Golkonda Fort and Hyderabad

I had a good trip to Hyderabad. We arrived early morning and had about 3 hours sleep. We went to see the Salarjung Museum (http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/andhra/sjung.htm). It is said to be one of the largest 1 man collections in the world. They would not allow us to take in cameras…so no pictures of it. They charged the locals 10 Rps (about US.23 or Aus.29 cents to enter) and 150 Rps for non-Indians (still cheap!). In any other country this would be discrimination. The museum was good but was in need of a good cleaning (like most other things in Hyderabad). After we grabbed some food at a local café (the first officer and myself nobody else was brave enough!) and headed to Golkonda Fort (http://7wondersofhyderabad.com/golkonda-fort/golconda-fort.html). We arrived just before sunset… it was very impressive! It is an eight hundred year old fort which the outside wall is about 7 km/4.5 miles in circumference. It would have been good to arrived just a bit earlier to have more of a look around. There is a light show which lasted about an hour which was very enjoyable except for the mosquitoes… swarms of thousands. Next time I shall bring insect repellent. On the way out I heard some squeaking noises from part of the old castle, it was dark so I used the camera flash…the ceiling was covered with bats!
Hyderabad is also known for its pearls and diamonds (The famous Kohinoor Diamond on the British crown jewels come from here). You can find some fantastic price for pearls there.
My gym equipment has arrived… so no more excuses! Below I have included a photo. Also there is a photo I took while driving of a local woman waiting for a taxi. When they get older (not sure how old) they wear a metal mask on their face…very funny looking!
Tomorrow I fly to Tehran Iran for the first time. It is a return flight but I hope to get a few pictures from there.