From Dehradun to Pune

I made it to Pune yesterday after much traveling.  I am exhausted today!

I got up at 4am yesterday morning to catch the 510 train to Delhi, it arrived at noon.  Then it took an hour in the car to get to the guest house where most people stay.  Then I have a few hours to relax.  We went to a nearby mall, which looked exactly like a mall in the US during Christmas - it was PACKED with people!  We went there because Daniel wanted Haagen Das.  There was a hostess who seated us and a waiter who came to our table, just so we could order ice cream.  They have a menu with lots of variations of sundaes - most with chocolate ice cream and either a cookie, brownie, belgian waffle or fruit.  I just got a mango-passionfruit sorbet waffle cone with bananas on top.  I was trying to keep it tropical.  These were not cheap and many of the items on the menu were around Rs 500, which is about ten bucks for a sundae.  But it was an experience!

Then I had an hour drive to the airport, the taxi driver didn't speak much English and I don't speak much Hindi and so I'm not entirely sure what our conversation was about but I believe I told him when I come back to India I will contact him and he will be my driver.  I possibly told him he could come to America and be a driver there too, but I'm not sure.  I arrived in Pune at 8pm and had another hour drive outside of the city to where I am staying.  The room is very clean and I even have hot water (that slowly comes out of the tap).  The caretakers live an an apartment agent to my room.  Last night I sat on a bed while a whole group of girls watched Hindi TV and ate on the floor.  The couple have a 3 year old girl who speaks a fair bit of English.  She is very cute and also very demanding!  We played with some books last night and her teddy bear this morning.

Tomorrow I have an orientation and will meet the medical director and the local coordinator.  I think she is a substitute coordinator because the real coordinator is the wife of the medical director and she is currently in the US visiting her children.  The medical coordinator will be leaving on the 9th, but I think everything should still be fine.  On Tuesday we are going to a rural location.  I thought I was going to go to one for a week, but he said just overnight.  So, that should be interesting.  

The weather is actually a lot cooler here than Dehradun.  DD was in a valley near the Himalayan foothills and Pune is atop the Deccan plateau.  It's very refreshing.  I am actually staying outside of Pune.  I had someone ask me today why I am out here instead of the city center.  There are a lot of foreigners who come to the heart of Pune to get their meditation on at the Osho Meditation Resort.