pune where the toilets scream and the traffic is a symphony

i woke up at 3 am with a toothache and a backpack full of random stuff. didn’t sleep much. woke up to the sound of a street vendor selling chai so loud it felt like a wrestling match outside my window. pune. 31.8958,73.2761. that’s where i am. or was. the heat is weird. i just checked and it’s a weird 22.62 celsius outside, like the sky is drinking coffee and not sweating. i don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad. maybe both.

well. let’s talk about the neighbors. not the actual people. more like the ones who live in the buildings next door. one building had this thing where the AC unit would scream every time it turned on. i heard it at 2 am. it was like a dying cat. another building had a guy who played guitar at 3 am. i didn’t know if he was trying to serenade me or if he was just really bad at life. either way, it was memorable.


i went to a local market today. bought a mango that looked like it had been through a war. cut it open and it was all juice and no flavor. something about mangoes in pune is like that. also. i saw a bird nesting in a construction site. it was clutching a piece of rubber. i took a photo. not sure if it’s a bird or a very confused squirrel. but here’s the shot.

someone told me the old college hostel is haunted, but i think it’s just the pipes rustling at night. or maybe it’s the guy who lives there. he screams at 4 am. i heard him once. he was yelling about his dog dying. or maybe he was just mad at the neighbor’s dog. hard to tell. anyway. i heard that too. from a drunk guy at a bar. he was crying into his spirits and saying pune is a nightmare. i don’t know if it’s true. but he was crying.


i checked yelp for street food. there’s this place called ‘the tandoori temple’ that’s supposed to be amazing. 5 stars. but i didn’t go. i’m too scared. what if the food is cursed? what if the owner is a vampire? i heard that from a random person on a bus. they were very serious. also. i saw a review on tripadvisor that said the local market is ‘a maze of smells and chaos.’ that’s accurate. i got lost for 20 minutes trying to find the mango stall.


the weather here is like a drama queen. 22.62 celsius is just right for complaining. not too hot, not too cold. but it’s also humid. like the air is holding its breath. i tried to take a photo of the sky. it was so gray it looked like a normal day. but then the clouds broke and it rained for 10 seconds. i was soaked. or maybe it was just sweat. hard to tell.


if you get bored, mumbai is just a train ride away. or maybe a bad decision. i don’t know. the train was loud. the humans were loud. the smells were loud. it was like a sensory overload. but then again. that’s pune. or is it? maybe it’s everywhere.


i heard that the local musicians are terrible. someone told me that at a bar. they were talking about a guy who played saxophone and sounded like a dying goose. i don’t know if it’s true. but it’s funny. or sad. probably both.


here’s another photo. this time of a flower. or maybe a leaf. i don’t know. it’s green. it’s in pune. that’s all that matters.

i’m not sure if i want to stay here. the toilets are loud. the people are loud. the heat is loud. but also. the energy is loud. like you can feel it in your bones. maybe that’s why i’m still here. or maybe i’m just too tired to leave.



another photo. this one of a street sign. it’s in marathi. doesn’t make sense. but it’s there.

someone told me the best way to survive pune is to eat street food and ignore the noise. i tried that. bought a vada pav from a cart. it was good. or maybe it was just lucky. i don’t know. but i ate it. and then left. never looked back.


if you’re coming to pune. don’t trust your eyes. the maps lie. the signs lie. the people lie. but the chai? the chai is always honest. always. here’s a link to a yelp page for chai spots.

https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Chai+Pune&find_loc=Pune%2C+India


also. here’s a local board for travelers. maybe it’ll help.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g558478-Activities-in-Pune.html


and if you need advice. here’s a github page for pune maps. probably not helpful. but it’s there.

https://github.com/pune-maps


i think that’s it. or maybe it’s not. i’m still half-asleep. the next day will probably be worse. but hey. pune is pune. and i survived. or maybe i just didn’t die.

another photo. this time of a cat. or maybe a dog. i can’t tell. it’s sitting on a bench. looking at me. maybe it’s judging me.

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