So it's my last week in Hyderabad and decided to go on a city tour alone. Yes I was the token foreigner for the day exploring a city where people love to stare at foreigners especially when one is spotted in areas where there is no university or an expat hub. Ok it is not recommended to skip work for tourist purposes but what can I say. I left without addressing emails from work and was MIA without internet or answering my phone. Yes irresponsible of me. This week I am cruising until I go back to New York. So trust the two days I planned to be MIA and explore the city I spent 5 months in is when I am sought. So I didn't return calls for lack of credit. Ok I'm being cheap and trying not to buy credit until I leave India. I've resorted to flashing people. I won't miss being stared out and being a live attraction for locals and being asked to star in photos with locals. I came to explore the city and not end up in random pictures.

Ok back to the tour.I got up early was ready on time and forgot the essential factor. Indian time. So I was told call the driver at 7am why did I decide that 7am is when I should reach the bus stop. So I perched on a rock outside a supermarket for an hour when I found out that the bus is coming at 8am. So I watch the city buses make u-turns and block traffic, students getting picked up for school and people running for the bus.

So I get on the bus and first stop is Birla Madir Temple. This is my 3rd trip and this time I opted not to go into the temple for I have a thing about being escorted by a Hindu when visiting a temple. So I went window shopping then decided I'll wait until I get to NY to buy a new wallet. So waited on the road with drivers asking where I was going. Bus finally came well it was on time at 10 am. Next stop was Salar Jung Museum which had pieces from the East, West and of course India from the times of the Islamic rule in the old city. Ok I have read the history of the city and not sure when it became part of India much less AP since the most recent rulers ruled in 1900s. But maybe its like other countries traditional rulers ruled in tradition only not politically.

Then it was lunch time at a hotel where I think the tour company has a deal with the place. Food was good got a butter masala dosa. Wait before lunch was Nizamuddin museum which is a long hallway in a school. Shows the progress of Hyderabad and the Silver Jubilee. (I should do some research on it) So I don't know Hindi so the tour guide was great in also speaking in English. He did have some disgruntled Indians from what I gathered from the angry Hindi at times.

After lunch it was off to the zoo. The zoo was great. I walked around and saw the animals. After an hour I realized I missed the lions, tigers, rhinos and I think elephants. I wasn't sad since I've seen those animals before on safari. It was later I heard I missed the white tiger. The zoo is a nice place for families and couples to just roam around and lounge about. From the zoo we went to Golconda where I sat in the bus for I was to lazy to walk the fort again though the weather was more favorable than on the day I went last time.

From Golconda it was time to go to Tank Bund. I opted for the boat ride and then wondered Y when you can see the statute from Necklace Road. I kinda feel I should have gone to NTR Gardens but no worries. I got to see Lumbini Park which is great place for kids. The boat ride was quick and it was worth getting a close up of the Buddha. From there it was time to head back and thanks to traffic it took so long. At somewhere near Assembly I waited for another bus to come that would take me to Chandanagar. I kept insisting on taking a public bus but in the end I waited.

Pictures below are out of order but last stop was the Buddha statue at Hussain Sagar Lake so the first picture is a night view of Birla Madir Temple which was the first stop.The last picture is Salar Jung museum, the one before it is the giant Buddha and the second picture is I think the secretariat.