Where the sidewalk ends

This is a shorter post today, but I wanted to show a few pictures of my Western bubble I call home. Currently, I'm staying at the Westin, and the staff is amazing along with my room and the spread of food I enjoy in the morning. Breakfast is definitely my biggest meal of the day because eating  in India can be tricky. Sure there are American restaurants with names like Burger King and Subway, but the menus are tailored to the locals. If you want a chicken tika sub, India is the place for you. The Westin has 3 restaurants and room service, but it's easy to get tired of Italian food and the Indian restaurant. Eating at a local restaurant can get you sick very quickly with anything from Bombay Belly to Hepatitis.  Are there local places that I eat? Yes, but knowing where to eat is definitely important.

The Westin really does bring out the five star treatment, and most of the US chain hotels have amazing food and amazing service. From custom omelets for fresh fruits, the Westin breakfast bar is a schmorgess board goodness. 

Like most foreign countries, breakfast can include many of the same things you eat for lunch and dinner. From chana masala to fried rice, its like rolling out of the seafood bar at Shoney's and moving right into the breakfast bar.   You can order an omelet and add your favorite rice dish to boot.

The fruit bar is probably my favorite area of the restaurant. Cut mango, watermellon, apples, bananas and other fruits  cover the bar along with smoothies and freshly squeezed juices. Any given morning usually has a selection of about 20 different fruits. The restaurant overlooks the Westins' swimming pool with swim up bar. This morning, I hoped to grab a picture of one of the workers manicuring the grass with scissors, but they weren't out today.

This morning, I walked to the office like I have most mornings this week.  Yesterday, the smog of Hyderabad was pretty overwhelming, but I carry a buff with me to cover my mouth and nose when it gets overwhelming. This morning still had some of the typical smells of Hyderabad, but there was definitely an improvement in air quality. The traffic in Hyderabad is pretty light at 7:30, so crossing roads is a pretty easy thing to do. Usually, the morning call to prayer overshadows the the honking of the few cars on the road.  In my previous post I mentioned how new Hyderabad is dotted with corporate islands  with nice sidewalks, amazing trees and a real look and feel of an American city. When you leave one of these enclaves, its easy to see how the sidewalk ends.

I also grabbed a shot of one of the dogs of Hyderabad today. I've noticed that dogs aren't necessarily pets, but they aren't totally feral either. At least in India, the dogs seem to tolerate people and people tend to tolerate the dogs.  In essence, the dogs just hang out where the people are.

I haven't tried to pet a dog. I don't plan to, but I'm yet to see a dog show any aggression to people around them.  Most of the time, the dogs just weave and out of the waves people at the local roadside food vendor.  The dogs I pictured here hang out just outside my hotel.