Charminar

We had the afternoon off from the Fulbright conference to tour around Hyderabad.  I squeezed into the van headed to the Charminar (apparently one of the most recognized structures in India).  I fell asleep on the ride over, so I missed the explanation of Indian history which lead to its construction, but Wikipedia tells me it was an old monument and mosque built in 1591.  I do remember hearing that this kind of led to the founding of Hyderabad as a true city.

As I was entering, the guards all said, "Madam.  Rs. 25 for camera ticket." So I tucked my DSLR under my scarf and said, "No, no.  I won't use!"  They responded, "Rs. 100 fine if you have no ticket."  "That's fine!" I responded and walked past.  I ended up taking photos alongside the hundreds of cell phones without any issue. Similarly, I ignored the guard at the mosque who said I was showing too much of my bottom.  I was wearing a long t-shirt rather than a kurta.  If you pretend you don't know English, you can walk through a lot of weird situations.

BUT, I did really enjoy the tour - especially my companions on the trip!