Young boy putting sugar cane stocks into a juicer

Juice from the sugar cane

You could buy a drink from multiple street vendors who were making sugar cane juice.  Jake and I decided that since there was only one cup and we were not sure about the process it was better to pass on this one although it was fascinating to watch.

Watering a herd of goats on the side of the road

It was not uncommon to see a small herd of goats, cows, or chickens on the side of the road.  Sometimes they would be laying under vehicles, on the sidewalk or on hard clay dirt.  There were not a lot of grassy areas in the parts of Hyderabad that we went so the animals would be fed or have to find food various ways (we even saw a few eating out of dumpsters or trash piles).

Make shift homes on the side of the road

It was pretty common to see make shift homes like the ones above near the road.  Basically the people didn’t have the means to build or buy a home so they would collect items they found on the side of the road or trash to build a shelter for their family.  Many of these homes were so small and open you could see right through them.

I did not see a lot of horses in Hyderabad but was able to find this one on a side street

Brina and Karlie wanted to know if I saw or rode any horses while in Hyderabad.  At least in the city of Hyderabad I only saw a handful of horses.  This one was on a side street and was beautiful so I took a picture of it for the girls.

Local Bakery in Hyderabad

Most of the stores and people selling goods to the locals or tourists would set up shop on the side of the road in these little stalls.  Anyone could come to the “market” and shop at the stores along the road.  According to our driver the stores did not open until late morning but would stay open late at night.  Many of the shops would bring everything they could to sell every day and at night they would pack everything up to take it home.  The “stalls” were not rented it was first come first serve so if you wanted to get a good location you would arrive early to set up your store for that day.

Hyderabad “general store” on the side of the road

As you can see from part of the sign this is a General Store which sells anything from balls to play dough to toys to chips and more.  The family would set up shop and sit until someone came to shop.  When you came into the store they would try to sell you almost anything while trying to convince you it is a great deal.  Bartering is very common in this area too, although foreigners tend to a pay a premium price.

Notice the balconies and rooftop

This building is a combination store set up and apartments for residents.  If you look closely at the picture you will notice that all the balconies (even the top ones) have bars covering the entire opening.  Why?  Because people are desperate enough that they will climb up the building, over the balcony, and break into the apartment to steal.  One of the major problems with these bars covering the balcony is when they have a fire, there is no place to exit other than through the stairwells inside the building which can be dangerous.  Now look at the roof, see the barbed wire at the top.  Why?  If people could climb or get to the top of the roof then they can climb down into the apartments below so they place barb wire at the tops of buildings to help keep the residents and their apartments safe.

Do you see the spiked object on the front of this car?

I noticed that on the front of some cars there was a “spiked” object.  After seeing them in a couple different spots where Jake & I were sightseeing I asked about them and found out that these were on the vehicles of government officials.  It really isn’t a spike but an India flag rolled up and on special occasions they will unroll the flag.

Bicycle loaded down with goods

The streets were very busy in Hyderabad.  You would see cars, trucks, rigshaws, auto-rigshaws, bicycles, people walking, animals and more.  It was pretty common to see someone pushing a bicycle or cart full of goods down the street.  It looks like this guy is planning to work on plumbing or sell plumbing hardware.

Roadside market

They love brightly colored items.  These are two more stores on the side of the road.  You can barely see the divider between them.  One store is selling kids clothing, peacock feathers, and knickknacks and the other store N.K. Store was selling “All Marriage Items and Meena Herbal Powder” according to the sign.

Hospital in Hyderabad, India

We wanted to walk through some of the street markets so we parked in the hospitals parking lot.  Next door was a walk-in free health clinic.  Made me very thankful for the health care and hospital we have only minutes from our home in South Carolina.  You will often see people walking with a limp from an earlier injury that they never got medical care for or when they got care it wasn’t set right.

I saw and experienced so many things during my brief stay in Hyderabad, India.  The people I met and interacted with the regularly were extremely kind, hospitable and generous.  Several times while driving down the street you would have an old man with a missing limb or someone begging you for money.  At one spot as we were walking one lady came up to me, knelt down, held out her hand and said “Sister….Sister…..please help”.  It broke my heart to see so many people pleading for help.  While I couldn’t help everyone it was nice to share what little we had with those around us.

The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!