Back in October 2007, when I started telling people about my upcoming time off, Raj Seelam came up to me and said, "David, you need to come to my wedding, Feb 10, in Hyderabad." I did not have firm plans for my travels at that point, other than attending Oren's wedding in Tel Aviv on May 25. My thoughts on the spot were, yes, I could do that..... why not?
From those early beginnings trip plans evolved, using the two weddings as anchor points for my travels. I would start in Hyderabad, India and finish in Tel Aviv at the end of May. I initially had grand plans of doing a tour along the old silk road, passing from India to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria to Israel. However, the visa situation is challenging and could not be worked so in truth, I still did not have definite plans when I arrived in India. What I did have, was a nudge from Raj toward NE India. He planted a few seeds saying that Arunachal Pradesh had always been on his radar, the area was remote, hardly anyone visited it, and it was the most extreme north eastern portion of India. You can read the blog to find out the path I ended up taking.
What a great way to start one's travels in India! Met by friends at the airport (Raj), whisked back to a secure house without the hassles of porters, taxis, finding a place to stay, etc, etc. Gradually introduced to Indian food, eating with your right hand, driving on the left, public transit, the crush of people, and the feel of India. Raj and his parents, Mr. and Mrs Reddy, were able to provide this soft introduction to India, preparing me for venturing out on my own. And to be able to participate and contribute to my first Hindu wedding, that was extremely satisfying. Great people, great food, great experiences, it was an extremely positive experience.
Raj's parents found an unoccupied house near theirs in the Dandemunde Elnclave and arranged with the owners for this to be a guest house for those of us arriving from far away. We used this house as a home base, eating breakfast with the Reddy's and then exploring during the day, returning for dinner and then retiring in our guest house. During the days prior to the wedding, we explored Hyderabad, Goldkanda Fort, a local school, markets, went to a fair, interspersed with relaxation and visiting at the Reddy residence. The attached photos should give a good idea of how our time was spent.
The wedding took place on Feb 8, 9, 10. It was pretty fluid. Raj shared with me that many of the ceremonies were not fully specified until minutes before they happened. It was fun to see all the customs and rituals which were not familiar to me. Exchanging gifts, mostly clothes, sprinkling rice around and on various people, strange musical instruments, more rice, red dots, henna hands and feet, exotic dress, more rice, washing feet, more rice, food, more food and still more food (and rice). It was a fabulous experience for me and I thank Raj, Melissa and their parents for letting me share in this magic experience.
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