To The Airport

It was about a one hour drive to airport and on the way we saw an accident. A motorbike was on its side out in the middle of the road and the driver was limping around. Everyone had come to a stop in this busy intersection. It must have happened just moments before. It looked like local people were starting to get involved in determining who was at fault and what should be done. As we drove off we passed a hospital down the road that looked more like a Motel 6, and I wondered where the biker would go for treatment. Looking back I am surprised we hadn’t seen any more accidents during our travels so far. We saw several near misses and the rear ending in Tissa, but that was it.

We had strategically packed our bags this time because we could only check 15kg each and we knew we were over with a few recent purchases. So we put the heaviest items in our carry on bags. Andre put the heavy duty climbing ropes and carabiners we use for our hammocks into his bag. He made sure to look up the rules for carry on luggage and it had said that these items were permitted. However, when we went through security they pulled Andre aside and asked him to explain why he was carrying enough rope to immobilize, I don’t know, let’s say a couple of pilots. Andre explained what we used them for and the guy seemed to believe him. There was a small meeting among the security team. We were allowed to keep them but we had to have them at the very bottom of the bag… so like maybe if we decided to restrain someone they would have time to stop us as we dug them out? I’m fairly certain we skated by on being Canadian. 

As we flew off the runway with our kidnapping gear carefully buried I looked down and noticed a sign which read, “First Solar Powered Airport”. Turns out that in August of 2015, after initially starting a successful pilot project of 400 solar panels, the airport became totally self sufficient when it installed a 12 megawatt solar plant.

Where to Stay

Although the area we stayed in was apparently one of the more affluent ones, the rooms on offer were very underwhelming. We had booked a room that was listed in the Lonely Planet which was meant to be good value for the money. The room was one of the worst we’ve stayed in from recent memory. It was fairly spacious but it didn’t look like it had been thoroughly cleaned ever. The flooring was dusty and left a film on our feet so we started wearing our sandals inside.

I don’t know how old the pillows were but I tried not to think about them and placed my travel blanket over top as a barrier each night. The one cupboard for clothing had three mangled wire hangers dangling on a short rod. The door was busted off and sitting inside. The place was a dive. We thought about looking for somewhere else to stay, but we couldn’t be bothered. This should tell you just how tired we were by this point in our travels. We’d rather just suck it up than spend more time searching for another place. It’s so time consuming and we’d rather just get out and see the Hyderabad. One thing I would pack the next go round would be some sort of protective pillow case!

Good Eats

Hyderabad has a population of over eleven and a half million spread over 650 square kilometers. It’s crazy busy. The first evening we decided to walk to a nearby restaurant. The only thing that truly stood between us and a delicious vegetarian meal was one main road. It was already dark outside. Not set of traffic lights in sight. A constant stream of vehicles. Six “lanes” of traffic to dodge. Even after all the places we have traveled this road felt daunting. In so many other spots the traffic had been just as dense, more dense even, and because of that most vehicles would have been moving much slower than they were here. The one good thing was that there was a concrete divider in the road so we had a safe place to pause halfway and regather our courage. It took a while but we eventually made it across where we continued to stumble around the inside of a large building where the restaurant was meant to be. We finally found a tiny lift hidden around a corner and went up to the top floor only to find out that they were closed for a private function. My face hides nothing and Andre burst into laughter because he clearly saw that all I was thinking about was the fact that we had to immediately cross back over the road. F!

Luckily for us Hyderabad has a ton of great restaurants. Everyone talks about how amazing the food options are and they were right, but it’s also much pricier than other places in India. The one thing we had found so far in other spots was that was while accommodation was much more than we expected the meals were cheap. We had been eating for roughly ten dollars a meal for the two of us, but in Hyderabad it was usually more than twenty. Still cheap by our standards but relative to other places in India it was dear. There is definitely a lot of money in this ancient “city of pearls” turned tech hub.

One of our favorite restaurants was Levant Turkish Restaurant. Go figure. We always tend to search out places that serve something different from the local cuisine after a few weeks of being somewhere. We have always enjoyed Indian food but have found that it feels quite heavy. Everything is so intense in flavor that we have found we need to share one dish between us. Later on we would meet some Indian ladies who would tell us that there was a name for this, and that we could tell servers we wanted a one by two.

We made it back to the vegetarian place the following evening and had some wonderful food. I will say that it was an unusual experience being one of only a few people in the place and having staff standing by to serve you. This had also been the case at Levant. We explained that in Canada it would be very rare for a server to scoop your food onto your plate for you and that they simply delivered your meals and checked on you occasionally. It’s weird to eat while someone is watching you and just waiting to dive in and refill your plate the moment you lift the last piece of food to your lips. At the end of the meal they brought out a tray which we had no idea what to do with. They looked quite puzzled when we asked what it was. They were surprised when we told them that in Canada after a meal they may give you a mint or a chocolate but that cumin and fennel seeds were not a thing. I think they found us entertaining.

Although the experience was a bit uncomfortable for us because of the intense service and the fact that we are not fancy people, we returned the following evening because the food was so good. However, when we arrived they told us that the upper floor was closed for the evening and that they were only operating out of their space on the floor below. They led us down to a room that I can only describe as a depressing banquet hall by night slash call center by day. There were no other people at the many cloth draped tables and unlike the upstairs corner space this room had no windows. No people. No Windows. And half a dozen staff just watching us as we assessed this new environment. Devoid of any personality and the thought of being the sole focus of all the staff, we quickly excused ourselves and told them we would return the following night when the other area was open.

One last restaurant worth mentioning was MOB. We took a rickshaw there which was an experience. We talked to a few drivers but none of them spoke a lick of English and even showing them where we wanted to go on Goggle Maps did not help. Several guys just shook their heads no and waved us on. We ended up finding a guy who agreed to take us and had a few words of English but Andre had to act as navigator and because the app was lagging in time we ended up missing a turn and had to do a bit of a detour which our driver just loved. It was only a slight deviation but of course when he dropped us off he wanted more money than we had agreed upon for his extra work. We decided from that point out that we would use Uber in Hyderabad. No negotiating prices and the drivers know where they need to go. Way easier, and the prices are great. We paid a dollar seventy-six for our 4.5 kilometer ride home through insanely slow traffic.The food at MOB was pretty average, but it was one of a handful of places that served alcohol, for a price. A pint was around 600 – 700 rupees, or 11.00 – 13.00 Canadian dollars, and wine and cocktails were the same or more. It was one of the largest food bills we had in ages but it was worth it for the drinks. Again, our server was right there to put our appetizers and pizza slices on our plates. We politely told hm that we were happy to serve ourselves.

Adventures

Driving through Hyderabad you’ll see hospitals everywhere. Some looked like standard North American facilities, some like nondescript warehouses, and others that looked like high end hotels or palaces, like the Nizamia General Hospital pictured below.

It was somewhat reassuring that there were so many health care facilities given that every single taxi we rode in had no seat belts in the back. Correction, they had seat belts, they just weren’t accessible because they were stuck behind the seats. I couldn’t understand why every single cab driver wore their belt yet they didn’t bother to ensure that their passengers could access theirs.

We booked our Uber and headed off to Chowmahalla Palace, which was the residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad during the time they ruled the state. It was a stunning property. 

 

After touring around the palace grounds we headed toward Charminar, a 16th-century mosque and walked through the surrounding markets. This was a highlight for me. Everything was happening everywhere. We were totally immersed in the crowds of locals and the sheer amount of action and sound was fantastically overwhelming. The drive home was also fabulous. If you blinked you were sure to miss something interesting. I could have spent days just riding around and taking in all the craziness from inside the calm bubble of an Uber. It’s fun to be out in the madness, but I could only do it for so long.

 

Golconda Fort was also a really fun time. We were the only obvious tourists in the place, especially me being blonde. There were a lot of photos taken that day and they weren’t of the fort. If you want to feel like a B-list celebrity take a walk through Golconda Fort. It was like Andre was one of the Baldwin brothers, not Alec, but one of the others. Although he does look a bit like Alec at times. And I was like Chelsea Handler or Jennifer Coolidge. It was a good time. I started taking photos of guys wanting photos with Andre. Always requesting they put his arm around them. I love that the men in India are so affectionate with each other. You will often see them walking while holding hands or with an arm draped over their friend’s shoulder. I love it. One of our last photos of the day was taken with a big group that were visiting Hyderabad for some sort of teaching convention. So of course I got talking with them for a while. The entire time one of the men had his phone out and it looked as though he was recording everything but then I found out it was Facebook Live. He proceeded to show us some of the comments, which included, “Nice Choices”. I would have been flattered but looking around we were actually the only choices. They Airdropped us this photo. Of course my eyes were closed.

 

Holy Hampi!

Where to next? We had gone back and forth about Hampi for ages. Everyone we had spoken with had loved it there, but like many areas in India, it was a bit of an effort to get to. India is huge and we were having to cover long distances at a time when we were slightly worn out. The other big issue was accommodation. We had been looking and the pickings were slim. We had been trying to book something in an area known as Hippie Island but when we called a few places we were told that they were experiencing problems or they weren’t taking bookings or simply not to call back. It was weird. Something was up. I did some investigating and found out that just 5 days before we were set to arrive over 70 illegal guesthouses, restaurants and shops were to be closed down. This was the latest effort by the government to clear out and clean up the UNESCO site. There had been issues over the years. During recent floods although officials cautioned hotels in the area to move visitors to safer places, this advice was ignored and as a result the army had to be called in to rescue tourists. So the only places available right in Hampi would be in the bizarre area. It didn’t sound very peaceful. We weren’t going. We were going. We weren’t going. We were going. And so on.

232 days in…

We’re doing it! We’re going to Hampi!