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Published: December 27th 2006
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Adit's birthday evening
NB: mum and dad the cigarette is just a prop! I must apologise- yet again at the huge delay in updating my blog... I just don't know where the time has gone!!
Since Jo's departure I must have experienced every emotion possible while being on my own, with the majority being self pity!
On Weds afternoon I got a flight up to Hyderabad to stay with the people we met here in Goa. I was a little nervous as obviously I didn't know these people very well, and they did invite me when they were absolutely pissed out of their faces.. but after a few emails and phone calls I decided to be the true littlest hobo that i am and just bite the bullet! (well to be fair I didn't have any other plans!!)
Manisha- the wife met me at the airport and we drove back to their apartment which was in the Banjara Hills part of the city- a VERY well to do area. The apartment was gorgeous, very spacious, marble floors, 3 bedroom and 3 bathrooms, and no less then THREE staff! Can you believe it. I think this is actually the life that I was meant to be born into. I got far too comfortable and
actually ended up staying 4 nights, but the way I look at it they were lucky to have my western glamour injected into their little home.
Manisha was great she took me around Hyderabd and all the major shopping sights was suprised to see a good old Marks & Sparks included, it is seen as a very exclusive shop there as the prices are no different from the UK so its very epensive over here. She also took me to see a Bollywood movie called 'Don' which is a remake of an old classic, I was actually highly impressed, the acting was a little hammy at times, and the cringey white girls doing bollywood dancing make me squirm but the movie was actually a bit like a cross between Kill Bill and James Bond. Bless Manisha she sat and translated through the whole film, she said she didn't mind cos she has already seen it, I was really grateful as it would obviously have made NO sense at all to me without her! Was also really suprised that the film had an interval in the middle but was definately called for as it was over 3 hours long!
On the Friday night they hosted a party for Adit's birthday. They had a theme going on of gangsters, was a little wierd as everyone came dressed as Indian gangsters so I didnt really get any of their jokes, and I had no prior warning of it so couldn't really join in. Although when people asked me what i was, i knew i could pull off my answer, I just told them that i was a Bond girl!! They seemed to buy it so hey!
The following day we went round some local markets and in the evening we went out to a pub called '10 Downing Street' was actually a really good evening, and I even had my photo taken for a local paper- its not every day they have someone so fabulous out in Hyderabad! Sightly worrying that the designated drivers were not the most sober by the time we left, and trust me the roads over here are crazy enough without adding alcohol into the mix, seatbelts were were well and truely secured for that journey!
I ate so well here, as their cook was absolutely amazing, it was great to actually get to taste
Night out at 10 Downing Street
Not quite sure whats going on with Adit's hand there!? some authentic Indian home cooking, as to be quite honest most places here have adapted all their foods for western tastes which is really annoying as if i wanted a korma I could've just stayed at home!
By the time I left Hyderabad on the Sunday night, I did feel it was definately time to move on, but thoroughly enjoyed my stay with them. From Hyderabad, i got a night coach to take me down to Chennai on the lower east coast , I didn't plan to stop here and when i arrived I was glad, as it was absolutely tipping it down- first time i have seen rain here, and i wasnt best impressed, this wasn't what i had signed up for! I managed to wait in shelter until my next coach arrived, three hours later, but unfotunately my non water resistant backpack wasnt so fortunate, and the whole contents was absolutely stinking. I then got a coach on to Pondicherry, which I had been so excited about visiting. It's an old French colony, which big wide boulevards, mostly French speaking people, and was next to the sea, apparantly the second biggest coastline in the world. Well yes,
all this sounds very impressive, but i took those rose tinted glasses off as soon as I arrived! It was raining here too, and i actually had to roll my jeans up and take my shoes off to wade throug the streets. I found the ashram that i wanted to stay at and proceeded to check in. Met this guy Harry who was from Glasgow and staying with his cousin and a guy from Germany, Frank they had met on their travels. Didn't see these guys again until my last day. The next few days were probably the most depressing of my trip. I have never been harassed and followed so much in my life to the point where i actualy felt unsafe. One guy followed me both on foot and by bike for the best part of an hour, so i took refuge in an internet cafe for about three hours until i felt sure that he would have gone. Not only the safety aspect upset me here, but also that my lack of Hindi, and French (i blame Madame McCullough my old french teacher) but i found it next to impossible to communicte with anyone here. Booking my
2 Indian homo's
don't get excited crawley boys...its standard practice here for male friends to hold hands (and the rest..) onward bus ticket was a feat by any account. I did this on day 2, in the hope that knowing i was leaving the next day would cheer me up and drive me to make the most of it, i failed!
On day three i got a second wind and decided to be brave and tour the city again, well i ended up more upset this day and was just making my way back to the room when i bumped into Harry again. He invited me out with them for dinner and drinks and i literally jumped at the chance. Had a nice evening and then made my way back to the bus station to get my ownward overnight bus to Bangalore.
I reached Banglore about 8 hours later and got a tuk tuk to drive me to a ticket office so I could buy my next bus ticket to Goa (i had decided to go back there a few days early as at least i felt safe and happy there!) The bus didnt leave til 10 hours later so we drove around numerous hotels looking for somewhere with fewer cockroaches and that didn't charge the earth. This actually took about 2 hours, and I was exhausted when we got there. Had a few hours sleep and decided i should probably get out to see the city rather then waste the day, but when i went to reception i learnt that all rickshaws and taxi's were on strike today and that i was literaly confined to this pit of a hotel. They started up again at 6pm, which was a bit of a worry as my bus left at 5!! I went back to my room and cried the whole afternoon. I found a small comfort in the fact tere was VH1 in the room, but this was ruined again when the Crazy Frog's dire version of Last Christmas seemed to be on repeat!
Somehow managed to get my way back across the city for my next bus, but was feeling no more happy and spent the next 15 hours crying Muriel style in my little bunk. Everyone must have thought I was a total freak but i was actualy passed caring. Reached Goa in the morning and found another little beach hut to stay in with only 3 more days on my own until Laura, an old friend from home arrived to visit....
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Lisa
non-member comment
Hey babe, Great to hear from you. What a nice family they seem, the Pirate party looked fun. Little uday is sooo cute, loving the eye liner! All the crying! you poor thing. Lauras visit should certainly cheer you up! love lisa xx