Hyderabad Weekend

This past weekend, we went to see the gems of Hyderabad for a day - historic and otherwise. We began the day in true post-jetlagged fashion by sleeping in till 10 and then leaving for Charminar, the most famous of all architecture in Hyderabad. A 4-pillared building, Charminar was built (according to our guide) as an appeasement to the gods after they stopped the bubonic plague that was sweeping the country. It now sits a bit like the Arc de Triomphe as the center of a large traffic roundabout.

Sad how history becomes so intertwined with some of the less positive points of urban living.

Regardless, we braved the streets for my first-ever Indian street crossing (Madeline:1, India:1/2 - almost nicked by a rickshaw) and explored the Iranian architecture. We braved a slightly daunting staircase of steep stairs to make it to the first floor and look out on Hyderabad. We saw the Makkha Masjid mosque as well as the bustling traffic below. We also saw people taking pictures of us.

Interesting side-note: If you are blonde in India, expect people to want to take pictures with you. Laura, our intrepid teammate, humored a few people and now I'm sure her picture is being shared with many others.

After Charminar, we resisted our driver, Naim's, urgings to shop and went on to the Salarjung Museum (no pics since no cameras allowed). It is a large museum full of Indian and East Asian art. The Indian art was pretty interesting but the Japanese/Chinese sections were a bit lacking. Most of the East Asian art came from the 19th and 20th centuries. As Samira aptly put it, "give it a few more centuries; then call me."

Then it was onward to Golconda Fort!

A fort built as a defensive mechanism for Hyderabad, the fort was a massive structure with pretty advanced technology. First, there were acoustic "radios" throughout the fort. For instance, from a particular point on the base you could clap and be heard at the top of the fort (about 400 stairs up). In addition, some chambers in the royal guesthouse had accoustics built such that the king above could hear their conversation. Finally there was an escape tunnel from the fort all the way to Charminar (same architect built both). Really cool stuff but the day was hot, the guide walked fast, and there were 700+stairs to take in total up and down. Fun but we were glad to get back to the A/C in the car.

After resting at Jayabheri Guest House for awhile, we convened for an "American" dinner in honor of the 4th of July. A few bowls of pasta and a few beers later, we head out to meet the other expats to blow off some fireworks.

And, man, were there a lot of fireworks!!

I came in with this naive perspective that I'd have the US-grade fireworks (sparklers). Instead we got the highly-illegal-contraband (at least in the US) of high flying, multi-explosion fireworks. A movie is in progress but it was spectacular. I set one off after Ismail (fabulous transportation coordinator) assured me it was "100% no danger."

A happy 4th indeed!

The next day was a day of expat traditions: brunch at the Novotel hotel in Hyderabad, lounging by their pool, and massages at the Latitudes Spa at the fine Google-only rate of Rs. 220 (about $4.00). A day of indulgence, good food, and happiness!

Expat life, you sure are fun.