Pune, India? good bad stories?

IKO

Hi,

Has anyone been to Pune, India? Possibly may have to go there for work for 2 weeks and know nothing about it.

Any good or bad points?
Is it safe?
travel/transport good?
food, people?
everyone has English?
Thanks for the advice.

IKO

krb1979

Hi,
I am quite familiar with the city. Lived there for 4-5 years. It is a nice place better than some of the other bigger cities in India.
Do you know which part of Pune you will be staying in? If you provide more details I can try answer your questions.

Thanks.

IKO

Hi, thanks for the reply. So far all I know is that the office I have to go to is in Pune. I have no other information yet. Have never been to India and its a hell of a journey from Ireland. Lots to work out.
Is it safe to walk the streets and use public transport?

madrabui

IKO wrote: »

Hi, thanks for the reply. So far all I know is that the office I have to go to is in Pune. I have no other information yet. Have never been to India and its a hell of a journey from Ireland. Lots to work out.
Is it safe to walk the streets and use public transport?

Mumbai-ers are moving out to Pune. A lot of people are buying holiday/weekend homes there. It's considered (by Indians) as a pretty upmarket sort of place.

The only thing that unnerved me is that a shop in Pune sells Hitler T-shirts: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8660064.stm

krb1979

Yes, it is safe to walk on streets. Assuming you are Irish/European, I wouldn't bother with public transport. The buses in Pune are really bad and crowded and will almost never get you to where you want to go. If you are going to a IT company, chances are that they will have their own bus service going to specific locations around to city to pick up and drop off people.
Again depending on which side of Pune you are on, there will be a few hotels that are frequented by Westerners. I might be able to help you more once you know the name and location of the company to which you are going in Pune.
Be careful eating out, rather try to eat at office canteen or at your hotel. Have bottled water with you all the time. Have medicine for upset stomach. And depending on where you are in Pune, you may also need mosquito repellant cream for arms and legs.
Enjoy the place and do some sightseeing if you have colleagues with you.
Hope this helps.

IKO

Thanks guys, Yes its an IT company. I am Irish. I am waiting on more details myself. I'm going alone!! aarrghh!! What is the weather like in March?

krb1979

Weather shoud be warm and sunny.
You will be able to get all kinds of food. Western, Indian, Chinese Italian etc...
People should be speaking very good english at hotels and at you place of work.You may need to speak slowly as people may find accent hard to understand.

IKO

Hi, It looks like I will be going here: Magarpatta city, Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

krb1979

It's good you now know where you are going. I am not familiar with that part of Pune but your company should help you with accomodation and transport. Lot of IT companies in India provide taxi/auto-rickshaw fare for employees and as you are visiting from outside that should be arranged for you. One hotel that might appeal to you is Vivanta By Taj - Blue Diamond, Pune which is about 10km from Magarpatta and is a high end place.

doroth

As far as I heard, Pune is a student city. I got the chance to go and study there for one year, this is why I'm also interested in hearing more about the city.

IKO

Yes they will book the hotel for me. I hope they book the transport aswell. I heard a rumour that they do not have taxi's over there but that could just be a silly rumour. I got my vaccinations on Friday. I was told it was a low risk time for malaria so I didnt need the tablets only insect repellant...

krb1979

That's right, Pune does not have taxis.(at least public transport ones). Companies sometimes may have private cars that are used to ferry people around. Pune has auto rickshaws. Also, if your company is in an IT park then there may be company buses(or private IT park buses) that might drop you very close to your place of stay. Get these items clarified and if you work for a MNC then make sure your company puts you in a decent hotel. (suitable for westerners). I will add though that in general IT companies in India will look after you and provide you all the assistance you need.

IKO

Thanks for the update. I am still waiting for the hotel and flight details. Travel date should be march 5th. what kind of plugs do you have there? 3 pin or 2 pin plugs?? What are the mosquitos like in March? Doctor said I didn't need Malaria drugs just to use insect repellant!! Do people use mosquito nets? Is a rickshaw like some kind of public taxi?

krb1979

Mosquito presence depends on the area you are in. To be on the safer side I would suggest that you use repellant cream on exposed body parts during evenings. You will get an idea in a day or 2 about the situation. Usually hotels in India will have mosquito repellants but depending on quality may not be much effective. On the other hand may be go with the malaria shot just for peace of mind.:D

Mosquito nets are quite common during night and most effective (than repellants ) but you probably won't be able to put them up in a hotel room. They are more for homes.

Auto rickshaws are form of public transport/taxi. If you use them make sure, you pay the driver by the meter otherwise you will surely be ripped off.
European plugs will work in India, but not UK/Irish.

IKO

maybe i go back to the doctor and ask him about malaria again...

krb1979

I would like to clarify. European 2 pin plugs will work....not sure about 3 pin european plugs.
I think its worth a shot with the GP.

If you are free on weekends then the CAmp area is nice to have a look.
IF you wish to try local food do go to a shop called Chitale Bandhu. Thier main shop is in Deccan Gymkhana area and lot of the food flies of the shelf. Try their famous "Bakarvadi" snack. You will have to go early in the morn ~9 to 10am or just after 4 when shop reopens.
Most small shops will be closed between 1-4 in afternoon on weekdays.
If you want to try some local cuisine, and Maharashtrian dishes, unlike the currys you get here, and don't have any qualms of eating with hand then I would recommend eating at Hotel Shreyas. It is again near Deccan Gymkhana and serves traditional Puneri/country food. All veg though, no non-veg.

Just make sure you bring bottled water with you, follow some of my earlier advice around having some meds.

IKO

Thank you for the clarification
I went back to my GP and he gave me tablets for Malaria. very expensive they are. I will bring other general medicaitons aswell.

Where is the Camp area? Is it shops or a park? It is a section of Pune?
I will look for Chitale Bandhu.
Deccan Gymkhana? That is a big shopping centre with many shops?? I saw it on the map near a river.
I like Indian food but I know in Ireland it is not spicy at all. Is there no meat in any of the dishes?
Should I bring my own water in my suitcase you mean??

Do they really have cows and Elephants on the street there as I saw on some pictures on google? You are not allowed touch the cows? That would be intersting to see. I better bring my camera.

At Least I know about my flight now. From Dublin to Frankfurt, from Frankfurt to Pune. It was the only flight with one stop all the other flights had 2 and 3 stops.

IKO

What are the general prices for food and drink? I See that, 1.00 EUR = 71.7738 INR.

IKO

Also, funny thing is!! without me saying anything...they book that hotel u mentioned above!! the blue diamond one!! amazing.

krb1979

Yes, you will be living in a hotel as per western std at Blue diamond.
Food etc in shops should be very cheap.
Yes, do carry bottled water with you everywhere and hang on to it. YOu may get it at hotel or in shops. Alternately chemists in India also sell small tablets/drops that you can put in normal water to disinfect it and more suitable for drinking.

Indian beer will be about 1 to 1.5 euro for 750ml. Try kingfisher, london pilsner, and other indian brands. Avoid heiniken etc.
No cows or elephants on streets....get that out of your head. But be prepared for lot of traffic and incessant honking on streets.
You will get non-veg food at Blue diamond and other restaurants but may have difficulty geting beef or pork. Chicken, fish and lamb should not be a problem.
If you wish to try traditional Maharashtrian food then Shreyas hotel would be a good choice. Its unlimietd food, you just need to get a seat you will be served the menu till you are full.
Camp area would be shops. There are a few parks in Pune but would be crowded unlike the ones here.
It will be great if you can ask the hotel or someone at work for directions to Chitale bandhu and to Deccan gymkhana area/Junglee maharaj road. There is Sambhaji park on Junglee Maharaj(JM) road where you can get Neera, which is like a coconut drink. But you can only drink it before afternoon as it quickly ferments to alcohol by evening.

Avoid street food at ll costs.
If I think of anything else to do I will put a post.

IKO

Hi,
How do you recommend I get from the airport to the Taj blue Diamond? I arrive at 05:30am. Are there Taxis outside the building or can you go to a desk in the airport and ask for transport? or should I contact the hotel ask ask about transfer?
I will bring bottled water with me. I guess it is easy to buy bottled water there aswell?
I will leave in 2 weeks..

krb1979

I'd say check with the hotel to see if they can help you. There are usually pre-paid taxis that are available from airports i.e. you can book a taxi online and pre-pay so that so are not charged exorbitantly later. Again the hotel, might be able to help you here.
You might also be able to pre-pay at the airport before getting into a taxi.

Yes, you can get bottled water at the hotel and in certain shops.When going out, getting water from hotel might be the best option.
Taj Blue Diamond would be professionally managed so you should get help from them.....hopefully.

IKO

Thanks, I checked with the hotel today, waiting for them to reply but I guess they would do transfers. I'm leaving on Saturday, going with Lufthansa via Frankfurt. Have most of my bag packed, will stick 2L of water in there until I get settled over there.

IKO

They didn't have Indian rupees at the exchange in dublin airport...apparently your not supposed to be able to get them outside of India..

bullpost

One of these might be handy if you are worried about water.

IKO wrote: »

Thanks, I checked with the hotel today, waiting for them to reply but I guess they would do transfers. I'm leaving on Saturday, going with Lufthansa via Frankfurt. Have most of my bag packed, will stick 2L of water in there until I get settled over there.

krb1979

Yes, i'd say if you can get something like what bullpost has suggested you will be fine. Again...you will get such items at a chemist shop in india.
Indian rupees you will only get in India. Rupee is a closed currency so cannot be traded outside india. I'd say when you land at airport get a few rupees from one of the agents. They usually give you a poor rate but if your employer is going to reimburse you then not to worry. Alternately, check with hotel if then can add the transfer to their tab so don't have to pay anyone except the hotel.