Pune, You Weird Little Gem (and My Sleep Schedule's Paying the Price)
okay, so. pune. i’m still processing. i just got back, and my brain feels like a tangled ball of yarn someone’s been using to knit a very confused sweater. i’m a touring session drummer, you know? usually, i’m bouncing between soundchecks and late-night gigs, fueled by lukewarm coffee and the sheer adrenaline of keeping a band together. this… this was different.
i just checked and it's… a sort of hazy, humid warmth right now. like someone left a damp towel on the pavement. not unpleasant, exactly, just… present. the air hangs heavy, you know? it’s the kind of weather that makes you want to drink chai and stare at a wall. which, honestly, i did a fair bit of.
my gig was at this little club in *Kalyani Nagar - the kind of place where the sound guy knows everyone’s name and the chai is genuinely amazing. the band i was with, 'Cosmic Echoes' (don’t ask), were… interesting. let’s just say the bassist had a very strong opinion on the proper way to eat a vada pav.
and the neighbors! if you’re craving a change of scenery, Mumbai is only a couple of hours away. i took a day trip, mostly to escape the bassist’s vada pav lectures. it was… intense. a whole different level of chaos.
but pune itself… it’s got this quiet charm, this undercurrent of something… unexpected. i spent a lot of time wandering around Shaniwar Wada, just soaking it in. it’s incredible, the history just seeps out of the stones. you can practically hear the echoes of the Peshwa rulers. i’m a sucker for that kind of thing.
“Apparently, if you stand in the right spot in Shaniwar Wada at midnight, you can hear the cries of the young prince who was… well, it’s a long story. Involving a fire and a lot of bad decisions. Don’t ask me for details, I heard it from a guy selling chai, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.”
food. oh god, the food. i ate my weight in misal pav. seriously. i think i’m still digesting it. someone told me that the best misal pav in the city is at Venkatesh Mishal Pav, but the line was insane. i ended up at a smaller place near my hotel, and it was still mind-blowing. spicy, tangy, savory… perfection. i also tried some bhakar, which was… an experience. definitely not something i’m used to, but i appreciated the authenticity.
“A drunk guy at a bar told me, ‘Pune’s got two speeds: slow and slower. And the food? It’ll slow you down even more.’ He wasn’t wrong.”
getting around was… an adventure. auto-rickshaws are the way to go, but be prepared to haggle. and learn a few basic marathi phrases. it helps. a lot. i used the ola app a few times too, which was much easier.
“My friend, who’s lived in Pune for years, warned me about the traffic. ‘It’s like a swarm of bees,’ she said. ‘Just… brace yourself.’”
pro-tips for surviving pune (as a sleep-deprived drummer):
*Hydrate: seriously, the humidity will get you. carry a water bottle everywhere.
*Embrace the chaos: pune isn’t about pristine order. it’s about embracing the unexpected.
*Learn to say “kitna?” (how much?) - it will save you a lot of rupees.
*Find a good chai wallah: essential for survival.
*Don’t argue with the bassist:* just… don’t.
I’m already missing the vibe, though. it’s weird, it’s chaotic, it’s… real. i’d go back in a heartbeat. maybe after a week of sleep.
check out some reviews on TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g308006-Pune_Maharashtra-Vacations.html
and yelp for some restaurant recommendations: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=restaurants&find_loc=Pune%2C+Maharashtra%2C+India
and for local events, check out this board: https://www.punecityguide.com/
okay, i’m going to go lie down now. my brain needs a reboot.
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