Charlie Meatball

sicky = nofun. Is it rest I want, or a kick in the butt?

Took care of bills, held my mail, and had fun with Sarah, but neglecting my posting. Something’s gotta give…

First breakfast in India with Sarah. Yay!!!

So I just got back from going out to one of the many Muslim section of town for haleem.  Haleem is a special dish that’s only made during Ramzan.  Haleem is made of wheat and some type of meat - usually chicken or mutton - that’s beaten until it’s a thick paste and spiced with all kinds of stuff (I tasted cardamom and coriander in addition to the cloves and pepper I pulled out of my teeth), and making it involves beating the ingredients a whole bunch.  The mashing is typically done in tiny little shops using tools that make a very distinctive clopping sound, and it’s kind of cool that I heard the sounds of haleem before I had my first bite.

I went with Tom, who is also working at Microsoft, and his girlfriend Siobhan (hope I spelled that correctly). It’s great having folks to do stuff with, and they’re both a lot of fun. We could geek it out and compare experiences, yay!

The section of town was all lit up when we were there and was quite the site.  I just took video to give a sense of how many people are in the streets celebrating Ramzan and how brightly lit and festive it is.

Then we went to a drive in haleem place.  A crowd of guys came up to the car to serve us in the car.

Eating haleem in the car at Pista's during Ramzan (Ramadan).

One guy eventually ripped us off (for less than a dollar) but not before both me and my driver chewed him out. Bleah, kinda a junky end to that part of the evening, but very fun overall.

Went over to Ohri’s to introduce Tom and Siobhan to chaat.

a little sad to hear Shazam lost to D’oh, but really bummed to hear about Shadrach.

Just met a really cool housemate. I’m now a lot more excited for living in the guest house.

settled into the guest house (sorta - have yet to unback) and trying to decide whether to head off to the Taj Krishna for brunch.

Best media so far from trip to India: http://tinyurl.com/3z9snx

Packing up at hotel and then off to the guest house. Realized this morning if I don’t start showing up on time for stuff, no one else will.

This will be quick because I want to get caught up so I can start posting more realtime.

Traffic is crazy in Hyderabad. Here’s a sample:

OK, you get a bit of the idea. But don’t forget you’re sharing the road with oxen:

An oxcart on the streets of Hyderabad

Horses:

Goats in herds:

Traffic, not even at it's most wild, in Hyderabad

or getting a ride on a moped:

and the occasional camel and wild dog (haven’t had my camera ready at the right moment yet). These can all be found on the way to Microsoft (though for full disclosure many of these were taken driving at other times). Also, less than a mile from Microsoft there are some people in absolutely abject poverty. I didn’t feel comfortable taking their pictures, but I snapped a photo of a dwelling, which gives you a sense of it:

Quite a trip to work.  Good thing I have the fearless Mohamed to help get me there safe:

Arrival!

(the end)