Yes, even after we heard news of the twin blasts that rocked Hyderabad, we made the decision to go check out this interesting mix of Muslim/Hindu culture. Well, we were both shocked at how big Hyderabad is and I think we were caught off guard a bit. Hyderabad is a city of roughly 5.5 million and I was expecting a bit smaller of a town.
Regardless of the size, we still did our best to check it out and went to the Salar Jung Museum, which was an interesting collection of junk collected by Salar Jung. We checked out the views at Charminar and then went to check out Mecca Masjid, or what we could, as the inner part of the mosque stated "Outsiders Not Welcome."
Which brings up an interesting aside, how come I've never been denied access to a Christian church, Buddhist temple, Hindu Temple (outside of the Holy one in Puri) or Jewish synagogue? Yet, there have been a couple of Muslim mosques that I've been denied entry. How can you expect people outside of that religion to gain an understanding if they aren't allowed access? Seems a bit odd doesn't it?
Anyway, with the help of a younger local, we also got a chance to spend a night on the town at a western bar and checked out the younger, rich Indians on the prowl. Again......lots of sweaty Indian men! Kathryn was one or two drinks away from joining them on the dance floor.....I know it!
Our second day in Hyderabad, saw us visiting the Galconda Fort and checking out the huge Buddha statue in the middle of Hussain Sagar, the big lake separating Hyderabad from Secunderabad. Both were awesome and amazing! After all that trekking around, we were hungry and decided to eat the local dish of Biryani......and it was amazing!
Despite the town obviously being a bit larger than we thought, and being a bit on edge after the recent bombings, Kathryn and I both had a good time in Hyderabad and saw all of the things we wanted to see. So, it was a good trip!
Love, peace, and soul.
Regardless of the size, we still did our best to check it out and went to the Salar Jung Museum, which was an interesting collection of junk collected by Salar Jung. We checked out the views at Charminar and then went to check out Mecca Masjid, or what we could, as the inner part of the mosque stated "Outsiders Not Welcome."
Which brings up an interesting aside, how come I've never been denied access to a Christian church, Buddhist temple, Hindu Temple (outside of the Holy one in Puri) or Jewish synagogue? Yet, there have been a couple of Muslim mosques that I've been denied entry. How can you expect people outside of that religion to gain an understanding if they aren't allowed access? Seems a bit odd doesn't it?
Anyway, with the help of a younger local, we also got a chance to spend a night on the town at a western bar and checked out the younger, rich Indians on the prowl. Again......lots of sweaty Indian men! Kathryn was one or two drinks away from joining them on the dance floor.....I know it!
Our second day in Hyderabad, saw us visiting the Galconda Fort and checking out the huge Buddha statue in the middle of Hussain Sagar, the big lake separating Hyderabad from Secunderabad. Both were awesome and amazing! After all that trekking around, we were hungry and decided to eat the local dish of Biryani......and it was amazing!
Despite the town obviously being a bit larger than we thought, and being a bit on edge after the recent bombings, Kathryn and I both had a good time in Hyderabad and saw all of the things we wanted to see. So, it was a good trip!
Love, peace, and soul.
1 comment:
Now you know how women have felt for centuries as they have been denied entry from more than just their religion--politics, business, etc.
When we lived in Libya, there were many times when dad was allowed (ride a camel, enter a mosque, be served in a market, for example) and we women were denied. Of course, we women knew better than to ride those dirty camels, and we women did respect the dictates of the Islamic faith by not even crossing the door of the mosque, but we women (my mother, in particular) refused to be ignored and did not go away when it came to making food purchases. Nana
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