Really good cheese-spinach-onion quesadillas
Kinder Joy!
On Friday, everyone at the AVRDC office had lunch together at the canteen to honor Huyen. Before lunch, I prepared a cake batter – carrot cake, because it is a vegetable center, after all. After lunch, I baked it in the microwave and attempted to make cream cheese frosting. Unfortunately the “cheesy spread” I had hoped would be cream cheese wasn’t actually, but it still turned out pretty well! The texture of the cake was a bit off, but I was still really pleased with the result. I think everyone at the office liked it too!
I entered all the raw data from my vegetable taste-test survey into Excel and passed that file along to Dr. Ram, who sent it off to an AVRDC analyst. I’ll get those results back by Wednesday. In the meantime, I have done some rudimentary analysis myself. It turns out there were actually 4 basmati lines, and they performed the best as far as taste, while the one non-basmati line did well in rating of appearance.
It was a really great weekend. On Saturday, we hired a taxi to be our driver for the day and went to the city for some sight-seeing. First, we visited the Paigah Tombs. They were constructed in the late 1700s by Nawab Taig Jung Bahadur and later by his son Amir e Kabir I. They have really amazing and apparently unique architecture, with detailed screens and stucco work. It isn’t a major tourist spot, and was quite secluded and serene. One of the little boys residing there was very friendly and took me around, even though we couldn’t speak each other’s language.
Here's out taxi...
And at the tombs...
Daniel, me, Shraddha, Helene, Sahima
With our young tour guide
One of the intricately carved screens...
After a lunch of biryani, naan, and some delicious chai tea special to Hyderabad, we visited the Chowmahalla Palace. I really need to read up on Hyderabad’s history; it is supposed to be very romantic, as exemplified by the extravagant relics like the palace. The palace’s construction began in the late 1700s and was completed in the late 1800s by Moghul rulers. Presently it covers about 11 acres near the Charminar, and consists of four decadently furnished palaces and courtyards. I’ve read that in its days of glory, huge parties were hosted there comparable to the “Enchanted Gardens of the Arabian Nights.”
I love these flowers. They're everywhere on campus too.
It was such a beautiful day!
Nehru!
Next, since Daniel and Shraddha hadn’t been there yet, we visited the Charminar again. I really love the view from the top, though, so I didn’t mind at all. I’ve learned “Char” means four and “minar” refers to the towers or minarets. Daniel, Helene and I got the usual attention, but some people were a bit rude today – just walking up and shoving cameras or cell phones in our faces to snap a picture without asking or saying anything. One friendly man asked for an autograph.
Then we visited the Mecca Masjid Mosque, which is one of the biggest in India, and about 400 years old. Women had to cover their heads, so Helene, Shraddha, Sahima and I bought scarves before going in, where we removed our shoes (the ground was quite hot). We couldn’t enter the mosque proper, but it was still very cool. There are apparently chandeliers inside covered with real diamonds that are covered until Ramadan starts.
I met some boys who were very excited about a photograph. I've found that to be a good ice-breaker for most kids; pull out the camera and take their picture.
Finally, we took another stop in the Laad Bazaar where I bought some more bangles to bring home. :)
On Sunday, after a pleasant sleep-in, Helene and I prepared for a picnic. We made a rice salad with tomatoes, onions, olives and some of the vegetable soybean that had been left from my survey with olive oil and lemon juice, and brought along a loaf of banana bread and some bananas from the canteen. We took it outside to a grassy area near one of the campus lakes, and had a very pleasant lunch.
We've been practicing our jumping pictures...
Afterwards, since the weather was absolutely perfect – bright, sunny, warm, blue-skies, puffy clouds – Helen and I spent four hours at the pool, alternately swimming, reading, and basking, and later playing cards with Daniel. We rounded out the night by watching Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in honor of it being Harry Potter’s 31st birthday!
The Perseid Meteor Shower is to start about now and last for the next couple of weeks, so I’m going to start watching the skies whenever there is a clear night!
And, suddenly, I will be home a week from writing this! I have mixed feelings - I miss everyone terribly, and can't wait to get back, but will also miss the friends I've made here!
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