December 30...fourth day

New day, more touring Hyderabad and shopping!

Anjani sent over the driver for a day of relaxation, shopping and exploring. We were also lucky to have our friend that we met from dinner the night before join us. So our first stop was a walk in the old city. Here are narrow streets, bangle sellers, prayer mat vendors, perfume merchants, bakers, outfitters, fabric shops, jewelry shops and hawkers all vying for space. It’s a mix of crazy traffic, noisy, hot and packed full of people shopping for unique finds.

Now if you’re in to pearls, the clinic knows a great pearl and jewelry store called K. Chandrakant & Co..

You can be assured that the pearls are real and you will get a great price.

Also a must see in the area is Charminar.  It is a massive granite edifice built by Mohammed Quli Qutab Shah in 1591 to appease the forces of evil and protect the city from plaque and epidemic.  You are allowed in to view the building and climb the steep, dark spiral stairway to reach the open verandahs. Which I think is a must because the view of the rooftops, the busy narrow streets and beyond is fantastic.

After a little photo spree, we all headed back to the car, when our driver suggested that we go and see Birla Mandir which is a Hindu temple. This is absolutely amazing. It is situated on a hill and basically just floats on the city skyline. The temple offers a panoramic view of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

After all the culture I had an urge to go shopping. I wanted something to wear for New Years and I decided I wanted something traditional from India. So off we all went to GVK One located in Banjara Hills. It was a typical big fast paced mall with food courts, cinema halls, some international shops and most important local shops! I was in heaven.

I ended up getting an embroidered salwar top in teal blue with red beading. Contrasted by Pajama bottoms (skinny leggings) in red. I love it! I am in the process of looking for a photo which I will post later!

Shopping in hand we had some snacks at the Dublin pub located on the top floor of the mall. We ordered chicken wings that blew my head off… No need to ask for spicy here!

All in all the day gave me such a wonderful feeling of excitement for the future and I finally thought I sure could live here for the 2-3 months  wait that the UK makes you do when you apply for a new passport. Hopefully when we become lucky enough to have a baby.