Stage 2: Hyderabad, India
India. My first impression of India was that it is madness. Total, absolute chaos reigns on the streets- drivers ignore what painted lines the roads may offer, cows and sheep join colorful, tinsel-laden autorickshaws and scooters in the lanes, and veiled or sari-clad women and men in trousers or lungis dodge the animals and vehicles. Pedestrians compete with fruit, vegetable, and spice vendors and beggers for “sidewalk” space. Honking is substituted for turn signals (or, I think, simply to express the joy of driving), and stereos and televisions blast the latest film songs over and over again. You can smell jasmine and sandalwood and smoke and trash. Tucked between all of this are colorful temples for Vishnu, Lakshmi, Ganesh, and hundreds of other Hindu gods, mosques for Allah, churches for Jesus, and a massive stone Buddha looking at the city from the middle of a central lake. So many people and animals and plants and gods.
But for my first 9 days here, I was in a city -Hyderabad, nicknamed “Cyberabad” for its advances in the IT field- so I could also see Emerging India. There are posh looking shopping malls, an IMAX theater, lots of billboard advertisements for investment opportunities in the country’s infrastructure, Baskin Robbins and Dominos, and even a Ramoji Film City that offers a type of Universal Studios-like experience. Cleanliness, structure, and order are as present in these locations as they are at home in the U.S. It reminds me a little of Malaysia- not quite “developed” world, not quite “developing.” India is in some ways like parts of Europe that I have seen and in other ways like the African countries I have been to. But it is foremost Indian.
I adore India.
During those first days, Matteo and I stayed with the family of an Indian-American friend, who were dream hosts. They made sure that we both ate enough to ensure our survival through the rest of our round-the-world trip (besides HUGE and delicious breakfasts, lunches, teas, and dinners, there were plenty of new snacks and sweets presented to us almost on an hourly basis), took us to Hyderabad’s best sights (amazing forts, temples, museums, and the Ramoji Film City), initiated our first autorickshaw ride (so much fun!), taught us a few words in their language, Telugu (I was called “Akka,” or “older sister,” by our friend Shipra’s adorable 7 year-old cousin), and generally shared tidbits of past and present Indian life.
On the ninth day, Matteo and I left Shipra’s family in Hyderabad for Alleppey, a town on the backwaters of Kerala, India’s most southwestern state. After our easy life in Hyderabad, where we were graciously chauffered around town and all of our needs were cared for, we were a bit worried about setting out on our own. When we were dropped off at the airport for our domestic flight ($90 for ticket purchased only 3 days before and with lunch served on the one and a half hour long trip!), Matteo and I looked at one another and said, half-seriously/half-jokingly, “Do you think we’ll make it alone in India?”
But so far, we have made it. We got ourselves through the security line at the airport (35 minutes before the plane was scheduled to depart, and about an hour before it actually did), figured out what the heavily accented English voice amid the Hindi and Telugu ones over the loudspeakers was saying, boarded our flight, exited the flight when it landed in the nearby city of Kochi, paid a reasonable price for a taxi (success!) to the town’s bus station, ran after a bus from Kochi to Alleppey just as it was leaving, squeezed ourselves into the bus and sat wedged between people with our backpacks in our laps for the hour and a half long ride, and found our hotel. (Breath.) And then, we rented a houseboat for several days (and our own crew!) to cruise through the most beautiful palm tree-lined landscape I have (and may) ever see. But more on that later…
Tags: India, RTW 07/08
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Hey Taea,
I feel like I am there! I love the way you write, it’s so picturesque’. You can really bring a scene to life through words, it is such a gift! I’m telling you kid, you should be a writer!
I am glad you and Matteo are having so much fun. Keep being safe. Love to you both!
Aunt Stacey & Girls
[…] And, in case you’re interested, I wrote three blog entries on my travels in South India, which are located here, here, and here. Tags: Hyderabad, Kochi, Thrissur, Munnar, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, India, Photos, Tag Index […]