Friday, September 24, 2010

India is just weird...that's all there is to it

For some reason, when you're in India, weird things just happen.

Like hiking up huge hills with a guide that doesn't speak any english and for some reason, doesn't take you on the trail...?  At least the view was wonderful from the top...even if you nearly died in the process of getting up there!


And when you're driving along, your driver pulls over and some random lady just jumps in...she's the little one on the left...and that's my friend Megan in the middle.  You should have seen her face when the lady got in.  Priceless.


Oh, sometimes when you're about a block away from your house, the rickshaw driver stops and tries to charge you 50 rupees to go any further because it's raining.  Come on, pal, it's monsoon season!  So what do you do? Simple.  You get out and walk home.  And all the shopkeepers along the road watch in awe as two soaked Americans trudge through roads that have have become rivers.  In fact, some of them even try to get you to come and wait out the rain in their shops.  But, nope, you're already soaked so you persevere until you get home...where you take pictures of each other posing in the rain.


And you try to get your cooks to eat roasted marshmallows and when they refuse, your Indian professor says, "They will try it.  I will make them eat it."  And then poor Lova takes the smallest bight possible and says, "Super Ma'am" in an, I'm trying not to gag kind of way.  At least, Durga liked it!  (Or she's just a better liar...)


The guys here are always touching each other...but they're not gay...they just...like to hold hands...and put their arms around each other...ALL the time....it's weird...India's weird.

 Or you go to a little kids park and see a picture of this:


I think it's supposed to be Jaws eating a dolphin...

Or a scary guy makes you a very sketchy drink...


And my personal favorite, if you have white skin, you're automatically a celebrity.  Here's proof:


Yeah, we were the cover story of "Yo, Vizag".  Pretty cool, eh?

Oh, and they have an obsession with Titanic here.  There's a car in the neighborhood who's horn is "my heart will go on" along with the fact that song gets played at EVERY major function I've gone to.  Also, 50% of the rickshaws have titanic posters on them.  Oh, and did I forget to mention that 3 people have told me I look just like the girl from it?  My friend Jain seems to find this especially funny, considering that I just found these pictures of me posted on her blog with the caption, "can you see the resemblance?"


Oh, Jain...so ridiculous...and that's a terrible picture of me....hahahahaha

Yeah, India is just weird sometimes.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

At the Beginning (Adventure #1)



I’ve been in India for over a month now.  Unfortunately, the aviators weren’t with me for that first month and half…which is, I’m sure, why the going was so hard.  Anyways, they’re here now, which is what matters.

So, our first adventure together consisted of a trip to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India!  Woooo!

We took a Night Train there...12 long hours







Ate some of the best chocolate in the world (Kinder Bueno) offered to us by Megan












We went and saw a mosque on the last day of Ramadan so it was super crowded.



















Bought some awesome shoes off the
street and bargained them down from
400 rupees to 250 rupees.  That's $5 for those
of you who don't know rupees.
















Golkonda Fort the next day!  Got sunburned unfortunately














Saw some beautiful Muslim Tombs














Saw the Buddha statue out in the middle of the lake (via speed boat...that felt like it was about ready to sink!)






















Possibly the best part of the trip: McDonalds!!!!










And then it was time to go home...

















Via Night Train, of course!
And yes, Megan stole the aviators from me...
Don't worry, I fought her and got them back!
























And that was the very first trip that the aviators took with me...

One last of picture of the beautiful city Hyderabad!