The taxi took us to the unimposing gates of the palace through the crowded area of Charminar (another famous landmark). Considering the area we had just driven through, with crowds thronging the streets, the strangest goods for sale, all sorts of pollution clouding the atmosphere and the roads, and various unpleasant smells assailing our nostrils, I didn't expect much. But once we entered the gates and paid the entrance fee for ourselves (and our cameras) I felt like I was Lucy and had just walked through the wardrobe. It was a different world. The gardens on the grounds and the various palaces and other buildings that form this complex are just gorgeous. No crowds, no garbage, just wonderful architecture, fabulous flowering trees and shrubs, a reflecting pool and quiet all around.
Some pictures from the trip:
It took up a lot of our time and energy walking around and wandering through the various palaces, leaving me little of both to take pictures of the even more interesting things outside on our way back. But some of the interesting things we saw:
-A little shop where they were making those sheets of ultra-fine silver foil that commonly go on top of Indian sweets. There were 2 or 3 men in there. One of them had a hammer in one hand and his other hand on what looked like a square leather bound book on the floor. He was pounding the hammer on that book very rhythmically, using the free hand to rotate the 'book' a little every time the hand with the hammer went up. He seemed to look everywhere else but down at that thing. I'm not sure that I would ever trust myself enough to do that, regardless of how many years I may spend pounding away with a hammer. He, however, had never made any mistakes, or at least no serious ones, it seemed. He even looked at me and smiled at me looking at him. Too bad I didn't ask if I could take his picture. But I guess there's been an end put to my eating any sweets covered with this stuff anymore. That leather bound book was pretty much that, cow hide (or buffalo hide, or something's hide) - I guess it makes sense to use that, but now my vegetarian brain will conjure up images of this little scene every time I bite into one of those things. I guess ignorance really is bliss, especially in these matters.
- A man with just 2 things for sale - again very deserving of a picture (but unfortunately there isn't one) - the hide of a sheep or goat laid out on the street to resemble the animal and the wolly hair from whatever it had been (probably a sheep) also laid out the same way. It was the day after Id, a Muslim festival during which people traditionally slaughter one of these animals in honor of Ibrahim's willingness to undertake the sacrifical slaughter of his son.
-A naked woman lying on the area that served as a divider for the street we were on. She was probably very poor and possibly mentally unstable. Such sights are not uncommon here. I didn't personally see this, but heard my aunt describing what she was seeing out of her window. It's sad that there are hundreds of thousands of people all around (ourselves included), just walking/driving/riding by and not doing anything to help. There are tons of organizations and many people trying to help, but it seems like the there's no end to the misery here. And for this particular one, I'm glad I don't have a picture.
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