Notes on Pune (or Pune as seen at 60 km/h).

A few weeks ago in this post, I shared with you all some photos (and a small video) of the little village that's close to my school, Paud.

As I said last time, Paud is about fifteen minutes away from MUWCI and it is where we sometimes go for dinner and spend our evenings. Today I want to talk to you about the city that's closest to us, Pune.

Pune City is about an hour away from Campus by car, and that is where almost every weekend, we get Starbucks, eat Chili's, go to the movies and shop at Phoenix Mall. Or, we buy cereal, fruits and other yummy treats at MG Road's Dorabjee's. 

Going to Pune is an experience on its own. 

First of all, because the ride feels infinite and since we do a week's worth of shopping when we go there, and we take some time off to relax with good food & movies, we try to stay there for a whole day, so it ends up feeling like a weekend's outing instead of a quick shopping spree.

Then, since the Jeeps and buses that take us from the school to Pune leave us at MG Road...we have to take a rickshaw from there to Phoenix Mall (a good 20 minutes away), and trust me, bargaining with about 40 drivers at a time is an art. Not to mention that we have learned how to fit all our bags, backpacks and friends into a tiny car that makes as much noise as if it was spitting its whole engine out. But oh, what would Pune be without its rickshaws? And what would we be without our weekend fun?

And finally, there's so much dirt in Pune that you know that all of next week's showers are not going to be enough to take it all away, and traffic is so loud that you wonder how you can still hear yourself thinking. Even then though, we wouldn't trade our trips to Pune for the world, because even with their ups and downs...we love them.

Before I say goodbye, I will leave you guys a small video of one of my trips to Pune (on what seems to be a pretty calm and common day). I hope you guys like it and (as always), thanks so much for reading.

 

Next week I will start posting about my recent trip to Paris and my plans for the winter, so do try to keep in touch. It still surprises me how my life is full of amazing things (and even more amazing people) ♡.

Chronicles of Project Week - Part Two.

If you read yesterday's post you'll remember that we finished right in the middle of the story, when my friend Srishti and I were enjoying the beach.

Well, next day we were given some plastic bags to pick up the trash that's left behind by the fishermen and tourists on the beach. The best part of my day was that my camera got a lot of wild action (*wink, wink*) because there were many little creatures that decided to pose for my lens.

Some days after, something amazing happened.

We woke up at around four in the morning in order to go hunting for snakes with the Irula, an Indian tribe that makes a living out of catching snakes, getting their venom in order to  make antidotes, and releasing the snakes back into the wild. 

The day looked promising. It seemed like it was going to be sunny and gorgeous and even though we weren't particularly happy about waking up early, the sunrise mesmerised us. It was definitely one of the best things we saw that week. 

Finally, our walk turned much more interesting when we found a Cobra. Well actually, the Irula found her rolled up in a little hole and we ran to see it. They showed us how snakes won't immediately attack even though they feel threatened but will wait until they are provoked several times. 

Here is a photo of my recently-acquired friend rocking a sexy pose for the lens.

I still can't believe that I was this close to a wild Cobra and I lived to tell the tale. I don't think it's necessary to  mention that I felt like such a pro when I got the photo, right? (Besides, I was the only one allowed this close because I had the camera. Privileges. Hehe). 

In one of our last days we went to the nearby towns to get some sightseeing done (who am I kidding, we went shopping). We had a lot of fun and I fell madly in love with Southern India. The food is just too good. 

We visited a pair of temples located just right next to the beach, and the view has been the best in the world.

We took a group picture that has become one of the prettiest memories of our trip. I love our diversity and ever since we went back to MUWCI, I have missed Kayleigh's pink hair randomly appearing in the middle of the crowd, Xueying's eternal good mood, Srishti's sarcastic comments and Rowan's cute face. My group was so nice and this week was truly special. 

Top (left to right): Enie (Malaysia) & Young (South Korea)

Bottom (left to right): Shebaz (Bangladesh), Xueying (China), Srishti (India/USA), Ariane (India/France), Amarnath (India), Amy (UK), Cary (Jamaica), Tanvi (India), Eleanor (Singapore), Me, Kayleigh (Wales), Omari (Jamaica) & Rowan (UK). 

Oh! By the way, there were no carpenter ants. But we did have mosquitos. Lots of them.

Finally, I have mande a tiny video of the three main animals that we saw in the Croc Bank (crocs, turtles and snakes) during their feedings. It's mixed with some beach shots because...well because I can. I hope you like it (and remember I have no talent for filming/editing!).

So...yes, I have reached the end of my week and the next posts you'll see (soon, very soon) will probably be very, very different. 

As always, thanks for reading. It means a lot to me. 

Chronicles of Project Week - the long awaited tale.

It was 1:30 in the morning and my friend Srishti was already waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. After having checked my packing list for the hundredth time and making sure I hadn't forgotten my camera (or God forbid, my underwear) I finally zipped up my small traveler backpack and shut the door behind me.

We arrived at the Parking Lot shortly after and in a matter of minutes, we were all packed into a bus en route to Pune Station. That's how we started our Project Week where, according to Cary (our faculty) we would be hugging crocodiles, charming snakes and fighting the evil carpenter ants.

At around four in the morning we were all riding the Chennai Express (which is almost as cool as the Hogwarts Express, except...not really). While in the beginning we were all hesitant to even touch the bedsheets (we saw tiny cockroaches strolling around our bunks), we fell sound asleep in a matter of minutes. What else was there to do for the next 25 hours, anyway? Our day went by with us talking, taking naps, eating spicy train food and listening to the chants of the vendors saying "Pani bottle, pani bottle, pani bottle" and "Chai, coffee; coffee, chai; chai, coffee", while we all tried to figure out how they fit two different drinks into the same container.

It was Sunday morning when we arrived at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust. We were half asleep, and I am pretty sure we didn't particularly smell like roses. The last time we had taken a shower had been Friday night. However, it was all soon forgotten when our guide for the week, Vineeth, gave us all steaming cups of chai while sitting right next to the beach to see the sun rise.

On our first day, we got to meet the crocodiles. I had never seen so many of them and I couldn't believe that they could stay still for so long (with their jaws hanging open!).

Crocs are really gorgeous creatures (in their own, unique way), and also some of the most naturally aggressive animals. Even more than snakes, apparently. We saw a couple of them that were missing limbs due to fights. They're definitely not the most sociable of animals.

That same afternoon we managed to get some time on the beach. Instead of actually being in the water, we focused on getting some expertly curated beach shells that are now some of the best souvenirs of my trip. 

During our second morning we met the turtles. Such cuties.

Contrary to what I believed, turtles are not that slow. They can move fast enough when they're hungry, and trust me...they're quick eaters.

Right after feeding our new wrinkly friends we went back to the crocodiles. The Crocs in the Bank Trust live in pits where they are grouped by age and species. The pits kind of look like this, except they vary in size. (And yes, that crocodile is real).

And just our luck...we were asked to clean the pits!

The green thing that can be seen in the picture is actually a mix of sand, food and crocodile shit that has been casually chilling there for about four months. Only. 

While we were cleaning, the crocs stayed outside of the pits. You know, just looking at our every move and such...nothing creepy.

A little later that same day we were introduced to the tiny snakes and we got to learn a little about their life cycle and general anatomy. We also learned that in most cases, snakes will not attack immediately when they feel threatened. Instead, they will wait until its territory is repeatedly invaded before preparing to bite or constrict. They're actually pretty cool creatures.

Afterwards, everyone retired to our room to get ready for a biodiversity night-walk, while Srishti and I managed to squeeze in a little more beach time. I must add that having a private beach feels great. We were the only two people out there for a long while and everything was peaceful and quiet. 

Since this is actually turning out to be a pretty long post and we're not even halfway through the adventure...(we haven't even gotten to the best part yet!), I will end the first part here and I promise, promise that I will come back tomorrow and finish the tale. This time it won't take two weeks, honestly.

And finally, as most of you guys know already, I have spent a few days in Paris that have been magnifique! So...expect a few couple of posts on that too. Thanks for reading (and sorry for taking such a long vacation from the blog!).

Paud, as seen at 60 km/h (and other exciting news).

Some days ago I noticed that I always talk about the things that happen to me while I'm at school, and even though I've mentioned Pune & Paud a couple of times, I haven't really talked much about the place in which I now live. So, today's post will be about that. 

My school is located in Khubavali, a small village located in the middle of some smaller communities, which are in turn close to a bigger village called Paud. The photos below are of some of the things I see while traveling to Paud. 

Paud is about fifteen minutes away from my school (by car), and that's where we sometimes eat dinner or buy fruit (and ice cream!). We also have a post office and an ATM. I made a small video so that you guys can see the place where I now hang out in the afternoons (not really, I just go there sometimes because the food is nice).

To watch the HD version, click here.

I obviously had to include a totally-pointless and totally-random Bollywood song into the mix, because if I can't publish my guilty pleasures on a personal blog, then life isn't worth living.

Oh, and I have some exciting news! 

For the next 9 days, I'm going to be out and about in Tamil Nadu (that's down South) spending my time at Madras Crocodile Bank hugging lizards, handling snakes and fighting carpenter ants (it's on the beach!). I will be off the blog for all of next week, but I promise to share 20 thousand photos and make a big post on it when I come back. Wish me luck! 

Diwali (not to be confused with Christmas or anything of the sort).

India and all of us Humans of the Hill have been partying hard in this corner of the world, because it is Diwali!

Diwali, or the Festival of Lights commemorates the return of Lord Rama after fourteen years of exile in which his wife was kidnapped by the King of Lanka, Ravana. When Rama & Sita arrived at the capital of their empire, after Rama defeated Ravana in a memorable battle and rescued his wife, the people lit up the streets with diyas, a kind of oil lamp. Today homes are decorated with candles, lamps and fairy lights. Indian households also endure some thorough cleaning during Diwali, great food is cooked, and people make Rangoli, a sort of drawing on the floor made out of color powder. 

I have heard some misconceptions about this celebration, and the only thing I can say is that Diwali is not Christmas (or its equivalent). Christmas is also celebrated in India (2.3% of the population is Christian) and Diwali is completely different.

The magnitude of the celebrations varies according to the State, and both Maharashtra and MUWCI celebrated accordingly! We had Bollywood music and girls wearing Sarees. And if you think men look good in suits...you should see them in kurta!

 Me & my gorgeous second-year roomie, Ritwika

 The Mexicans: Daniela, Ana (2nd year) & myself.

With Mawada, my favourite Sudanese. 

Apart from food and freshly squeezed sugar-cane juice, we had performances, a mehndi tattoo station (like the one I used in this post) & palm readings.  

Me & my friend Lana from Armenia getting a palm-reading from Sonia, our Wada Parent.

(Thanks for the photo Adityajit!)

Ajanta & Ellora, a paradise made of stone.

This is the first of many great views that I had the chance of seeing last weekend when I went with my Art class to visit the Caves of Ajanta & Ellora in Aurangabad.

The trip took about 9 hours on bus. We left school on Friday afternoon and that same night we were having a midnight snack in Aurangabad. On Saturday morning we drove for about two more hours to get to the Caves of Ajanta, the first ones on our list.

The caves of Ajanta were built during the second century B.C.E., and they contain Buddhist images & sculptures. They have been part of India's World Heritage according to UNESCO since 1983. There are many interesting facts surrounding the caves, but one of the most relevant is that they were re-discovered by an English officer in 1819, after centuries of being abandoned! To this day, they remain in their original (and magical) state. They are truly impressive.

Ajanta has about 36 caves (each more impressive than the one before) which include what once were meditation rooms, teaching halls and cells for monks, among other things. The ceilings, walls and columns are (or were) all painted with ink made out of various kinds of plants and flowers, and they have very detailed carvings. 

There is a statue of Buddha in pretty much every cave. The sculptures tell his story and that is why in the last cave (Cave 36), Buddha is in a horizontal position (as if he was asleep), which means he has  reached Nirvana.

Apart from having caves, there's a river that runs through the site, as well as a small park and even a lookout. 

Besides exploring and snapping photos, we had the chance to sit down and sketch for a long time. This has probably been the most creative trip I've ever been in, and I have never felt as artistic and professional as I did when I sat down to draw. Even though it was only for half an hour. And I drew two wobbly lines somewhere in my journal. 

On Sunday morning we went to visit the Caves of Ellora. I thought that after spending a day in Ajanta nothing was going to be impressive anymore, but I had no idea that two places could be just as magnificent and genuinely beautiful. Ellora is fantastic.

Ellora has many more sculptures than paintings and the caves are a mixture of Buddhist and Hindu religions, so there is also a wider variety of sculptures, and carvings have a greater importance.

This is one of the first few photos of a cave from the inside, and even though it looks simple, when you are standing in the middle of that enormous hall, you feel really small. But everything is so beautiful that it doesn't really matter. And the peace that can be felt in that place is another story entirely. 

Even though the caves seem to have an average size, the truth is they're HUGE!

Ellora also has a temple which is famous for being built from top to bottom instead of viceversa, which is how everything is usually built. 

The temple is possibly the most gorgeous view in all of Ellora. 

One of the things I liked best was that although Ajanta & Ellora attract thousands of tourists, both places are clean and well preserved. Not all the guards were nice, but some of them gave us really small tours and random facts, so I had a great time. 

I couldn't have enjoyed this trip more. It was worth every second!

Thanks for the photo, Mawada! 

To look at the photos in their original format, click here.