Super bowl Report

Real Time- Monday morning, Feb. 8- 4am (local Hyderabd time) Super Bowl 2010

We woke up at 4am to organize the CBS Internet stream for the beginning of the 2010 super bowl. Ugh! We are obviously dedicated fans :o) It took me over an hour to find the right streaming from India, but thank goodness I was successful. I was about to have a nervous breakdown if I couldn't get the game. Unfortunately, the game didn't turn out the way we wanted it to, but, we would have been rooting for the Saints anyway if they were playing anyone else, so it wasn't so horrible. Plus, it was a REALLY great football game.

It was such a blast skyping our dearest friends Tim & Dave in El Cerrito California during the game. They have had a super bowl party every year for over 20 years, so we were glad we could still be a part of the fun even though we are 1/2 way around the world. The good thing is, not being there saved my head as we didn't have to do the tequila shots every time someone scored (even though I did start drinking beer at 4:30am here in Hyderabad! I HAD to! It is the super bowl for goodness sake!:o)

Here are a couple of photos from us watching the game.

Beer & the Super Bowl at 4am :o)

Skype with Gail, Tim & Dave in El Cerrito

We also had a really great chat with Jenni's parents on Skype after the game.

It is amazing what a small world it is with the internet. Bloody good fun!

As they always say, "there is always next year" :o)

Flat 202 And The Neighborhood

Shrikant and Charanya have a flat in the Jubilee Hills neighborhood of Hyderabad. It is a 30-minute walk to the Eye Institute in a very nice district of the city. This will be our home for the first two weeks of our stay here. Hopefully this will give us enough time to get our bearings in the neighborhood, learn where to shop and eat and also what to avoid before we move to our own flat at the end of next week. Their flat is very cozy and has fabulous marble floors throughout. (see front porch photo) There is even a little shrine room in the house with its collection of holy figures, Ganesha (the elephant god- the remover of obstacles) and Vishnu (the most human of the gods and the redeemer of humanity). I will share lots more about the many gods in the Hindu trinity and gods from the Muslim and Buddhist faiths as we travel around India. These religious images are found everywhere.

Bedroom / Dining Room

Shrine Room

There are two toilets in the house. Guess witch one we are using :o)

There is a small neighborhood Hindu temple just across the alley from the flat so we are awakened at sunrise every morning with drum beats calling people to prayer. There is also the chanting call to prayer in the afternoon at sunset. We were able to watch a bit of a service on our walk the other night (see video).

The neighborhood bustles with activity first thing in the morning. The women come outside and wash the pavement and entryways to their houses with water and then draw elaborate Kolam on the sidewalks in front of the door. Kolams are a symbol of auspiciousness. It is Hindu belief that the geometrical patterns & designs applied with rice flour at the entrance to a home, invite Goddess lakshmi into the household, and drive away the evil spirits. Also, the reason for using rice flour is that they are providing food for the ants & other small insects. Here is a photo of Kolam in front of Shrikant & Charanya’s front door.

The other thing that happens is the cart vendors come down the streets selling fruits, vegetables, coconuts, household items, etc. You can tell when they are approaching because they sing very loud chants that echo down the lanes to announce their presence. Here is one movie. There will be more later.

At about noon every day, there is a power cut for 1 to 2 hours, similar to the brown outs we experience in the US in the heat of summer. The ones here happen year round and daily household activities are planned around these outages. There has been such an increase in the middle class that there are many more electronics, appliances, etc. being plugged in (remember the population here). The current grid just can’t deal with the demand and is in the process of being upgraded to deal with this increase. Solar energy will end up being a booming business here as the climate is perfect for it. In this region it is around 80 degrees here with soft breezes and minimal humidity.... just like California.

Here is a picture of the neighborhood from the porch of the house.

More Tomorrow............