Trip to Vizag: where the sea meets the hills

Introduction

Panoramic view of the sea from atop Kailashgiri hill

Vizag, more popularly known as Vishakhapatnam, is a big, bustling city on the Andhra coast overlooking the Bay of Bengal. It is famous for the Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant as also for having one of the biggest naval bases in the country. Over the last ten years, it has also started to be recognised as an important tourist destination. Those having visited the city have had plenty of nice things to say about it. I was craving to visit the city myself and the Christmas holidays provided me the opportunity to do just that. After spending some time on 'tripadvisor' reading the reviews of travellers to the city, I booked a room in a hotel near to the station. Purchasing the train tickets through the 'irctc website' was also a breeze. Before long, we were done with our packing and one cold wintry morning post Christmas, we were on the Falaknuma Express, on our way to Vishakhapatnam. We reached our destination the same day around 10 p.m. It didn't take us long to locate our hotel and soon we found ourselves stretching our tired legs inside the warm confines of our hotel room.

Sightseeing at Ramakrishna Beach and Rushikonda Beach

The next morning, we embarked on a local sightseeing tour. We decided upon going to the Ramkrishna Beach first. We hailed an autorikshaw, whose driver quoted a fare of 150 rupees. I could at once gauge that it was way above the actual fare, given the fact that a Google search through my mobile phone showed a distance to the beach to be of only a few kilometers. A little haggling and the threat of using the bus service instead led to the driver agreeing to a fare of 40 rupees and off we were on our journey. The drive to the beach provided us a glimpse of the crowded and bustling city of Vishakhapatnam. As the roads became undulating and the breeze picked up speed, we could guess that the sea was not far off. And soon we were greeted with the view of the vast expanse of the sea, the waves lashing onto the Ramkrishna Beach, which we obviously had reached. Contrary to our expectation, the beach was clean and less frequented. A smooth road skirted the entire length of the beach and beyond. A footpath along the entire stretch between the beach and the road provided us the right opportunity to take a long walk, savouring the pristine view of the sea and the waves and feel the wind thrashing our bodies.

People bathing at Ramkrishna Beach with the 'Dolphin's Nose' in the background

A view of the road running running parallel to Ramkrishna Beach

Unlike the sea in Puri, which we had been to earlier, the sea at Ramkrishna Beach at Vishakhapatnam had very few fishing boats in action. Instead, we got to see quite a few ships, not surprising since Vishakhapatnam houses one of the biggest ports on the east coast of the country. We had our lunch at a quaint open-air eatery beside the road and proceeded onto visiting the 'Kursura' submarine museum located beside the beach. The musuem is supposedly the only one of its kind in Asia.

Kursura Submarine Museum beside Ramkrishna Beach

Life-sized model of a sailor taking rest inside the submarine museum

The submarine, we were told, had served with distinction in the 1971 war and had been towed from the sea onto the beach at an enormous cost. Inside, we saw a mind boggling cluster of instruments and gadgets, as also life-sized models of sailors performing varied chores. A guide, presumably from the navy, went about explaining the functioning of the different parts of the submarine.

In the evening we went on to visit the famed Rushikonda beach. With very few buses plying the route, we had to book an autorikshaw again. Once again we had to negotiate the fare, bringing it down to a realistic figure from that quoted originally. The beach was somewhat a disappointment. With a lot of litter strewn around and crows fluttering above, it looked unkempt and ill-maintained. It was quite crowded too, with busloads of schoolchildren having just arrived on a visit. We walked to a relatively secluded part of the beach and were able to enjoy the sight and sound of the tranquil sea under the cloudy sky.

Cloudy sky over Rushikonda Beach

Visit to Kailashgiri Hills

Around noon the next day, we went on a stroll to the bus stand situated nearby. We found a bus departing for 'Kailashgiri', one of the must-see destinations included in our travel brochure. A 45 minutes ride later, we reached atop the hill. The moment we set foot on the hill, we were greeted with a breathtaking view of majestic hills stretching out to the sea. From our height, the waves thrashing the sea-shore looked no more than gentle ripples caressing the yellow sand.

Another panoramic view of the hills and sea from atop Kailashgiri hill

The entire city of Vishakapatnam, the houses, the buildings, the roads, were all visible at a glance. A boy approached us with a pair of binoculars and for just 2 rupees we got to see everything around us from an astonishingly close perspective, so much so that I could even spell out the name of a sailing ship written on its side. To the naked eye, the ship seemed to be no bigger than a small speck in the sea.

Huge sculptures of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati on Kailashgiri hill

Flowers in full bloom atop Kailashgiri hill

Bejewelled citiscape as dusk settles in from atop Kailashgiri hill

Huge sculptures of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were perched on a rock surrounded by a small garden. Flowers were in full bloom. As dusk settled in, the city lit up and darkness slowly engulfed the sea and the hills, providing a magnificent backdrop.

Visit to Araku Valley and the Borra caves

Before embarking on our journey, we had been told that a trip to Vishakhapatnam is deemed incomplete without a visit to the Araku valley and the Borra caves. On the third morning of our trip, we set off for Araku, having booked three tickets in an APTDC (Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation) conducted package tour by road. While we could have booked a car for the same purpose, the APTDC tour was much lighter on our pockets. Another popular option was to avail of an APTDC tour by train. Unfortunately, the seats were sold out long ago. While the bus ride through the plains and then onto the hills was comfortable, the roads being surprisingly smooth and well-maintained, the weather played a big spoilsport. Thick clouds had engulfed the hills by the time we made our upward journey to the valley, robbing us of the much sought after view of the terrain around. On the way we made a halt at a coffee plantation and got to sip hot cups of locally brewed coffee. We also visited a tribal museum, showcasing how the tribals perform their day to day chores with the help of life sized models. There was a lunch break at an APTDC resort in the valley itself. Although we didn't quite relish the south-Indian vegetarian fare, the cost of which was included in the price of the tour package, the scenery around was quite breathtaking. As it started to pour down again, we set off on our return journey. The Borra caves were waiting for us on the way.

The picturusque Araku valley from inside the APTDC Harita Resort

A coffee plantation near Araku valley

Caught up in heavy rain

Stories abound as to how the Borra caves were discovered. A local story goes thus. A villager's goat went missing. The villager frantically looked for it at every nook and corner of the surrounding hills and the jungles but could not find it. He had given up all hope when, one fine morning, the goat returned to his hut. The villager followed the goat, the next time it went out, and came across a cluster of huge caves which came to be known as Borra caves. The official version however credits the discovery of the caves to a British geologist. The word Borra literally means a hole in the Oriya language, which can be explained by the fact that the region is close to Orissa. The approach to the caves had a beautiful stream flowing through a ravine. The caves were dark and huge. They were illuminated using fluorescent lamps at select places to help view the unique rock formations called stalactites and stalagmites, a result of deposition of calcium bi-carbonate over thousands of years from water percolating through the roof of the caves. Apart from the regular ticket price, I had to shell 100 rupees more to be able to take my camera inside the caves. That seemed quite exorbitant, given the fact one had to be an ace photographer to be able to take good pictures in the low light inside the caves, and I wasn't one.

A spectacular view of a stream flowing through a ravine

Entrance to the Borra caves

Stalactite formations hanging inside the Borra caves

Sojourn with Yarada Beach

The penultimate morning of our stay at Vishakapatnam was spent moving around the city on the local buses. The city centre is named 'Jagadamba' after one of the biggest cinema halls in the country located there. We had neither the time nor the inclination to spend 2 hours of our precious time watching a movie. We walked around, enjoying the sights and sounds of the shops and malls, littering the city centre. We also got to see dozens of speciality hospitals very close to each other, each vying for space and attention. In the afternoon we took an autorikshaw ride to Ramkrishna Beach and spent some time on the beach itself. My son had a good time riding a pony while I kept myself busy with the camera. On the beach we chanced to meet a travel agent who helped us book a car to take us to visit the secluded Yarada beach. The beach is approximately 15 kilometers from the city and one had to undertake a ride up and down a picturesque hill, through narrow, meandering roads, past quaint housing clusters belonging to the personnel from the Indian Navy, to arrive at the beach. The access to the beach is through a private farm and one had to purchase tickets to cross the farm. The beach itself, true to its reputation was less frequented, clean and beautiful. The sun had appeared again after a prolonged lull and the waves looked beautiful under its radiance. After spending an hour and a half lapping up the beauty of the pristine beach, we proceeded to visit the 'Light' House atop the 'Dolphin's Nose' hill. We climbed on top of the lighthouse to see the lights and the reflectors which were to get into action at the onset of darkness. The lighthouse also provided a stupendous view of the sea, with ships sailing into the Vishakhapatnam port and the mighty hills providing a majestic backdrop.

The pristine Yarada Beach

View of the sea from atop the Light House

Time to say Goodbye

The new year had arrived. A persistent drizzle ensured that we spent the morning of the first day of the year inside the hotel itself. We had planned to make a quick visit to the Simhachalam temple, reputed to be the second highest revenue earner among all temples in the country. But the rains as well as the fact that we had to embark on our return journey that day itself, made us decide against it, a decision we regret today. Around noon, the sun reappeared in all its glory, and as if on cue, it was time for us to say goodbye to the city too. We took an afternoon train to Bhubaneswar, from where we would be boarding another train to Kolkata. As the train hurtled through the verdant countryside under an azure sky, I reminisced about my experiences during the trip. The city was by and large clean, except at some pockets like outside the railway station and the main bus terminus, where it was extremely filthy. Amongst the beaches, I liked the Ramkrishna Beach for its vibrancy and cleanliness and the Yarada beach for its serenity and beauty. Contrary to popular perceptions, I didn't like the Rushikonda beach quite as much. The food at the hotel and elsewhere had variety and was enjoyable. One needn't have fear about having to do with south Indian vegetarian meals comprising dosa and idli all the time. One had to mostly rely on the autorikshaws for moving around and being asked to pay an astronomical fare at the outset was more often the norm than an exception. The art of haggling needed to be mastered and put to good use in these situations. State controlled bus services were good but one had to go to the main bus terminus and check the routes and timings beforehand. That itself was a difficult proposition, given the fact that few people seemed to understand and converse in any language except Telegu. All in all, however, the visit was enjoyable. Would I visit the city again? Sure I would! And with more time in hand.

A snapshot of the countryside on our return journey by train

P.S. All the photographs above have been taken with my Canon Powershot A570 IS digital camera, making use of its various preset settings. I have optimised the images for the web using IrfanView.

The above travelogue may serve the purpose of a Vizag travel guide or a Vishakhapatnam travel guide for those planning a trip to the city. For others it may instill the desire to do the same. Do let me know if it does.