Here, I have to first mention the name of a young friend Raj who lives in Cleveland. He introduced us to his family friend (Bharti) in Pune, over the phone and they were extremely helpful in the local travel arrangements. By which I mean, the taxi, the wonderful owner (Sanjay) of the taxi and the efficient taxi driver (Shakeel). I owe them a million thanks for making our stay in Maharashtra so comfortable. Raj played a key role!!!
We had a busy schedule ahead of us. We took a bus from Kolhapur to Pune. The hotel reception desk told us that it would be easier carrying the luggage to the bus station ourselves rather than hiring an Autorickshaw. The luggage pieces looked innocently small, but were heavy. It was a very busy road to cross, even though we could see the station. Rao carried all the luggage in two trips. We offered to help, but he would not let us carry that heavy luggage.
We bought the tickets to Pune on the bus. It was a Govt. bus and we paid only 200 Rs. per person. The ride to Pune was very comfortable and was about 6 hours long. Shakeel was supposed to meet us at a certain spot. But, with a lot of confusion from both ends, we had to wait for more than an hour before we met him. He introduced us to a hotel and we decided to stay there. The place is called 'Silvermoon'. We felt it was expensive for the amenities that were provided. But overall, it was comfortable. The service was good. Later on we found out that the management was Telugu speaking. Since they grew up in Pune, their Telugu was different. I was glad that Rao was just happy and did not start correcting their Telugu.
It was Gayatri's birthday and we called her and left a message. We rested that night well.
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