What happen to the last two weeks?

Since we landed in Delhi on June 12^th we have traveled to Jaipur, Agra, and finally Hyderabad. This is hundreds and hundreds of miles traveling in a few short days. This week we have spent in our host city, Hyderabad. We have been mainly walking, taking autos, and driving around site seeing. We basically have had the entire week to do what we please, however were in a foreign country. So four America girls have been roughing it through the streets of India to learn and entertain ourselves.

Looking down on Jaipur

What is so different about driving here is that they drive on the left side of the road. Their driving wheel is also on the left side. I still have a hard time remembering this fact and it can be dangerous crossing the street when you’re looking the wrong way! Hyderabad is one of the largest cities in India, so when you want to get somewhere across town is can take up to an hour and a half. 

All four of us crammed into an auto

A couple of days ago we took a city bus tour. We had no idea what we were in for. It was 12 hours long. The first thing I needed to learn when I arrived to India is that no one is ever on time. When someone says they’ll be somewhere at 10:30 they probably wont show up until 11:00 or later. So when the American ladies with their time is money attitudes, get to the travel agency, they show up 10 minutes early just in case. The sweat what already starting to pool on our backs at 7:20, we didn’t leave for the trip until 8:00, 30 minutes late. At first I found these to be irritating and disrespectful but it is apart of the culture and I am finally adjusting to it.

One of my favorite places thus far is, Charminar. This place has a huge market area with fantastic clothing, blankets, jewelry, and statues. Shops upon shops lay in this one part of Hyderabad. I have taking a liking to bargaining with the shopkeepers. It is a fun concept and an interesting way for two strangers to make a deal  to make both of them happy.

Another thing that is taking some getting used to here is the time difference. I am in the Asia/Kolkata time zone. I am originally from the central time zone so this means I am 10 and half hours ahead of my family. Most times when I am going to sleep, my family is walking up. And when I am waking up my family is going to sleep. This different time zone has transformed my sleeping schedule. Back in Nebraska I am a night owl. I go to bed late and sleep late, sometimes even far into the afternoon. In India, I don’t sleep past 7 a.m., ever.  I don’t know what it is, but I am a wake and alive when the sun comes up. 

The air is full of excitement. The heat in India is a different kind of hot than I have ever experienced. One of the first days in Delhi it was 108 degrees but it was so humid that it was wet outside. Once we arrived in Hyderabad, which is further south in India, it is much cooler. By cooler it is still 90 degrees. Which means I am constantly sweating when I am outside. As time goes on we are moving into Monsoon season. The day after we left Delhi for Hyderabad, it started storming and flooded. That was such a close call that I am not sure what we would have done had we got stuck there. In cities like that, buildings, shops, and housing are all on top of each other. When one goes down, they all go. So many people have lost their homes and lives. It is heartbreaking to watch the news and read the paper over the last few days.

Along with the constant heat, the roads are constantly full. It is always rush hour here. There are typically three to four lanes but no one uses them. The buses, rickshaws, bikes, motorcycles, cars and autos are all inches apart from each other. They all weave in and out from each other, squeezing into any opening they can. This makes crossing the street an incredibly task! There are cross walks, which they call “Zebras”, but just like the lines, no one uses them. Every time you cross the street is it like playing real life frogger, except you only have one life. But practice makes perfect and were all getting good at reaching the other side of the road.

Rickshaw Ride

But these zebra walks and pretend froggers are not the only animals on the streets and sidewalks. Monkeys, ox, goats, dogs, cats, and chickens roam freely through the city and it’s outskirts. Stray dogs are either alone looking for food or travel in packs playing around in empty fields. Oxen pull materials on large wooden wagons. The chickens are clucking around town just waiting to be eaten. And the monkeys, the monkeys are my favorite. They are just as carefree and feisty as you think they would be. They run around, doing flips off buildings and stealing fruit off stands!

Wild Monkey

Later in the program we will travel to Bombay, which is where they create all their movies. Bollywood is so glamorous that I can barely stand it. We went to our first movie called, “yeh jawani hai deewani“. It was entirely in Hindi, but we picked up nicely on the story line. Even if you couldn’t understand it the music, dancing, outfit, and colors were enough to keep anyone entertained. Once we got home we downloaded the entire soundtrack and have listening to it ever since. One thing that is interesting about Bollywood is that the songs from the movies are the only music that is really played in India. All the songs that come on the radio are from a movie.

After the flashiness of our first Indian film, we wanted to learn how to dance. Our trip advisor’s wife used to be a dance teacher. She also grew up in north India where dancing is a much bigger part of growing up. We went through the first half of the song for about two hours and that was enough for all of us. All the moves are very graceful and involve a lot of sexy moves. I have neither grace nor sex appeal. I just kept laughing at my reflection in the window a head of me. It was awesome to learn a piece of traditional and pop cultural in our own private mini lesson. It was truly an experience I will never forget.