Judgement Day: Hyderabad
October 1, 2010
Since returning to the sub-continent for a second go around Jean and I have become avid newspaper readers. With multiple English language newspapers, business periodicals, entertainment tabloids and financial journals all ranging in price from 2-5 rupees ($0.04 - $0.10) it's an information junkie's paradise.
From the one or two page International section I get filled in on what President O'bama is up to and Nicholas Sarkozy's latest scandal. There's also a requisite picture and snippet covering some fire/flood/riot/war happening somewhere on the globe.
The editorials provide some juicy and often fiery insight into the country's political and social climate. Domestic new usually gets only a cursory glance before I'm drawn in to the day's cross word puzzle. I happened to miss the relevancy of a couple of screaming headlines from yesterday's print.
Nation Braces for Babri Ruling
Security Beefed up all Over
We arrived in Hyderabad yesterday morning about five. It's funny how trains never seem to run on time unless you don't want them to. After being harangued by countless rickshaw drivers and hotel touts we spent the early hours in a cafe by the station waiting for the ticket office to open so we could book the next leg of our journey. With that done we hoofed it over to our hotel, checked in, showered and cleaned up. Around eleven I took off in search of an internet cafe. I finally found one. However, it required that I have a login ID to use the internet. To get a login ID I had to become a member and to become a member I needed to show them my passport. Well, the price was right at $0.40 an hour and the hotel was a five minute walk away.
In transit I noticed a couple of soldiers armed with assault rifles wearing flak jackets lounging outside the post office. I paid them no mind. I remember in Athens there had been shock troops toting sub-machine guns on every street corner months after the riots stemming from the austerity measures. Returned to the internet cafe with the proper documentation and got to work.
I was sat next to a trio of college age guys hovering around one computer. One had obviously lost interest in what his buddy was doing so he decided to check out what was going on my screen. Soon, he initiated conversation with me asking the usual questions, my country, how long had I been in India and did I like Hyderabad. I replied politely but curtly to his inquiries and never asked any questions in return. We continued a sporadic conversation for the next hour.
Finally, it appeared that his buddy had finished what ever he was up to and they started to get up. I pretended not to notice being engrossed in my Facebook stalking. I breathed a sigh of relief as they passed out of my peripheral vision. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked around to see the chatty guy leaning in close to me. He said rather cryptically that I should be careful. After 3 o'clock it could be dangerous. I thanked him, shook hands and they departed.
I turned away, rolled my eyes and went back to work. Around two I was buzzing along happily uploading pictures when the overhead lights went out. I could see a security guard outside and the metal shutter out front was half way down. I also noticed that I was the only customer in the internet cafe that had been so packed a couple of hours ago. The proprietor came by and I told me I needed to leave. Odd time to be closing for the day.
I logged off and started walking back to the hotel. There were more soldiers hanging out in front of Post Office. I met Jean on the street to our hotel. She relayed that the clerk had been somewhat agitated when she left telling her that it was dangerous outside.
“Where are you going?” he had asked
Jean told him she planned to go to lunch.
“Okay go down the street and come right back.”
Curiouser and curiouser. We got a little lost looking for the restaurant and turned down a busy street. After a few minutes a motorcyclist screeched to a halt beside us.
“Excuse me,” the balding, middle-aged man said, “I do not think you are from here.”
We admitted that it was true.
“May I suggest that you return to your hotel. After three o'clock it may be dangerous.”
We thanked him. Soon finding the restaurant we had thalis and made tracks for our hotel where we holed up for the rest of the evening. We grabbed the newspaper and tried to glean why the situation had suddenly become very dangerous. The anticipated hubbub revolved around a long-awaited verdict concerning four title suits on the ownership of 2.7 disputed acres of land in Ayodhya, India.
The newspaper wasn't very forthcoming. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it.
As far as we can tell no unrest came of it. Most places were shut down today until afternoon putting a crimp in our sightseeing plans like touring magnificent and sprawling Mughal fortress and or heading out to Ramoji Film City. About an hour drive out of town Ramoji is kind of like Bollywood's version of Universal Studios.
Not ones to let a little potential civil unrest get us down we did manage to take a walking tour of the city, crash a teacher appreciation ceremony (extremely boring but up side was that it was in an air-conditioned theater), discover a cool modern art installation, almost find several museums and a planetarium, purchase a probably soon to be accursed South East Asia Lonely Planet guide, rebuff countless auto-rickshaw drivers and quite nearly see a film at a huge megaplex theater before wallowing in hours and hours of internet time.
Our trusty and accursed India Lonely Planet guide describes Hyderabad as an aging princess. I'm not really sure what that means but I'm sorry your highness, I don't feel like I did you justice this time around. We'll have to meet up next time I'm in India.
Next stop Vijawada.
Since returning to the sub-continent for a second go around Jean and I have become avid newspaper readers. With multiple English language newspapers, business periodicals, entertainment tabloids and financial journals all ranging in price from 2-5 rupees ($0.04 - $0.10) it's an information junkie's paradise.
From the one or two page International section I get filled in on what President O'bama is up to and Nicholas Sarkozy's latest scandal. There's also a requisite picture and snippet covering some fire/flood/riot/war happening somewhere on the globe.
The editorials provide some juicy and often fiery insight into the country's political and social climate. Domestic new usually gets only a cursory glance before I'm drawn in to the day's cross word puzzle. I happened to miss the relevancy of a couple of screaming headlines from yesterday's print.
Judgment Day
Security in Place, Leaders appeal for calm
Security in Place, Leaders appeal for calm
Nation Braces for Babri Ruling
Security Beefed up all Over
 |
| Buying dosas from a street vendor |
 |
| Hyderabad by night |
We arrived in Hyderabad yesterday morning about five. It's funny how trains never seem to run on time unless you don't want them to. After being harangued by countless rickshaw drivers and hotel touts we spent the early hours in a cafe by the station waiting for the ticket office to open so we could book the next leg of our journey. With that done we hoofed it over to our hotel, checked in, showered and cleaned up. Around eleven I took off in search of an internet cafe. I finally found one. However, it required that I have a login ID to use the internet. To get a login ID I had to become a member and to become a member I needed to show them my passport. Well, the price was right at $0.40 an hour and the hotel was a five minute walk away.
In transit I noticed a couple of soldiers armed with assault rifles wearing flak jackets lounging outside the post office. I paid them no mind. I remember in Athens there had been shock troops toting sub-machine guns on every street corner months after the riots stemming from the austerity measures. Returned to the internet cafe with the proper documentation and got to work.
I was sat next to a trio of college age guys hovering around one computer. One had obviously lost interest in what his buddy was doing so he decided to check out what was going on my screen. Soon, he initiated conversation with me asking the usual questions, my country, how long had I been in India and did I like Hyderabad. I replied politely but curtly to his inquiries and never asked any questions in return. We continued a sporadic conversation for the next hour.
I logged off and started walking back to the hotel. There were more soldiers hanging out in front of Post Office. I met Jean on the street to our hotel. She relayed that the clerk had been somewhat agitated when she left telling her that it was dangerous outside.
“Where are you going?” he had asked
Jean told him she planned to go to lunch.
“Okay go down the street and come right back.”
Curiouser and curiouser. We got a little lost looking for the restaurant and turned down a busy street. After a few minutes a motorcyclist screeched to a halt beside us.
“Excuse me,” the balding, middle-aged man said, “I do not think you are from here.”
We admitted that it was true.
“May I suggest that you return to your hotel. After three o'clock it may be dangerous.”
We thanked him. Soon finding the restaurant we had thalis and made tracks for our hotel where we holed up for the rest of the evening. We grabbed the newspaper and tried to glean why the situation had suddenly become very dangerous. The anticipated hubbub revolved around a long-awaited verdict concerning four title suits on the ownership of 2.7 disputed acres of land in Ayodhya, India.
The newspaper wasn't very forthcoming. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it.
As far as we can tell no unrest came of it. Most places were shut down today until afternoon putting a crimp in our sightseeing plans like touring magnificent and sprawling Mughal fortress and or heading out to Ramoji Film City. About an hour drive out of town Ramoji is kind of like Bollywood's version of Universal Studios.
Next stop Vijawada.
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