Early this week, Mike and I had our first visit to Hyderabad - our new home as of July. Not sure which it’s better in a situation like this - "first impressions which can never be erased” or "judging a book by it's cover"...... we will see.
We had two full days there and were fully focused on schooling and housing options, so no time for sightseeing. Coming out of the airport and the first thing you notice is the heat. Hyderabad is definitely going to be a hot location but the good news is that we will escape the current humidity. The humidity in Hong Kong for the last three years has been a killer !
Leaving the airport and we had our first 'Indian' experience at 1.30am when we got in the car to go to the hotel. The driver put our bags in the back of the Innova (people mover car) and then proceeded to the drivers seat, jumped in, started the car and off we went. Mike and I were looking at each other strangely wondering when he would notice that he had left the back of the car open. But nope, he didn't. So, as we started to drive away and our bags were precariously balanced in the back, we both said something and he said 'yes sir', which made us laugh more, as this was not the response we expected. So, we repeated that 'the back of the car was open' and he nearly jumped out of his skin! Slammed on the breaks, apologising profusely and rushing to make things right. What a way to start.
The roads and traffic were definitely better than our Bangalore experiences but I would have to say that there appeared to be even less footpaths, if possible. It will be back to being driven everywhere and not much walking the streets. I really do enjoy that aspect of HK living, the freedom to go wherever and whenever you want. Oh well, changes are a good thing, right?
As we travelled in to town, we were surprised at coming across a building that is completely in the shape of a fish. Yes, a fish !! It is the National Fisheries Development Board building in Hyderabad. It is quite the sight - check it out below.
Hyderabad appears to be a lot less developed commercially. There are a lot less hotels and malls and there is the age-old Indian issue of working out if a building is in a stage of going up or is it in a state of coming down? Huge amounts of construction are underway and this adds to the feeling of development and growth.
The city is basically divided in to 4 sections of which the western quarter is the most modernised and developed’ area. We spent our entire 2 days in that area which meant we didn’t get to visit any of the tourist areas with mosques, temples, forts or the big markets. I look forward to getting too the 'other side' where the culture and true India is when I return in August.
The landscape is not exactly pretty in Hyderabad - very flat and lots of dirt and boulders. You will see by the photos that it is definitely not a green oasis. The boulders that dot the horizon are a typical view in the Deccan Plateau where Hyderabad is. They are HUGE and you see many quarry's where they are being excavated for the many many building sites around town.
Our thoughts on housing were that they have created lots of small communities for new people to live in, rather than larger communities. As the city is targeted as being the new Indian Tech hub, there are a huge number of people relocating here - not just expats. They appear to be struggling to cope with the increased demand for better housing and this means that we looked at about 12 communities and have basically ruled out all but one. Call me fussy :) Lets hope we can find a vacant villa in that community in the coming months.
The school that Max will be attending is located in the ICRASAT campus to the northwest of town. ICRSAT is the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and is a UN operation looking at the improvement of crops in the region. They are trying to develop crops that are more tolerant to conditions and have better yields in drought-prone countries such as India. The school was started as a facility for the scientist's children. They have now been open for 35 years and the recent growth has been huge - they have gone from 150 to 413 students in 3 years !! Lets' hope that Max is happy there.
Overall, I have left Hyderabad feeling comfortable with our options and the upcoming adventure.
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