Big Shot

Monday night there were several "VIPs" from Deloitte who were visiting Hyderabad, so there was an excellent reception at the Taj Krishna hotel for all the Deloitte expats. We arrived at 7:30 (had to go to work at 11am to make up for it). Everyone was draped with a scarf and also given a red powder bindi as they walked in (see pic of Kathryn and Chris, above). The girls were given beautiful bangle bracelets which needed to go on both wrists. Not having dainty Indian hands, I was a bit difficult for them to find some for, and I practically had to cut my right arm off to remove them at the end of the night! Anyway, while we got nice bracelets, the guys got their heads wrapped in turbans (see Chris - he looked the best in it of anyone there!) There was also hookahs, women painting henna (I skipped this, perhaps later on my trip), a giant buffet of delicious Indian food and a fortune teller! It was quite a show - the picture of the design on the ground was made up of flower petals; there were several more like that there.

The fortune telling experience I found absolutely hilarious. I sat down and a man smiled and asked, "What is your name?" I told him, and he bent over to his friend (the actual fortune teller, who did not speak english) to tell him, and then the fortune teller bent down to a little box, opened a door and said "JACQUELYN!" Out hops a little green parakeet. "Jacquelyn!" He said again. Parakeet is more interested in my cosmo than telling my fortune. Parakeet really wanted to come say hi to Jacquelyn! So fortune teller has to step in and "guide" parakeet back to these little red folders. Then parakeet picks one up in his beak, hops over to fortune teller, and goes back into his cage. Some of my fortunes were that I am angry all the time (not sure about that one), that my marriage will be a love marriage and not an arranged marriage (Dad, hope that is ok), and that I will be spending my own money in the future and not anyone else's (good news for you, Justin). It was a very enjoyable evening!

Coming soon...Holi!!