Blogs from Andhra Pradesh, India, Asia

Crimson, blue, amber, green and all, whichever you wish for, they are there for you. The scintillating bangles! These alleyways bedecked with vibrant colourful bangles seem a paradise virtually, for a lady like me. Your guess is right, as I am definitely speaking about the world famous “Laad Bazaar” in Hyderabad. My visit to Hyderabad was though official; I almost made everything out of the stay. The very first day during our tour to the Charminar, I got the opportunity to have a glimpse of this teeming market. From that day I kept on longing for a visit to this insanely lively market. It was a chill November morning, at Ramachandrapuram, Lingampally where my last official sessions were going on. I simply could not resist and after two sessions, I along with my colleague sat out ... read more

MINI CHRONIQUES INDIENNES Y’A PAS DE PQ… Pas de place dans le train de nuit. J’opte pour l’avion. Me voici à Hyderabad. L’aéroport de Visakhapatnam (d’où je viens) et celui d’Hyderabad (où j’arrive) sont parfaitement organisés, sortes de bulles aseptisées dans le capharnaüm indien. Le taxi (au compteur) fait un grand détour, mais comme je suis le trajet avec mon navigateur, je lui indique que, par mégarde, il se trompe de chemin. Ça va être moins facile d’arnaquer les touristes naïfs puisqu’ils ont maintenant la possibilité de savoir où ils sont et où ils vont ! Je remets le taxi dans le droit chemin, carte à l’appui, bien qu’il n’en fasse tout de même qu’à sa tête. La circulation est particulièrement dense (et bruyante). Nous arrivons enfin à l’hôtel, le FabHotel Arastu (les Fabhotels sont une ... read more

The early morning Indigo ATR 72 turboprop Pratt & Whitney powered engines landed at Madurai starting from Hyderabad early morning at 5:20 Am on the 30th January 2019. The chilly wind at Hyderabad and the warm humid weather at Madurai , the Tamil -English - Hindi combination language speaking driver takes me from Madurai to Rameswaram stopping on the way at the Meenakshi Amman temple. The pathway to the temple entry is the narrow street with flowers, coconuts, artefacts, saris vendors and some small restaurants. There is a whiff of spirituality as you enter this temple town and also the traditions being followed for centuries. As I enter this magnificent temple , I am awestruck with the architecture of the 12th century constructions. The amazing pillars around 1000 to be precise 985 and each unique with ... read more

Having caught up on sleep we were ready to take Hyderabad by storm, unless of course that involved a temple which we were drawing the line at for a few days. Woolly says – My plan involved a museum with a difference and having shown a nearby driver the name of the place we crawled into the heavy traffic and sat inhaling exhaust fumes for the next half an hour. As we pulled into a tree lined road which had been swept and had no piles of rubbish, very pleasant indeed compared to a lot of the city, I scrambled out of my seat and waited for the women to join me, there appeared to be a slight problem. As I looked across the road and read the large silver sign on the gates, ... read more

These places are big, really big. Not just big, but massive. Grand. Outlandish even. The building blocks are huge, walls towering, and architectural details surprising at Golconda Fort, a complex of buildings that spreads over many acres and crawls up a hill. Seven kings (nizams) of the Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled over the fort from AD 1518 to AD 1687. The first three nizams built much of the fort during the first 62 years of their dynasty, fortifying the fort that had been there already for several centuries. I launched my day of the big-place tour with a hike through Golconda Fort, noting the imposing outer walls that look exactly as you’d expect a royal fort to look. To my dismay, a group of bouncing teenagers beat me through the front gates, but I managed to ... read more