I’m a celebrity now.

The few days, before I headed for Kochi, I got the chance to tour Hyderabad a bit.

I saw on Pinterest a while back a picture of a beautiful, antique spiral staircase. Taking pictures and working out dictates most of what I do on my trip, and I wanted a picture of the old building before it got restored. I hailed a rickshaw with pictures of a map in hand and headed for the Osmania Women’s College. I was dropped off at the osmania medical school instead, which was fortunately right down the street. As I jubilantly strode out of the gates I was called after by one of the guards. Madam, what’s your reason for visiting the college? Ummm… I got dropped off at the wrong place. But, the guards stared at each other blankly. “What’s your good surname?” My indian friends back home can never say their name with out having to spell it a dozen times, and now I am experiencing the same thing. I spelled my name over and over again until the guard handed me the pen. I also had to write my reason for visiting the school. After penning my name the guard glanced at it, “ah, very good surname.” I raced on after filling out the form.

I didn’t have a map of the college, but wandered around until I began to see older buildings. The campus is a little jungle to itself, isolated in the middle of the city. A girl 2 years my younger asked me what country I was from, and raced to tell all of her friends I was from the states and looking to take pictures of the staircase. Suddenly I had a dozen new friends, asking what state, how I like india, and what I did for a living. I’m a journalism student. “Wow, only journalists from the US come to India, why don’t more people?” I soon came to know that the building with the spiral staircase is only opened once a year for the girls, unless a visitor comes and gets permission. A school administrator excitedly took me there, fending off the girls who tried to rush in, squealing with excitement.

The first room was dimly lit with ornate chandeliers and as I approached the stairs I saw the true rugged colors. They were covered with pigeon droppings and natural light bled in. The stairs had aged from their presumed original beauty.

 

 

I got a chance to tour Golconda fort, and that’s what I realized I must be famous and not know it. I had dozens of people ask to take a picture with me. I was with my guy friend, so they assumed they had to go through him. We laughed so hard when one of the guys asked him if we were married.

 

Most American movie portray india as a land full of fruits and fresh juice. So stereotypical, but I had to try some of this juice. As I was waiting for the juice walla I saw a little goat. I whipped out my camera and started clicking away. My friend was like look, there’s a monkey too. Omg, I squealed and looked at the lititle monkey titling it’s head at me. As I stepped closer it hissed and jumped, exposing fang-like teeth. I started booking it, but fortunately the demon monkey was on a chain. This is why elephants are my favorite animal…they would never try to manipulate me, then attack.