Today we stayed home and rested, recovering from yesterday's exhaustingly hot visit to Ramoji Film City. It was nice to relax and explore the house that Swathi grew up in.
I spent a little time trying to diagnose the problem we had last night with the TomTom. We connected it to Mohan's desktop computer and tried to update the map data. The software provided with the device and online was not very clear about whether a map update was available or if the version on the device was the latest. If the TomTom engineers are listening, hear this: "make it easier to update/verify the software on your devices."
Later in the evening, Swathi and I went up to the terrace to look around and enjoy the sunset. The concept of a terrace is foreign to me. Our roofs in The States were usually slanted and tiled with shingles. The roof is not usually a place to be unless you're decorating the house with Christmas lights. Here, the terrace is as much a part of the house as the entranceway or living room.
Looking around at the neighboring plots, I saw this strange blue moustached face being displayed at the edge of the property, I thought about the stone gargoyle set on the corner at Swathi's place. Swathi said that this was also a kind of gargoyle, thought to ward off evil. Styles of gargoyles and wards differ from region to region. In Bangalore, the southern style of a stone figure is popular, and in Hyderabad, the northern style of a painting is common. There are no gargoyles at the Lal residence.
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| a blue gargoyle to ward off evil |
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| note the Aerosmith shirt |
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| a stroll on the terrace, photo by Swathi |
For dinner, we ate a Hyderabad specialty: Chicken Biryani. It was spiced heaven on a plate. There are dozens of varieties of biryani, but ours was rice, half a roasted chicken, hard boiled egg, and enough spices to make your hair curl. If ever you're in Hyderabad, try the biryani!
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