Doesn8217;t he get troubled by them

As steve Blakey gets off his motorcycle on M.G. Road, he is mobbed by a group of beggars. But unlike most, he does not seem to mind them ...

As steve Blakey gets off his motorcycle on M.G. Road, he is mobbed by a group of beggars. But unlike most, he does not seem to mind them touching him with their dirty hands, or pulling at his T-shirt.

Doesn8217;t he get troubled by them? 8220;Not at all, in fact, I like them a lot. They quite friendly.8221; Actually, there is very little that bothers him. He does not even find Pune dirty! 8220;I don8217;t mind the garbage and the stink, I can understand the reasons for all that.8221;

There is a lot this businessman from Canada likes about Pune, and primarily, it is its size. 8220;Canada is such a huge country, it is hard to go from one place to another. But Pune is nice and small. One can get to any place in no time at all. In fact, like Mumbai, it has all the happening places but unlike the metro, getting to any place is so much easier here. No taking local trains or expensive taxis, just get on a bike and zoom off.8221;

The other thing Blakey likes about Pune is its youngsters. 8220;There are so many young people here, and their attitude and mannerisms are infectious. One feels good being around them.8221; He also feels that Punekars are more familiar about other cultures. 8220;In this city, you can talk to a girl and it will not be misunderstood as something else.8221;

Blakey, who is staying at Kondhwa with his friends, also likes the food served here. 8220;Eating at a major pizza joint can cost one Rs. 200 but it is possible to eat Indian food for something as little as Rs. 50. Besides the cost, the food is also very delicious. I will miss it when I go back home.8221; Spices and all.

But Blakey is no Pune freak, he sees the other side of the coin too. 8220;What I find really sad is the way people cheat. Go to a petrol pump, take an auto-rickshaw and you can bet they will charge more than the actual rate. Just now, as I parked my bike, the attendant asked me to pay Rs. 2 instead of Re. 1. Being such a small amount, I thought I might as well pay it but then it8217;s not the money that counts, it8217;s the principal behind it.8221; So Blakey ends up arguing with most people.

Pune8217;s water is another bane as it gets Blakey8217;s digestive system all worked up! 8220;At the apartment, I have to be careful that my friend does not mix our water bottles. If the water is not boiled, I8217;m sure to get into trouble.8221; But all things considered, Blakey would love to return to the city..