Hyderabad Street Life from the Safety of a Car

So here are some snaps from my voyages to and from the office…

So one of the things I noticed about India so far is that there is a huge disparity in almost everything you see whilst out taking in the sights. For example, I’ve passed beautiful new buildings sitting on what amounts to a dirt lot, surrounded by piles of rubble on an unfinished street.

There are many, many buildings in varying states of construction. I was wondering if they’d just been abandoned, but today I did see some crews welding on a very tall skeleton of what will be an enormous building. On both sides were empty fields strewn with rubble, and no discernible way to walk to the building on a flat surface. Maybe that’ll come later.

It’s really quite fascinating how extreme the extremes are. Along the streets are all manner of tiny business crammed in to 3-story buildings, broken up by small tent cities of blue tarps and bamboo poles. There is rubble everywhere. It’s quite overwhelming when you first experience it.

By today, however, I found myself quite comfortable weaving through the ever-flowing mass of people, cars, motorbikes and auto rickshaws. I’ve finally gotten used to the graceful ballet of chaos in the streets of Hyderabad. It’s a fascinating place.

To be honest, when I first learned of the opportunity to travel to India, I was very hesitant to commit. It’s eight thousand miles away from home, a completely different culture and without a doubt sits one on the edge of one’s comfort zone. But having been here and having now experienced this wondrous place, I’m really very glad I decided to come.

Tomorrow I hope I’ll be able to get out and see some of the history. Then it’s onward to Bangalore, then back to my home. How I miss home.