December 10, 2014. Wedding preparations

Gautham and Meredith went shopping for more wedding clothes.  Gautham's sister has advised Meredith that she needs more bangles.  Meredith is selecting flowers for her hair.  George and I pretty much do nothing, other than doing what we are instructed.

Here is the invitation to the main event.  There will be parties on other days, too.

Alexis arrived in the evening, tired after traveling 24+ hours.  So glad she is here, safe and sound.

December 9, 2014. More Hyderabad Zoo

After walking around the zoo, we took a safari.  Our van was enclosed like a cage, so that we could drive through the animals' habitat.

 

We saw more tigers, lions and Indian animals.

On our way out, I posed in front of real live poinsettia plants, reminding me of Christmas.  There are no Christmas decorations or any signs of Christmas in India that we have seen.   Kind of weird for December.

December 9, 2014. Hyderabad Zoo

Meredith, Gautham, George and I visited the zoo today.  (Just us and about 10,000 schoolchildren on field trips!). 

The kids are so cute, each group with its own school uniform.  

On our way there, we stopped for breakfast street food.  George is enjoying a dosa, similar to a stuffed crepe.

The zoo was really nice, allowing more access to the animals than USA zoos.  The white tigers were our favorite.

December 8, 2014. Hi-Tech City

We reached the new suburb on our drive.  Skyscraper after skyscraper.  One of the first we saw was Wells Fargo operations center.....

On and on...Microsoft, ADP, Trivent, Google, Novartis, Oracle, etc etc.

Then, huge apartment complexes under construction....

Gautham's sister works in one of the hi-tech buildings.  She is head of production in film production.  The film studio where she works produces special effects for famous Bollywood movies.  She has been working 24/7 since we arrived, meeting a deadline for a movie of one of India's biggest movie stars.  

December 8, 2014. Hi-Tech City in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is one of India's most sophisticated IT-savvy cities.  We took a drive to a suburb called Hi-Tech City.  On the way, we saw these temples along busy streets.

They are nestled in the shops and traffic, so are hard to spot.

There are also huge wedding malls.  Bala tells me that weddings often bankrupt families.  These shops sell the beautiful wedding saris, men's gowns, and lots of gold jewelery.

December 8, 2014. Hyderabad life

We are enjoying staying with Bala and Nagu so much.  We sleep in our "penthouse", but spend  most of the day with them.  

Often, there is a lot of activity going on.  Today, there were a lot of comings-and-goings.  At one point, the 2 cleaning ladies and the cook were here.  Then, the water delivery boy came; then the drinking water chap came.  Then, their driver stopped by.  He was followed by the chap arranging flowers for the wedding.  Bala and I selected the colors for the flowers.  This will be a podium for the ceremony, wreathed in fresh flowers.

This will be  the entry-way with a big sign proclaiming "Gautham Weds Meredith". ....

 

As if this wasn't enough activity, the Muslim call to prayer started screaming out, and George covered his ears.

 

December 7, 2014. More market snaps

Coconut drinks are popular here.  This guy whacked off the tops and sold the drinks for about $.25 each.

Meredith and Nagu enjoyed a sip.

This truck was bringing fresh pineapple and coconuts to sell.

The market was incredibly crowded.  Just when it didn't seem possible for anything else to squeeze in, this cow decided to meander through the market.