I almost lost my finger in Hyderabad!

---

Woken up this morning at 5am by the call for prayer. It's Ramadan ... didn't they realise that there were some jet legged girls trying to get some sleep here!

Hyderabad's population is 70% Muslim and 30% Hindu, we were told at breakfast by on of the waiters, while eating our ring sting breakfasts - curry, chapati, dosas and dhal ... and we were hoping to lose weight here!

Ventured into the city with a tuk-tuk and were again overcharged ... that was before we learned some very hard haggling skills, to the point where by the end of the day no one would take us on a tuk-tuk any more.

Streets are overcrowded with people, fruit vendors, children, beggars, motorbikes, cars, tuk-tuks, vans, bicycles and buses. Sidewalks are used for men peeing against the wall, often more then one in a line, in the plain daylight. There's rubbish everywhere and there are no traffic no rules in this chaos.

We haven't seen another white person so far and when walking in a lake side park where rats seem to happily coexist with rubbish, parrot fortune tellers with green eyes and couples whispering sweet nothings, a group of school girls who were wagging their classes approached us to have photos taken with us. We truly fee like movies stars!

Humidity is making us tired, or is it the even more intense stares of men around us? We even wear fake "wedding bands" in hope of protection from the most intrusive of stares and questions (it doesn't help), but today, the humidity made our hands so swollen that we risked losing our fingers!

Tired of noisy chaos on the streets of this city, we are back in our hotel oasis, knowing very well that tomorrow our beds may not be as comfortable, as we make our way to the orphanage.

What's for dinner? Curry and lots and lots of vodka!!!

---

Comments

[Mum & Dad]

Hi from Oz
Holy cow Jill you do look a little Indian !!