Things I like About Pune, India

• I can drive any way I feel like and still fit in to normal driving patterns.

• Normal Indian life still revolves around family and evening walks down the street.
• I can hear 5 different languages just on my way to pay my electric bill.
• Pune’s dry season which lasts 2/3 of the year usually makes for a very comfortable life. Even if it gets to 110 or 115, sure it’s hot, but not unbearable.
• Power cuts force me to enjoy candle lit meals more often!
• Entertaining small talk with anyone is the spice of life, besides the tons of green or red chilli’s in your rice.
• Sweet Lassi (a yogurt drink) with a dab of cream from that one dairy shop in Kondwa is AWESOME!!!
• Because we’ve lived in this city for over 7 years, we’ve grown to be known by some shop keepers. We pass by and they want to catch up on what’s happening with our family.
• Coffee Jar…need I say more?
• I can drop my electric bill off at a shop and they will take my money and pay the bill for me...at no cost!
• City Parking fee for a car is $0.11
• City Parking fee for our motorbike is $0.05
• KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonalds are all within 5 minutes of each other.
• George’s restaurant…the best Chicken Makhani in town!
• That one electric shop on MG road where I always have to chat for ½ an hour when I pick up a spare light bulb.
• Sagar’s … the best vegetarian food this side of heaven…pow-bajie and their special Mexican mini-tacos full of macaroni and cheese (gotta have one to know it’s value!).
• Zaheyda’s chicken byriani! She’s our house helper and can she make biryani!
• Friends from various backgrounds and countries.
• The hundreds of festivals makes for a very colorful and musical calendar!
• The vast diversity of people we’ve met here: I can differentiate between accents from South India and the North, people from the UK, Australia and South Africa.
• Cheap prescription drugs I can purchase anywhere without a prescription
• A loooong strawberry and mango season!
• The list continues….