My visual perspective during the drive from Pune to Mumbai was a lot different than the opposite drive when we first arrived in India because it was no longer a culture shock. I enjoyed the countryside and everything else India had to offer along the way.

Before leaving Pune, our driver stopped here for about 15 minutes while we waited in the car with the air conditioning running. This was such a beautiful fruit stand, I couldn’t resist taking a picture.

… and here’s a pretty nice building on the outskirts of Pune I thought looked out of place.

The drive through the countryside is beautiful. Here’s a video taken from the car before heading down the mountain. Again, please be patient with the download of these videos. Depending on your device, they can take several minutes to stream.

Water tower.

“INDIA IS GREAT”

On the way down the mountainside, we went through several tunnels like this one. People drive through the tunnels with their emergency blinkers on.

Our driver stopped at this rest stop along the way for a 30 minute break. That’s our car on the right.

We had chai.

Closer to Mumbai, we saw many apartment complexes. Most people live in apartments, not houses. There are tons of new apartment complexes in various stages of construction everywhere, some of which appear to be abandoned.

Closer to the airport, Mumbai was bustling with people. The following video is broken down into two parts. Sorry, it was a bumpy ride …

Part 2:

I left San Diego with one checked in bag and a very small backpack/purse, and when I returned, I had stuffed that check-in bag with more stuff, and also checked in a Baggellini stuffed with a yoga bolster, blankets and other items. As carry-ons, I had my new small carry-on suitcase and another Baggellini that was half full. That half-full Baggellini was originally a lot more full, but at baggage check in, I was asked to play some musical luggage to make my carry ons lighter.

The 42 hour travel from Pune to San Diego (this included transport to and from the airports) ended yesterday when we landed at LAX at 1pm. Bruce was there on time to pick us up, but had to drive around the airport for an hour and a half while we went through Immigration, luggage pickup and Customs. Luckily there was no traffic on the way back, so we made it home in good time.

First on the agenda when I got home was to show Bruce all the stuff I brought back, then a shower and dinner at Jimmy’s (Famous American Tavern), followed by a visit to Akuch and Robb bearing gifts from India.

Akuch and Robb are anxiously awaiting the birth, which will be occurring today or tomorrow. They’re packed and ready to go! Stay tuned for updates.

I think I can safely say that I probably got 3 full hours of sleep on the combined three flights, then last night I got 5.5 hours of sleep. This morning I woke up at 3:45 and couldn’t get back to sleep. What better time is there to blog??

It’s good to be home.

From OB with Love!

p.s. to Kevin … Keep the coffee hot. I’ll be seeing you soon!

My visual perspective during the drive from Pune to Mumbai was a lot different than the opposite drive when we first arrived in India because it was no longer a culture shock. I enjoyed the countryside and everything else India had to offer along the way.

Before leaving Pune, our driver stopped here for about 15 minutes while we waited in the car with the air conditioning running. This was such a beautiful fruit stand, I couldn’t resist taking a picture.

… and here’s a pretty nice building on the outskirts of Pune I thought looked out of place.

The drive through the countryside is beautiful. Here’s a video taken from the car before heading down the mountain. Again, please be patient with the download of these videos. Depending on your device, they can take several minutes to stream.

Water tower.

“INDIA IS GREAT”

On the way down the mountainside, we went through several tunnels like this one. People drive through the tunnels with their emergency blinkers on.

Our driver stopped at this rest stop along the way for a 30 minute break. That’s our car on the right.

We had chai.

Closer to Mumbai, we saw many apartment complexes. Most people live in apartments, not houses. There are tons of new apartment complexes in various stages of construction everywhere, some of which appear to be abandoned.

Closer to the airport, Mumbai was bustling with people. The following video is broken down into two parts. Sorry, it was a bumpy ride …

Part 2:

I left San Diego with one checked in bag and a very small backpack/purse, and when I returned, I had stuffed that check-in bag with more stuff, and also checked in a Baggellini stuffed with a yoga bolster, blankets and other items. As carry-ons, I had my new small carry-on suitcase and another Baggellini that was half full. That half-full Baggellini was originally a lot more full, but at baggage check in, I was asked to play some musical luggage to make my carry ons lighter.

The 42 hour travel from Pune to San Diego (this included transport to and from the airports) ended yesterday when we landed at LAX at 1pm. Bruce was there on time to pick us up, but had to drive around the airport for an hour and a half while we went through Immigration, luggage pickup and Customs. Luckily there was no traffic on the way back, so we made it home in good time.

First on the agenda when I got home was to show Bruce all the stuff I brought back, then a shower and dinner at Jimmy’s (Famous American Tavern), followed by a visit to Akuch and Robb bearing gifts from India.

Akuch and Robb are anxiously awaiting the birth, which will be occurring today or tomorrow. They’re packed and ready to go! Stay tuned for updates.

I think I can safely say that I probably got 3 full hours of sleep on the combined three flights, then last night I got 5.5 hours of sleep. This morning I woke up at 3:45 and couldn’t get back to sleep. What better time is there to blog??

It’s good to be home.

From OB with Love!

p.s. to Kevin … Keep the coffee hot. I’ll be seeing you soon!

Every day for the past month+, while America sleeps and India is wide awake bustling, I’ve sat in my makeshift office writing about my experiences, keeping family and friends updated.

This will be my last blog posting from Pune. Nana is picking Sharon and me up at noon to take us to the Chetak Hotel where we’ll wait for our shuttle to Mumbai. We’ll be in transit 42 hours, including travel from Pune to Mumbai and LAX to San Diego.

Here are some highlights of my last few days.

Momo’s – I’m not really sure what I like best about Momo’s.

… the momos (dumplings), the sauce (hot & spicy good),

the romantic sidewalk cafe with rickshaws, cars and scooters emitting fumes and honking while we eat,

… or watching the pigs eat trash across the street while we eat.

Taking a walk in the evening.

Pune police.

Fruit vendors.

Dinner with Kathleen and Sharon at Charo’s Pure Veg Restaurant.

The people!

… and kids!

This is Vasant, one of the neighborhood vendors who sells t-shirts, yoga supplies and other items, and will even ship them to the U.S. I met him our first day at the Anugraha. He is absolutely delightful, always with a smile on his face and a contagious giggle.

Chocolate cake and coffee (again).

Seeing my friend Larry (SF) again who arrived at RIMYI jet lagged to sign up for September classes.

… and a final dinner with Kathleen at an upscale Pune restaurant. We sat here for three hours as each course was delivered to our table.

As pictures are worth a thousand words, I don’t believe there’s anything else to say.

I’ll leave you with one last “wobble” …

I’ll see you on the other side!

From Pune with Love!