Hello from Hyderabad
Trip Start
Nov 25, 2007
1
5
7
Trip End
Dec 09, 2007
Hyderabad, India
Monday, December 3, 2007
When we landed at the Hyderabad airport we were greeted by the Novotel car driver, and a cow. I am pretty sure the cow was just watching the car for the driving when he went inside to pick us up from our much delayed flight.
We arrived at night, so we didn't see much. I think the most surprising thing we noticed on our drive to the hotel was just how many modern shops there were on the road (the same road where people were sleeping, and cows were walking). We passed Calvin Klein, and Guess, and even Baskin Robbins!
The Novotel Hyderabad hotel is next to the convention center, and absolutely nothing else. We had to hire a car to take us to some sights. We had the car for a four hour tour, which really became a 3 1/2 hour tour of the Hyderabad traffic, and a 1/2 hour of actually seeing stuff. Our driver actually had to stop by gas after driving for 45 minutes, and we still hadn't reach our first destination!
We drove by Charminar, but our driver recommended that we did not get out to take pictures. It was extremely crowded, and he said it would be too dangerous. Next we stopped at the Golkonda Fort. Some very impressive ruins, but some of us needed to get back to the hotel for interviews, so we spent about 10 minutes running through them. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to climb to the top. Our last stop was the Qutb Shani Tombs. The tombs are built is persian, Pathan and Hindu architectural styles (at least according to my city guide). We spent 15 minutes here because we really enjoyed the structures. It was also very peaceful, and a nice change from the crowds of people-and the traffic. After the tombs it was back to the car, back to the traffic, and back to the hotel.
My first interview showed up, followed by two no shows. So, I pretty much just spent my afternoon sitting around the lobby and shopping at the hotel gift shop, which was surprisingly reasonable. It was the first time I had seen souvenirs on this trip. On account of all my free time since my interviews didn't show up, I got to spend some time talking with the cashier and learning about the different souvenirs that are unique to different places in India.
The Hyderabad MBA fair was crowded, but nowhere near as busy as Delhi or Bangalore. The quality of students was also much poorer. Almost all of them were "freshers" as they call themselves. This means that they are recent graduates with absolutely no experience. Some of the attendees were even asking about undergrad programs. The fair actually started to wind down by 8:30 and were were all eager to be done.
Cindy and I just went to the hotel restaurant for dinner (there was only one to choose from, so we didn't really have a choice). We shared some paneer and dal and some garlic butter roti (yum!).
A quick note for anyone ever planning to visit Hyderabad. I do not recommend the Novotel. On the plus side, internet access was free. But on the downside, service was absolutely horrible. The few times we did eat in the restaurant it would take forever to flag down a waiter to get menus, to order, and good Lord, it took ages to get our bill.
Although it was interesting driving around the city, I wouldn't really list this one on a list of places to visit when touring the country. My next stop, however, is a whole different story.
