And then there were two

Saturday Jill and I said goodbye to our flatmate, ManYee. ManYee is Hong Kong Chinese and lives in Australia. I met her here in 2013 when she and I shared the same flat. We didn’t know each other before then but now ManYee, Jill and I are “Pune Sisters.” There’s no doubt we’ll stay in touch and hopefully meet up in Pune again.

ManYee in her element, at the street food cart. Every day she’d bring home and eat street food of all varieties.
Pune Sisters having an FNO (Flatmates Night Out) at the Pune Marriott.
Pune sisters friendship bracelets.

This is the best thing ever in the whole wide world. You remember Daisy, right? Well I spotted her today without a care in the world. The below image is a YouTube video. You may not see the arrow in the middle of the image, but you have to click on it to view it. Trust me, you do not want to miss this. Maya, Alo, Sparty and Kando – I love you very much. This one’s for you!

From the backseat of an Uber – water buffalo. Yay!

These water buffalo were crossing the street just ahead of us.
This big truck is a “Goods Carrier.” It, you guessed it, carries goods.

I realize the next two images look to be poor quality, but I took them through the flat’s mosquito screens one early overcast morning. I did a little research online and learned they’re the Indian Gray Hornbill. They’re a fairly large bird and unusual looking, but beautiful. We get very excited when they come hang out with us in the morning.

Back in an Uber – cows in the fast lane.

The Road to Alandi

Nana took us to Alandi two Sundays ago. I’m sharing some of those photos today and will posts more to come. Alandi is a very auspicious and holy place of pilgrimage. I’ve made a trip there every time I’ve come here. There’s a very old temple there, and people come from all over India to go inside it. Because Alandi is a bit of a drive from Pune, Westerners don’t go there often which means we get stared at a lot. The people are very friendly, and they love having their picture taken with us.

The following four photos are of the “Road to Alandi.”

Oxen on the road.
Fruit cart along the highway.
There are huge apartment complexes like this all over Pune.

Sai Baba Temple

We made a short stop along the way at Sai Baba Temple in Pimpri Chinchwad.

Nandi, the bearer of truth and righteousness, sits in front of the temple.
Kurma (tortoise), representing sattvaguna (pure qualities), is also seen at the entrance of the temple.
Here’s inside the temple.
Outside – Me and Jill with Nandi.
This interesting fellow had his eye on us.
So we both took selfies with him.
Woman begging outside the temple.
Jill and I scored this orange and gold banner for Nana to hang on his mirror.

Alandi

Ah, Alandi.
A lot of people come here from all over India, and a lot of people travel here in the backs of trucks like this one. This also is legal in India.
Along the river.
It’s ok to wash your motor scooter in the river.
We have yet to be christened “Warkari” (holy person). Stay tuned …

More photos of Alandi to follow in my next post.

Blogged on Amma’s MacBook from Pune with LOVE!