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At Bijapur bus station we asked the autorickshaw driver to drop us off at Megharaj hotel it was in Station Road with a few other Lonely Planet recommended hotels. Paul was going to do his usual negotiations. The rickshaw driver pulled up outside a half-demolished building and pointed and said "Megharaj". He clearly knew it was in that state when we set off. We drove on a little further to another hotel. Paul's best efforts were wasted - too expensive! The next hotel Navarantna was only Rp650 per night so we settled there. We had spotted some ancient city walls and interesting ruins close to the bus stand and also needed to book our overnight bus to Hyderabad for the next day, so we got a tuk-tuk back out. With tickets booked for Hyderabad we wandered around the ruins. Apart from the 34 degree heat, you might have been in Chester - the town has ancient walls and fortifications and a mixture of architectural styles. One of the streets in this area was lined with stalls, each stall was attended by a guy with a typewriter - all of your notary/legal copying requirements met here. During our walk we were stopped several times by people asking us to take a photos of them with us - with our camera - strange idea. One young girl introduced herself to us, she seemed very shy and uncomfortable, but was so polite. She returned to her mother who sent her back to beg for money - poor kid! Bijapur seemed like a small town, the roads had the usual mix of goats and cows wandering wild, but also wild boars everywhere. We then went to Golgumbaz (c 1659) a huge mausoleum cornered by 4 ogtagonal towers and topped with allegedly the world's second largest dome. We paid the usual "10 times what the locals did" to get in and were treated to a celebrity reception. starting off with a very polite girl introducing herself to us, then being practically swarmed by people shaking our hands and posing for photos with us - really funny. Some people are not so polite, they just come up to your face and take a photo. We headed up the staircase to one of the towers to the whispering gallery. This seriously needs to be re-named. You can apparently whisper something on one side of the dome and it can be heard on the opposite side OR if you are Indian you can test the acoustics by screaming, clapping, howling and whistling as loudly as you can. We ate at a nearby Pearl hotel restaurant - great food but yet another reminder to me that as a woman I am not valued as a person or a customer. So often over here, Indians are only interested in whether "Sir" is O.K and what "Sir" would like my polite requests are often 'not heard'. Two big stories in the news at the moment the first is about two families fighting over a baby boy after a hospital mix up - no-one wants the girl; the second story is horrific after producing 3 girls a woman was forced by her husband and family into aborting two female babies. The family were advised by an "astrologer" that the seventh baby would be a "good" one, so during her sixth pregnancy the family hit her in the stomach with an iron bar. Finally someone alerted the authorities and brought the family to justice. What a culture!! The next day Sunday we decided to get a tuk-tuk to do a tour of the main sights, we were approached by a guy with a horse and carriage who would do a two hour tour of the main sights for us. We agreed and then were taken from one monument to the next often not knowing what the monument was. Our tour took in Ibrahim Rouza another mausoleum in well kept grounds built in the 1600s. It had two buldings - a tomb and a mosque, both with domes and minarets. We also visited Bara Kaman ruins that featured a series of gothic arches - very strange to see in an eastern city; Upli Burj a tower with great views of the surrounding area, housing two huge guns; Malik e Maidan - the biggest medieval cannon in the world. We were also dropped off at a mosque of no particular architectural note to which I was clearly not welcome - I sat outside and seemed to attract the attention of young men who took photos of me without asking. Trotting along the dusty roads it was clear that we were the only 'white' people in the village. The town appears to be mainly Moslim judging by the Burkha-clad women around. We were having another celebrity day at the various monuments with people posing for photos with us. The horse looked very healthy and well looked after and was busily eating from its nosebag at the various stops. We also took a detour so it could stop for a drink. I got a big lick on the arm from it at one stop. Those who know me will know this won't have been welcome and I couldn't rest until I got back to the hotel to take off my frothy-sleeved top and have a shower! We had a leisurely morning on the Monday before checking out and heading for the bus station where we were to spend many hours before our 21:30 bus to Hyderabad. We attracted much attention again with people chatting to us, people staring and laughing and a few unsavoury characters making a nuisance of themselves pestering us. The bus stand guards kept everyone in check and gave anyone who pestered us a stern talking to. As we sat there a family arrived to wait for their bus. The family included a few couples with their many children. As they trouped in there seemed to be a never ending parade of luggage - sacks of grain, bags of clothes, metal trunks, bags of metal pots. Paul counted over 35 cases/bags/chests. We sat half in amazement and half in fear that they might be getting the same bus as us - where would we put our cases? After camping in front of us the family then prepared their meal - boxes, cases and bags were opened and mats, dishes and a feast was laid out on the platform floor. Knowing what I am like with my weak stomach, Paul recommended that I look away - I can only imagine! The relief soon came for us as their bus arrived and the caravan was packed up and loaded in and on top of the bus. After next being hassled by a drunk who appeared to live at the bus stand, our bus to Hyderabad arrived. Despite the celebrity attention and the hassle we never particularly felt unsafe - we were just curiosities! No reclining seats on our bus this time, but plenty of leg room and fresh-air conditioning ... it would be an eleven hour overnight journey.
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