We have arrived in Hyderabad, and may well have stepped right off of planet Earth and landed somewhere between Jupiter and Saturn. As our plane prepared for landing, an announcement was made over the intercom "As per India country regulations we will be fumigating the plane prior to landing. If you are concerned with any health risks related to pesticides, please use your shirt or a cloth to cover your mouth." Legs and I looked at each other puzzled, wondering if we heard that correctly, and then sure enough a flight attendant came walking down the aisle with two bug bombs filling the cabin with pesticide. Legs and I frantically reached for things to cover Thumper's face, smothering the poor kid with with a napkin and sweatshirt as he squirmed around, probably thinking that mom and dad had finally lost it. Since we were confined to our airplane seats we just sat and inhaled the pesticides and had our first realization that we are definitely not in the U.S. anymore.
India is an absolute mishmash of stunning beauty and, well, trash. There are 'landfills' all over the place and people, generally hired help dressed in immaculate and vibrant saris, in the area carry trash to the landfill and throw it in. It seems like everywhere you are confronted with every type of extreme. Only in India can you find a massive mansion overlooking a giant pile of burning trash while children play around the garbage-fire, occasionally picking something up and doing what all kids do...put it in their mouth!
For the most part, people have been extremely friendly here, and not in the 'traveling to Mexico where everyone just wants a few pesos from you' kind of friendly. Most people seem genuinely interested in us crazy white people that have come to visit their wild little piece of land. The consulate community, both Americans and locally hired staff, has been absolutely amazing in welcoming us, and providing resources to get us adjusted as quickly as possible. This will certainly be a learning experience for Legs, Thumper, Bambi, and I, which is exactly what we wanted. To be out of our element, nervous or scared at times, yet still wholeheartedly accept this new way of life and embrace the human connections we make along the way.
There aren't many, but here a few pictures of the area...
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| Some of the urban sprawl of Hyderabad |
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| A nice little park |
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| Thumper and I walking down the street |
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| An infamous Tuk Tuk, which Thumper says every time he sees one |
Happy Travels!
Pancho
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