Monday, December 22, 2008

Can I be Hyderabadis?


I am taking off to India in about 7 days for 3 months! My new temporary home will be in Hyderabad. Some call it Cyberabad because its home to a lot of software companies. I was hoping to have done some research by now on the country, history, places to visit, etc. I am embarrassed to admit instead of the history and cultural books I wanted to read, I opted for a DVD on Ghandi and a Lonely Planet book. I also found some great info on www.tripwolf.com.

Hyderabad is known as the The City of Nizams and The City of Pearl. I couldn't figure out what Nizams means but thanks to the web I got my answer "used formerly as a title for rulers of Hyderabad." It's called the City of Peals because the city built its fortune on the trade of pearls. According to guides, it's a great place to buy pearls. I know I am getting myself in trouble for writing this. I am sure my sister among others will be e-mailing me their orders.

The people of Hyderabad are known as Hyderabadis. I wonder if people refer to themselves as Hyderabadis and if I count as one. Is three months really not enough time to be initiated into a city?

I also read somewhere that Hyderabad is home to the world's largest film studio, the Ramoji Film City as well as the second largest film industry in the country, the Telugu Film Industry known popularly as Tollywood. Now, I want to know if movies from Tollywood are different than Bollywood? So many questions and I haven't even packed my bags!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Uploading pillow bags at Club Med in preparation for Hurricane Ike.

Turkoise (Turks and Chaos 2008)


The Honorable Security in Turquoise overlooking the ocean after Hurricane Hana left.