Hyderabad road trip

[nickatnite]

New Delhi, Agra, the Taj Mahal , Mumbai and then back to Madras one last time(work related issues again!!) before we fly back to the US!.That was the plan, till today morning when we were driving to Mumbai airport, my Mrs. decided she wanted to buy pearls and Hyderabad was the place to buy 'em!!.Shopping again??, was the thought that came to my mind!!.Got to the Air Deccan counter and asked if we could reroute our ticket and to my chagrin, the agent was more than helpful!.She got us on a flight to Hyderabad and then on a night flight to Madras, all for Rs.2167.00 per person tax included as additional expense!!.I'll post pics of Delhi, the Taj etc., when i get back to the US!.I have got more than a few emails from friends at PW asking me about the pics!!.
So, i found myself flying into Hyderabad and this is what my wife and i did today.I share the pics with you all!......

My 1st look-see of Hyderabad from the air!....

Begumpet Domestic Airport, Hyderabad.....

the Air Deccan flight that got us there!.....

[portage1]

@nickatnite...first I thought it was Hyderabad Paksitan...my hometown....
lugar ra munae bhai...
lolzzzzz...I am on way to pick-up @tash15..

[nickatnite]

@portage1

Lolzzz!...i forgot there wuz one in Pak too!!....

[nickatnite]

My 1st view of Hyderabad on leaving the airport...Hussain Sagar lake!....

[nickatnite]

Necklace Road....my first road view of the city!!..from an autorickshaw!!...Since we hadn't rented a car and we were standing outside the terminal wondering what to do an autorickshaw almost runs us over and out pops this crazy guy asking where we wanna go....we told him we were spending the day in the city and being a little adventurous asked him how much he'd charge if we hired him till the evening....Rs1000 bucks plus cash for lunch was his asking price...we were on!....there are a lot of good people in this world and i thank God for that!!...i love the bajaj autorickshaw...it is the best car for India!!....

[nickatnite]

1130am and the city was pretty much deserted!!...They are late risers on Sunday these Hyderabadis!!....we went straight to the Salarjung Museum from the airport and most of the pics i'm posting now are on the way there!!....

still driving on Necklace road!....

[nickatnite]

Prasad's IMAX theater, Hyderabad.....i observed that the car park was full....i guess that's where most of 'em are!...

[nickatnite]

on the way to Salarjung museum.....nice city roads!....tho' once everyone woke up in the afternoon and started driving, weren't so nice!!...

[nickatnite]

Hyderabad roads.....

[afridino1]

good need to see some more

[nickatnite]

some more city views!...

[nickatnite]

before driving into the walled city.....the landscape changes dramatically!!....

[nickatnite]

see what i mean...entering the 'old' city of Hyderabad...

[nickatnite]

almost at the Salarjung museum...

[nickatnite]

walking into Salarjung museum...to my dismay no photographs allowed inside!!...they even confiscate your cell phone too!..Nawab Salrjung was a member of Hyderabadi nobility who collected artifacts from all over the world...some of the world's rarest collections can be found in this building spanning the continents!!..i had the delight of viewing the "Veiled Rebecca" a rare sculture by the Italian sculptor Benzoni, a 3rd century A.D Arab Quran, a book of "Fatawa" from 1556 A.D and other rare manuscripts, a jade ring iscribed in gold that belonged to Shah Jahan, swords given to Asaf Jah the Nizam of Hyderabad by the last Mughal Emperor of India, Bahadur Shah Zafar..gifts from Queen Victoria, rare tapestries from kashmir and much more ...the musuem spans this entire building and the displays are in three floors!...one will need a week to cover the entire exhibits in detail!!...

[nickatnite]

another pic of Salarjung museum , before i had to deposit my camera in the cloakroom!!...#$%^

[nickatnite]

after an amazing 2 1/2 hour at the museum driving to the Paradise Hotel, the best place for Hyderabadi "dum" biriyani, i was told....the kind folks who directed me there were correct!!...more pics tomorrow!!....

[nickatnite]

some road views of Hyderabad while driving to lunch....

[nickatnite]

just where is everybody??...i did find out a little later....when we visited the Charminar....and the markets nearby...that's where everyone goes on a Sunday!!.....

[nickatnite]

'twas a road trip...so more roadviews than usual!!....