Entry #28

Hyderabad...is the capital of Andrah Pradesh, the "state" that we are located in. It is the 5th largest city in India and it sits on the river Musi. Hyderabad was founded in 1589 by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutab Shah of the Shahi dynasty. It has a mild climate (which is why we like to go there) and its most famous landmark is the Charminar.

On one outing we toured the Salar Jung Museum established by Nawab Salar Jung III. It has collections of priceless antiques and relics from Indian, European, Asian and Far Eastern countries. The most famous item is the "Veiled Rebecca", a delicate marble statue of a woman seen through her veil. Unfortunately they did not allow cameras.

On another outing we toured the palaces and grounds of Chowmahalla Palace.

A beautiful courtyard on the grounds of Chowmahalla Palace.

Chowmahalla Palace was built about 1780 during the Asaf Jahi rule.
It was renovated in 1911.

It is a complex of palaces, courtyards, fountains and gardens.

Durbar Hall features a pure marble platform on which the Taqt-e-Nishan, or royal seat, was laid. There are 19 spectacular chandeliers of Belgian crystal.

There are four palaces on the grounds. They are called the Afzar Mahal (2 story), Mahtab Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal and Aftab Mahal. Naturally, we got confused about which one was which.

Displays of every day life.

Chowmahalla Palace is now used for cultural activities.

An entrance and courtyard.

Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls.

We watched as he removed all of the pearls from the cotton thread, which is how they come from the show room, and strung them onto a silk thread. And not one fell on the ground!

Entry #27

She has arrived!

Reese Peyton Wood

was born on

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

at 10:55 in the evening

6 lbs. 9 oz.

19 inches long

Parents: Jason and Katherine Wood

Big sisters: Ashlyn and Ellie

I'm a Lucky Girl!

I looked at the clock,

And said, "oh my gosh!"

I'm going to be late

For a very important date.

Cuz it's my turn on earth,

I want the record of my birth ...

To read: O-nine-O-nine-O-nine!

So please may I go to the head of the line?

There is a very good reason for this wish.

In this family I am truly missed.

I have a mom and dad that are all mine.

And two big sisters who will be so kind.

There are so many waiting to love me,

And add me to their great family tree.

Lucky me, I can't wait to meet you too!

On earth I will have a special job to do.

So please help me move to the head of the line

With speed I can make my special birth day on time!

We welcome baby Reese!

Love, grandma and grandpa Wood

Entry # 26

People ya gotta know...It is always about the people. We have made many friends and acquaintances . . . and many are just friendly.

Girls walking down the street in Rajahmundry. Everybody always wants their picture taken!

Ryo and Samiko Takahashi from Japan. He was the Chief Director for the Andhra University NCSA Center for Gerontology-India.

Esther Mondari and her husband. We do visits together in Rajahmundry. She knows "everybody". We drink a lot of mango juice because it is impolite to say "no" when someone offers you something to drink in their home.

Vijay Mummidivarapu and his new bride. He is the Branch President of the Rajahmundry 2nd Branch.

Swarupa is 16 years old and she leads the music in Rajahmundry 1st Branch. She asked me if I had any music from the Young Women's program so that she could learn more songs.

Archana Vuppada. We first met her in Visakhapatnam but she presently has a job in Hyderabad where we met up for lunch one day.

Aparna Anjali Regina Vuppada lives in Rajahmundry and attends the 2nd Branch. (She is big sister to Archana, above.) She just received a mission call to serve in the Salt Lake Temple Square Mission.

Sowjanya Gorrela is from Rajahmundry and attends the 1st Branch. She just received a mission call to the Washington Tacoma Mission.

Honey Yellamalli attends Rajahmundry 1st Branch. She just received a mission call to the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.

Our landlord, Mr. Reddy with his wife, daughter and son. (The youngest child is a nephew.) This occasion is when the builder turned over the new apartment building to the association. They present flowers, fruit, gifts and cake and have a big dinner as well.

Our apartment building is called G. G. M. Reddy Estates, named after this woman's husband. He owned the property for many years and after his death, the four brothers had an apartment building built. Each brother has an apt. for his family and he owns another which he rents. So, there are 10 grand-children running and playing at all times. The grandmother lives in the flat across from us. Since she only speaks Telugu, we wave and smile a lot to each other.

What a beautiful baby!

Our dentists, Drs. R. Prakash and Subadhra Prakash. They are a husband and wife team. The cabinet on the back wall holds all of their instruments and they even have a flat screen t.v. for squirmy kids and people like us who want to check out the sports results when our internet is down.

Entry #25

Am I on summer vacation, or what? The dog days of summer are over (although it is hard to tell because it is always hot here). Time to catch up with our picture-taking and celebrating of some fun events.

Kent and Carol in Hyderabad at the Marriott Hotel. They have the best buffet in town!

Garden at the Hyderabad Marriott.


Celebrating...another wedding!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Gajuwaka

Sindhu and Prasanth Thatavarthy


the bride's mother




Bharathi and Lavanya

For a wedding reception, you just need a red and purple striped tent, lots of chicken biryani, plastic chairs, stainless steel plates (no forks!) and some pretty girls in their very best saris.

the bride and groom

Celebrating...a missionary farewell.

The new Visakhapatnam Airport

This is my fourth attempt at taking a picture of the new airport. Since there are 'rules' that you can not take pictures of airports and train stations, you have to sneak them from a moving auto.

It is tradition to go to the airport to send off the future missionaries. This group will be traveling to Bangalore, India and then to the missionary training center in the Phillippines.

Elder Chigurupati from Gajuwaka Branch, assigned to Hyderabad, India.

Elder Gantyada from Visakhapatnam 2nd Branch, assigned to Chennai, India.

Elder Golapalli from Rajahmundry 1st Branch, assigned to India Delhi mission.

Elder Narla from Kakinada, assigned to Erode, India.


Group photo includes all grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins!

It is also tradition to cut a cake and serve a small slice to everyone!


Celebrating...Pioneer Day.

July 24, 2009

Entry #24

Our Bathroom Renovation...No, this was not our idea! Right after moving into our apartment in late January, some workmen noticed that there was a leak someplace in the building. With our luck, they determined that it was coming from our little flat. First, they told us not to use our balcony (it has a drain), then not to use our master bathroom, then not to use our second bathroom. They said that they were "observing".

Evidently it was helpful to make this hole in the corridor wall so they could observe any water that might be coming from our flat. These pipes run underneath our master bedroom floor, which is entirely marble.

And some of those pipes end up right here.
They decided to remove "just a couple of tiles", so that they could "observe".

They were still befuddled as to where the leak was coming from,

so they decided to remove the toilet and to my surprise,

about 2 minutes later, they picked up the tub and took it out to the balcony as well!

And this is what we were left with.

At this point, I decided that we needed a "project manager"!

Here, bathtubs are set up on bricks and then sand is filled in around them.

Now it was time for the jackhammer.


They proceeded to remove the entire tile floor

and subfloor.

Eureka! They finally found the leak!

Guess where it is!

In the back wall, at the bottom left, they have now "entered"

the second bathroom and that's where the leak is coming from.

Since my husband's blood pressure had risen sharply by this point,

and five months had passed, it was time to put the bathroom back together.

They used layer after layer of gravel and cement to build it up.

My landlord keeps asking me why I don't take a bath!

So, you are wondering what this has to do with India! A lot. We could not count the number of days we waited for workmen and they never showed up, or came three hours late and then took a three hour lunch break. We put up with strangers coming and going in our apartment "observing" and speaking only in Telugu. We put up with a layer of dirt on the floor and a haze in the air that never settled. Kent gave up his bathroom and I gave up my balcony where I dry the clothes. And every moment that there were workmen in our apartment, the landlord had to be present as well -- so that he could "observe" the workers!
One day I counted 5 people crowded in the bathroom having a "conference".

It reminded me of the nursery rhyme...

Rub a dub dub, five men in a tub,

A landlord, a builder, a plumber, a mason and a mediator.

Entry #23

Rajahmundry...our home away from home. Quite often we travel by train to Rajahmundry. We visit two branches there and are presently teaching a missionary preparation class. The trip takes about 3 1/2 hours, if the train is not delayed. We reserve our seats ahead of time in the air conditioned chair cars. The cost round trip for one is about $8.00. We stay at the Anand Regency Hotel and make sure to ask for the 4th floor. That's the top; anything lower and you are taking a risk. The room costs $45.00. We enjoy the flat screen t.v., complimentary fruit plate daily and the free cookies. There is a free breakfast in the morning and we eat dinner downstairs at the "Canopy" which has a Chinese menu. We stick to the sweet corn soup, chicken fried rice, chicken noodle, chicken tikka, butter naan, chocolate ice cream and bottled water. On this trip we attended Youth Conference for the youth, 14 years through 18 years of age. Kent and I were asked to present a workshop on "preparing for a mission", so that took a lot of research! This was probably our favorite youth conference, because we didn't have to be chaperones!

Rajahmundry train station.

J. K. Gardens Function Hall in Rajahmundry
Location for the 2009 Youth Conference, Hyderabad District.

Youth Conference 2009

Visakhapatnam 1st and 2nd Branches, Gajuwaka Branch,

Rajahmundry 1st and 2nd Branches, and Kakinada Branch.

Did you notice that the girls are on one side and the boys on the other!

Service Project: visiting the elderly

Service Project: cleaning the yard of the "old folks home"

That is a pile of cabbage, which is on the "menu" for dinner

at the old folks home. She is chopping it by hand.

I bet you can't see all of the flies!

If there is a basketball court, Kent will find it!

A light shower at the church in Rajahmundry.



The girls - line dancing.

The boys doing the Bunny Hop.