Rendezvous with the Happiest City of India

The expressway that connects Bangalore to Pune could be a biker’s bliss by all means.
With roads as smooth as actress Madhuri Dixit’s cheeks, one could well afford to skate
down to Pune, only if the distance was not a whooping 500 plus kilometers.

After an idyllic zoom of 16 hours, through a scale straight highway, and 360 minute of
visual entertainment in the form of two movies, I load off at the “happiest city of India.”

Poona for the old denizens, U replacing the double OO for the young!

The humidity is conspicuous. 12.30 p.m. is no time to enter a city; or rather the outskirts
of a city. Trying to get some refreshment, I walk into a hotel which looks greatly
magnificent by the standards of the area. I ask for a bottle of soft drink, immediately
requesting for the directions to the rest room. The man on the other side of the counter uninterestingly points somewhere outside. Obediently I wag myself towards the direction.

It is an open space outside. Not convinced by the outside, I go and intrude his privacy
again. He looks unimpressed. Outside, means anywhere, he barks.

I pick up my bags and leave.

Welcome to the happiest city of India.

The auto guy is a little decent though. He shows me the safest place to relieve
myself, far from the screening eyes and humungous traffic that snarls through
the expressway. The place – the rear of a dilapidated wall!

Like a cute puppy, I happily oblige.

After all a new city, one tends to become clueless about the amenities available.
So you go by general hearsay;)! My sincere apologies for that to the
city of Poona / Pune!

My next rendezvous is with a glib of an auto driver who convinces me of the fact
that the auto fare takes a bull run as it enters the city premises.
And I? What about it? Fell head over heels at the smooth operation, not forgetting
to shake his hands and thank him for dropping me at the destined place.
Only later, realization dawning upon me for having paid at least three times the
regular fare.

The auto driver is crazily happy as he bids adieu to me.

Must be the “happiest city” tag, I summarize!

En route, he extracts the most of my coming down to his city. Jokingly, I refer of
coming to Pune with an objective of staying at Osho’s ashram.
That would have been the most ignorant mistake committed. One of the reasons,
I fathom later for me being ripped off and fleeced! But that’s that about that:)
(Whatever that means)

Reach the destination. My friend, sweet enough to pick me up from the spot,
thence ending my first adventure with the “Eton of the East”!

The second adventure….well just a blog away!!! Cheers.