Two Weddings in Two Weeks

We attended our second wedding in as many weeks today and each of them was different.  This was also the first wedding of the three we have attended since we arrived in India that was held during the morning and early afternoon.  The other two weddings we attended was both in the evenings.  Once again the food was really enjoyable and we had the privilege of eating before the rest of the guests went for their lunch.  I am still not sure why this was arranged but we just did as we were told and it worked well for us.  Fortunately we were not alone and we were joined by Sai and his family that attended the wedding with us.

The week went well, my foot slowly became better by the day and it feels just about normal again.  Teresa had a much better work week after a real busy week before.  We have not received that much rain yet and we thought it would have rained much more by this time.  Not that we are complaining since the weather is still very mild compare to what we had during the month of May.  Our driver did tell us that July and August is when it rains a lot so we will just have to wait.

Saturday was just one of those days that we did not do a lot until late afternoon.  Ahmed came to pick us up at three in the afternoon and we went shopping from there.  Teresa got some new clothes at a shop in City Center Mall and then we wanted to shop at the newest SPAR in town.  Unfortunately the SPAR was not yet opened since it only opens on the 28th of this month, just a couple of days early.  We then decided to go and have dinner at Chili's and again had  a delicious meal.

Chili's

Chili's

Food at Chili's

The wedding car at the wedding today.

The stage at the wedding.

A sheet was held between the wedding couple since they were not allowed to see each other yet. 

The band.

The wedding couple.

Needles and Pins

We have just over a quarter of the time left of our year in India and we will be moving out of the apartment to a hotel in just about three months from now.  Time is not standing still and before we know it we will be on our way.

The majority of last week was not that much fun and I would rather not experience it again soon.  I am referring to the discomfort that my foot caused me.  Not sure if it was what they call "Gout" or something else but it did start after a moment of weakness I experienced with some delicious rich food.  We decided to try a different option this week and we went to consult an Acupuncturist.  While he was treating me for my foot we decided to see if the treatment will help Teresa with her Sinus problems and we both ended up with needles stuck into us.  Well, my foot finally started feeling better by Saturday after adjusting my diet a little, consulting the Acupuncturist and taking some medication.

Unfortunately I had to miss out on the World Music Festival that was held at the Taj Deccan because of my foot problems.  The event and our friends from the Banjara Hillbillies had lots of media coverage and it sounded like the event was one big success.  We did however attend the Beyond Coffee First Anniversary Party on Saturday evening and that was very successful.  Everything went well from the entertainment to the food supplied, we wish Vivek and his team all the best for more successful years to come.

On Sunday we got the opportunity to attend our second wedding during our stay in India.  It was again one of the team members at the office where Teresa is working.  It is interesting to experience the different ways or types of weddings they have.  Both the weddings we have attended to date was totally different from each other but still from the same religion.  It was a fun evening where I got to experience something different and meet more of Teresa's colleagues at work, not to mention enjoying some really good food.  We fortunately have the opportunity to attend another wedding next Sunday and we were told that it also would be very different from the previous two we have attended so we are looking forward to that.  But all about that wedding in next week's addition.  

Teresa being treated for Sinus, it seems to have worked.

My big ugly foot with needles in it, they stimulate the foot with an electric pulse.

The band setup at Beyond Coffee.

The Banjara Hillbillies performing at Beyond Coffee, the best Blue Grass band in Hyderabad!

Banjara Hillbillies at Beyond Coffee.

Beyond Coffee with their celebration decorations.

Sunday Evening wedding.

Teresa and a work colleague at the wedding. 

Teresa and work colleagues at the wedding. 

The wedding couple being blessed by everyone.

Sai after he blessed the wedding couple.

Group picture with the wedding couple.

Love the weather!!

We have not had that much rain yet but the drop in temperature is noticeable.  Much more clouds but not too overcast and the wind doing its part but not blowing too hard.  

The last week was really uneventful, except for the fact that I got a nasty case of gout from all the porky goodness we enjoyed in the form of bacon!  I don't think my body is used to those quantities of bacon I devoured and am paying for it dearly.  I am feeling pretty sorry for myself currently so I had to share this with all of you.

On Saturday we got invited to have dinner at friends of ours that we have not seen for a couple of months.  The food was really good and company even better.  After dinner we had delicious Hazelnut Coffee and time just went by too quickly.  

We also met up with a friend and his son at Novotel for lunch.  They had Lobster on the buffet and I ended up having two of them, they cooked them outside on the grill and they were delicious.  I had a small serving of some Leg of Lamb that was also tasty but since I am suffering from gout I had to stay away from having too much of that.  The Salmon on fresh dinner rolls with Olive butter was just as good and it went down well with a cucumber and dried apricot salad.  

The week ahead is going to be an interesting one that we are looking forward to.  On Wednesday, June 15 at the Taj Deccan is the Fête de la Musique, a World Music Festival that the French Embassy in India is sponsoring.  There will be several different types and style of music and included in the schedule will be the Banjara Hillbillies, their first official gig!  

Saturday we will be at Beyond Coffee when Beyond Coffee celebrates their first year anniversary.  They are planning a big event and will host two bands for entertainment and this will be the second official performance for the Banjara Hillbillies.  

We are also going to attend a wedding on Sunday which we are looking forward to, this will be our second wedding we will be attending.  But more on this in next week's blog.

Two way traffic in a one way lane.  

Teresa had this delicious salad at Beyond Coffee.

This is the best chicken sandwich I have ever had, my favorite at Beyond Coffee.  I order it without the fries, the fries are really good but I try to be healthy.

A close up, chicken breast, roasted peppers, some spice sauce and lettuce.

Sunday Lunch.

Our Sunday evening visitor, not sure where he came from.

Let it Rain!

June is the start of Monsoon Season and we had our first rains on the first day of June.  Although it was not much we did have a nice rainy day on Friday.  We can feel a definite decline in the extreme heat that we had in May.

Not much happened during the week to report on except that we had our first rains.  Ahmed took me for a little drive on Wednesday and showed me where the Air Force Base was and took me to a Buddha Temple.  

We had some friends over on Saturday evening and I had my first go at making some bagels.  Not sure what the end product was but I think it resembled something called Bagels. I also made a small pizza and some "vetkoek".  "Vetkoek" is a South African thing that is best described as fried bread.  You take bread dough and fry it in oil, it puffs up and is delicious with various fillings or toppings.  We had some bacon and eggs to go with all of this.

On Sunday we went to the Metro store, it is similar to Sam's Club or Costco in the United States or Makro in South Africa.  They are also pretty strict with who can shop there but our driver borrowed a membership card from one of his friends.  The fresh fruit/vegetable and meat sections was extremely clean, they also had a good variety of products.  We got a couple of things and hopefully we don't have to buy cleaning products again before we leave India to go back home.

We had dinner at Chilis on Monday evening.

Chicken Fajitas was delicious.

The Buddhas Temple in Mahindra Hills, Hyderabad.

Buddhas Temple

Large house across from the Buddha Temple.

Messing around with my cameras. 

I do not want to be close when this guy gets involved in a accident.

The bagels before I boiled and baked them.

The finished product.

"Vetkoeke" - Fried Bread

"Vetkoek" - Fried Bread cooking in oil.

Bacon.

Home made Pizza.

Saturday evening dinner table

This large rock fell off a truck.

They also have offices in India.

These skins looked VERY fresh, poor things.

Lord Ganesh statues, they are preparing for the Lord Ganesh Festival starting the first week in September.

An Artisan Bread I baked on Friday.

Teresa got this rose at Via Milano the previous weekend.  I took this picture on Friday morning.