Back with a bang
We’re back in India after a quick stop in SA.
We seem to have hit the ground running in Hyderabad – I had a whole 2 hours to rest before attending my first meeting of the day. Thereafter we had a nice full social calendar (to complement the normal chaos that awaits after you have taken some leave).
We attended the opening of an art gallery, a dinner hosted by our landlord and had VIP invitations to the opening of a new club (FireFly) in Hyderabad. So, for visitors who like the wilder side of life, we now have connections … (hint … hint …. Robert!)
We have taken in a few interesting sights in our daily lives, but have not had time to really wander around Hyderabad since we returned. Here is an interesting, but not uncommon sighting:
A normal vehicle for a family of 6:
Driving in India has to be seen - it cannot be described accurately, but I recently heard a comment that summarises the driving:
In the UK and SA we drive on the left side of the road. In India people drive on what ever road is left …
In the time we were away we missed the Ganesha Festival, where statues of Ganesh are made, displayed for a few days and then taken to a lake / river / ocean where they descend into the murky depths.
Here is a picture I snapped of the Ganesh in front of our office:
We are disappointed that we haven’t been able to observe this (and provide detailed coverage), but we do recommend the following 2 blogs that do not only provide good coverage of the events we missed, but also an entertaining window into life in India.
The Camerons (Byl, Tara and their children) maintain the most dedicated blog I have encountered and you are guaranteed to get a daily update.
cameronsinindia.blogspot.com
The other is the blog from Elmarie and Japie in Chennai (mostly in Afrikaans):
chennaijoernaal.blogspot.com
Other than the social events, I have been shortening my nose at the grindstone and Marga has been struggling to get rid of a clingy cold in between her work schedule, so nothing more to report for now. (And after putting up a valient fight, I now too have succumbed to the grip of a nasty cold).
Thanks to everyone for the great reception is SA and our sincerest apologies to the people we did not get a chance to see.
We are nearing the end of the monsoon which should happen some time in October. That will signal the time it is safe to explore India without the chance of an unplanned river cruise.
Cheers, and good luck to everyone in SA with the political earthquake …
Theo Scheffler
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