There's No Food Like Home

In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy taps her shiny red shoes together and chants "There's no place like home, there's no place like home" and gets transported back to her home. 

Savories & Sweets from Andhra Pradesh

I don't have shiny red shoes like Dorothy, but I have something else that works just the same. With every bite of these goodies pictured above, I feel like I'm transported back to my hometown in India. A place filled with so many varieties of sweets and savories one can only imagine. Each one has an unique flavor made with various lentils, nuts, dried fruits, and spices. I have to use all my will power not to eat them all at once.

Which sweets and savories can you name? Which ones are your favorites? 

The Wonders of India - Hyderabad

Charminar, oh what a beauty!

The last part of our India trip (November 2011) was spent in Hyderabad. It's my birthplace and favorite place to visit whenever we travel to the South. We usually spend time with family as well as do some local shopping. Many changes have occurred since our last visit...both good and bad. With the construction of the flyovers, it was easier to get around and cut travel time (specifically to and from the airport). However, during rush hour times, the traffic seems to have doubled and caused many delays.
The first couple days of the stay we spent getting acclimated with the city and bought groceries. Instead of staying in a hotel, we stayed at our grandmother's place. Near her building, there were a good number of groceries such as Spencer's and Reliance Fresh where we bought produce, snacks, and etc. There were also local shops or bodegas to get household items. It's important to remember that bargaining is essential here and not frowned upon.
When it comes to clothes shopping, there are lots of malls such as Lifestyle or City Center to get the latest fashions and accessories. If one is interested in fancy Indian clothes, we would recommend Neeru's by Banjara Hills. The staff is very courteous and helpful with whatever questions we had about the dresses. We bought a couple of party wear outfits (Anarkali style) and saris. Another trend in fashion now is antique finish costume jewelry and "blinge out" bangles and bracelets. There are a number of shops that sell good quality jewelry sets for a reasonable price. One of our favorite places to shop for bangles is Charminar Chudi Bazaar. Just look at the big smile on my face...

I'm Blingin' Out Baby!!

This picture was taken at Nazeer & Sons Bangles and Jewelers...it's one of the biggest bangle shops in the market. I am styling my new purchase of  the gold and silver stoned kadhas (wide length bangles). Another market to purchase jewelry sets is Begum Bazaar. Please note that it is very crowded, so important to be mindful of your belongings.
Before I left for India, I made a list of all the fruits and goodies I wanted to try while I was there. On top of my list was Hyderabadi biryani...it was really spicy but definitely worth it. The next few items were the savory snacks (made with rice flour/besan and fennel seeds).

We always get the most sought after savories from my grandmother's relatives. We inform them ahead of time of the quantity and pick them up on our visits. The last few days of the trip was spent relaxing and securing all our stuff into our luggage so there aren't any overages. It was definitely an exciting and busy trip filled with lots of new sights, eating, and family.

***Quick Tips:
- Other sights in Hyderabad are Buddha Island, Tank Bund, Salar Jung Museum, Golcanda Fort, and Necklace Road. Also try to go see a movie in one of the Imax theaters.
- Good restaurants/eateries: Eatmor inside Ohri's, Karachi Bakery (in Banjara Hills)