Hyderabad

We finished our exams in Mysore on Friday after a stressful five exams in four days. I was able to pick up on Indian mannerisms and styles of teaching through class with my Indian professors.  First of all, the Indian professors had a very traditional teaching style in that they would lecture facts and opinions to us that we were supposed to accept instead of critically analyse. Our science and technology teacher was famous for making broad statements in his classes. I remember that one of his slides said, "The economy is the core of society". I enjoyed my Women and Gender class because I was able to better understand the Indian family dynamic and Indian marriages. In terms of gender equality and women's rights, I think that there is progress being made in the form of a rising women's movement, however there is a long way to go. Hindi class was very challenging, however, I am glad that I took it. I am now able to write and read the alphabet, make simple sentences, and I know some vocabulary like numbers, colours, family members, and animals. In the train station from Mysore to Hyderabad I was able to make out some words in Hindi that were said over the loud speaker (mostly the numbers one to five- eik, tho, tiin, char, panch). I have made the observation that Indians have an equivalent of the Canadian expression, "eh", which is the expression, "isn't it?". This expression would be used by the professors when they were teaching. After they had made a point they would say "isn't it?" without really expecting a response and then go on with the lesson.

On Saturday we left Mysore and started travelling to the north. It was nice to stay in Mysore and have more time to explore the city, however, it is exciting to be travelling again. Leaving Mysore marks the halfway point in my semester abroad and a big change in going from the south to the north. South India has been very calm and the people have been very kind. From what I have heard, the north is a little rougher in that the cities are bigger, the begging is more aggressive, and you have to be smart about getting a fair deal for everything that you buy. Many of the cities in the north are more modern and have a definite western influence. The food is also supposed to be much heavier than in the south.

Hyderabad is the considered the old city and Secunderabad is the new part of the city. Together they are known as the twin cities. Secunderabad is strongly influenced by the rising middle class in India and a western influence.

In the morning of the first day in Hyderabad we went to a well known market downtown called the Ladd Bazar. It was situated in the old part of the city and it has the majority of the city's pearl trade. The government has certified several jewelry shops in the area as being authentic quality. Since it was Sunday, many of the stalls and shops were closed so we were not able to see the market in full affect.

Hyderabad is a large city and it has is more modern than any of the cities in the south that I have seen thus far. The streets are much cleaner and the sidewalks are not only present but they are also easy to walk on. In many other cities, you have to watch your step because the side of the road is very rocky and there will be pot holes that you have to look out for.

My friend and I went out looking for a trendy restaurant that we heard about called Le Cafe D'Art and decided that we would not be able to find it after a 30 minute walk around the same area. The address was only the street number and people in the area sent us in all directions looking for the place but we could not find it. This is a very typical occurrence in India and I have gotten used to the fact that things do not always work out the way you expect them to, especially with business. Instead of heading back to the hotel we decided to check out the mall that was in the area. Stepping into the mall was just like being in a mall in North America. It was Sunday night at about 8:00 pm but the mall was full and everything was open. Being in the mall made me very aware of the rising middle class in India.

After the mall we went to a very fancy restaurant called Fusion 9 for dinner. This restaurant had soft lighting, wood floors, and a nice bar in the middle of the seating area. It was the kind of place that I would not be able to afford at home because I am a student (gotta love that exchange rate) with water that is three times more expensive and salads that cost more than main courses at other Indian restaurants. We definitely felt as though we were being spoiled (especially because we spent the previous night on a loud, dirty overnight train in third class).  The bathrooms were also really nice at this restaurant- very clean with toilet paper and soap. I have been to some very scary bathrooms in India and I have gotten used to bringing my own toilet paper and hand sanitiser everywhere that I go. It was nice to have a bathroom with all of the comforts of home.

On the second day in Hyderabad we went to a fort in the morning, which was very impressive because of its size. The fort had stone steps that to the top of the fort where there was a really good view of the city.

We spent the afternoon at the horse races. I had never been to a horse race before and thought that this would be the best place to make a bet. I did the minimum bet of 100 rupees (2 dollars) on a horse called All the Fun mostly based on the name and unfortunately did not win. Everyone that I was with either lost 200 rupees or won just over 100 rupees at the end of the day. It was a very relaxing afternoon at the horse races. The stands were in the shade and there was a nice view of the city in the background of the race track. At the snack bar we could get samosas, pastries, pop, chai, and milky coffee and enjoy at we watched the races.
The race track was full of men with their stats books keeping track of the results of races and planning their next big bet. At one point in an intermission between races we were put on the jumbo tron at the track and when we put our hands up and waved they put us on the jumbo tron two more times. I don't think that it is a normal occurrence for a group of white tourists, mostly women to go to the race tracks and bet.

Many of the men we very willing to tell us about their betting strategy and would show us their card when their horse won. We met one man who had won 20 lack (thousand) rupees the previous day at the tracks and he could tell us everything about the horses in each race. My friend decided to put his money on the man's top choice for the last race and he ended up winning.

In the evening we went to a craft show along the water then to a restaurant with an amazing view called Waterfront. Just like the other dinner that I ate in Hyderabad this place was very fancy. The restaurant was right on the lake with a patio and a dinning room with huge glass windows overlooking the water. On a small island in the middle of the lake there is a huge Buddha statue that is lit up at night and there are water fountains all around the lake for aesthetic affect.

Hyderabad was a nice, comfortable city to spend time in and I think that it gave me a great insight into the life of the middle class in India. Tomorrow we have a 23 hour train ride to Varanasi.