Tollywood

Tollywood...yes spelt with the big T not the big B...here I come!!!! As a spectator of course...although I may just try audition for a back view only role - reckon I will suit the role very well - don't u agree?? :-) Ah huh....Telugu = Tollywood, Hindi = Bollywood...never knew there is a difference in Indian movies until today after I plonked myself to the largest film city in the world - Ramoji Film City.

No need to go anywhere but the Film City to film your whole movie...from village settings to mumbai city landscape to delhi city landscape to south indian city landscape to airport to hospital to church to railway station to european garden to japanese garden to streets in london even to taj mahal, the red fort and the golden temple in amritsar...everything is within a stone throw of each other...forget about long flights...just hop into a 'natural air-conditioned' bus and you are there in a blink of an eye.

Imagination is very important here...let me stress very important especially when the scene changes every 10 minutes and whatever is it, do NOT do NOT attempt to jump in the buildings unless you want to crash through the plaster. Yeap, everything is made from plaster from Paris...except the chairman Ramoji house which is the REAL thing and the hotels in the film city :-) and everything is dismantable and removable. BTW, I am one happy girl today...got a up-close and personal shot with Charlie Chapin and the famous leg garden and a 15-min trip round the world minus Oz.

Lunch was brilliant - 'thali' at Hotel Sitara...in fact it was so brilliant that I managed a snooze at the hotel lobby while waiting for the bus to come. Roti, naan, paratha - all indian breads but made from different wheat...michelle (I have a flatmate!!!!) and I reckon we can just feed on those for meals with dhaal...yea by far the only Indian dish we are able to eat without any qualms and 'karakan' - an indian sweet decorated with silver paper on top - unless you have a super sweet tooth you may want to give this a pass cos this is like eating sugar by the tablespoon!!!

There is even a theme park here - 'Fundustan'. Don't be scared by the blue genie...he is actually quite harmless and we decided not to go onto any rides cos we are so afraid that we will puke considering we just had a full lunch.

By and by, I reckon this place provided the best entertainment of the day - Watch the local Indians danced the Indian style in the fountain - not around the tree but in the fountain. So hilarious - this guy started fully clothed and ended up with just his underpants!!!! Gosh...luckily the guard got to him in time if not...

And I even managed to render my service to the help desk!!!


Come 4pm it was too hot to hang around the film city anymore so we decided to check home. Stopped on the way to have chai from Sarvy in the car...heh heh...apparently women are a rarity in that coffee shop so if we go drink there it's going to be one very difficult situation so we got Razzak to get it for us...after all how can we pass on the Number 1 chai place in town!!! <* although we did pray very hard before we drank it cos the cup do look a bit suspicious *>

Tip for the day: When you go Bunnings next time, please lookout for 'Shangrila Seeds'!

Diamond As Paper Weight!

Woke up today feeling really excited...had planned to go explore the biggest fort in India. Since it is going to be one long and hard climb to the hilltop where the fort sits, I decided to go get myself a big meal to avoid fainting halfway. Razzak brought me to Fusion9 - a swanky place that serves multicuisine food and since I skipped dinner last nite and hardly ate anything substantial the whole week, I ordered a big plate of fish curry...yeah needed some omega 3 to stimulate and grow new brain cells to replace those that had died during the week. Dish was spicy but tolerable, nothing exceptional...the only notable experience...lunch in the dark...you see power went out at the restaurant midway through my lunch...gee luckily I sat near the window else gosh know what I would be eating. All stuffed and sleepy, I stepped out of the restaurant and OMG, the weather has gotten so hot in just one hour...oh dear...if I climb the fort now I am going to get so burnt but then again a bit tanner may just help me blend in.....

The verdict, after munching on the 'paan' (grated coconut and rose wrapped in betel leave - a refresher that Indians usually have after a meal) that Razzak bought me, I chose to go for AC = air-conditioned.

New destination - the renown Salarjung Museum.
Reason - to get AC...ok ok...also to see the rich collections of the Nizam rulers...heh heh apparently I am not the only one who goes there for the AC even the locals do...it was sure crowded.

Since I didn't want Razzak to wait for me under the hot sun, I bought a ticket for him too...I reckon he has probably gone in like for a dozen times...turned out to be a good thing cos he was an awesome tour guide...he was totally amusing...likening those statues inside to the many colourful characters at work and in the apt that I have met so far. So many porcelains, so many paintings, so many crafts, so many clocks, so many artifacts from all four corners of the world...it is shocking how obscenely rich the Nizams are...mmm...one wonders if the Nizam rulers themselves actually know what they own...wonder if God would answer my this little small prayer...'Dear God, I am not greedy, I only want that one small gold pandan (bowl) from their collection...am sure they won't miss it :-)'

Tired and worned out after walking the whole two floors of the museum, I thought to call it a day...and then I found out that the precious jewellery collection of the Nizam family is up for public viewing and only for the second time in history...apparently it is a very rare occasion...ok should be worth checking it out then...what...Rs500 ($20) to get in...and only Rs50 ($2) for locals...I am seriously toying with the idea of dressing up like the muslim ladies here now...all covered up in black and only the eyes showing...heh nobody would know I am not an indian then!!! Ok, let me see if I can convince Razzak's sister to lend me one whenever I go out exploring.

Totally touched all over by the security guards on the way into the jewellery hall, females of course but it still feels funny and how unfair, guys only need to go through the metal detector gate!!! Security is so tight that you cannot even bring in tablets into the exhibition hall...mmm perhaps they are afraid that you are taking ecstasy and gets really high and start smashing the glass cabinets. I probably waited longer in the queue to see the jewelleries than seeing the jewelleries themselves. Every single piece of the jewellery is laden with gold, ruby, emerald and diamond...some even weighed up to 3 kg...gosh fancy wearing that heavy a jewellery together with other jewelleries...pretty sure if I do I would have no problems taking away the title from the Hunchback of Notre Dam. The star attraction of the exhibition, the Jacob diamond from Africa - said to have a value of 400crones of International Money (not sure what this means since am not a jewellery expert but pretty sure it is a lot of money!!!). The story of it - the Nizam ruler bought it unknowingly from a black market trader of which he then used it as an ornament on his toe slipper (ah huh) and since he never wears his apparrel more than twice, the slipper slowly got forgotten in the closet only to be found by his son many years later who then used it as a paper weight. OMG...as a paper weight....I would have hide it in my pillow!!! Unfortunately no picture of the diamond as camera was not allowed and they are pretty smart even cellphones were banned.

To top off the day, I went back to Mainland China for dinner...heh heh this time I asked for a table for two...yeah I found a new friend...ah huh I have decided to invent an imaginary friend...don't be bewildered this is a land of all possibilities...ok ok...met this Aussie girl in the week and thought I go dinner with her...well at least the staring eyes will now shift to her since she is brunette and so very fair!!! Dinner menu tonight - honey lemon chicken and snow peas with garlic pearl cos Michelle can't take spicy and reckon it must be me, I found a hair in my dish halfway through the meal...yuck yuck yuck...what is it with my meals today...a blackout earlier and now this!!! The manager was totally apologetic and we were debating if we should just bolt when the manager came back with fresh dishes of it so we were like huh...ok...reckon we ate so much that we both agreed that we can skip breakie and lunch (maybe) tomorrow. Have to say meals are pretty cheap here...for both of us we paid only $20 and this is a poshy place!!!

No Bollywood Movie

All the hype of 'I am going to watch my first bollywood movie' went plummeting when I got to Prasads IMAX today - all sessions sold out. Lesson to learn - bad idea to watch a movie on a public holiday...so settled for the short documentary 'Mysteries of Egypt'. ..pretty informative...definitely a must for those who have always been fascinated with the Egyptian civilisation. Sat next to this family of four who were extremely friendly which I don't really mind but to my horror they just kept talking and talking (of course among themselves now) even after the show had started...was totally annoyed and was hoping that someone would ask them to keep quiet and I waited...and then this four guys who sat in front of them just moved to other seats...I am like..."what??!!!"...so I turned to the mum and said..."I can't hear the movie can you please lower down the noise or just don't talk"...yes don't mess with me...afterall I paid to watch the show!! It worked partially - at least they are whispering now...gosh I think I just violated the politeness rule. To say the least, while waiting to get into the theatre, I have had a lot of Indian guys staring at me...probably thinking what is this girl who is munching away a cup of corn watching a movie all by herself...and ignorance will be your best defence here. By the way, the biggest two Bollywood actors - Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan got engaged yesterday.

Surrendered today...no more chillies or curries...the tummy needs a rest...so checked myself into a Chinese restaurant called Mainland China for lunch. Very poshy place...so me in jeans and a fossil messenger bag do look a little bit out of place when I rocked in...oh well...I waved my index finger up...yeap one person...thank you :-). Are you Korean? Japanese...mmm...must check with my mum and dad if I do somehow have a long long lost ancestor there...it seems to be ppl's perception of my descendant here. Had three treasures mushroom braised in ginger wine sauce with steamed rice. Heh heh and because I looked so forlorn dining alone that the management gave me complimentary chinese tea and ice-cream. Food is not bad...definitely to revisit when I need a break from Indian food.

Short day out today...even Razzak was surprised when I said it's back to Cosy Homes after lunch...though I did get him to bring me to a pharmacy before that where I bought a nail polish to amuse myself later in my apartment.





My apartment - it's a nice 2 bedroom apartment...the only short fall is the kitchen - it has only one microwave and one fridge, no stove, no plates and no cutleries at all...so for someone like me who loves a homecook meal...I am currently on the quest for microwave ready meals in the supermarket.









Mmmm...since I have had such a big lunch...think I will just walk to the 'Ofen' bakery round the corner later and have a piece of sinful chocolate cake for dinner! (Who says I am losing weight...) And perhaps do a neighbourhood walk too with my green brolle - a short one of course...don't want to get lost in those twisting and turning lanes of Banjara Hills...and check out the view from my balcony...oh dear the 5 min blackout in the apartment is happening again...

Shopping In Hyderabad

Today is shopping discovery day…to find out where I can blow some money to reward myself for working so horribly hard in the week and also to do some exercise…if I am correct, I believe you do burn quite a fair bit of calories by just shopping . After a hearty meal of masala dosa for breakfast at 12 noon at Kamal Hotel in the old part of the city (I am slowly getting used to saying ‘Table for One’ and have the waiter not believing me...”Mam, two right””…and me “No, no only one”...wonder if I should start inventing an imaginary friend…), it was off to Hyderabad Central – the latest and trendiest shopping mall in town. You get Marks & Spencers, Guess, Lacoste – yes the only place in town to buy international brands and local brands of course. Since it is Sankranti on Monday (public holiday….yippee…but will probably do some work in the apartment and take a break in the middle to watch the Bollywood movie ‘Guru’ - yes I will attempt to understand Hindi), I told Razzak to go play kites with his friends on the roof top (it is customary to fly kites during Sankranti in the city as a substitute for a more colourful celebration in the country side – this festival is to celebrate the end of the harvest season) while I do my shopping therapy.

With no plan in mind, I supposed the obvious is just to browse floor by floor. Thought I start with the local Indian clothing and see if I can pick up a ‘kurti’ – the Indian blouse or perhaps a full Indian suite – kurti with pants. Totally not going to try and buy a saree cos I would probably be so stucked in the ‘trial room’ trying to figure out how to wear it…maybe get Shailesh’s wife to show me how to wear it first before I attempt to get one!

And by the time Razzak came and pick me up, I have splashed horrendously on 2 kurtis, 2 skirts, 1 blouse, 1 pair of shoes and 1 shirt for dad (yeap, just made a resolution to buy a presee for one person everytime I go out shopping). Have to so lock up my purse next week…mmm but the apparels here are really worth the money...especially when they are made from pure cotton. Shocking that in my first week here on my first day of shopping in Hyderabad Central, I have qualified for Rs501 store voucher which I spent off too!! Gosh I better work harder next week so I can justify doing this again...if I do it again and if I do, oh dear I may just need to buy another luggage to lug it all back…oh well worry about that later...

Old Town Hyderabad

Camera...yeap in...lonely planet guide...yeap in...ok reckon I am all set to explore the old charming part of Hyderabad this morning..."Ring ring"...that must be Razzak.

Traffic as usual is chaotic…you definitely need a ‘license to kill’ to drive here…forget about lanes here, it’s about how close you can get to the car in front or next to you and how loud you can honk and how well you can avoid running over peddlers peddling their merchandises in the middle of the road.

As we get nearer to Charminar, the city starts to take a different look…rows and rows of wooden shop houses along the road selling all sorts of stuff, from homewares to shoes to jewellery…some of the shop houses are so dilapidated that I really do fear for the shopkeepers trading in them…

One arch…two arches…three…wait wait this is not an arch, it is the magnificent Charminar…standing tall at 180ft with four minarets soaring to a height of 48.7 mtrs with four giant arches on each side of the building that opens to a plaze, this is definitely the Arc de Triomphe of India!!! After paying Rs100 for my ticket (a whopping Rs95 more than Razzak…well, foreigners are charged differently here and expect lots of stares from locals…I have had my big share since I got off the car!!!) and climbing the spiraling narrow staircase of 54 steps, I finally reached the roof of Charminar for a panoramic view of the city…bustling narrow streets, bumper-to-bumper traffic, human traffic, colourful bazaars, the myriad peddlers, houses with laundry hanging on the roof top, the majestic Mecca masjid and high court across the road and the camera starts snapping...

Getting off Charminar, I was totally swarmed by the local women and children…they were literally hanging on to me…gosh I thought I would never be able to get away and then Razzak came along and pulled me away.

Now it is off to Laad Bazaar – the paradise for bangles and attar (perfumes). So many shops and so colourful and so warm a welcome…well especially when you are a foreigner = ‘time to rip her off!’ The bangles are so pretty – silver, gold, copper, stones, shinny, plain…I tried on so many that at the end of it I had to stop as my skin was starting to get red and look as if it was going to peel off….even Razzak was laughing by then. It is really shocking how much you end up paying from the initial price they quote you…so haggle and haggle hard and bring a local with you. Totally now a proud owner of 3 sets of bling-bling bangles.

Next, it is to the Mecca Masjid across the road. Yes, it’s time to cross the road…no traffic lights..just step out and hope that the cars will stop for you (and you better hope hard!!). Finally, after almost gotten run down by the cars, I made it across to the mosque..phew! Shoes off as it is a holy ground. This is where the tombs of the Nizam rulers and his family reside and also where the locals come and pray every Fridays. The open plaza can accommodate up to 10000 worshippers and the building itself 3000 worshippers. This part of town is definitely a Muslim heaven. The north of this mosque faces Mecca, the floor is from Germany, and the ancient clock came all the way from France…the Nizam rulers definitely have a penchant for imported stuff. At the end of the visit, totally sensed that the tour guide wanted his tip cos he sure was leeching to me until I tipped him and the old man who insisted that I throw flowers on the holy tomb of Nizam which I did and which he then hit me with a broom…apparently it is a tradition and then viola, he blatantly ask me for a tip…mind you he wants it in paper and not silver shilling…talk about being bold!! And you must also tip the lady who has your shoes unless you want to walk bare footed for the rest of the day.

Exhausted, we decided to break for lunch (I have come to learn that lunch is from 1-4pm, breakie is at 9am and dinner is from 9-12 midnite) and today it is Hyderabad’s signature dish – biryani at the number one place in town – Hotel Shadab – the friendly next door neighbourhood family restaurant – after all the best way to discover the best food in town is to follow the locals. The place is packed out…I guess because I looked different (well when the place is not listed in the travel brochure or lonely planet guide you will definitely be a rarity here)…we got a table in 15 minutes (yes I took Razzak in). I reckon the waiter nearly cracked out laughing when I asked for medium spicy, he said it is either ‘no spicy’ or ‘very spicy’ but I was so adorable when I said it that he finally said ‘OK’! The mutton biryani, served in a copper pot with red onions, lime, yogurt and red curry on the side was simply delicious…cooked to perfection…the mutton was so tender and we finished off the meal in local style, we ordered chai – it definitely tasted very different from the ones you get in Sydney…well, the secret…fresh cow’s milk – it was really good!!!

As I have embarked on the Nizam’s education path this morning, so decided to finish it off by visiting Chowmahalla palace – the residence of Nizam. What an opulent place…an European-like garden, intricately designed pillars, balconies and windows, marvelously decorated walls, marble Italian flooring, glass chandeliers, horse drawn carriages (yes the Nizam travel in style), rock solid timber cupboards (probably weigh a ton I think - apparently needed cos the Nizams have a wardrobe made from pure gold and silver…I am not joking the key to the cupboard is heavy and super huge...I am sure you can kill someone with it if you want to!!)…so many rooms…well I supposed when you have so many wives and so many children…you do need a lot of servants and bodyguards!!

Mmm…think I have done pretty well today...reckon I shouldn’t do too much in a day else I will run out of things to do….after all I do have a whopping 3 months here….mmm…wonder what’s for tomorrow…maybe dosa for breakie and heh heh maybe another cup of chai ...gosh that red looking fruit ('anar') that I bought from the road stall – looks horribly tempting…now where’s the knife…