Catch Up Part 1: Home Town Tourist
Visitors to our apartment in Pune could quite easily spend their time relaxing in comfort (some might even say luxury). Our apartment is plush, even by Western standards, and we live in a part of town that has very western malls/restaurants/bars within only minutes. To be honest, you could be forgiven for thinking you were somewhere in Europe/North America at times. But obviously, you don't have to go very far to leave that all behind. Pune may not seem like an obvious tourist destination, but there are some pretty interesting places to visit. Dad, Claire, and I tried to explore the city and see some 'real life' India to get a flavour of the history and culture of this part of the world. We visited the Aga Khan Palace (where Gandhi was imprisoned for a while), several temples including the impressive Pataleshwar cave temple, the old potter's colony and its adjacent Hindu/Muslim community in the Kasba Peth, plus its local fish and meat market. We visited the Shaniwar Wada fort in Old Pune, Parvati Hill with its stunning views, temples and museum, and we even ventured out of the city to the Lohagad Hill fort. Take a look at the photos below to see some of what we saw.
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| Bapu & Ba in the Aga Khan Palace |
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| Yes... this is Gandhi's flip flop, and yes... it is dry! |
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| Pataleshwar cave temple - carved down and underground into the black basalt |
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| Diyas ready for Diwali |
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| Those eyes. |
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| Real life in the Kaba Peth |
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| Peekaboo |
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| She was making mincemeat of this log with a humugous machete! |
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| Local phone |
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| Printing press |
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| Bowl cut cuties! |
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| People still live in this building even though it has a tree growing through it. |
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| Pimp my rickshaw! |
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| Tambat (Copper) Ali workshops - Pune Heritage |
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| Yes. I was utterly crap at it!!!! |
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| Stunning copper urlis |
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| Peshawar shrine at the top of Parvati Hill |
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| Colorful temple |
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| Diyas in an alcove |
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You ring the bell as you enter the temple, and as it resonates the 'om' sound you become more spiritually aware. Apparently.
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| Inside the Peshawar museum. |
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| Parvati Hill is 2,100 ft (640 m) above sea level and the walk up 103 big steps is definitely worth it for the view of the city. |
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| Parvati Temple at the top of the hill. |
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| 'Selfie' |
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| You can climb onto the top of the temple walls for a great view. Pune looks quite green from up here! |
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| Inside Parvati temple |
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| The gates of Shaniwar Wada, the fort in old Pune. |
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| Pretty impressive gates! |
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| The inside of the fort is now a pretty oasis in a crazily busy part of town. |
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| Waterfall washing |
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| Climbing up to Lohagad fort in the Western Ghats (about 2 hours NW of Pune) |
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| Monsoon may have finished, but it was still pretty wet! |
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| Gorgeous archways |
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| "Deep Valley Ahead. Please Don't Go There." |
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| Deepak, Dad, Aaron & Ethan |
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| The Scorpion's Tail |
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| Meeting the locals |
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| Pune rush hour |
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