Reaching India for the first time

I got on the plane and was wondering where it would take me. It said Hyderabad on the ticket with a stopover at Singapore airport...Never been to India but heard so many stories. Most people who been there did not like it or got some stomach problems. My experience of India was pretty much what I've seen from Slum dog Millionaire movie. And that movie is pretty much India to extremes and the fact that it is a movie...

Saw this before getting on the place in Philippines...It's my second phone model that I had...and that's 17 years ago! Still going strong here.

Bye bye you beautiful Island groups

Love the Changi airport

Well I landed in Hyderabad around midnight and airport immigration was very smooth and fast. Talked to some older man while waiting for the bags and he had also been working with same stuff as me before. He had a car and driver and offered me a ride to the hotel. Looking at all the sketchy taxi drivers outside the airport shouting Taxi Sir Taxi Sir I thought it was a good advice to just randomly step into some strangers car in India. Everything went fine and we exchanged business cards and I arrived at the hotel just perfectly. The hotel was magnificent! Almost like a temple, and the price was a steal too. Cheap here...

Stayed in Hyderabad for 2.5 days and was positively surprises. It wasn't as bad as i thought. Then again 7 years in China and around Asia might have made the arriving a bit softer and not so shocking. Yes there were animals wondering here and there and plenty of stray dogs. Traffic was more honking than driving but people were in general friendly. About 50 guys wasted to take a picture with me while being there, worse than China haha.

Officially in India! 

Now THIS is a dining room!

 I wish Shanghai would have a lot of outdoor pools too. It feels like anywhere in South East Asia they have a pool outdoor! No matter than kind of hotel you stay in

 Had lunch in this place that was build like a train. The food was the best Indian food I ever had and the interior design very unique as well. Chicken masala cooked in banana leafs and then wrapped in a dough layer to keep the flavour inside while staying in the oven

 Dessert was on fire, literally 

 The restaurant cart looked like this. But it was in 2 parts so actually twice as big as this picture

 The train, you could sit inside or outside

 Tried to open a local phone number but it wasn't that easy. You need a dispatch letter from your hotel that you are going to do it and a COLOR passport picture. I only had a black and white with me but thank you Vinay for sorting me out man! Was difficult to get to Airtels office (3G network). Middle of a highway under construction

 Hello sir, tuktuk?

Center point of the city, The Charminar

Going up to the Charminar through small narrow stairs that would not pass any kind of safety standards back home

The old bell still here

 Loads of cars, pedlars, tuktuks, people, stands and random stray animals

 Everyone preparing for Diwali festival

honk honk honk honk

Fruits or all kinds

 View of the city skyline from Colconda Fort....It's just 20 km outside town and if traffic is ok doesn't take too long to reach. But when is traffic EVER ok here? 

 Had a super long day without much food, dig in and hope for no stomach problems! 

 Instead of paying 3 euros for a private boat I took one with the locals for 50 cents. They had some staring to do. Was there a staring competition today ? 

 Buddha Island where Dalai Lama also came back in 2006. And that sign with spitting on the walls. Where is common sense in this country? 

 

The National Museum, walking stick gallery must be good! haha

 Ivory heads

 And a more sneakier stick with build-in blade for self defence

 Elephant bronze necklace. Woder how many hundred kilos it is

 They sure made more stylish lighters back in the days compared to todays BIC

 Pottery

 One unique carving, the double statue

 The ivory room was impressive, just feel sad for how many elephants had to die for the cause

 Amazing handwork! Not a single mistake allowed when making this stuff

Poverty. It's real here.

Exploring Davao - Pearl Farm

There are so much outdoor activities and beautiful places to go to just outside the city. You can take a boat for just a few euros and get to a place called Paradise Island. Nice beach and food to chill with. One even better place than that would be the Pearl Farm. I missed the first boat so only had a few hours time to be there. But that place is beautiful!! Could work well as a honeymoon spot if anyone is looking for such a spot. They also have diving here but didn't have time for that, water looks very clear and full of chorals. Would love to come back someday and stay at the hotel when time allows! 

 Paradise Island, people chilling here with their families

The water is so clear!!

 Taking the boat to Pearl Farm

What a perfect place to chill out

 Had some of the famous Halo-Halos here. Halo-Halo is a popular Filipino dessert with mixtures of shaved ice and evaporated milk to which are added various boiled sweet beans, jello and fruit. Yummy!  

The beer is always served as 0 degrees. There was even an ice coating on my bottle when I got it :) And price is quite alright too, about 0.8 Euro per bottle in a BAR! 

Bar food was quite different from home. Liver with onions & fried intestine. Yum yum 

 Next stop India, could just stay at this beautiful place but every story must come to an end I guess...Thanks to all the amazing people I met there!