We got up early this morning for a day of sightseeing. We had an AC taxi (a car with air-conditioning as opposed to the 3-wheeled, open auto rickshaws) set to arrive at 8:30, and he got there at 9:30, and we went off to our first stop, the fortress Golconda.
Golconda is the largest fort in the world, and we entered its outer wall through a road zig-zagging through a tiny opening. The road was the right size for a one way street, but of course it was a two way passage. Once inside, it was more of the same Hyderabad cityscape, small concrete stores selling general goods, meat, chicken, cloth, wood, or metal while street vendors sold mangoes and coconut water and children chased goats through the streets. Only some of the walls were hundreds of years old and part of a giant fortress.
The taxi dropped us off at the entrance to the inner fortress, where the central hill towered over us. Guides came up offering their services, but I declined, opting to wander. Deepika and her friend had been there a few times before, so Dolly and I explored on our own. The fortress was half in ruins, and we started at the bottom, poking into dark corners and winding hallways. From some of the darker depths, we could hear the chattering of rats or bats - we didn't go far enough to find out. In some of the areas, you could smell the ancient dust, similar to a musty old attic or basement, except if that attic or basement had been left alone for hundreds of years instead of maybe a dozen. We started climbing to the top, but Dolly wasn't feeling well, so we went back down for some cool AC and food.
After lunch we went to Charminar, which is in the center of old Hyderabad. It was built as a charm in a desperate attempt to fend off the black plague. It is in the center of a roundabout, like the Arc de Triomphe, but instead of being surrounded by landscaped expanses or sterile granite, it is engulfed by the teeming masses of the city. The fence surrounding it, mere feet from the corner pillars are lined by beggars and merchants selling jewelery, mangoes (there are almost always several mango carts in sight, at least at this time of year), sunglasses and other trinkets. It was amazing how the chaos of the city spilled into the landmark, as people wandered in and out of traffic and generally went about as if it was another busy intersection. The building consists of four towers in the corners supporting two upper floors, rising to a height of 160 feet. We got a tour guide inside, and he took us up and pointed out the landmarks visible from each direction. You could see most of Hyderabad from up there. At each lookout, he would take a picture. At the first stop, I sat on the edge, inches from the sheer drop down, and Dolly refused to sit next to me, so she kneeled slightly in front. We then went across the street to a large mosque, the Makka Masjid which contains bricks brought from Mecca.
We went back to the cab, where we startled the driver from his sleep. He was a very thin man, with a wispy beard that was grey in the side burns. He looked like a man who had led (and was still leading) a difficult life. The car wouldn't start, and so we waited as he attempted to fix it. I felt bad for him, as he looked a little wild in eyes, and scared. Dolly thought he was scared we would yell at him, and I thought he was panicked about the failure of his means of livelihood. I'm not sure of the economics of taxis here - I assume he owned the car, which would provide him a means of making a living, but if the car broke, he may not have much else. He drained the radiator and then filled it with new water, and eventually it was running. However, we only made it a few kilometers before it stopped again, and we had to leave him and squeeze into an auto rickshaw.
We then went to some gardens across from a lake where there is a giant Buddha statue. Deepika and I both got an ear of fire-roasted corn on the cob. I learned there is a 3rd side to the eat-across vs. eat-around debate... she popped out the kernels one at a time in neat rows, and ate them like corn nuts. By this time the sun was setting, and we went home, stopping on the way to pick up some chicken briyani from Paradise restaurant, established in 1953 and famous for its briyani. It was very good.
Unfortunately, I left the camera in the auto rickshaw. My pockets were very full, and it must have fallen out. We had it at the gardens, and I noticed it missing shortly after returning home. We are disappointed to lose our camera and the pictures from the day, so we have none to post. :(
Golconda is the largest fort in the world, and we entered its outer wall through a road zig-zagging through a tiny opening. The road was the right size for a one way street, but of course it was a two way passage. Once inside, it was more of the same Hyderabad cityscape, small concrete stores selling general goods, meat, chicken, cloth, wood, or metal while street vendors sold mangoes and coconut water and children chased goats through the streets. Only some of the walls were hundreds of years old and part of a giant fortress.
The taxi dropped us off at the entrance to the inner fortress, where the central hill towered over us. Guides came up offering their services, but I declined, opting to wander. Deepika and her friend had been there a few times before, so Dolly and I explored on our own. The fortress was half in ruins, and we started at the bottom, poking into dark corners and winding hallways. From some of the darker depths, we could hear the chattering of rats or bats - we didn't go far enough to find out. In some of the areas, you could smell the ancient dust, similar to a musty old attic or basement, except if that attic or basement had been left alone for hundreds of years instead of maybe a dozen. We started climbing to the top, but Dolly wasn't feeling well, so we went back down for some cool AC and food.
After lunch we went to Charminar, which is in the center of old Hyderabad. It was built as a charm in a desperate attempt to fend off the black plague. It is in the center of a roundabout, like the Arc de Triomphe, but instead of being surrounded by landscaped expanses or sterile granite, it is engulfed by the teeming masses of the city. The fence surrounding it, mere feet from the corner pillars are lined by beggars and merchants selling jewelery, mangoes (there are almost always several mango carts in sight, at least at this time of year), sunglasses and other trinkets. It was amazing how the chaos of the city spilled into the landmark, as people wandered in and out of traffic and generally went about as if it was another busy intersection. The building consists of four towers in the corners supporting two upper floors, rising to a height of 160 feet. We got a tour guide inside, and he took us up and pointed out the landmarks visible from each direction. You could see most of Hyderabad from up there. At each lookout, he would take a picture. At the first stop, I sat on the edge, inches from the sheer drop down, and Dolly refused to sit next to me, so she kneeled slightly in front. We then went across the street to a large mosque, the Makka Masjid which contains bricks brought from Mecca.
We went back to the cab, where we startled the driver from his sleep. He was a very thin man, with a wispy beard that was grey in the side burns. He looked like a man who had led (and was still leading) a difficult life. The car wouldn't start, and so we waited as he attempted to fix it. I felt bad for him, as he looked a little wild in eyes, and scared. Dolly thought he was scared we would yell at him, and I thought he was panicked about the failure of his means of livelihood. I'm not sure of the economics of taxis here - I assume he owned the car, which would provide him a means of making a living, but if the car broke, he may not have much else. He drained the radiator and then filled it with new water, and eventually it was running. However, we only made it a few kilometers before it stopped again, and we had to leave him and squeeze into an auto rickshaw.
We then went to some gardens across from a lake where there is a giant Buddha statue. Deepika and I both got an ear of fire-roasted corn on the cob. I learned there is a 3rd side to the eat-across vs. eat-around debate... she popped out the kernels one at a time in neat rows, and ate them like corn nuts. By this time the sun was setting, and we went home, stopping on the way to pick up some chicken briyani from Paradise restaurant, established in 1953 and famous for its briyani. It was very good.
Unfortunately, I left the camera in the auto rickshaw. My pockets were very full, and it must have fallen out. We had it at the gardens, and I noticed it missing shortly after returning home. We are disappointed to lose our camera and the pictures from the day, so we have none to post. :(
aw Seth! that sucks!!