Al Gore I heard you dude

OK, I'll confess. I am no longer homeless. In fact, I have had an apartment for 2 weeks now, but I am telling you only now. I did let the cat out of the bag for some of you, and as expected, you guys demanded pictures. Well, I finally decided to take pictures today and put them up.

Two weeks ago I moved into an apartment that I'll be calling home for at least the next year. The apartment complex is a short walk of about 100 yards from the Google office, and hence the Al Gore reference. Contrary to my expectations, the 2 minute walk has done nothing to improve the time I make it into the office. I still stroll in around 10:30 - 11. It has, however, helped me leave work at a decent hour and make it to the gym on a regular basis.

The complex has 3 buildings - Alpha, Beta, and you guessed it, Gamma. I am in Beta. The address will be sent via email soon after I post this blog. The apartment has a pool which is frequented by cameramen and film crew more often than it sees any action from actual swimmers. I am sure the coming summer vacation will change all that. The complex also has a gym, squash courts, and badminton courts that residents can use for a small fee.



The apartments itself is quite spacious. Marble floors, a large kitchen, balconies, and decent sized bathrooms make it quite a treat to live in. I just don't know what to do with all this space though. The 2 guest rooms are still waiting to be utilized, so you guys need to come visit soon. Yes, that last line was an invitation to visit me here in Hyderabad. If you looking for a more formal invitation, that too can be arranged.




I have a house boy, Ramarao, who takes care of the dishes, the laundry, and the cleaning. I started to teach him how to cook, but soon lowered my expectations to him just chopping vegetables, and even that requires some amount of training and supervision. Even putting the clothes in the washer requires some supervision, for he hasn't quite figured out separating the whites and colors yet. Despite these limitations, he insists on charging me the expat rate. Yeah he is not as dumb as he sounds. I would have fired his ass, but I just love the way he makes the bed (see below); plus I haven't had time to look for a replacement, so I keep telling myself that he is still way cheaper than a weekly maid service in the US. Besides, if I didn't have him, I am sure I would have "died under a mountain of my own filth".



I think I have said enough about the house. The rest you need to come see for yourself. More pictures can be found here. I'll add pictures of the pool etc in a few days.

Hyderabad Apartment