one pitcha please madam?

So much is happening each day that my roomie, sioned, and I wake up early in the morning to blog!! Hehe!
12/30/2010
Today was such a big day! It was a day of sightseeing and sightsee we did (all of the photos in my second India album will visually narrate this post). We all appeared at breakfast dressed in our Indian clothes and good thing because today was quite warm! Even though it might look silly, dressing like an Indian helps me take on the mindset and feel more settled. We began our day at the tombs of the Qutub Shahi Kings, which were muslim rulers in the city of Hyderabad around the 15 and 16th centuries. These tombs rose from the ground and elegantly stretched toward the sky. Every now and then when walking in the city I will see a pregnant woman and surprise…preggers Indians wear saris too!! These tombs reminded me of these big, round sari cloaked bellies I find so fascinating! In their heyday these tombs were covered with plaster and painted brilliant turquoise and green!! That must have looked magnificent! The architecture was very geometric and I was very intrigued. Now that I recognize this muslim influence on architecture, I have been able to identify it in other parts of the city. Hyderabad is a hybrid city..coincidence, I think not!

Next, we traveled to the toilets. Seriously, we took a bus ride to a beautiful palace (which we would visit later) to use a toilet, then hurried off to a mosque. Ok, the bathroom situation is Really intriguing! In the Tangore House we have access to western toilets, but in a public setting the Indian toilet is all the rage. It is essentially a hole in the ground (this first encounter was porcelain, since it was at a palace) with tread marks for your feet on either side of the hole. Successfully aiming urine at the hole and not all of the flowy Indian fabric is an art form. Apparently one must squat deeply, and gather up everything in the spray zone. I actually haven’t attempted this feat yet, because I was not well hydrated at this moment, but I assure you my time will come (and if you guys are lucky ill blog about it). I have a lot more to say about Indian potty habits, but I don’t know if you guys would enjoy hearing my potty ponderings. Well, I will have to take that risk, because I think this is fascinating. There is no toilet paper in public bathrooms, so if you forget to bring your own you must get creative (one of my mates used his left sock and is now one sock short). Beside every Indian toilet is a bucket of water, and after much confusion and inquiry, I discovered it is to splash water on the buttox to clean after any excretion. I feel like solely using water and hand to “wipe” poses MANY issues. This is precisely why Indians never eat with their left hand! The duties of the left hand are between bucket and bum, while the right enjoys eating and greeting.

On to the mosque- in a city like Hyderabad, it is imperative to own at least one good scarf, so you can cover your head when approaching mosques or other holy sites. We checked our shoes at the door (I must admit I had the fleeting thought of giardia) and proceeded through the outer prayer area. Before entering the inner prayer area we were cleansed with a tap on the head from a peacock feather broom and ashes on our lids. None of us where allowed in the shrine, and we learned that muslim women are never allowed to pray within its walls. The mosque itself was a fortress, such a militaristic building. And the arches used to gain access were covered by metal grating. Unfortunately the metal grates really took away from the aesthetics of the mosque, and I really couldn’t see inside easily. I liked the feeling of the mosque. The crazy street was merely feet away, but inside the courtyard it was so peaceful. A little oasis, and many Indians were actually napping on the mosques steps.

Following the mosque, we returned to the palace. We toured its ornate halls and ate a fancy lunch in a side room. Then off to the bus for a nap and transit to Galconda Fort. The Galconda Fort was the structure from which the Qutub Shahi Kings ruled. This might have been my favorite part of the day. Twilight was setting in and we trekked across its sprawling grounds taking in its ancient walls. It felt so good to get exercise as we climbed toward the lookout post atop the hillside. From the highest point, you could put Hyderabad in your pocket! As we ambled along, Indian children and families asked to take their picture with us. Little girls in a fit of giggles inch toward us and shyly ask for our picture! We happily posed with them and chatted with them. Atop the outpost, one band of schoolboys took particular interest in Ben. They swarmed him and began chanting. One of the girls in our group let ben’s name out of the bag, and about 30 preadolescent Indian boys surrounded ben with fists in the air shouting “BEN! BEN! BEN!” This drew more attention to the Americans, and suddenly men and women of all ages were asking for pictures, wanting to exchange coins and shake hands. The night ended with a sound and light show at the Galconda Fort, which I slept through because I couldn’t keep my lids open!!!Exhausted, I fell into bed when I arrived home.