Nov 29-Dec 1 Hyderabad

Nov 29 - Flew to Hyderabad on Sahara Airlines and had a nice airline curry lunch on the way. We arrived in Hyderabad and waited for Krishna for about thirty minutes as taxi drivers kept approaching us to take us wherever we needed to go and we politely said “nay”. When Krishna finally showed up, he led us to his car and his driver was waiting. He told us we had booked us at two places but they were on totally opposite ends of the scale – option 1 was to stay at a guest house under 24 hour renovation but would only cost about $25/night and we had a booking for three nights there or option 2 would be to stay at a nice hotel for about $85-90 but he could only get us a reservation for one night. He really down-talked the $25/night place because it was going to be really noisy and the place was just ok in the first place, but that there were some big conferences going on in the area, so hotels were fully booked so that’s why there wasn’t anything in the middle. In the end we went with the more expensive place, but again, we had good showers and beds. So after we checked in, we went out into the city and went through a huge museum filled with historical artifacts and various cultural wings. From there we went to the clock tower in the center of the city and went up in this huge tower to take pictures and get a view of the city. Kim was taking a picture of Krishna and me which really drew a crowd. I could see the guys sizing up Kim’s bum and checking out me with Krishna. I finally just yelled at these guys to go away and stop staring. I think it shocked them so much that I called them out that the other group of guys who were standing nearby started laughing at the guys I yelled at as they scattered. Then I yelled at the other guys for laughing… by the time I got down from the tower I was shaking. I think I had just had enough of the staring and pointing. I used to think I wanted to be famous… now I don’t think so. No, I don’t want to take a picture with you. No, I don’t want you to stare at me. No, I don’t want you to reach out and touch me to see if I’m real. The novelty of it when we first arrived had worn off and I just lost it! Poor guys.



Krishna, Kim and I walked to go down a market aisle when we met up with Krishna’s beautiful friend Deepti who currently lives in NYC. She took Kim and me bangle shopping and really went to bat for us getting us good prices. The shop keepers kept saying that if she hadn’t been there that they could have gotten so much more out of us. It was funny the first time. But then we went to a pearl dealer. Apparently Hyderabad is known in India for its pearls. Again, Deepti helped us get some good deals on things and the shop owner again commented on how he could have charged so much more because we were foreigners. After leaving, Kim brought those comments back up and said how dishonest the people are and how we just get taken for whatever they can get away with because we don’t know any better, but also, according to them, we can pay higher. Valid point, but at the same time, it’s true. We CAN afford more, but if we have a local in there dealing for us, then I’m going to take advantage of that. Plus, it was so much fun to see her in action. From shopping we had a quick snack and then went to Deepti’s friend’s house and sari shop. I got to try on a sari that was worth around $17000R – I can’t remember the exact exchange right now, but it was quite expensive as you can tell. Kim and I just marveled at the silks and the beading. It is such beautiful fabric. I would never need a sari, but I would just buy the material to look at because it’s so gorgeous and rich.



When we left the shop Krishna took Kim and me to put on our sneakers so we could go ride go-carts and do a climbing wall. As we left our room to head out, the power went off and we ended up having to use the stairs and got lost and ended up in the hotel kitchen! We finally made it out with the help of a valet and a flashlight! When we finally reached the go-cart place, Krishna lapped both Kim and me… twice even possibly. That boy goes soooo fast! And Kim and I collided on a turn which left us both with bruised knees.



I guess I decided that despite the collision I was going to do the rock wall. I did the easy one and popped up and rang the bell pretty quickly. Then Kim tried it for the first time and we talked her through it. Krishna did the harder wall – the kind that has an outward slant. He is so tall that he basically bypassed the slant just by standing on the last row of the rock-steps. He did it so easily that I decided to give it a go. Dumb idea. As I neared the slant, my arms were shaking and my legs refused to straighten so that I could pop up to reach for the next hold. I made it in the end with a great deal of help from the guide who pulled my body up so I could make the next step. My forearms, shoulders, thighs were weak and shaky and my bruised knee was more bruised… but I did it and was rewarded with a big water for my efforts. I love rock walls, but that thing just killed me. Thank goodness for hot showers and soft beds – worth every penny!



Nov 30 – We were told to be ready early, so we were… Krishna arrived an hour later than “scheduled”! We were so grouchy because we got up, showered, packed, and waited and waited! We definitely could have used the extra hour of sleep. Our first order of business for the day was to buy our tickets to Sri Lanka. Krishna had done some calling around the previous day and we got our prices… of course, when we actually went to Indian Airlines, it was more expensive than we wanted and Premi was still MIA. So we weren’t sure what to do… but decided, we’re here; it’s close; let’s go. So with no other plans than that… we bought our tickets. I think Kim and I were both trying to keep calm as we charged it to our cards and said bye-bye money!

So to make us feel better, we went to the Sri Krishna temple… ok, kidding, we went but just to sightsee, not to pray. The temple was just about to close, so it was a very quick stop. From there we had to find Kim an ATM since she used her cash and card on the ticket and it cleaned her out. So it took a while to find that, but as soon as we did we were off to a Kerala resort for some lunch and massages.

The resort was a nice drive out of the city and looked like it popped up in the middle of a hay field… but there it was with its thatched roofs and fountains. It was very tranquil and lovely. We had a HUGE lunch, way more than we realized we ordered and we felt overly full. So naturally, we went to have “relaxing” massages while we digested and LAUGH…it was NOT relaxing. Kim and I decided to get an ayurvedic massage and facial treatment (for the bargain price of $18). We were each led into a little room and from there our stories are similar, but not.

First, let’s discuss the actual technique and steps before I tell you about the personal feelings… The massage started with me sitting on a chair while the lady put a honey oil on my hair and smacked at it, rubbed it, and popped her hands over and around my head. It was both nice and disturbing. Next, I lied down on the cold slab table stomach side down while she worked my legs and back, then asked me to turn over… she popped my toes as she massaged my feet and did something slightly painful around my ankles too. She massaged my thighs and got a little too personal almost on that one. As she started to rub my stomach, it started growling and she giggled and asked if I had just eaten. Then she massaged my breasts… yes, only my doctor has done something that personal before and well, I was doing my best not to completely crack up. I was sitting there thinking to not be so juvenile in my head and try to calm down. Then she moved on to my neck, shoulders and arms before finishing with the facial treatment. After all was done and I was covered in oils, she put me in this little wooden box and turned on the steam. Afterwards I had a shower and got dressed and went to compare notes with Kim.

So this is what we got… Kim was naked. I got this little loin cloth tied with twine for my bottom girlie bits. Kim laughed so hard during hers that she had to get up and use the loo. Her person offered to bathe, dry, and dress her. I got no such service! Kidding. I would’ve died of embarrassment. The whole thing was NOT relaxing at all. I still felt really oily after the shower, but my face felt fresh! The whole thing lasted like an hour and a half and I was counting every minute wondering when it would be over. I now understand that I do not like to pay for a stranger’s hands to touch me. Ick! No more massages for me.

So from the resort we headed to a country club-like place that had rooms for rent and Krishna checked us in to stay there. Kim and I took long, hot showers and had some dinner before heading out with Krishna and his boys to #10 Downing Street. It was crazy, it’s the first time Kim and I had been out in India and we were not the only white people there. The club was packed with tons of good looking Indian guys… yeah. It was all good.

Dec 1 – We start the day with Krishna being late again to pick us up. We could’ve used more sleep, so I guess it’s good that when he did show up, he showed up in a van with a bed in it and we all crashed as the long drive to Film City commenced. Film City is like a really lame version of Universal Studios or a place like that. The tours were in Hindi so we had no idea what was going on, nor did we recognize the sets, but everyone around us did. It was interesting, I guess, but we were pretty ready to go after we finished lunch. We drove past one of Krishna’s father’s schools on the way to Golkonda Fort.



The fort was huge and to fully appreciate it, we were convinced that we needed to climb 700 steps to the top to look out and see how far the parameter extended. We must have been crazy to have done this in the end because though the view was nice, it was pretty hot out and the stairs were steep. I think we all got a workout by the time we reached the top.





After our tour of the fort, Krishna dropped us off to get cleaned up to go out. Kim and I just ordered room service while we got ready and then went to the guest house to use the business center to see if there was any more news about Sri Lanka. Unfortunately we didn’t really get anything and were really panicked. By the time Krishna arrived to pick us up, we had a couple hotels on hold when he told us that Sahani had sent him a text that someone was picking us up and making arrangements for our arrival in Colombo. What a relief!



With that knowledge we went off to a bar nicknamed “B&C” for the night. I had a potent Long Island Ice Tea (which I never order, but was given to me) and we all smoked the hookah and danced until Krishna disappeared. We finally found him down the road very ill… he drank too much and ended up being sick in his friend’s car, which prompted the driver to stop watching the road… we hit a center median at a low speed causing a scraped front driver’s side and a blow out. Kim went to care for Krishna and I got out and started loosening the lug nuts as Krishna’s friend Lanky went to flag down help. I already had the nuts loosened and was getting the jack in place when a rickshaw driver came and took over. I stood and watched him put the jack in the wrong place and tried to tell him when another driver came and took over from him. When the tire was changed, Lanky paid the guy and we got back on the road and went to a café to try to get Krishna to sober up. Kim and I had a flight to catch just a few hours later and needed to find out how to get a hold of Krishna’s driver to get our luggage! Once all that got sorted out… I relaxed a bit more. There is a lot more to the Krishna story, but for the sake of his pride and the fact that I could not retell nearly as funnily as the real thing… just know we made it to the airport and waited for our first flight.

Nov 24-28 - DELHI/AGRA

Nov 24 - To continue our full cultural experience in India, Manjit, Kim, and I took a train from Mehsana to Delhi. It was an AC Sleeper Car with blue vinyl seats/bench-beds. It was a long and bumpy ride of 18hours with desert-like scenery and small shanty towns lining the tracks. There was a Western toilet which was basically your everyday toilet but with a hole so that your excrement went directly down on the tracks. Then there was a little pitcher that you filled with water to flush after yourself. We brought toilet paper with us (this was not usually supplied at any toilets except hotels and some eating establishments) and we laughed at the fact that after using the loo, that there were little pink TP sheets marking our territory. Gross…but funny.



Nov 25 - We arrived in Delhi around 5am having had very little sleep. Manjit had arranged for us to stay with some distant relation and his family. Charinjit met us at the station and drove us to his home just outside Delhi. It was being renovated so the place smelled of sawdust and dampness. Kim and I immediately crashed and Manjit did the family thing and had some brekkie. When we were up and cleaned, we took off to see some famous sites of Delhi.



Our first stop was the Lotus Temple of the Bahá’í religion. It is somewhat similar to the Opera House with its crazy white petal-like roof. It has a piercing blue pool surrounding it at its lower level, just like a lotus floating in a pond. The inside was a massive auditorium and extremely peaceful. We sat for a while and took it all in. Then we walked the grounds and went to the visitor center for a movie on the temple and the religion. This religion actually has a representative spot in the UN. It has very interesting ideals and is somewhat political in its practice. Kim has been thinking of various thesis topics and after leaving there we discussed the possibility of Bahá’í as religion influencing politics, etc.



Next up was Akshardam Temple. It is the largest temple in the world and man was it ever beautiful and huge and just too much to take in on just a few short hours. The temple itself was gorgeous, but the surrounding grounds and buildings were just as nice. We went through a couple exhibits, sadly all of it was in Hindi including the movie and history of the Hindu religion, so we didn’t understand much unless Manjit or Charanjit translated. We do know that chicken eggs think we ate their mothers before they were born. Sick, sad, and twisted – but there was a whole section on vegetarianism including what the animals would say if they could speak and tell us not to eat them. (Side note – Kim and I needed meat so badly that we ate McDonald’s that night!! Still no beef, but a McChicken did quite nicely.)



We made two more stops as the sun went down. First was to Connaught Place – an underground shopping center where we picked up a few souvenirs and then India Gate, which looks like the Arch d’Triumphe. Then it was home for rest and packing for Agra.



Nov 26 – The driver arrived to take us to Agra and what was to be just a trip for us gals turned into the whole family: Charinjit, his wife and two kids and his brother Tony. So 8 of us plus driver fit into this car – 3 in front, 3 in the middle, and 3 on the bench seats with the luggage in back. We made our way to Agra with a short stop at Pizza Hut for lunch…yes, Pizza Hut and it was good too until Charinjit tossed the 3 boxes out the window when we were done. Kim and I were just going crazy with all this trash being thrown out the window and lining the streets.



We arrived at the Taj Mahal mid afternoon and parked in the lot and got a ride to the front gates where Kim and I had to pay 750R for entrance (500R for Agra visitors’ tax and 250R for actual entrance) and the nationals paid 50R. Despite the $15 entrance, it was totally worth it. I had said I wouldn’t really feel like I was in India until I had seen the Taj Mahal and wow did it ever live up to expectations. It was amazing. The architecture; the symmetry; the love of this man for his wife that he would build such a huge memorial/mausoleum for her… It took 22 years for it to be built with its semi-precious stones inlaid in white marble. The craftsmanship is something to marvel at… it’s just amazing the work put into this place.



After leaving the Taj Mahal, we had to figure out a place to stay and eat. Because it was no longer just the 3 of us, but rather 8 of us, the family made a decision to go to a temple to stay for the night. Kim and I immediately started to feel out of place staying at a temple. We felt that we had the money to stay some place else and therefore should not take charity (and on top of that, we needed a hot shower and a soft bed because we had been without sleep for two days). The family realized that we were uncomfortable and other options were discussed – most of which were to the affect that “Agra is not a safe place and we should all stay together…” We weren’t sure what to do, but they took us to a couple hotels to look. Kim and I just started quietly laughing every time we were shown a room in a guest house. We finally found a place and because we went from staying at a place for $5 to $50, we offered to pay the difference because it was OUR needs that needed to be met. Of course, later that night I was kicking myself for being such a complete snot. Manjit assured both Kim and me that she was much happier staying at this hotel as well and that rest of the fam was treating this as a real vacation for them. We had an amazing dinner at the hotel and hot showers and a decent night’s sleep including AC. I can rough it for a while, but sometimes I just need a creature comfort break to recharge me. And Kim and I had gotten there and knew we’d have no sleep the next day on the train home. So we shrugged it off and decided to stop feeling bad.



Nov 27 – Kim and I started our day with some breakfast and had a lovely chat with two English couples. Then our group headed to the Red Fort. It housed the man who built the Taj Mahal when he was under house arrest… and the Taj could be seen from every window in his room. It was much too polluted to see it clearly in the distance, but among the white smoggy haze, one could make out the outline of the building. We visited a few other places of interest in the area, but I can’t remember the names. We did have a really interesting experience in a temple, though. We bought these little packets stuffed with a piece of fabric, dried flowers, sugar pieces and three strings. You walk in a line to the temple, unfold the scarf-like fabric on a grave (I think?) and sprinkle the flowers on it as a blessing (this fabric would later be given to the poor); then you tie the three strings on the wall and make a wish for each; and after you exit, you eat the little sugar balls – usually given at the end of a temple service as you leave. We made a stop for dinner and then made our way back to Delhi to catch our train back to Mehsana.



Nov 28 – We arrived back in Mehsana around 4pm and Manjit’s brother picked us up. We did laundry and packed all our stuff to head east to see Krishna in Hyderabad.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

Yes, yes, am ages behind. I have notes piling up around of things to write.. tons of pics to add...and well... time? That I dont have. Ok, I do, but have chosen to spend on other things. So the answers to the emails I am getting in 3 words or less (til I can post a real reply):

How was Sri Lanka: tropical. mosquitoes. spicy.

Did Premi ever call: no. asshole. anger.

Do I know why: yes. asshole. engaged.

How was Goa (India): fabulous. beachy. fun.

How was Mumbai: slums versus glamour.

How was Bangkok: crazy. drunk. padthai.

How was Koh Chang: amazing. peaceful. heaven-like.

How was quick trip to Singa again: wild. nachos. beer.

How was Christmas: strange. warm. ok.

How was Jenn's trip: Best time ever!

How was Sydney: bridge. opera. australian.

How was New Years: totally sweet, dude.

How was Cairns: diving. rainforest. celebs.

How was scuba diving the GBR: We found Nemo.

How was Melbourne: chill. somewhat disorganized.

Did you move: yes. house. city.

When do I see parents: NZ. Feb 15. Yay!

Anything new: have a crush.

Does he know: yes, he does.

And: will marry him.

Really: we shall see.

Why this blog title: lost 12 lbs.

What the heck: thanks to India.

Anything else: am so behind.

Soooo with that... I will try to get back on track very soon. Til then, keep reminding me of things to update.

Smooooches!