Day 5 – 5 December 2024, Thursday

After a restful night’s sleep, I woke up at 6:15am, washed up and greeted NC, who was up before me. We then went down to RK and UK’s place, which is located in the same apartment building, two floors below. UK was already busy preparing food in the kitchen. She brought out some banana cake that she had baked the day before. It was soft, moist and mildly sweet, exactly how I like my banana cake to be. So delicious.

While waiting for the other guests to arrive, RK took me for a walk around the condo premises. He showed me where the various facilities are located, and we also said hi to the guys who were having a volleyball training session. It was a nice community where the neighbours all seemed to know each other. As we walked, we had some nice chats and it felt great to be able to hang out like that.

Breakfast was ready when we went back to the apartment. UK thought I would be sick of Indian food by now so she made a non-Maharashtrian breakfast for a change. She prepared pasta and chicken keema, which is minced chicken with onions, spices and herbs. Keema is usually made with mutton or beef, so the chicken keema was something unusual. UK also gifted me a beautiful tea light candle holder that she picked up at a fair recently. I adore it.

Whilst having our breakfast at the balcony, visitors streamed in and out of RK and UK’s apartment. AH and PA, who live in the unit next to RK and UK, dropped by. Dr J and VJ also arrived shortly after and joined in the party. Everyone lives so close to each other and they just pop by whenever they feel like it, I love it! It was a casual but wonderful gathering of friends and family and I felt so grateful to be part of it.

As everyone left for their various workplaces and appointments, I too, made a move. I thanked my hosts for their tremendous hospitality, for inviting me to their homes and preparing all the food. But I know we will still meet again for our next cycling trip, whenever or wherever it will be. I wanted to book an Uber car but UK insisted that her driver could send me back, so I took up her kind offer and I was back at UJ’s apartment at 11:00am. 

For my last full day in Pune, I intended to roam around the city on my own so that I didn’t have to impose on UJ and GJ. However, UJ informed me that he was cooking briyani for lunch, and I couldn’t possibly pass on the offer for more delicious home-cooked food. So at 11:45am, I left the apartment to go somewhere nearby while waiting for lunch to be ready at 1:30pm. The Uber Auto ride from the apartment to Joshi’s Museum of Miniature Railways took 5 minutes and it cost 44.62 rupees (S$0.71).

Joshi’s Museum of Miniature Railways is a small museum showcasing a collection of miniature trains, locomotives and railways models from different eras and regions around the world. I had visited the excellent Miniatur Wunderland museum in Hamburg, Germany in 2018 and enjoyed it tremendously so I thought it would be fun to visit Joshi’s Museum of Miniature Railways here in Pune.

The entry fee is 120 rupees (S$1.98) but a minimum of four persons is required to conduct a show. There is no option to buy a single ticket, or a ticket without a show. Shows are conducted every half hour and each show is 25 minutes long. I was in time for the 12:00pm show but there were no other visitors for the upcoming show so I would have to pay for four persons (480 rupees/S$7.92) to visit the museum and watch the show.

As I was contemplating whether to visit the museum, a couple of Caucasian tourists came out of the show that just concluded so I asked them for their feedback. They said that it was good, but probably not worth forking out the extra money if I am here alone. Granted, 480 rupees is not a lot of money, but I didn’t feel justified to pay for three other people’s share. Joshi’s Museum of Miniature Railways wasn’t high on my must-visit list anyway, so I decided to skip it.

I walked around the area for a while before deciding on my next move. I remembered passing by a Nike Factory Store on the drive back earlier and I pinned it on my Google Maps. I saw that it is located right next to Vanaz Metro station. Hence, I walked to Nal Stop station and took the Metro to Vanaz, just four stops away.

The Nike Factory Store wasn’t very big but it occupied two floors. The first floor was for apparel while the second floor was for footwear. The prices for the T-shirts and shorts were reasonable but they were not dirt-cheap, and there wasn’t anything that really caught my fancy.

On the other hand, the shoes were quite good value for money. There was a promotion for 30% off with 3 items purchased so I ended up buying three pairs of shoes with the same design but in different colours. I paid 7,760 rupees (S$123.62) for them, or slightly over S$40 per pair. Feeling satisfied with my haul, I took the Metro back to Nal Stop and walked briskly back to the apartment because I was running late.

At 2:00pm, I had lunch with UJ and NJ at the apartment. They work in their respective offices just one floor above so they were quite flexible with their lunch timing. UJ served me a plate of steaming briyani rice, accompanied by fragrant chicken curry and more of the mouthwatering mutton keema. GJ also made bread for us before she left home earlier. By now, I was quite adept at using my hands to eat. The food tasted even better when I did so.

After lunch, I had a bit of food coma so I did some packing and rested for a while. After I woke up from my nap and was about to head out to explore the city, GJ returned home with her granddaughter (NJ’s elder daughter). The little one had brought badminton racquets along and asked me to play with her, so I gladly obliged and we went to the ground floor to play a spot of badminton.

The racquet she passed me had some broken strings but I managed just fine. We played for around half an hour, just hitting around, with the shuttlecock occasionally flying over to the compound of the condo next door. Simple moments like these can bring so much joy to children. After the game, we went to the rooftop garden to harvest some kumquats, which GJ used to make fresh juice. UJ also took a break from work and joined us for his regular afternoon tea.

I finally left home at 5:08pm and took the Metro to Deccan Gymkhana, two stops away. The fare was only 10 rupees (S$0.165). From the Metro station, I walked to Fergusson College Road, more commonly known as FC Road. This road is home to many of Pune’s famous restaurants, street food joints and shops. It’s hip and trendy like our Orchard Road in Singapore but without the big shopping malls.

I first went to Deo Sports, a small shop established in 1956 selling sporting goods and accessories. Earlier this morning, I asked NC and UK if there was any item I could buy as a souvenir from Pune and they suggested a cricket ball since cricket is a very popular sport in Pune, and India, in general. A cricket ball is also small and handy, so it made for a practical souvenir to bring home. UK told me that I could buy a red cricket ball from Deo Sports, so here I am.

I found the red cricket ball that UK mentioned, and it cost 350 rupees (S$5.78). I also bought an Indian cricket jersey for 500 rupees (S$8.25). I was very pleased with my purchases. The two shopkeepers at Deo Sports were very friendly and helpful. Upon discovering where I am from, one of them said that he had been to Singapore before and he marvelled at how clean, green and safe the country is. It made me feel so proud to be a Singaporean.

Even though I was not remotely hungry yet, I decided to have an early dinner at Roopali since it was located close to Deo Sports. Roopali was recommended by UJ and it is a popular gathering place for their cycling community. UJ said that every morning, people would just drop by unannounced to have a cup of tea before going to work. There is no need to make any arrangements or set any appointments beforehand and there will always be someone you know there. It is like a very informal community watering hole where everybody and anybody can just join in and hang out.

When I visited Roopali at close to 6:00pm, I saw that there was an “outdoor” seating area beside the entrance with no tables but many men were gathered there chatting over tea. I went in and sat at one of the tables in the “indoor” dining area. When I picked up the menu, I saw that they served Mysore Ghee Masala Dosa here, and it rang a bell.

I remembered that on one of the previous occasions when UJ and GJ came to Singapore, we had dinner at Komala Vilas Indian vegetarian restaurant at Little India, and they told me that Mysore Masala Dosa is quite special and asked me to try it. I usually eat the regular Masala Dosa so I tried the Mysore version and I loved it. Hence, I decided to order the Mysore Ghee Masala Dosa and a mango lassi. The bill came up to 299 rupees (S$4.93) after taxes.

What makes Mysore Masala Dosa special is the special Mysore chutney and filling, which is a spicy, red chutney made from a blend of red chillies, garlic, roasted gram and other spices. The red chutney is smeared generously on the inside of the dosa before adding the potato filling, which typically consists of mashed potatoes seasoned with spices like turmeric, mustard seeds and curry leaves.

It was a beautiful dosa – perfectly pan fried with a pleasing golden hue, crispy at the edges, fluffy on the inside and filled with a tangy masala filling that is flavourful and yet not overpowering. The mango lassi was thick, sweet and satisfying. Overall, the food was divine and I enjoyed it tremendously.

I continued walking down FC Road and saw the namesake college that gave the road its name. I then popped in to the Crossword bookshop where I picked up a few more books. As I have discovered four days earlier at the airport, books in India are much cheaper than back home so I took the opportunity to buy three more books here – Butter by Asako Yuzuki (599 rupees/S$9.88), More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (299 rupees/S$4.93) and An Autobiography or The Story of My Experiments with Truth by M.K. Gandhi (295 rupees/S$4.88), after being inspired by my visit to Aga Khan Palace two days ago.

At about 7:30pm, I took an Uber Auto to go to The Pavillion mall. The ride took 8 minutes and it cost 51.47 rupees (S$0.82). There are not many large shopping malls in Pune and Pavillion is one of the bigger and better ones. There was a relatively big Lifestyle department store, where I bought a cute shirt with yellow smiley faces. I then bought another flower shirt at a trendy clothing store called Azorte. I also spent some time looking for a suitable gift for UJ and GJ, as a little gesture to thank them for their great hospitality.

After cracking my head for a while, I finally found something suitable at the Homecentre store, which sold home furnishings. It was a beautiful and elegant peacock ornament that can function as a fruit tray or simply act as a display piece in the living room. It was so pretty that I wanted to buy one for my own home, but it was too troublesome because I would have to hand carry it back. I was very happy to find it, and I hope UJ and GJ will like the gift.

As the shops started to close, I went to the food court to grab a quick bite at KFC. I tried the local-flavoured tandoori Zinger burger but it turned out to be quite bad. Our Zinger burger in Singapore is much better.

At 10:00pm, I tried to book an Uber Auto to take me home but I was left quite frustrated because several of the Auto drivers accepted the ride before cancelling it. One of the drivers even wanted me to cross a big road because he was too lazy to make a turn from the other side of the road. I refused to do so. After several failed attempts at getting an Auto, I booked an Uber car, which was more expensive but at least the driver didn’t cancel my ride. I finally left Pavillion at 10:18pm and arrived home 14 minutes later. The ride cost 139.92 rupees (S$2.23), which frankly, isn’t that expensive. 

UJ and GJ were not home yet because they attended a wedding dinner of one of UJ’s relatives. I hid the present and packed my bags. One last night in Pune before I fly home tomorrow!