Apr 2007

My first weekend trip to see another part of India was to a city on the west coast of India. The city is vacation spot for many -- indian honeymooners, british vacationers, even some Americans. There was 7 of us - all girls (yes, that was interesting!). It was a fun weekend. Relaxing by the pool, shopping and enjoying a few well-deserved beers after a busy week.
Our hotel was very nice (a pics below)

There isn't anything too exciting to write about. But, I did take a video of Baga Beach. This is a very popular beach for the young party crowd. We stopped to have a beer and watch the sunset (which wasn't too great b/c there was too much pollution and the sun just sort of disappeared).

Well, Tuesday thru Friday was pretty uneventful. Just more waking up at the crack of dawn, working and enjoying good conversation with the staff here. I'm beginning to understand the culture better. Also, I am reading a fantastic book that a friend gave me called Holy Cow (thanks Julianna!) that is written by an Australian journalist who spent some time in India. Wow, is it dead on! The way of life is described perfectly. The little things that get on your nerves, to the amazing characteristics of the Indian culture. Let me give you an example --- You must ask a waiter for the same drink 3 times before you actually get it, then wait another 5 minutes for him to set the bottle of beer on your table, walk away, come back with a bottle opener, present the bottle like it's a bottle of fine wine, pour it with 3 inches of head, then disappear for another 20 minutes until you get up to track him down to order your food. Dinner is not a quick thing here. And, that's just one example of many little things that would drive a obsessive-compulsive person mad in a matter of minutes here! I think a lot of it has to do with the old and new characteristics in India. Here is a good example of the old (yes, right in the middle of traffic):

Friday night I was talked into going to a club to hear a very popular DJ named Bali Sagu (I had never heard of him, but an Indian guy who is from the US and works in our LA office was going nuts that this guy was here and he had the opportunity to see him). Yes, that's him in the picture - Bali Sagu at the top, Bobby (crazy for Bali) below.

Saturday I had a great lunch with all of my San Diego-assigned professionals. It was a celebratory "End of busy season/April 15th" lunch. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera along. But, the food was great -- I'm really going to miss some of the stuff here.

Sunday was the adventurous day! Four of us (Bobby, Annette, Tara and I) decided to visit Charminar. This is supposedly the most famous of all of Hyderabad's symbols. Charminar is the actual temple/structure as seen in this picture built by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, but the surrounding area is also referred to as Charminar. Many, many shops line the streets.

Here is what it looks like from the top looking down:

And here is what it's like to walk along the very crowded streets:

The really fun part happened when we decided to take a rickshaw to Golconda Fort (we were told it was very close by). Here is a little taste of what the experience was like...

We were all very cramped inside....and to think that it's common to see 6-9 people crammed in one of these!

Golconda Fort was amazing. We didn't have enough time to hike around the entire area, but we got a pretty good tour from a local guy - we paid him 500 rupees (the equivalent of $12) for a great 45-minute tour. I would like to go back and hike up to the top. We had a nice 360-degree view of Hyderabad and I can just imagine what it looks like all the way on top.

One of the funniest parts of the tour was when the guide took my camera into the bat cave to take a picture -- look closely...those are all eyes!

Saturday night (which is like a Friday night, since our office works Tuesday - Saturday) I went along with some people to see the movie "300" at the IMAX theatre. Wow, was that an intense movie to see on the largest movie screen imaginable! It's funny....they have intermission at movies here. For about 5-10 minutes, they turn on the lights and stop the movie. Just as you are getting into it.

Sunday I was very excited to sleep in - an extra 5 hours or so! I hung out at the pool with other US expats and had brunch at the hotel - very comparable to a good Sunday brunch in SD! Later on, we ventured to the middle of the city and had dinner at the Waterfront (next to a big lake separating Hyderabad & Secunderabad). Very cool.

Monday was shopping day! Two girls from the office wanted to take me shopping - Swathi & Sudeethi. So, we met at the office at 11 and they took me first to a place where different vendors set up shop - like a flea market. All hand-made handicrafts. They sure can get some good deals! I would end up paying about 1/2 of the starting price, thanks to them bargaining with the shop owners!

Then we went into the center of town and shopped at a few places that had some quality gift items. After that, we went to the new mall in town - City Center. Not really any different than any US mall. By the time 2:30 rolled around, I was starving. I held out as long as possible because I know Swathi & Sudeepthi are used to eating late. We had another good, authentic Indian meal - Chicken Tikka & Lamb Biryani (a Hyderabad dish).

Monday night we were planning on going to Charminar (a historic part of Hyderabad with famous temples), but plans fell thru due to the fact that one of the guys we were planning on going with is Muslim and they were holding some sort of rally in which he would not be welcommed. A little strange, but we were glad we found out beforehand.

When someone has a birthday or leaves, a cake is shared....but, not in the way you would normally "share". In India, they smear it all over your face!!
You can see what I look forward to when I leave!