“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
Last extended weekend I was in Pune to be with my friend to spend some quality time. After days of planning, creating a ‘touristy itinerary’ and modifying it time and again… and still clearer of the idea that life’s greatest journeys are those that are taken unplanned…  I landed up in Pune’s Lohegaon airport… trying hard not to look like the ubiquitous nerds and carrying half my intended clothes and double the money!!
Day 1: was for movies and eating out… and planned to watch AA DEKHE ZARA or THE REVOLUTIONARY ROAD but eventually had to settle for a typical masala flick starring Bobby Deol, Shriya and Nana Patekar titled EK- The Power of One… due to the ongoing strike betn the filmmakers and multiplex owners.
Day 2: was originally planned for a visit to Matheran but eventually changed it to Mumbai and it turned out much better than expected. Took a Volvo and took pics enroute, visited Churgate, Nariman Point, Marine Drive, Chowpatty, Boat ride in front of the Taj Mahal Hotel, Gateway of India, Lunch @ Leopold Café. One thing we noticed was the bullet mark in the window right next to where we sat in the first floor of the café… a poignant remembrance of the ill-fated day perhaps. The place is famous as a backpacker’s joint and was bustling with people… conversing over good food and mugs of beer…
Once we came out after having lunch I noticed that I’ve left my Fastrack sunglass in the café… and I just moved on… although it would have taken just 5-7 mins to walk back and get it back…:) It was a sultry day but a day well spent… although we were dead tired by the time we came back to Pune at 9pm.
Day3: After a good night’s sleep we had a nice heavy bfast comprising of utthapams, Sabudana khichidi and chai… we planned for the day. The earlier plans to visit the Sinhagad fort and other nearby places got modified and we planned to start the day by watching AA DEKHE ZARA… for me it was a welcome change from the regular multiplexes and we visited a single theatre movie hall which was as plush as a multiplex with good sound and deluxe reclining seats… all these and much more for just 80 bucks a ticket… and the morning show was available for just 40 bucks… :)
I am not sure about the Critic’s ratings of this movie but we thoroughly enjoyed this movie… and definitely worth a dekko… In between lunch and movie we got some spare time and we visited a nearby mall and I bought a Provogue T-shirt which was a 10-sec impulse buying… and I changed my Pink Floyd black T-shirt with the new striped maroon one in the restroom and walked back with a new look!! J
We also visited Shanivar Wada and Shinde Chatri and really liked the whole experience… as if our history is preserved in a time-warp.
Evening time was reserved for visiting Oh! Calcutta which was a specialty Bengali cuisine restaurant… and we enjoyed Hilsa in mustard sauce, steamed rice plus other delicacies… The absolutely fantastic ambience and piped instrumental music made it a truly memorable outing.
Next day I took my flight back and reached office directly from the airport…. It took 70 mins from Pune to Bangalore and 2.5 hrs from BIAL to Electronics City… which truly highlights the sorry state.
It was a very memorable weekend break and I made good use of my Nikon dlsr as well… plus I came to appreciate the timer mechanism in her Kodak camera which helped us to take many ‘US’ pics without asking any bystanders to do the honors!!
Ending this post with a few lines from the Westlife song- FLYING WITHOUT WINGS.
And you're the place my life begins,
and you'll be where it ends.
I'm flying without wings.
And that's the joy you bring,
I'm flying without wings.
Here are a few pics that I managed to click during the journey:
 
Pic 1: An ancient man guarding Shinde Chatri (Pune)
 
Pic 2: Angels descending, bring from above, Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
  
 Pic 3: Mynah
 
Pic 4: Churchgate Rly Station, Mumbai



Pic 5: Candid pic at Nariman Point, Mumbai
 
Pic 6: Paint me Yellow

Pic 7:Inertia of Unrest- Marine Drive, Mumbai

Pic 8: O' Beautiful World!!

Pic 9: Life's beautiful wallpaper (Pune)
 
Pic 10: The Taj of Apollo Bunder (Hotel Taj Mahal, Mumbai )
Pic 11: Nature's Pallette
 
Pic 12: Shinde Chatri,Pune
Pic 13: Sparrow (Face/Off)
Pic 14: Oh! Calcutta (Speciality Bengali Cuisine Restaurant, Pune)
Pic 15: That inevitable pic... (tht's me!! :)