Welcome
to Hyderabad to 2 old friends flying into its new international
airport. Hajnal (left) and Rebeka (right) eschewed troubled Mumbai and
arrived straight into Hyderabad for a reunion since our last meeting in
1996 in Salzburg.
Rebeka is
all grown up young girl on her last semester in Bologna University. She
will complete in Zurich before joing the workforce.
Hajnal, an intrepid wanderer, has just settled there after various locations in Europe. |
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They
arrived to a bubbly welcome reception of cold, cold Indian beers! This
was served up with Tamara's home-cooked Briyani rice with chunks of
local fresh mutton. Freshly made yogurt salad rounded up the lunch.
Our hosts,
Balaji & Tamara, have a very comfortable home in suburb
Secunderabad, north of Hyderabad. It is nicely tucked away in a quiet
residential colony just metres away from the bustling main throughfare
into Hyderabad. |
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| A
selection of different beers made in India and available in our
favourite "Wine" shop in Secunderabad. "Kingfisher", "Budwiser", "Royal
Challenge", "Howards", "Knock Out" and "Fosters". |
Entrance
to "The Riviera" wineshop, which is Balaji's favourite tipple house,
where we dropped by to fill up with Indian beer brands and a few
bottles of Indian-made wines. |
Here
is a selection of made-in-India wines on the shelves of "The Riviera".
Wine consumption is still a curiosity in conservative Andhra
Pradesh, where state taxes remain very high, allowing Indian products a
clear advantage. |
We are saved! Straight from Zurich, a haul of some wonderful European wines, including Champagnes. |
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| Close
up of our many meals in India. Here is Naan with Chicken Briyani,
slathered with spicy curry, downed with Mazza Mango drink & bottled
water by Pepsi-Cola India. |
Hajnal relaxing royally during her first meal of Mutton Briyani, on the day of her arrival in India. |
Hand-made
Samosas being fried merrily on a large wok of hot oil. I waited
patiently as they cooked and "tah powed" a bunch of them for a
mid-morning snack during our tour of Hyderabad's historical sights. |
Here
is a talli vegetarian set meal of Southern Indian curries & salads,
that wowed even our picky children. Starters, spicy Ressam soup,
various vegetable dishes, chutneys, Pori and white rice and a couple of
sweet desserts, all on a single plate. This is served on a per person
basis. |
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Winter
even in India offer a paucity of fruits. But trusty & delicious
bananas is a year-round saviour. Far left, Balaji selects various
species for snacking between meals.
My
absolute favourite snack food is Chilliwurts. A large whole green
chilli is wrapped in a spicy flour mixture and deep-fried. Yum!
Here is a
road-side hawker serving up samosas, tosai and other delights with hot
tea with fresh buffalo milk, a constant all over India. |
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We
visited a huge vegetable/fruit market that cater to a largely
vegetarian citizenry. A variety of greens, root vegetables, citrus
fruits, melons and beans are all on offer for a pittance.
On right,
is a typical butcher shop that specialises in mutton only. Take your
choice of your favourite cuts. Trimming off the fat and mincing is part
of the complete service offered here. |
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We
arrived late at the fish market and look what they had left! Still
plenty of fat, fat freshwater fish for the taking. There were
freshwater prawns and sea shrimps and medium-sized pomfrets (6 for just
INR160=S$6!). A specially designated area is dedicated to cleaning
& dressing your purchases, including peeling the prawns off their
shells. All for a fee of INR10/kg. |
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 An
assortment of Indian and less-than-Indian beauties. (From left) at a
temple, at a wedding with the bride (2nd from left), all dressed for a
night out in Hyderabad town, a new star to-be-born learning the art of
posing for her dotting brother. |
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Roadside colours in Tiruchirapalli (Trichy), the first destination foothold for Air Asia in India.
(Centre) The elegant and relatively quiet Railway Station of Trichy. We took an overnighter from here to Chennai.
(Right)
Rain droplets obscure our view of Rockfort, Trichy. a solitary outcrop
in a largely flat land of central Tamil Nadu. This was the only day
where we experienced rain throughout our entire trip in India. |
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The
famous Charminar gates of Hyderabad and the next picture is a glimpse of
their heady bazaar filled with people, shoulder-to-shoulder &
vibrant colour, throughout the entire day.
The huge
lake right in the middle of Hyderabad, where a statue of Buddha is
installed. These railings are also a jump-off point for desperate souls
bent on ending their earthy lives in his embrace. |
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The Golconda Fort, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, was a
centre of military control of the region. It has seen many wars and
conflicts over the centuries but much remain of its fearsome reputation
and its extensive grounds are now trodden upon by a continuous stream
of visitors both near & far. |
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The
grounds within its walls are certainly extensive as you can see from
these photos. It also provides a commanding view of the surrounding
plains that it used to command from this site.
Life continue to thrive outside its main fortress walls with locals
doing roaring tourist-related businesses. Even then, just a short
distance away, I chanced on a local eating shop that served up some
very delicious snacks like the samosas and chilliwurts, mentioned above. |
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The
next stop is right in the heart of the city, close by to the famous
iconic structure, Charminar with its bustling bazaar. This is the
Chowpatty Palace of the last royal rulers of Hyderabad. The Palace
grounds are extensive and may rival the royal palaces of Europe in
splendour.
On this row of photos, you see the different architectural styles.
Minarets of Islamic influence, a grand Throne room lit by giant
chandeliers and sparkling granite floor and raised dias. Further,
within the palace grounds are French-influenced windowed structures and
towers. |
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A
very well-preserved garden with fountains lay in the central part of
the complex. This probably provided respite from hot sunny days for its
many residents and visitors.
Just outside its walls, is one of the world's largest mosques, Mecca Mosque, which leads to the bazaars and arches of Charminar.
A quick glimpse through the huge entrance of the mosque just after twilight prayers (right). |
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Finally,
we arrive at the final resting place of the 7 rulers of this ancient
empire. The Tombs complex consists of seven masoluems in the style of
Taj Mahal, complete with gardens, prayer-echo chambers. The larger ones
were of several levels. The unfortunate thing about this "Valley of the
Dead" is that almost all of the original painted colours and probably
gold-guilded domes have all been destroyed.
Nevertheless,
the itricate work may still be seen from what are left. As a slight
departure from strictly Islamic designs, hidden within these inanimate
carvings, birds and other animals are found, if one looks carefully
enough. |
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The last
photos in this collection, below, are of a typical ride in the iconic
"Auto-rickshaw" of India. Powered by a surprisingly powerful motorcycle
engine, these little vehicles carried our amazing luggage of 2
suitcases, 4 backpacks, my laptop case, 2 adults and 2 children,
without breaking a sweat!
Rates, however, vary greatly depending on your ability at bargaining
and whether you are local or obvious foreigner. Opening rates can start
at INR200, where ever you are headed - 1km or 5km. The final price
achieved could be as low as INR50! |
The
next photo is a little party with some of our hosts close friends,
including a Member of the Indian Parliament. Here, we proffered a
decent range of wines to accompany the home-cooked dishes churned out
of the modest domestic kitchen.
If I remember correctly, 2 whites, 3 reds and a delicious Sauternes to finish the evening.
St. Thomas martyred by locals just outside modern-day Chennai, has a
Basilica erected over his tomb. This is only one of 3 such Basilicas in
the world.
Just down the road from it are the slums of Marina Beach, where the fisherfolk ike a living from the sea. |
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