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!!!