This year`s
valentines day, 14th February,2019, had a special significance in the lives of a
few members of my Rotary Club. Thirty nine of them ranging in age from 4 years
to 80, years made a beeline early morning
on the valentine`s day to catch an Indigo flight to Vizag on a memorable
family outing programme. 60% of the group were senior citizens. I was one of
them. True to Indigo`s reputation the
flight took off on time and landed on time at Vizag airport.
Lord Narasimha
of Simhachalam temple near Vizag ensured that I paid a proper obeisance to
him before I entered the city. As I was climbing the steps in front of the
Arrival hall, I tripped and fell , face down, in a typical prostrating posture.
I was shocked. Fortunately I got up without any collateral damage to my body
much to the relief of the onlookers.
A luxury bus
awaiting at the airport took the motely group to Hotel Palm Beach located on the
beautiful Beach Road , very close to one
of the most beautiful beach fronts in Vizag. As the group had to wait for a
couple of hours to check in, the `ideas President`
of the Club and the veteran family outing specialist had planned an interesting
programme to kick off the tour with a
bang.
The entire group was moved to a mini Meeting
hall where a banner welcomed the Members to the Valentines Day celebration.
Plenty of marigold garlands were placed on a table in the centre. The President then invited members with their
spouses to come one by one to the centre
stage and garland each other ( Malai
Matral ceremony) and say few words. Once the list of legitimately married
couple got exhausted, the President decided to pair the rest of the members who
had come without their spouses (and
there were many) at random to garland
each other- a lady member garlanding another lady member and a male
Rotarian garlanding another male member-
leading to a lot of mirth and fun; 90
minutes of nonstop laughter- a good beginning to the fun filled holidays to
follow.
After a
quick check in and switching to picnic costumes; half pants, hats or caps and the
mandatory dark glasses, the group set
off in a bus on a short conducted tour
of the city, considered third cleanest city in India.
The lunch at the well known Hotel Dasapalla was not only delicious but the spread was
good, catering to all tastes. It was followed by a trip to Ramanaidu Studios
and Kailashgiri, a Siva temple located on the top of a hill.
While the studios boasting of a `Museum of Cinema` looked like an abandoned
shooting site with dilapidated buildings, Kailasagiri saw the members taking
the rope car to visit the temple. Located atop a hillock there is a 40 ft tall
Shiva-Parvati idol overlooking the city. The journey by the mini train around
the place was a joyous experience for the group with many indulging in
‘selfies’ to capture themselves in the beautiful background as the train made
its way around. Kailasgiri is also home to the Telugu heritage museum which we could not visit due to
paucity of time. The tour on the first day ended with an early dinner at the hotel where we were staying as the group had to
catch an early morning train to Araku Valley
one of the promised highlight of the Vizag trip.
The next
morning witnessed the group getting into the fully air conditioned Executive
Coach specially attached to a passenger train going to Araku, carrying with them the breakfast packets consisting of muffins,
sandwiches and bananas packed by the
hotel to be consumed in the train. The group was surprised to find that Idlis
and vadas with accompaniments and coffee/tea were available in the coach. A few, like yours truly, decided to have a double
breakfast- having the muffins & sandwiches and also polishing off the Idlis and vadas!
The
specially designed coach with see through glasses on the sides and the top was
virtually taken over by the group for a
fun filled journey to Araku. As the train
was approaching the valley it had to
pass through several small mountains and 33 short and long tunnels, providing a
lot of whistling opportunities to both the young and the old in the group.
Since it was the last coach, there was a viewing station at the end from which
we could see the beautiful sceneries passing by- so also railway tracks
zigzagging all along. The viewing station became a centre for a lot of
bantering among the members with jokes and anecdotes galore. Group dynamics at
its best! Thanks to the single track system the train had to stop at several
stations to allow the trains from the opposite side to pass resulting in a
delay of three hours. We had to skip the idea of visiting the Borra caves, an important site in our agenda before reaching
Araku as it was nearing lunch time.
On arrival
at Araku, we were taken on a quick visit
to Chaparai, a picnic spot boasting of a charming water cascade, which was
barren without any sign of water. Disappointed we decided to have our lunch at
the A P Tourism Hotel- a modest but
tasty fare. Post lunch driving around the town we saw the Ananthagiri coffee
plantation from the roadside, where members bought fresh coffee beans and other
spices. The bus also passed through Gali Konda ( Windy Hill), the second
highest peak, which provided a
panoramic view of the valley below.
Since there was still time the group decided to proceed to Borra caves which
was on our way back to Vizag.
The Borra
caves, discovered by William King, a British geologist in 1807, is naturally
formed and believed to be 150 million years old! The water percolating from the
roof containing calcium bi carbonate and other minerals form mounds on the
ground called “Stalagmites” and spear like structures hanging from the roof called
“Stalactites”! There is a natural Shivalinga formation deep inside the caves
and thousands of tribals visit the caves during Shivaratri. The breath taking
hiily terrain and the beautiful landscape are a visual treat to the visitors,
and an interesting experience for those who had not seen such limestone
formations before
The three hour
long return journey was quiet as most of the members had gone to sleep after a
hectic day.
The third
day`s programme started leisurely at 9.30am with a visit to the famous
Narasimha temple at Simhachalam. This 11th Century temple for Varaha Narasimha,
situated atop a hill, is an architectural marvel, adorned with ancient
scriptures engraved centuries ago. And the
tasty Tamarind rice given as `Prasadam`
at this temple is a big hit with the
devotees.
Our next
halt was at Thotlakonda, the ancient Buddhist Heritage site belonging to the
period 3rd Century BC to 3rd Century AD. The ruins of the
Monasteries at the site gave us an idea of Vizag`s ancient links to Buddhism. But
the icing on the cake was the panoramic view we got of the Bay from the
Thotlakonda view point, just a few minutes away from the monastery. It was like seeing the Marine drive from the
Hanging gardens in Malabar Hills in
Mumbai. Both the Monastery and the View point offered plenty of opportunities
for selfies and group photos
The lunch at
a popular restaurant on the Rushikonda Beach front supposed to serve typical
Andhra Meals was a bit of a disappointment as the so called Thali Meals never made their appearance. Instead we were
served individual items , one by one, on ceramic plates, testing the patience
of the ravenously hungry group, which turned to angry group. In view of the
poor service, some members began helping
the grossly inadequate staff in serving
the dishes. But this was just a very
small hiccup in an otherwise well organised trip.
The Rushikonda beach also has facilities for
various water sports like Kayaking, scuba diving,surfing, parasailing, speed
boating and jet skiing. Our group did not enjoy
any of these facilities as it was not in our planned itinerary
Post lunch
saw the group visiting the Aircraft and Submarine museums, both located at a
walking distance from our hotel. Vizag’s latest attractions, these museums
provide a glimpse to the visitors of the lives led by our Navy personnel
guarding the country. INS Kursura,
the decommissioned submarine of the Indian Navy, has the
distinction of being one of the very few submarine museums to retain its
originality. The Aircraft Museum is
a preserved Tupolev Tu-142 located
across the road from the Submarine museum. This aircraft served 29 years with
the Indian Navy, as a submarine destroyer, before
being preserved as a museum in Vizag.
Both these
museums plus a few other modern museums are a "must-visit
destination" of Vizag.
The third
evening saw the members relaxing on the beautiful lawns of the hotel with a
view of the Sea from a viewing point located on the rear portion of the lawns. Some even ventured into the beach
post the dinner. Birthday celebrations
of the spouse of a Rotarian and a couple of innovative Tambola games ensured there was enough fun on the last night
stay of the group in Vizag,
Since the
next morning, the last day of the trip, was free for members to do what they want, a
few decided to have an early morning darshan of Goddess Lakshmi at the Kanaka
Mahalakshmi temple located in the old part of Vizag. The uniqueness of the
temple is that though there is a big
roof above the Hall, the idol itself has no roof above it. There is no
priest- Devotees take turns to perform
their own pujas.
At 12noon, The
group checked out of the hotel armed with lunch boxes containing Biryani or
Fried Rice or just Thayir sadam ( curd rice). A resourceful Marawari Rotarian
had managed to get some lunch boxes packed with Puri Bhajis & a sweet from
Chappan Bhog in Vizag, which was selectively distributed among a few members
with extra space in their stomachs! It was a sight witnessing the entire group
consuming the lunch, sitting at the
departure lounge of the Airport!
After a
thoroughly enjoyable trip to Vizag, the group returned to Chennai safely by the
Indigo flight reaching Chennai around 4pm. Again on time.
Some useful tips
Ideal time to visit Vizag is between November and
February when the weather is fine. If you want to completely cover all the
interesting tourist spots in & around
Vizag city you need at least four
nights and five days stay. In addition you have to spend at least one night
(rwo days) at Araku valley to see all the interesting sights leisurely. AP
Tourism Department has a hotel in Araku
which offers decent accommodation at reasonable rates. Pre booking is a must. Include the train journey to Araku
as a part of your tour itinerary. It is a fascinating experience.
