer in front of the office

Another view of Magarpatta City

Made it back to the hotel around 7p where one of the hotel restaurants had a full India buffet (in addition to bowls of popcorn, peanuts, and a sweet wafer with sesame seeds in it on each table) in celebration of the Punjabi festival Lohri.  Celebrating the winter solstice and the harvesting and delivery of crops to market, a bonfire is lit.  The Westin lit one on the outdoor area between the restaurant and the pool.  People danced around the bonfire and tossed sesame seeds from a bowl while making wishes.  Anshul would tell me on Thursday that tradition is to circle the bonfire seven times.  There was also two drummers beating a steady, if loud, beat.

People dancing around the Lohri bonfire

Lohri bonfire with bowl of sesame seeds in the foreground

After enjoying the festival Lynneth and I headed back into the restaurant and looked at each others’ photos of Alaska.  As we’d just gone the summer before and she is from Fairbanks we had much to talk about!

Returned to the room at about 11p and went to bed shortly thereafter.

Awoke at 6a and chatted with Michelle via FaceTime after my shower.  Met Lynneth for breakfast (Nikola had already headed to the office) and traveled with her to SAS.  I got much better pictures of the trip this time!

Everywhere you look there are painted murals and decorations

Auto-rickshaw

Light traffic of bikes and cars

Roadside stand in Pune

Seasons Mall at the entrance to Magarpatta City with store signs all over the exterior

Dawn at the office, amazing trees!

Lynneth in front of the office

Anshul and I had a very productive morning.  Around 1p or so he, Nirjhar, and I headed out to eat off-campus.  Anshul drove us to a nearby mall (complete with the same security found at the hotel) called Amanora Town Centre.  The mall had KFC, Dunkin’ Donuts, etc. but thankfully (I can, and choose not to, eat that stuff at home) we ate at a restaurant called Rajdhani.  It was really great.  Waiters bring by various sauces, breads to use for dipping and scooping, and other food to the table and place them in a series of pewter bowls on a large silver tray.  Also interesting is that a platter and bronze pitcher was brought to the table for us to wash our hands.  It was amazingly tasty, particularly the curry and also this fried crispy noodle with a juicy sweetness to it.  I also had an interesting fruity custard-based drink.

Amanora Town Centre promenade near the office

No, I did not leave hungry! Amazing food

Lunch with Anshul and Nirjhar at Rajdhani

After lunch we headed to a small stand beside the road that sells single cigarettes (lit via a lighter on a dangling string) and these wonderful cappuccino candies called Kopiko.  Two men smoking beside their scooters looked at where my camera was pointing thinking there was something interesting going on over there — nope, just a dumb tourist taking pictures of a stand of palm trees!

Banyan tree

Roadside stand with wonderful coffee candies!

Stand of palms, love the red and white corrugated metal fence

Headed back to the office and worked hard until dinner time at 5:30p.  Ravindra, Anshul, and I (briefly accompanied by Anshul’s wife as she needed a ride home) headed to a really tasty restaurant called Malaka Spice, passing by some cows being herded through the streets.  We dined outside where there were lovely Diwali lanterns hanging from the trees and a fountain.  We happened to sit next to Lynneth and Nikola as well, and got pictures of all of us together.

Pune street scene

Courtyard at Malaka Spice

Dinner with Anshul and Ravindra

Diwali lanterns at Malaka Spice

We started with appetizers — lamb chops that were to die for, fried chicken dumplings, and chicken fried on a sugar cane stalk.  I had noodles, rice, and chicken curry that was amazing.  I drank water and a local beer called Kingfisher.  We chatted about family, TV shows and movies, and a little office talk as well.

Ravindra caught a cab home and Anshul snapped a photo of me on a trike.  He dropped me off at the Westin, along the way seeing a lady riding side-saddle on a bike behind a man with perfect balance.  Turned in after a bit of work at 1a.

Bicycle, bicycle, I want to ride my bicycle…

Now THAT’s balance!

After hitting the sack at 5p (after having been up for nearly two days with nothing but cat naps) it was inevitable that I awaken with a migraine.  Luckily for me, I woke up at 11p with it and had plenty of time to pop some Motrin and pace the room (exhaustion helps kill my headaches I’ve found, and an hour of non-stop pacing was enough to do the trick).  Fell back asleep like a baby, waking again just before dawn at 5a.

Checked out the breakfast and settled for hard-boiled eggs, bacon, some potatoes, and the wonderful chocolate-filled croissants.  Don’t mess with a good thing I figured!  After that I rode in a car with two fellow employees to SAS’ office in Pune.  So many things to see along the way, almost sensory overload.  People everywhere going about their business.  Such a variety of vehicles — bikes, mopeds, motorcycles, trucks, auto-rickshaws (known to the British as tuk tuks).  Absolute chaos — but a chaos that, combined with low speeds, seems to work out.  Cars missing each other by inches, cycles darting between larger vehicles, dogs and people weaving among the vehicles, you name it.  Along the route were tons of little storefronts.  Food stands, sweet shops, etc.  Everywhere was covered with painted murals and writing.  Trucks were painted with fantastic things and very colorful.  I only managed to snap a single picture and it doesn’t do it justice (later posts will, I promise!) but being the only one I must include it below.

I’ll get better street-side photos in this blog soon, I swear!

Arrived at the office around 9a.  SAS’ India R&D office is in an IT park called Magarpatta City Cybercity, an area that just a decade ago was farmland.  The Magar brothers convinced the local farmers to sell their land and developed it.  It’s a very sleek building and the interior is very nice.  As with the hotel security was tight.  SAS occupies multiple floors, my office was on the third (well, fourth for us Americans).  The main room was filled with cubicles with conference rooms and some offices surrounding the perimeter.  The conference rooms were named with a astrological theme in mind — Cygnus, Crater, Aries, Pegasus, etc.  My office was very nice with a neat view of the campus.  I set up my computer and got ready to meet the gentleman I was to do a knowledge transfer to as well as his manager and the team.

My office for the next two weeks

View from my office

Before that happened, however, a gentleman brought me coffee and some bottled water.  Amazing coffee!  Ravindra, the manager, appeared first and welcomed me to Pune.  We chatted a bit then I was introduced to Anshul, the person I would be working with.  Then proceeded to meet the rest of the team and everyone was exceedingly nice.  Anshul and I then settled down to the business at hand, coming up for air shortly after noon.

I don’t miss S’ coffee maker ONE BIT

Ravindra, Anshul, and I went down one floor to the SAS cafeteria.  They serve one menu and then an alternate menu as well as offer sandwiches and the like.  With their help I got a tray filled with savory food, Anshul and Ravindra taking particular care to ask how spicy the food was.  The food was amazing!  I had flat bread that was used as a scoop for some delicious curry and curds.  Once the bread ran out I poured the rest on the rice.  There was also a small square that was very sweet and tasted great.  The only thing I didn’t care for was buttermilk with coriander.

After lunch Ravindra and I went for a walk around campus and past several of the other towers.  We chatted about India and how the weather wasn’t quite the topic of conversation that it is in the US since it doesn’t vary crazily like it does in North Carolina.  We also chatted about our families and other topics.  I think the trees out front of the office look really neat, they are like Christmas trees.  Cedars?  Greg, help me out!

SAS’ R&D office in Pune, India

Returning to the office Anshul and I worked the rest of the afternoon, leaving well after 5p in the Westin car with the two I rode in with in the morning, Nikola and Lynneth.  Nikola, who has in-laws in New Delhi and has visited India many times, informed us of many interesting things along the way.

Once back at the hotel just had a small snack and watched a bit of TV and worked a bit before sleep at 12a.  A really great first day that left me feeling a bit less overwhelmed and a lot less homesick.