Call Of India

Many take a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life by going to day retreats that offer leisure recreation. Generally day retreats are located a ways out of the city and take traveling to get to, for this reason visitors tend to spend a full day at the retreat. Each location is different and has its own appeal and attractions. This post will be focusing on one in the Kharadi neighborhood of Pune.  The KAPILA RESORTS is a real gem in an unexpected location about 30 minutes outside the heart of Pune. It is very easy to get to and is open to the public 7 days a week.  This sprawling property has so much to offer and enjoy.                                   HIGHLIGHTS OF  KAPILA RESORTS   RENTABLE CABANAS There are several rentable cabanas near the onsite restaurant. A table and chairs are included in the rental. LARGE DINING AREAS/RESTAURANT The restaur...

LOHIYA GARDEN is by far one of my favorite Jogger Parks in the area. It has big beautiful trees and tons of space to enjoy cool grassy areas. In a hustling and bustling city that noise and air pollution are everywhere parks like this are a welcome break.  Generally speaking the Jogger Parks are clean and welcoming. You will often see women in sarees and men in worker uniforms doing lots of work caretaking for these oasis'. NOTABLE FEATURES OF LOHIYA GARDEN CHILDREN'S PLAY AREA The play structure and area for children has some really fun features and is quite spacious compared to others I have seen. It has a large play structure where kids can climb, hang, and slide. There is a swing set, a slide in the shape of a Rocketship and a jungle gym in the shape of a ball all painted in bright colors.   VIBRANT ANIMAL MURAL To separate the park from its neighbors a tall wall that spans the entire length of the park was constructed and  a mural was painted on it. The mural was...

SWIGGY and ZOMATO are two of the largest fast food delivery companies here in India. Let's take a look at some differences between these apps. SWIGGY The SWIGGY app gives four general service options, which are categorized as: Food, Instamart, Dineout, and Genie. Take a look at what each of these are used for: FOOD  This part of the app is used to order local fast food . There are many food options from restaurants with various cuisines to choose from.  INSTAMART Instamart is used for groceries . Zomato generally has a good range of items for quick delivery. This is especially helpful if you are in a pinch and need an item last minute or just don't feel like going out to a store. DINEOUT This option is if you are looking for a restaurant to go out to in person. If you are not familiar with the local places or would like to try something new this is a good option to locate your new favorite restaurant. GENIE This is a very cool option if you would like to send someone somethin...

Like the rest of the world, local prices can fluctuate and at times even sky rocket. For example right now, at least in Pune, tomatoes went from 16₹ (rupees) per kilo to 120₹ (rupees) seemingly overnight. When inflation hits, don't we all look for a bargain? Generally, going to the local chicken vendor is a good way to cut down cost. Comparatively, the chicken I bought from the business shown below was 240₹ per kilo, whereas on the delivery apps it was about 260₹ for 500 grams (more than double the cost). Additionally eggs generally go for about 189₹-220₹ for 30 eggs at the grocery store. The same 30 eggs were 150₹ with the chicken man. You do the math, there are savings to be had shopping with your local vendors in India.

Many neighborhoods in India have what is called Jogger Parks for their communities. These parks generally open sometime in the mornings, close for the afternoons, and then open again in the late afternoon/early evening for the public to come and exercise. You will often see people meditating, using the exercise machines and doing walking rounds on the pathways. The one featured here is called GP Pradhan Garden and it is a smaller jogger park in the city of Pune. GP Pradhan Garden Rd, Bhosale Nagar, Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra 411028 Interested in visiting the park? https://goo.gl/maps/2CeF4w2zwK7ZFTaDA

One of the nicest things about grocery shopping in India are all of the delivery apps. This post features an app called BIG BASKET , which has a wider selection of products and imports than many of the other brands. Unless you periodically scan through the various categories you could miss a lot of great unexpected items. I highly recommend checking out their GOURMET AND WORLD FOODS section if you are looking for some unique international products not easily found in the local grocery store. When you open the app you will be given a few options: bigbasket, bigbasket now, fresho! meats, the beauty store or +pharma  You can choose from several categories from the drop down menu Gourmet World Foods has it's own categories To start shopping go to: https://www.bigbasket.com/

If you are like me and find adapting to a regular diet of Indian food to be a challenge then DORABJEES is going to be your new best friend. This chain caters to foreign food imports and has a wide selection of options that may not be readily found in other grocery stores. Unique products that can be found include: a wide array of cheeses and dairy, pasta choices, real lunch meat, pork, fresh Italian herbs, olives, pickles, foreign seasonings, and many many more foreign/imported delights. Find a Dorabjees near you: https://dorabjeesonline.com/

There are a variety of local stores that you can get basic household groceries for reasonable prices. Most, if not all of these generally accept foreign credit/debit cards: STAR BAZAAR STAR HYPER DMART RELIANCE SMART A quick Google search will show your closest store. Many malls have at least one grocery store located inside. General items found at these stores: Fruits, vegetables, dairy, seasonings, cooking oils, dry goods, can goods, juices, sodas, bread, cereal, various types of flours, cleaning products, appliances, clothing, cookware/utensils. Want help finding your local stores? https://starbazaarindia.com/pages/store-locator https://storelocator.ril.com/Retail.aspx https://www.dmartindia.com/

Funny enough, this is a very common question people who have never travelled to India want to know.  AND the answer is, of course, is YES! As a predominantly Hindu country the cows here are considered to be sacred. Therefore, when they enter the road they are allowed to hang around at leisure, even if it causes traffic jams. 😃  

I have a friend who LOOOOVES this wonderful creation called: PANI PURI and she loves to convert others to her dark side. This delightful treat can be found out on the Indian streets. I highly recommend you ask friends first for their trusted street food locations. My friend has yet to lead me astray. Pani puri is made of little fried hallow balls that the vendor pokes holes into to fill with various things like; boiled potatoes, boiled chickpeas or white pea curry. Next a spicy tangy sauce or a sweet chutney is poured on top along with tasty crunchy bits. There are many variations of the pani puri and can be adapted by asking the vendor. The ones pictured below also had curd on top. Want to learn how to make Pani Puri check out a recipe here: https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pani-puri-recipe-mumbai-pani-puri-recipe/

  The best way to describe driving in India is ORGANIZED CHAOS. Are there lane markings? Yes. Do drivers use the lanes? No. There may only be 2 marked lanes on a road and yet somehow you will see 3, 4, or 5 lines of merging and crossing traffic. What fascinates me is the ability for Indian drivers to function so well in the complete lack of defined and intended barriers. To foreign eyes it seems all the drivers innately know how to integrate themselves into this chaotic symphony that is the Indian road system. Some interesting observations: * Horns are used heavily instead of signals, if you are sensitive to noise pollution be ready to bare through hearing obnoxious honking on a daily basis. * Drivers will take every opportunity to SQUEEZE into any space available and as close as possible without physically touching the other vehicle. * If you are riding in a rickshaw (this small vehicle generally has no windows but is pretty open) be prepared to get dirty from the dust out on the ...

India uses the rupee ( ₹ / INR ) as their national currency Common  denominations in coins are: 1₹, 2₹, 5₹, and 10₹  Common denominations of bills are: 10₹, 20₹, 50₹, 100₹, and 500₹ The current exchange rate as of this post for USD to INR is: 82.62. A general rule for quick conversion is 80₹ (80 Rupees) to $1 (one US Dollar).  Conversion IND to USD: 20₹ = .24¢  50₹ = .61¢   100₹ =$1.21 500₹ =$6.05 Learn more about the Indian Rupee here: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/forex/indian-rupee

This blog was created for those who feel the Call of India and would like a first hand look into what may be awaiting them on their Indian adventures. As a first time Indian traveler myself there were so many things I just did NOT know and wish I had! May the things posted here help you on your adventures to India.