Jun 14, 2006 05:06 PM
7050 Views
Hyderabad to Vizag
It was that time of the year in Hyderabad when it was raining and the weather was very pleasant in July. We decided to go to Vishakhapatnam, popularly known as Vizag. We started on Friday afternoon in a train. We had booked a normal sleeper ticket as we thought that that temperature would be supportive, but it became hot inside as the train moved. After some time it started to rain heavily and so all the windows of the train had to be closed to prevent water from coming it – this made the coach stuffier. We reached Vizag the next morning – it was extremely hot and humid there. We hired a cab to take us to our hotel and thereafter take us for sightseeing.
Vizag
The drive to the hotel was fascinating. The route had beach on one side and the mountain on the other. The Rushikonda beach resort was located on a hill overlooking the sea. The panoramic view was breathtaking. We freshened-up, had breakfast and went out for sight-seeing.
Local siteseeing
Through the day we went to VUDA Park, Hindustan Shipyard, Dolphin's Nose, submarine museum, fish museum, and a church. All the places were fine, but among these the Submarine museum was the best. It was made out of an actual submarine (Russian make) that was used in some war a long time back. The sweltering heat, made the local sigh-seeing part a bit less enjoyable. We reached back to the hotel in the evening, by then the temperature had come down. We got some paneer, onion and chili pakoras packed and took them to the beach. We also sat on a small boat and went for 15 minutes ride.
Araku Valley
Next morning, we started for Araku Valley. The weather became better as we progressed. The natural beauty of this valley comes alive with its rich landscape. The journey to this place on the Ghat road with thick forests on either side was interesting and pleasant. One can go on and on here and never want to stop. The Ananthagiri hills on the way to Araku Valley are famous for coffee plantations. There were large numbers of mango trees and jack fruit trees too. Everything in sight was green, and the cool breeze relaxed all the senses. We reached the Araku Valley hotel and stayed there for a while and then moved on to see the Tribal Museum and the botanical garden, where we had a short train ride too.
Borra Caves
Our next stop was Borra Caves. Before the entry time, we stopped at a roadside shack to have lunch. There was no other place to eat in the vicinity. South-Indian food was served on banana leaves and you were supposed to eat the rice with hands.
The landscape around the cave was wild and mountainous. There were a lot of monkeys too. As soon as we entered, the massiveness of the cave struck us. The Borra caves are breathtakingly beautiful and the natural formation of these caves is also unique. The limestone caves were formed as a result of the action of the Gosthani River. There are several interesting structures inside the caves. We could smell the bats inside and the dark sections made it a little spooky. As we went inside, it became very cool, as if the cave was air conditioned. We searched for all the forms and structures that people are supposed to see there, and made some of our own too. In the process we climbed several hundred steps and got extremely tired.
On our way back to Vizag, we bought some wooden handicrafts and a pipe shaped musical instrument that makes a nice whistling sound when rotated freely (unfortunately fungus ate it later in Hyderabad). We got some multi-colored stones too; they are still decorated in a glass tumbler in my drawing room.
