Journey to Pune - Happy Diwali!

This morning, I woke up to the sounds of fireworks outside my room. Due to the official day of Diwali, fireworks were being set off the night before and then around 5am this morning. Thus, I woke at 6am, began getting ready for the day and then went downstairs and made chai and breakfast for everyone before we left.
We left the house at 7:20am, but right before that, Leena (from next door) brought over a plate of sweets and wished us a Happy Diwali – it’s custom to make sweets for the week before Diwali, in order to eat them and give them to others during the 5-day celebration. We had been told the bus to Pune would be leaving at 7:30, but apparently it didn’t arrive until 8:30. We waited for an hour and then hopped onto a PACKED bus. There were no seats, and some people were even standing! We had been warned that many people travel during the festival, but we didn’t take it seriously until we saw it for ourselves. So, we stood on the bus for over an hour and then found seats to squish into, where we shared two seats with three people (including our huge backpacks).
The trip to Pune took 3 ½ hours for the incredibly cheap price of Rs. 80 ($1.90) each. I met some wonderful people on the bus who exchanged sweets and nuts with us (we had brought some to munch on and also give to others for Diwali), and small talk, and Happy Diwali wishes.
Upon arriving to Pune, we transferred buses to Katraj (from the Swarget bus station). From Katraj, we found a rickshaw man who was willing to take us to our hostel (apparently, it was far away). It took us an hour to find it, because the driver kept stopping and asking for directions- not to mention, the hostel was way out in the middle of nowhere on top of a hill that was rocky and dangerous to drive up. On this dinky rickshaw, we were squished in the back and pretty dang sure we would tip over from all the potholes and bumpiness of the roads.
When we finally arrived to the hostel, the rickshaw man refused to drive us up the large windy rocky hill it would take to reach the top. So, we walked. It only took about 7 minutes, but I was so dehydrated and hot from the intensity of the sun. We were all thinking, “What the heck have we gotten ourselves into??” But, when we reached the top, I felt all my worries vanish. I could seem a magnificent view of the city and the wide lake below us. Plus, the breeze was cooler from the elevation change. When I entered the hostel, it was nothing like the crap hole I expected! For Rs. 300 ($6) per night, we stayed in a large room with three beds, and two couches, was served chai and snacks whenever we wanted them, and could climb the roof to see the view any time! There was a grass lawn outside (which, I haven’t seen in a really long time) and a swimming pool.
We all put our stuff down, downed our water bottles, ate our snacks, and then called the hotel’s rickshaw to pick us up and bring us back into town, because we only had one day to spend in the city. Despite our exhaustion from traveling, there was no time for rest. We made our way into the city (45 min.) and ate Domino’s Pizza! What an exciting lunch after eating Indian food three times a day for the last month!
Afterwards, my mission was to get as much shopping done for the best deals as I could in one day. We took a rickshaw to a place called Laxmi Road, where jewelry, clothing, handmade art, book, and more are sold for miles ahead. Jess and I bought tons of things for super cheap and found this block that had nothing but bookstores for at least a mile. This was just what I wanted, because Indian history, culture, religion, philosophy, spirituality, yoga, and diets books are all sold here for very cheap prices.
Afterwards, Jess and I met up with Reid at McDonalds. I would never resort to McDonald’s in America because of the variety we have, but this was so exciting to eat in India! After dinner, we waited outside for our rickshaw driver to pick us up. Many fireworks were being blown up on the streets, and it seemed like they were going off out of nowhere! When the rickshaw brought us home, we had to dodge so many fireworks because they were simply being thrown into the street! One of them actually went off as we were driving on it. I was surprised we didn’t blow up. The ride was dark and bumpy, and honestly a little scary. But, we arrived to our hostel with only a few burns from shards of fireworks blowing into the rickshaw. The driver had to take us up one by one up the hill. Luckily, Reid had his headlamp with him, so he easily walked to the hostel. However, I was pretty dang sure there were snakes everywhere and was not ready to encounter one. So, I took the rickshaw.
We got home and watched all the fireworks on the roof that were being lit below us throughout the city. They were constantly blowing up from everywhere! It was beautiful (from a distance, ha ha). What a magical time Diwali is.
The way home on the bus was just as adventurous as the way there, but I am pleased to say that I came home in one piece. What a great memory I will always laugh at!