Harley Bikes,Speed Boating and Hyderabad House

It was a cloudy day and my weekend working (office) was cancelled. As Aditya (cybage frnd) was free we decided to explore the city. I was not much enthusiastic as cloudy weather won’t give me good pics. However we planned to visit Banjara Hill and Lumbini Park as we have been hearing a lot about it.
We boarded in 222 Secunderabad bus, without having any idea whether it goes to Banjara Hills. As Banjara Hills is near to Jubilee Hills, bus conductor recommended us to get down at Jubilee Hills. Bus crowd was poorly managed. In public buses rear seats are for gents, front for ladies and one can get in or get down from any door which was creating a chaos. Being puneites as our bus stop was approaching we stared moving towards front door. But it was jam packed by ladies and was flooding with more at every stop as people were getting in from front door, we faced a difficult time getting off the bus.
From Jubilee Hills we hired a share rickshaw in which we were 7 passengers and a driver. Now this rickshaw was made to carry only 3 passengers, so imagine where were we sitting, any guesses…yes of course next to driver almost handing like monkeys on both sides of rickshaw holding rickshaws skeleton. As our rickshaw was playing on Banjara Hills road I saw an old BMW bike made for adventure touring or dual sport. Its sight and sound gave me a big smile, it made my day. In few seconds I saw a Harley Davidson showroom, the iconic heavyweight motorcycle maker. I was smiling like a kid on the outside and dancing inside. I would never miss a chance of visiting that showroom. So as soon as we got down we rushed to showroom. It was raining Harley Davidson’s. When I looked at those bikes in flesh, my jaw dropped! They were huge!!! Much much bigger than how they look in a pics. All sparkling and in black leather. There were also a lot of gear and accessories to choose from. I almost felt I was visiting a HD showroom in a developed country. Showroom staff was kind enough for letting us click pics of bikes. This is Harley’s second most showrooms in India. But that feeling of elation quickly disappeared once I stepped out of the showroom into reality.
Then we visited Lumbini Park near Hussain Sagar. I have heard a lot about it from collogues and friends, so I painted its pretty picture in my mind. However park was not as pretty as I imagined and also climate
was pleasant. Lumbini park is a small place at Hussain Sagar (lake) shore. They also sport water rides and some lil fun fairs for kids. We didn’t enjoy it at all so we decided to take speed boat ride (200rs 4 ppl). Ride was fun; on offering 10 rupees extra you can get a long ride than usual. Boat ride will take you around Buddha statue which is located in center of Hussain Sagar.
Sky was so dark and cloudy, that it gave us a feeling as if they might start pouring anytime. So we returned to Banjara Hill for lunch. This time I wanted to try out another famous food joint known as ‘Hyberabad House’. Its first floor was closed, so customers were made to sit at ground floor (was like basement). I guess it was their take way department. The place was a bit crowded may be because there were few tables to sit. Ambience was dull, lights were poor and wall paint was peeling off. I can forget all that if I get good and spicy non-veg food. Waiter arranged plates on paper which told brief history about that place, I found this idea interesting. It keeps customer busy and time flies by. We started with Mutton Curry and Rumali Roties. Curry looked vibrant and alive but was spicy and salty, my companion echoed my sentiment: ‘It’s salty, but good salty,’ he said. It was also less in quantity but roties were soft and tender. Then we got our Chicken Biryani. Well I just loved the chicken it was soft juicy and tender. The fiber part which is disliked by some was so soft that I never felt I was having it. Aditya enjoyed the food, he complemented both the dishes. Food items were fairly priced.
In all, I had a wonderful day clicking bike pics, speed boat ride and that perfectly ended with Chicken Biryani.

HITEC City

This is my first time to be away from home for a long time. Many of my age guys have been away form home and have experienced the independent life. Pune is my home I almost know every corner of it, but Hyderabad is some thing new to be explored. Till date my knowledge about Hyderabad was limited. I knew only 3 things about Hyderabad 1st Hyderabadi Biryani 2nd It’s also called Cyberabad 3rd Nagesh Kukunoor one of my favorite director hails from Hyderabad.
I am supposed to work in a company which is located in Hitec city. I use to think the word ‘HITEC’ is just to give it techie name. But when I investigated a lil more I found that its full form is Hyderabad Information Technology Engineering Consultancy, a major technology township which is at the center of the information technology industry in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. It’s surrounded by suburbs like Madhapur, Kondapur, Gachibowli, Nanakramguda, Manikonda, Thellapur etc. It’s still developing so infrastructure is fairly maintained. It seems companies and government bodies are trying their level best to achieve international standards. One of the websites proclaims Hitec city as one of the seven wonders of Hyderabad. When I reached in Hitec city I use to pick any random big company name and try to locate it in Hitec city and to my surprise they all are here even Google and Facebook.
As I was alone in my guesthouse so one of the Sunday afternoon I decided to go window shopping in InOrbit mall. It’s about 5km from my guesthouse. I planned to go walking. I was shocked to see empty roads of Hitec city…not a single soul!!!. I could see shadow of only 2 vehicles at a far distance and few drowsy security guards at company gates. Damn even hawkers take weekend off. May be this is because its not a residential area. But with every step I was exploring Hitec city more n more. I was reading all the big name of big branded companies and capturing their beautiful architecture in my digi cam. Some company compound walls are beautifully painted, displaying progress in Andhra Pradesh.
No sooner I reached Inorbit mall, it’s a three storey building nested on corner of a hill and a lake called ‘Durgam Cheruvu’. On the other side of lake is Andra Pradesh Tourism cottages and they also sport boating. As Diwali festival is knocking on the door, mall is set in festive mood. But this festive mood has a Chinese grin. It’s a delight to see entire mall lighted and colored but with Chinese lanterns. All shops look like mind-boggling array of spectacular colors. As I was alone and had plenty time to spend, I scanned the mall completely. But then I went to left side of mall from there I could get glimpse of lake. My interest to see the lake from that mall started to rise. So I climb down to get a better view. It was like I was solving a puzzle making my way among the mall shops in quest to get a better view of lake. And in no time I was standing next to CCD and Chilies restaurants from where one can see the lake. That view is a photographer’s delight and offers such an amazing sight. There is a small garden on terrace which is well maintained and the view from there is spectacle you cherish while sipping hot cup of coffee with your beloved ones.

Paradise vs Paradise

(Not clicked by ME)




One of the weekends Paritosh, Hitesh(both are my cybage frnds) and me planned to do some shopping at Secunderabad. We boarded 10H Secunderabad bus. On reaching Secunderabad market we did some pearl shopping …yes you are right this is first time I was doing ladies shopping. After shopping for an hour or two we were damn hungry. So my friends suggested having lunch at Paradise Hotel. I heard a lot from them about Paradise and the Non-Veg delicacies they server. Before coming to Hyderabad, Hyderabad's synonym for me was just Hyderabadi Biryani. This was my time to taste those hot spices and flesh.
In no time we were standing in front of Paradise hotel. It was 2 or 3 pm, we were perspiring and the place was heavily crowded. We were greeted by brief security check by a hulk (who looked like a disc bouncer). Inside picture was very different, infrastructure looked like Irani hotels. Place was so crowed that if you want to sit and eat…then you will have to hunt for a table. This is not a place where you can go with family. There were already people standing next to each table waiting eagerly for others to finish. Everyone hungry and mad to grab a table. So we decided that each of us will stand next to different table and the one who gets the table first we all will sit there.
Finally we got one table but our plan didn’t work well. Any ways we were sitting side by side rubbing shoulders. The menu was meat heavy, evident of the cuisine’s Hyderabadi influences and leaving very few options for Vegetarians. We didn’t have much idea about the quantity of food will be served in a dish. So we went on the waiter’s recommendations and ordered one Chicken curry, few Rotis and decided to split seductive Chicken Biryani(120/-) dish in two. In 10-15 mins we got our order. It was vibrant, it was alive and it was startling. Biryani was more than what I hoped for. Curry looked thick and spicy. Roties were flakier and much bigger than what we get in Pune. Biryani rice is an inch long and of very good quality. Chicken was juicy, fresh and spongy…hummmmmmmm this is proper fresh chicken echoed in my mind. Well after filling our appetite for Hyderabadi Chicken we returned home.

After few weeks it was the second time I was going to have Chicken. After days work we(Paritosh, Hitesh and I) had a brief walk to Paradise, but this was their branch in Hitech city. It’s a sized two-tier dining area. Ground floor for take way, 1st tier for A/C dinning and terrace for open air dinning. Now this is the place where you can take date or family. We were greeted by handsomely dresses doorman. It is a place that cares about details. No sooner had we taken our seats than our over-enthusiastic waiter was describing each and every chicken dishes in rapid succession. Even this time we had Chicken Biryani, but it’s heavy on pocket cause same Chicken Biryani here costs 175/- and a lil less quantity. However the amazing taste and quality was maintained. A feature of Hyderabadi cuisine is that it is often slow cooked, so perhaps a certain time-honed tenderness comes naturally to the kitchen. Either way, it translates into a cosy, comforting spot for a spectacular evening curry.

The Flight

I would rather state it as an accident that I am here…some of the close friends know the reason. Well it was 15 September 2010 early morning I got cab (Hyundai accent) from Cybage exactly at 4am to my place. . Driver (Vijay) is very good person and driver.
This was my fifth time to fly.I reached airport at 5am, 1 hour early for flight. Lohegaon airport is quite small in size, less busy but good. My plane was Jet airways konnect. It is a small plane which can carry 64 passengers in it. I asked for window seat but sadly got it under wings. Well for those who don’t know problem of that seating …it has engine very close and partly blocks the view from the window.
Soon after some announcements our flight was air bourn and as we reached some altitude I was amazed to see sleeping Pune…small villages, fields, rivers and roads connecting to them forming a network. Soon this was all covered by white blanket of clouds which made the city sleep in peace. It was indeed pleasure to watch clouds muffler mountain ranges in Pune. I was busy guessing which among them was Sinhgad, but failed to do so.
We climbed altitude of around 50,000 feet’s. I saw three layers of clouds one which we see from ground then one which is above it that’s second layer which are also water bearing clouds. We were flying above 2nd layer and there was one more layer above us, its 3rd layer …it was clear sky which we see in other seasons with is scanty clouded. I was very tired and sleepily but was still looking out with red sour eyes begging for sleep. I was hunting for some amazing scene to capture as memories. Well I think the person next to me was under impression of me being first time air bourn as I was holding camera and clicking every huge cloud that passed by. Soon my eyes went heavy and I fell asleep.
When I woke up (in 15mins) it was a sad new for me as the sunrise was on other side of the plane. However when I tried to peep out from other side of plane …It was gorgeous scene. The sky was a mix of so many oranges, blues, purples and pinks that it was impossible to believe that God paints in his spare time when his subjects are sleeping!
Soon there was announcement made that we are going to land in 20min at Rajiv Gandhi international airport of HYD and it is about 60km away from us. Planes started to descend and as the cloudy curtain were unveiled, we were flying over AP. On peeping down, it was lush green carpet with vivid designs lay on mother earth. Designs made by fresh muddy lakes and weird stack of rocks. Surprisingly I see those stack of rocks every where over the city and I guess not man made.
Soon we landed …it was 7:55am. As it’s an International airport its infrastructure is fabulous and clean. When I was walking out of airport there stood a person holding a paper with my name on it. That moment was like a dream come true. Till now I saw in films that some actor walks out of airport and some one is waiting for him with a board of actors name on it. We started towards guesthouse which is 40km from airport. Well again I stunned to see the roads near airport it reminded me of Turkey roads. We were then riding on 30km stretch which is a 6lane road. It’s still under construction and will be an express way I guess. Knowing that I am newbie in HYD driver was also telling me about the things that we saw on the way.
We reached the guest house Phase 2 Bungalow 10 Vasant Valley, Whitefields, Kondapur @ 9:15am. It’s a 5B2HK. I was given a room on ground floor. Next to me is PM’s room from my project. Well that guesthouse also has some guests from other companies.
I got ready for office by 10am and was accompanied by my PM Divya Rakesh. Convergys is 1-2 km from guesthouse. Its neighbors are Mahindra Satyam, Google, HSBC, TCS, Cybage, Wipro, Satyan Oracle, Dell, Congni. and many many more.
To Be Continued...