Osho.

It's come to my attention that I'm a 10-minute walk from some sort of crazy sex cult. Apparently it's well-known to Pune locals... and foreigners in the loop.


My hotel is the innocent and pious blue circle on the right. Osho International Meditation Resort is the red circle on the left. I've had various colleagues here describe the Osho resort as "a cult," but I didn't piece everything together until I was dropped off at my hotel the other night. On the last leg of the drive, my companion blurted out "Holy crap! You live right by Osho!"

"Yeah?" I responded. "It's just some cult or whatever, right?"

"Osho's usually the only thing foreigners know about Pune. People come from all over the world to have orgies there."

Ooooookaaaaay. I guess that explains why I keep getting dirty looks as I walk around the south side of the river. And it would also explain all the white people I see at German Bakery. (German Bakery is on the west end of North Main Road.) And it explains why, upon examining one of said tourists, he's dressed in robes with an I'm-so-enlightened-now-that-I've-come-to-India-and-found-myself look on his face; he's just spent the last three weeks of his annual vacation eating sushi and banging some random British girl(s). Good for Employee #37816. He deserves it.

Here's hoping he runs out of money soon. Or contracts syphilis. Though I'm sure when he's back in the States many weeks of autumn shall be consumed telling everyone on the 37th floor that there is more to life than Excel macros -- thus causing the next influx of tourists.

Watch the ad for Osho International Meditation Resort. Check out the resort's webpage. Visit osho.com. Read Osho's thoughts on sex and AIDS. Now tell me you don't want to visit. I plan on checking it out next week. I mean... they do have a kick-ass pool.