Silver smashing great

Wed 10 Dec 2013

We swiftly exited our night bus and set foot into Andhra Pradesh for the very first time. This would be our 6th South Indian state and although not strictly a direct route for our trip, Hyderabad seemed like a gem we just couldn't miss. It boasted excellent food, bazaars, and history. Being almost parallel with Mumbai, it was pretty far north, and the air definitely had an early morning chill.

So, we'd just woken up from a restless night on a 'sleeper' and the absolute last thing we wanted was an argument with a TukTuk driver. Sadly you don't always get what you want in life, and the bickering began over the meter. After only agreeing to go if it was on the meter, the driver put on a tremendous display of stopping, tapping it, turning it on and off every few yards.

Now, meters start at approximately 16 rupees for the 1st Km, then roughly 8 rupees for every kilometre that follows. We had gone less than 0.4 when he tried telling us it wasn't working and pointing at the static 16 rupee charge.

After threats to take out our stuff and get another ride, he stopped making a fuss and drove us towards Banjara Hills - the trendy new bit of Hyderabad where we'd spotted a hotel in the guide book.

Here we played the game of 'let's check every hotel except for the one you actually want to go to'. This is a ploy for the tuk tuk driver to present a hotel manager with two pasty, tired westerners who are now too exhausted to argue and buy the shoddy rooms no other sane human would. The TukTuk driver gets a happy wedge of commission for this.

By horrible hotel número 5 it looked like any chance of being taken to our destination of choice was long gone. Suddenly we were joined in the TukTuk by a hotel 'manager' who was sure he could get us a good price at one of 'his' 3 hotels.

Within moments he was shouting with the driver and then told us he was a cheat and a liar - something we had already realised within moments of getting into the vehicle. He said the hotel wasn't far and we could walk, so we ditched the awful driver and followed the man who promised nice lodgings for cheap. This too was bound to be less than ideal, but our patience and care had been drained and we just wanted somewhere to rest our weary heads.

At the hotel, it was evident that this man was just some guy and definitely no 'manager,' but the hotel was cleanish and cheapish and would do. We checked in, afraid that the big effort in time, travel, and cost to get here was all going to be wasted. Exhausted, we lay and rested for a few hours and planned some activities for the afternoon.

With bellies rumbling, we headed to the Big Dosa Company for some lunch, where we had read offerings of feta cheese and roasted red pepper dosas. It turned out the main branch had closed and the other one, which was out of town, couldn't be located by our driver. On the way out, we'd spotted signs for 'chutneys,' a veg restaurant that boasted fantastic fresh food. It looked great, and we didn't know anywhere else, so asked the driver to take us there. He was delighted that he was getting paid for the return journey and perked up for the remainder of the ride.

We ordered a thali and spring rolls. The thali was huge, about 8 different dishes, rice, bread, and pappads. Oh, and even a little ghee sweet for dessert! We ate until we were stuffed and then grabbed a cab to go directly to the Charminar for some sightseeing.

The hot afternoon sun was beaming into the TukTuk which darted through the busy streets, overflowing with traffic. The architecture in the old part of town was incredible, and the cityscape was littered with Islamic domed roofs. Soon the traffic thinned and the touts filled the space that the vehicles left. The magnificent Charminar towered above us - by a staggering 56m high. We paid the driver and entered the Charminar. The square building was erected in 1591 and was the city's first major landmark. It can be seen all the way from Golconda Fort.

We climbed the ancient stone staircase to the main viewing area. Each side of this monument offers a new and exciting view over the glorious city of Hyderabad, and you could spend an age watching the hustle and bustle below. Alas, we didn't have all day, so we made our way back down the windy steps and back into the crowds.

We asked for directions to the palace and were told to go down there, shiny, shiny. Not really sure what to look out for, we headed in the general direction and were suddenly confronted by a road so shiny and shimmery that it put the stars to shame. 'Madam, pretty bangle?!' The selling chorus began.

The palace was tucked down a little side road. We paid the entrance fee and stepped into the grounds once belonging to the Nizam family. We saw antique cars, including a one-off canary yellow and silver 1910 roller, beautiful regal photos, the selection of swords, daggers, and shields from the armoury, delicately embroidered saris, and furniture that had been gifted from all over the world. Sparkling crystal chandeliers hung from the main hall where a huge throne stood in prime location to observe the dances that would have taken place here.

The geometric gardens were neatly kept and pools and fountains created ornate centrepieces. It was so quaint and romantic even the security guards couldn't resist strolling hand in hand through the grounds.

We walked round to see the Mecca Masjid, a huge mosque visible from the top of the Charminar. The guidebook had said that the still-active mosque was built using soil from Mecca and could hold 10,000 worshippers (but no women), so I wasn't expecting to enter. The rules must have changed, and ladies were now welcome but had to adorn a Hijab - something I do not and probably will not ever own.

Banging started to fill the air as we made our way to find Laad Bazaar, and we spotted a small shop of, for want of a better phrase, silver bashers. We'd seen this on TV in the UK. These guys start with tiny little squares of silver and place them in-between thick plasticy pages of leather books. They then spend hours hammering the shit out of it until the silver becomes silver leaf, used in cooking and desserts (mainly ghee sweets).

Your browser does not support the video tag.

We watched this magical process, completely fascinated by the sheer effort that goes into producing something that is absolutely used for decadent indulgence in India but scarcely used anywhere else in the world.

Back en route to Laad bazaar, we realised on asking for directions, that we had already walked through it several times. It was the place of shiny, shiny, where you could buy saris, jewels, silver trays, peacock feathers, and all manner of bangles.

We walked back down the main stretch, then canned back to our hotel where we changed ready for dinner and drinks at Coco's. This fun little bar sat on the outskirts of town and was made from bamboo, giving it a tropical feel. We enjoyed an evening of rum and cokes and listened to a very enthusiastic Indian singer offer some interesting covers.

Keen to get some authentic food into my belly and knowing Hyderabad had a reputation for some crackin dishes, we steered away from the tempting burgers and asked for a traditional Hyderabadi curry with all the spice. It came with a Keema naan and was an absolute delight for the taste buds. It was fiery, but the spices were delicately balanced, giving great depth to the gravy.

We climbed into our sleeping bags, to keep the chilly night air at bay, and drifted into a sleep of rum-warmed dreams.

‍