Early morning bike ride

I went on a bike ride this morning since a friend happened to have some extra bikes and wanted some company. It was definitely worth having to leave my house at 5:30 to meet her and the other companions at 6. The weather was wonderful - warm, but not hot, with a slight breeze. It's been over 100 almost every day for the last two weeks, and I'm not usually up by 6, so I had no idea early mornings were so beautiful.

We rode about 20 minutes, mostly through small side roads, some gravel, some paved, to Golconda Fort. Seeing the morning sun over the fort and the Qutub Shah tombs next door was a different experience, needless to say. Throngs of people decend on the place when open - mostly locals to picnic on the well maintained grounds - so the quiet and calm of the early morning was much appreciated. Then about 25 minutes back (slightly uphill) to a pancake breakfat with fresh mango and a rare find - strawberries!

Fruit here is very seasonal, and no one had seen strawberries for about two weeks. The hostess saw some last week and bought 8 portions - four for eating and four for freezing. I may have to do the same with mangos, which will only be available until the rain comes (late may).

Speaking of, there are too many varieties of mangos to count. The problem is none are labeled, so I have to remember the shape and color of the ones I like ... which is really hard when looking at piles of eight different kinds. One kind is like in the US (red/green skin), but the rest seem to be some version of yellow and I think there's no hope. The good news is, though I have preferences, they all taste great, so it's hard to go wrong.

If you come to Hyderabad, I'll see if we can borrow some bikes - it gives a different perspective when going more slowly along the roads!