India and Maldives Vacation Index:

1. Introduction
2. Overview and Statistics
3. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Dehli and Agra
5. Jaipur
6. Hyderabad
7. Aurangabad/Mumbai
8. Making Peace with the Poverty
9. Quotes
10. Top 10 Favorite Things About India
11. Maldives & 11.5 Maldives with the Meyers
12. Top 10 Favorite Things About the Maldives
13. Paris
14. What We Would Have Done Differently & What We Did Right
15. Meanwhile, Back At Home…..

HELLO HYDERABAD!

We arrived in Hyderabad at 8AM on Saturday, October 19th.  We had been gone a total of 4 days!  I felt like it had been at least two weeks.  Time is so tricky sometimes.  I was starting to miss the kids but we were getting great daily updates from Cliffie and Natalie who reassured us that all was well.  Also, we stayed so busy that we hardly had time to think about missing them.

When Ben was on his mission in India much of his time was spent in Hyderabad.  Several of his missionary companions and friends still live there.  It was one of our priorities to be in Hyderabad on Sunday so we could go to church and see those people.   Ben kept telling Sarah and I that we had been having a cushy trip since we’d had a driver, guides, and really nice hotels.  We planned to be more independent in Hyderabad.

The guys had quite a bit of trouble getting us a ride from the airport to the hotel.  The drivers wanted about 10 times more than what Ben thought it should cost.  After a while they agreed on a price with a driver who promised us a van with AC.  Well, his vehicle wasn’t ready so we had to wait a while and then he pulled up in a teeny, tiny little hatchback with no AC.  Michael and Ben had to complain and insist on better transportation.  He then pointed us to a van that had been sitting there in the parking lot the whole time.  Why didn’t we just use that one in the first place?  We’ll never know.  When we were leaving the driver said he needed more money for the tolls on top of what we’d already agreed to pay.  We sat at the toll booth for about 3 minutes with cars honking behind us as Ben and Michael and the driver had a little quarrel.  Michael and Ben asked him just to take us back to the airport and we’d find a new driver.  The driver just kept repeating the words, “200 more rupees, sir” over and over again.  It was pretty unproductive.  In retrospect I think the guy didn’t have any cash on him to pay the toll.  I felt bad for him.  Finally they came to an agreement and gave him the cash to get through the toll and we were on our way again.  Ben realized on the drive that we flew into a different airport than he expected.  It was a new one which hadn’t existed last time he was in Hyderabad. Instead of it taking 5 minutes to get to our hotel it took 45.  That’s why the prices were so much higher than we expected, too.  We all hate contention and things were feeling pretty contentious in the car.  I was missing Tara at this point.  We mostly rode in silence after that.

ITC KAKATIYA

Things changed for the better when we arrived at the ITC Kaktiya hotel around 10am and they offered us complimentary breakfast.  We had been emailed prior that we would receive a free upgraded room during our stay there.  We requested to be in a room close to Mike and Sarah so they upgraded them, too.  Funny thing is Mike and Sarah ended up with the way better room!  That actually happened a few times – they were always one upping us 🙂 In Jaipur, the place we expected to be sharing a room because Michael accidentally booked the wrong date, we were promised a King bed but when we got to our room it was two queens.  They came up and pushed the beds together for us.  We were surprised to walk into Mike and Sarah’s room and see they had our King bed room!  We were too lazy to switch so we just left things how they were.  They were always a class above us and had extra perks thrown in.  Ben and I joked that someone in heaven was trying to keep us humble.  We didn’t actually care – Ben and I aren’t really first class type people.  Mike enjoyed teasing us about it so we played along.  He says he didn’t tease – he just smiled really big every time it happened.

We went up to our room before breakfast and there was a chocolate cake and fresh juices waiting for us.  We were very impressed with the hotel and the service.  To give you an idea, we booked this hotel for one night.  Check-in is usually at 4 pm, but we arrived in Hyderabad early so they let us check in at 9 am.  So even though we booked the hotel for one night, we got two free breakfasts!  They also let us check out 4 hours after the regular check-out time, so we basically booked for one night, but got almost two full days.  All the staff were so accommodating, and eagerly wanting to assist in any way possible.

The guys went and talked to the concierge to make arrangements for the day while Sarah and I went down for breakfast.

BEST BREAKFAST OF MY LIFE

WOW! WOW! WOW!  I mean, WOW!

The food was probably the best I’ve had in my life!  It was like Heaven’s breakfast buffet!  There were fresh dates with a pistachio/honey filling; mango french toast made from a totally unique melt-in-your-mouth kind of bread; omelets that made me want to cry and I don’t even like omelets!!; dosa with coconut, ginger, and tomato chutneys; spicy sambar; roasted tomatoes; fried, fresh fish; fresh squeezed juices including grape, apple, watermelon, lime/lemon, carrot, tomato, mango, and pineapple; croissants and pastries of every type; fresh donuts; chapati; paratha; butter that was more delicious than I knew butter could be; oriental breakfast dishes like noodles, soups, and dips; fresh sprouted salads; roasted vegetable salads; and the list goes on.  It was one of the happiest experiences of the trip for me. Although the food was the star of the show, I should also mention that the service was impeccable!  They had several chefs available to make fresh omelets, dosa, french toast, or whatever we requested.  Also, we had several waiters who were super helpful and so attentive without stifling our conversation.  I was so impressed!  And to think it was all free.  Wow!  I wish I’d taken more pictures.  I still wake up every morning  and think about that breakfast buffet.

After breakfast Sarah taught me how to wash my clothes by hand.  She went on a mission to Russia and they don’t have washing machines, therefore, she’s an expert.

THE MAYS

One of the people I was most excited about  meeting was someone Ben had taught on his mission – Robert May.

Here is a picture of Ben with Robert on his Baptismal day:

Robert is now a bishop in our church in Hyderabad, and Ben has always spoken so highly of him.  Ben taught Robert about our church while he was on his mission.  Robert and his wife, Priyanka, and children, Loana, Kamuel, and Olivia arrived at the hotel around noon.  We had a wonderful time visiting, taking pictures, feeding the kids our chocolate cake, and sitting in Mike and Sarah’s massage chair.  It was really a thrill to meet them.  They were so warm, welcoming, and fun.  Robert has a big personality and is full of life.  Priyanka has a sweet, quiet dignity.  I felt like I’d known them all my life.

We decided to all go to Charminar which is the icon of Hyderabad, much like the Eiffel tower is the symbol of Paris or the Statue of Liberty is the icon of New York.  After our poor experience getting to the hotel from the airport we decided to get a private driver for the day.  We were shocked to see Robert, his wife, and three children had arrived on a motorcycle/motor bike!  Can you imagine having a 6, 2, and 3 month old on a motorcycle driving through the busy roads of India?!?!  I told them about how we have laws about seat belts, 5 point safety harness car seats, and rear facing car seats and if we break the laws we pay a lot of money or even get put in jail.  It was fun to compare the difference in transportation.  I kept thinking about how much McKay would love to trade places with Kamuel for a day!

We actually brought Kamuel and Luana with us in the car  and Robert, Priyanka, and Olivia rode the motor bike.  We were all a little drowsy and I think everyone took a nap on the hour drive to Charminar.  It was cute to see Kamuel sleeping in Ben’s arms, knowing he was holding the son of someone he had taught the gospel so long ago.  He’s got a way with kids.

CHARMINAR

Charminar was built in 1591 and is a monument and mosque built to commemorate the end of a plague.  Chār and Minar, translated mean “Four Towers” and so there are four ornate minarets attached and supported by four grand arches.  The lower floor, where we went, was used as a school for the children of the royal family as there is an underground passage that goes from the palace to the monument.  The upper floor, which is closed to tourists, was used as a mosque by the royal family.    It stands in the center of a busy intersection in the center of Hyderabad.  Sarah and I felt like Charminar was the center of all chaos in all of India.  There were so many cars, traffic, people, bazaars, smells.  Also, when we were there is was a religious holiday for the Muslims so it was extra crowded with many women in their full burqas.  We needed to cross the road to get to Charminar.  Good thing we had Robert with us.  I would have been too nervous to do it without the help of a native.

The view from the top was beautiful.  The architecture was amazing, too.  We had a great lady guide which Robert arranged for us.

We have a picture hanging in our house of Ben on his mission standing in front of Charminar.

It was so surreal to be standing in the same place he had stood 13 years ago.  I kept saying to him this day and the next, “I cannot believe this is where you served your mission!”  It was so completely foreign from anything I had ever experienced.  It was intense!  The food, the religion, lifestyle, dress, habits, culture – so starkly different.  I kept trying to picture him there at age 19, having only known Utah and Idaho, 10,000 miles away from a single soul he knew, walking those exact chaotic streets and talking to people about Jesus Christ and teaching them that His church, the one of ancient times, had been restored by a 14 year old boy named Joseph Smith.  And then, I kept marveling that he had so much success!  He actively taught and baptized all throughout his mission. It’s all a miracle!  After we visited up in the top I had everyone pose for a picture in the same place Ben had stood.  It didn’t turn out as good as I had hoped.  Too bad because I risked all of our lives to get it.  We were right in the center of this road when I took it.  It was just a little too stressful and I couldn’t have everyone more to the position I wanted.  We’ll just have to go back one day and do better 🙂

A few pictures I snapped around Charminar:

PEARL SHOP

Hyderabad is famous for pearls so Robert took us to a pearl shop of someone he knows.  We loved the shop and the owners were very fair and not pushy.  We bought a lot including presents for people back home.  (Natalie we bought your ring here, too.)

Driving to the next destination:

PARADISE BIRYANI

After our fun purchases we went to Paradise Biryani with the Mays.  It’s a very popular restaurant in Hyderabad and one that Ben visited often while living there.  We ordered chicken and mutton kabobs.  They also brought romali roti (a bread) and thinly sliced onions, cabbage, and carrots.  They told us the lime and onions would cut the spiciness of the food.  We were surprised at just how well it worked!  The main dish was chicken and mutton biryani.  The lamb was amazingly tender. The chicken kabobs were so good, too.  I asked about them and the waiter told us they were covered in cashew paste.  We were fat and happy by the time we left.  I enjoyed the meal and company so much that I only have one, terrible picture to remember the night.

We went on a walk through the shops, called General Bazaar, by Paradise after dinner.  Mike and Sarah promised Ethan they would bring him back an auto rickshaw toy car from India. While skyping with him one night he asked if they’d found the car and they told him no, not yet.  He said, “Go back to India and don’t come home until you’ve found one.”  So, it was of paramount priority to find an auto rickshaw car and we’d looked in each city we’d gone to without success.  Well, Robert was able to find the perfect toy store for us and we were able to find one.  We found two more at a different toy store, too. So I bought one for my boys and Ben bought one for Kamuel.  Robert also bought us some delicious cotton candy cereal-tasting type candy. Sarah and I were stuffed but we were still able to eat a package of it.  There’s always room for dessert.

Ben and Kamuel had really bonded by this point and Ben spent most of the night carrying him.  The shops were along a busy road and if Ben set Kamuel down for even a second he would take off running towards the road.  It sure kept Ben on his toes.  It was fun to see Kamuel teasing Ben so much.

AIRPORT PLAZA

On the drive back to the Kakatiya Ben had the driver take us by the building where they held church when we was on his mission.  It’s called Airport Plaza.  They met on an upper floor which was closed but we went down into the open parking garage which is where their baptismal font had been.  There was a small room in the basement where a family lives.  They came out and we talked.  Turns out it was the same man who had lived there when Ben was on his mission.  Ben said the man was always very kind to them.  I’ll be honest and say I was quite emotional and was holding back the tears.  Ben showed me the two pillars where the baptismal font had once been.  It was nostalgic for him and very meaningful for me.

Back in the day:

We crashed back at the hotel around 9ish or 10ish? We’d been awake since 4:30 am and we were all pretty exhausted – physically and emotionally.  Mike and Sarah made it a point to mention they enjoyed their evening massages in their massage chair before turning in.

SUNDAY IN HYDERABAD

Sunday morning we woke up early, around 6 AM, and hurried to get ready for church.  We headed to breakfast around 7:15 AM and we treasured every beautiful bite!

Robert arranged for a cab driver to pick us up at 8 AM and he took us to church.  Actually, he took us to the wrong church but ours was only a few buildings down.  We were very impressed to see such a beautiful church building.  Ben especially was impressed when he compared it to what they had when we was there.

By happen chance it was Stake Conference on the Sunday we were there.  For those who are not LDS, Stake Conference is when all the congregations, known as Wards, meet together in a geographical area to worship and hear talks and instruction for church leaders.  It was perfect that everyone was gathered together and we were able to see many more people Ben knew that we would have missed otherwise.  The church services were wonderful!  The Stake President, John Gutty, spoke and even mentioned Ben in his talk.  Then there was a musical number which was very touching.  The second half of the meeting was a broadcast from church leaders in Salt Lake.  All the messages were wonderful!

After the meeting I was surprised to see how many people knew Ben.  There was a flood of people coming over to greet him and hug him.  I thought maybe one or two people, in addition to Robert, would remember him.  Instead, it seemed like he had a meaningful relationship with more than half the congregation. It was pretty thrilling to know he had been part of sharing the gospel in India.  India only allows a limited number of missionaries to serve there.  So, although it’s such a large country with so many people willing to be taught, they only allow 26 foreign missionaries in India. At least that was the number of visas allowed when he was there.  Ben served at a time when missionary work in India was relatively new and there were only a few small branches.  Now there are established wards and the first stake was just organized one year ago.  It’s there in Hyderabad.  I’ll let him tell a little about the people and his connection with them:

Looking back on my mission I am amazed at how we had a very close relationship with all the other missionaries in India.  This in spite of our numbers being relatively small and the geographic area we covered being so large.  We had roughly 50 missionaries responsible for a population of over a billion people covering an area 1/3 the United States.  How did we become so close?  I’m not sure, other than the fact we were able to gather often and really enjoy the time we were together.  Maybe the fact that our numbers were few helped us create strong friendships.  I think it is also true that there was (and is) a very strong bond among the members in India.   Ward and Stake boundaries do not limit the relationships there.

It was incredible to sit in Stake Conference in Hyderabad, look up and see President Bushi and President Natarajan on the stand conducting business as members of the Stake Presidency.  These were missionaries I served with and both excellent leaders.  I still remember on the mission how powerfully Elder Natarajan bore his testimony of the Savior, and I asked him to write it down so I could tuck it away in my journal.  There were not any sister missionaries in the mission, until about 8 months before I came home when there were 3 sisters called – all native Indians.  I had the opportunity to serve as their zone leader, so I got to know them very well.  President Bushi married one of these sister missionaries.  She wasn’t there at the Stake Center, so after Bushi and I caught up, he called her and handed me the phone.  Although I didn’t get the chance to see her in person, it was fun to chat with Sister Dondapati (now Sis. Bushi) for a few minutes.

I would say a huge part of the foundation of the church in Hyderabad is the Gutty family.  John Gutty is serving as the first stake president in India.  His sister Hima Gutty is an incredible person.  It was fun to see her leading the stake choir.  Their brother, Victor, was the branch president while I was serving in Hyderabad, and he married Annapurna (Anu) – one of my best friends in India and one I had the privilege of witnessing her conversion.  Anu is an extremely bright person, very well spoken and very thoughtful.  Anu is one I was so eagerly anxious to see again, and to introduce Alicia, Mike and Sarah, but the stars did not align for us and she and her family weren’t able to make the trip from Visaq.   We assured each other we would see one another again one day in the not-too-distant future.  (Right Anu?)

Another set of siblings is Pramod, Vinod, and Praveen.  Pramod was in the district presidency and Praveen served a mini-mission while I was there in Hyderabad.  Praveen now lives in Mumbai, so I didn’t get the chance to see him this trip but it was fun to see Pramod, his wife Bharti and brother Vinod.

Kumar was the branch president of the Hyderabad II branch.  He and I were catching up after the meeting, when I noticed a handsome young man sitting there listening to our conversation.  I asked Kumar, “who is this young man?”  He responded, “This is my son!”  Guess when he was born?  While I was serving in Hyderabad.  He stood up and revealed he is now taller and much bigger than me!  It wasn’t until this point that I felt old!

One of the pleasant surprises of the day, was Amit Roy.  I didn’t realize he was living in Hyderabad now.  Elder Roy and I spent a lot of time together as missionary buddies, and since he is from Calcutta I didn’t expect to see him. When I was in India in 2005, he took me on a tour of Calcutta that was really fun.

A couple of families that I grew to love while serving in Hyderabad were the Sister Alice family and the Sister Santosh family.  I remember visiting with Sister Alice and her two sons – Shanth and Santosh in their humble little home.  Santosh who was a 12-year-old deacon at the time was a cricket fanatic!  He used to call me Robin Singh after one of the Indian National cricket stars.  He reminded me that we went to Charminar together last time I was in India.  I was so happy to see him again and meet his wife Sridevi, and to see Sister Alice’s great smile.  Sister Santosh is Alice’s sister-in-law.  To this day, she is an inspiration to me.  She would get up early with her three daughters every Sunday, often walking miles to church, but I don’t think she ever missed a week.  Her family has been through a lot of trials, losing the oldest daughter, and I was sad not to be able to see them while I was there in Hyderabad.  I wrote some quick notes to Sister Santosh and her daughers, Goldie and Cynthia, and asked Santosh and Sridevi to deliver them for me.  I wish we had been able to stay in Hyderabad longer to be able to spend more quality time with all these great people.

I can’t say enough about Robert May and his family.  It was the year 2000 in Bangalore that I was able to witness his conversion.  It is an incredible experience to have a small influence on someone’s life, and then to turn around and see what a huge influence he is having on others.  And I really enjoyed getting to know Priyanka and her sweet, gentle personality, hearing her history and finding all the mutual acquaintances we have.  And what great kids they have!  Kamuel and I are best buddies.  We were all grateful for Robert’s help in making our stay in Hyderabad so easy and comfortable.

It’s me Alicia, again.  I wanted to note that Michael and Sarah were social butterflies  at church and they stayed busy meeting new people.  It can be a small world within the church.  We would never have guessed that Sarah would be able to make a connection to someone in India, but she met Nakkapalli Hilkais Christopher, who was baptized by a friend from the Odessa, FL ward – Kyle Sheperdson.

Attending church and seeing the growth and knowing Ben had a part in it was the highlight of the trip for me – which is realllyyyy saying something!  The experience we had at church was worth every penny spent getting there!

MOTOR BIKE RIDES & LUNCH AT ROBERT’S

Robert kindly invited us to his house for lunch which we happily accepted.  He flagged down two auto rickshaw for our group and gently offered that any interested parties could ride on the motor bike with him.  Well, I had secretly been wanting to but didn’t know if it was inappropriate to ask.  I jumped at the chance!  The ride was incredible – even better than the elephants and camels.  Robert was a great driver and the ride was surprisingly smooth.  It didn’t feel as dangerous as it looks.  Although, I think I had a false sense of security in India. Everything we did and everywhere we went I felt safe and I knew I’d be fine.  It was funny to get so many stares and finger points.  There weren’t many white people in Hyderabad and I think it was especially unusual for the people to see a white woman on the back of a motor bike.  I saw a few people trying to take pictures of me.  I would wave and smile!  Felt like I was in a parade!  It was really fun.

We visited with Priyanka and the children while Robert took Michael out for a motor bike ride and to pick up pizzas.  Michael was equally impressed with the smoothness of the ride.  I think Michael deserves the award for being the strangest looking – Caucasian man in full cashmere suit wearing tennis shoes riding on the back of a motor bike in Hyderabad.  Impressive!

Priyanka showed us her wedding album and it was great to learn about their marriage customs and clothing.  I held baby Olivia.  Ben played with Kamuel.  It was so fun.  I kept thinking, “I’m in India, visiting with people Ben taught, holding their children, eating in their home.”  It was so surreal.  Sadly the time came for us to prepare to move on from Hyderabad.  After lunch we rushed back to hotel, packed, and checked out.  It was, again, with a very heavy heart I left Hyderabad.  It felt like there were still people to get to know, places to visit, and breakfasts to be eaten at that heavenly buffet.

TRAIN STATION

We headed to the train station around 4 PM.  We had arranged to take an overnight sleeper train to Aurangabad.  It left at 5:10 PM and was scheduled to arrive in Aurangaabad at 5:30 AM.  The train station was another awesome experience.  Ben warned us that we’d had it easier than expected in Hyderabad.  We had a driver most of the time and Robert took care of us and made arrangements for us everywhere.  (Thanks Robert!).  He warned that the train station, sleeper train, and Aurangabad were not going to be luxury accommodations and we were heading into rural India. I could tell by the train station what he meant.  It was loud, dirty, and crowded.  We had planned to wait for Robert in front of the train station but the beggars, especially one woman with a baby was getting pretty aggressive, so we decided to head into the station without Robert and sit by the train.  For the record, I gave her snacks and the baby looked like a very healthy size.  It was just too hard to stare into that sweet baby’s eyes and have that woman begging for money.  So, into the train station we headed.  I said, “Do you think Robert will be able to find us though Ben?”  He said, “Honey, we stick out like a sore thumb – he won’t have any trouble finding us!”  We got a lot of stares.  More than anywhere we’d been.  While we were waiting for our train a few kids came up to me, then a few more, and then a few more.  Before I knew it there was a group of 15 – 20 people around me, asking questions, wanting to talk, and take pictures with us.  The Mays arrived a few minutes later to find the large crowd gathered.  He said, “Alicia, you are a movie star!”  Ben was right – we did stick out like a sore thumb and Robert didn’t have any trouble finding us 🙂

We had originally planned to travel with Anu and Victor Gutty and their four boys to Aurangabad.  However, one of her boys broke his ankle so they were unable to travel with us.  Ben taught Anu when we has on his mission.  Anu had arranged for all of our travel from Hyderabad to Aurangabad and within Aurangabad.  (Thank you, Anu!)  Anu and I are facebook friends and she was another person I was really looking forward to meeting.  When Ben visited India in 2005, just before we got married, he visited with Anu and she bought a beautiful sari and sent it with Ben as a wedding gift for me.  She is very intelligent, warm, and caring.  One day I will meet her.  I’m determined to!

Robert was there to make sure we boarded the right train and to see us off, and when the time came we boarded the train and said our final farewells to our new friends.  I told Luana and Kamuel that hopefully one day I would bring my Sadie and boys back to meet them.  I hope that will happen!  We loved them all so much!

TRAIN RIDE TO AURANGABAD

Our train headed out and we were off on another adventure.  Although, the next adventure was not as far off as I expected.  It turns out the train ride was the adventure!  I had my first standing/squatting bathroom experience during the train ride.  Imagine the challenge…..a moving train, a dirty bathroom, and a squatting bathroom break.  I fared well but poor Sarah wasn’t so fortunate.  Her first issue was walking in on a man while he was using the bathroom.  Actually, that happened twice.  The train employee told her the bathrooms were vacant.  He was misinformed which Sarah had the unfortunate experience of discovering.  Once she found an available bathroom she had some trouble while going and….well…..I don’t know how to say this nicely…..she pee peed on her foot. Poor Sarah!

Around 8:30PM I took a melatonin and tried to get some sleep.  I was freezing so I slept with the blanket over my head.  I tossed and turned a lot but I think I had the best rest of those in our group.  I was jolted awake around 4:30 with a man yelling over and over again, “Aurangabad, Aurangabad, Aurangabad!”  He kept yelling it over and over and over again, louder and louder.  Finally, after a minute of this ceaseless nonsense I rolled over to discover he was holding the curtain of my bunk open and looking right at me!  He was trying to wake me up. Mission accomplished!

I spent the next hour waiting for Aurangabad to arrive and trying to get my heart rate back to normal.  At last, around 5:30 AM we arrived in Aurangabad.  I was happy to be on solid ground again and eager to get to the hotel and use a traditional toilet.

I’m happy we experienced a train ride.  It was certainly an interesting experience.  But I’m happy we only did it once. 🙂