Exploring Central Pune, India, part 7

OK, enough about the hotel, about the sky and about music...let's explore Pune.

I took the autorikshaw to go from the hotel to the oldest part of town, Central Pune. These autorikshaws are quite low, especially for a tall european like myself, so you can not sit up straight. And if you like to look outside, you have to bend even deeper. But apart from that (and the hassle to make them turn on their meter) they are very handy and breezy rides. 

And there is a lot to be seen along the way:

In an autorikshaw.

Traffic is heavy, noisy, dirty and congested. 

Some images from along the way, of people traveling, working, walking and so on:

Bike repair centre;-)

Household items vendor.

Old man pulling a heavy load.

Old woman with bags full of collected paper and cardboard to sort out.

The mixture of old/traditional and modern is surprising for us westerners; to see bulls with giant horns and even elephants on the streets amidst of motorized traffic like cars, buses, motorbikes is something we do not see in Holland nor Singapore!

This elephant seems to be used for rides on the busiest shopping street of Pune. I feel for the animals, like this one or the oxes in the pictures. Many are treated so badly. It makes my heart weep.

The city is also full with stray animals, like this mother dog with two youngsters. My friend Kitu from Mumbai is very involved with animal rescue and stray cats and so on. I am happy that there are people like her around!

Children wear school uniforms in India, I guess an inheritance from the British colonial times, like also cricket and driving on the left side of the road.

Family living on the sidewalk.

The people from the slum across the hotel hang their laundry to dry over the railing of the bridge; a handy place for the long fabrics to dry.

Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow I will show you something of the architecture in the old centre.