Random musings

My wife and I went to Vizag for our honeymoon. We were a bit sceptical about the whole thing because we got mixed reactions when we told people that we were going to Vizag. You can understand our predicament when we got a range of reactions like ”Wow, that’s wonderful’ to ‘What the hell will you do there in Vizag…it’s nothing but the most boring of all places !!!’. But I did some searching on the net and decided to get going. But I had no idea where to go and what to see. That’s the difference when one gets married. You have to care about each and everything and especially on a honeymoon trip you cannot take chances. You’ll get screwed for the rest of your life - literally

Ok. So I started to send mails to different people who claimed to be tour operators. The first to reply was Sandeep from Vizag Tourism (www.vizagtourism.co.in). Sandeep was very polite and asked me a few regular questions and sent me a detailed itinerary - which he said can be customized. I had a nice time communicating with this guy since he was very co operative and helped me understand stuff. We finally agreed on an itinerary which seemed to me was quite inclusive of all places we wanted to visit.

Day I :We arrived at Vizag at around 11:00 a.m and Gauri Shankar ( another person from the said Tourism ) was there to pick us up. He said it’d take about 30 min from the railway station. After travelling for about 20 mins, the sea , in its sheer awesomeness was revealed to us. The first thing that one notices is the picturesque landscape with hills on one side and the sea on the other. The roads are excellant and the drive could not be smoother. We simply loved the cleanliness around us.

We checked in at APTDC’s Rushikonda Beach resort. I cannot stop praising the room that was chosen by these guys (room no. 508).  The room was a standard a.c but the balcony (the size exceeded that of the room !!) in front of the room is the place you’d love most. It had a splendid view of the beach, sea and the hills. We could stnad there for hours and hear the waves…it was a good start - and frankly it exceeded all my expectations.

We always had a car on call arranged by Sandeep. So, we could spend time wherever we liked. After having lunch, we decided to go for some local site seeing based on the detailed itinerary handed over to us by these guys. Great ! We wen to to Bheemunipatnam ( another beautiful beach ) , saw the Clock Tower (it lies dilapidated and in shambles anyway), walked in the red sands of Erramattidibbalu ( try saying it 5 times :). We visited Thotlakonda (a buddhist relic site..mostly destroyed but still a nice place to visit) and Kailashgiri (you’d simply love the view and the rope way ride ). We ended our tour for the day by visiting the Submarine museum (it’s a must visit…even if you are not interested in anything related to marine, it has a very rich history - and the guide knows what he’s talking about - I’m sure you haven’t seen another machine built by human that’s so so complex !!). We could’ve also visited a spa at the Bay Leaf hotel (a good alternative to the Rushikonda beach resort) but we preferred the balcony !

Day II: We spent the morning at Rushikonda beach - playing in the sand, taking pictures and going for a speed boat ride. The cost of going for a speed boat ride is pretty high Rs 150 for 3 ppl (or one ride to be precise)- 5 mins duration

We had lunch and then left for Yarrada beach. It’s awesome - simply awesome. The car went through hilly road and the approach to the beach was covered with palm trees and hills on one side. The road looked more like a rally track but the ride was too good !! We just loved the view and the landscape was too beautiful. You’d love the journey.

We arrived at 3 p.m and spent some time there. After that we went to visit the Aquarium near Ramkrishna Beach (RK beach). That too was good. The sheer variety of marine life is sure to amaze you !!

We wrapped up for the day a bit early since we had to leave for Borra Caves the next morning at 6:30 a.m

Day III: Train ride from Vizag to Borraguhallu (Borra Caves) - a fascinating journey through 43 tunnels. I can never express in words the ride. You just have to be there to experience it !!

Our car was waiting for us at Borra Caves. We ordered for typical Andhra food at one of the roadside restaurants on our way to Borra Caves (its 5 min away from the rail station). We had a great time visiting the caves. Get a guide who can show you stuff (he charges about 50 rupees for an hour) because its pretty dark inside the cave. Again, there are too many things that we saw and we loved it all. We also visited the ‘temple’ that’s visited by the tribals (its a pretty stiff climb ) who worship at the temple every Shivratri. Altogether , it was superb !!

We had lunch at the said restaurant and it was spicy - but excellant taste !!

We checked in to Ananthagiri Hill resort (we got a valley facing cottage). The resort is located superbly and again, thanks to the guys at Vizag Tourism, we got an excellant view of the Valley.

Two things to note : There is no communication through mobile once you enter this region and the only way to call home is through the few telephone booths located near the resort.

The resort is beautifully planned and the watch towers provide a splendid view.

After freshening up, we went to Galikonda view point - a beautiful view point from where you can have a magnificient view of the Valley. Don’t forget to stop by the Ananthagiri Coffee plantations and pick up a few packets of grounded coffee (or coffee beans if you prefer). Its coffee powder at its best - I can assure you that !!

Day IV: Checked out of the resort at 10 am and towards Araku Valley we went. Again, excellant landscape and beautiful roads. We visited the Tribal Museum - a really nice place to see all things ancient. Stuff created by tribals are on sale and we picked up a few suveniors. The Museum is a must see.

We then went towards Chaparai view point - a nonchalant place where you can see a small waterfall. Again, nice place to go just because of the view.

We checked in at Tyda Eco Tourism Jungle Bell’s wooden cottage in the evening. There was no communication facilities available since this was a nature camp of sorts. One can find a battery operated STD telephone near the Tyda railway station (10 min away from the resort). The wooden cottage was smack in the middle of a jungle like setting - with a variety of trees and a fine place to walk and spend time together at the top of watch towers.One can hear beautiful bird calls - nothing like you get to hear anywhere in a metro like Kolkata. Its just the right place to relax.

The resort arranges for campfire (everyday), Dhimsa Dance (everyday except Friday - we were unlucky on this one - we arrived on a Friday ), Trekking (early morning every day). You could also go cycling or just take a walk !!

One has to order dinner before 6pm.

Day V: This was the saddest day because we knew our tour was coming to an end. However, after having breakfast, we left for Tadipuddi , a huuuge reservoir. I had no idea that a water reservoir could be so huge and beautiful at the same time. Just to give you an idea of the sheer vastness of the reservoir - it takes about an hour to complete a tour of the whole reservoir in a motor boat travelling at a moderate speed of 20 km/hr !! We booked on the whole boat for INR 250 (35 min tour) and enjoyed the trip thoroughly. We sat in front of the boat, sometimes shooting pictures of nearby mountains and sometimes playing with the water !!

We then moved towards Simhachalam (Simha : lion, achalam: Hill) temple - a very famous temple , I was told - and that it was the second richest temple in India. Again, the road to the temple was fascinating. Inside the temple we offered prayers (remember to buy coconut froom outisde the temple ) and prayed for a lovely and peaceful life

By the time we were done, we had lots of time in our hands. I called up Sandeep, and he suggested that we take a trip to Kambalakonda after having lunch. So went. And boy, I would’ve really missed a lot if I didn’t agree to go. Kambalakonda is another eco tourism project made famous by its open sanctuary. You can view deers at arms length, clib up the magnificient watch tower to sorround yourself with lush greenery and splendid landscape, go river crossing or enjoy a leisurely boat ride. But the park closes at 4:30 pm, and so we had to leave even though we could’ve spent a lot of time above the watch tower !!

Our trip had at last come to an end. It was time to bid good bye to Vizag. We spent a little time at our favorite RK Beach and before finally leaving, we got our dinner from Hyderabadi House (again, suggested by Sandeep ).

All said, there were many things taken care of by Vizag tourism. We never had to worry about a single thing. They were always ready to help me with any questions I had and most importantly, they were highly approachable and available whenever required. They even surprised us with a wedding cake and a complimentary table with an umbrella which was put up in a secluded spot just to make our day special. My wife was completely floored - these guys had thought about everything.

Its hard to belive that these guys are just out of college and so focused and dedicated to their clients. I really appreciate their entrepreneural abilities and wish them all the best for their endevour. I have no qualms recommending these guys because they have kept thir promise of showing me places differently although I had to pay a little bit more that I’d have liked to pay.

Thanks Vizag Tourism for making this an extremely memorable trip