Return to Hyderabad

After a big silver shopping expedition we boarded the train back to Vijayawada, on the route down along to East coast. The Indian man sitting opposite turned out to be working for Citybank in Parramatta. I was feeling pretty lousy with a horrible cough, and we all slept early as we were getting off the train at 3.30am. I was quite relieved to reach our destination, as I had had enough of couching by this stage. We waited outside the station in the middle of the night with the newspaper deliverers, until Sandeep got the car from his friends place. We drove there, and slept for quite some hours at his students family’s house.

In the morning a lovely breakfast was prepared for us and after a cup of strong chai we were feeling more alive. We then relaxed all morning watching the Australian open and also the cricket.

Caspar had a bit of a tummy upset, and was feeling nauseous, so it was good to stay in one place. As happens always in India all plans change by 3 hours at least, and as they really wanted to give us lunch before going, we did not set out for our 270km drive home until around 2.30pm. Caspar was also feeling better by this time, which was great, as the windy pot holed roads can also make you quite car sick.

On the highway outside of Vijayawada stands a 40 metre tall statue of the monkey God Hanuman. He is seen to give blessings for travel, as in his time he flew at great speed through the air to save the life if his Lord Rama. This temple is only 5 years old, and is of course dedicated to Lord Hanuman. The structure is made of concrete, but the surface has marble dust added in the mix to make the surface of the statue glow and retain its whiteness. It was quite a commanding sight.

As the sun went down it reflected in the water of the rice paddies, creating a magical atmosphere. The road surface was pretty bad in many sections and it was quite a test to drive in the dark with a huge number of trucks travelling the highway at night. Sandeep had promised the kids some Dominos pizza for dinner, and although it was after 10pm when we finally reached Hyderabad, and he had driven for many hours, he still stopped at Dominos to get the kids their desired dinner.

We were all so glad that we did not have to get on another train or go anywhere, and that we were back home.