Weekend Getaways from Hyderabad: Bhongir

Bhongir or Bhuvangir is a small town which is located about 60 kms from Hyderabad and is about a 1.5 hrs drive. The town has the Bhongir Fort which is built on an isolate monolithic rock. It can be ideal destination for planning a small trek from Hyderabad over a weekend. For the rock climbing enthusiasts, they also conduct training workshops at this location.

Trimbakeshwar From Hyderabad

The optimal way to visit Trimbakeshwar from Hyderabad it to take the Devagiri Express from Secunderabad station. The train reaches around 0300 am. This is a pretty good time. Simply walk out of the station towards platform # 1. There is a shared taxi stand and a bus stand right out side.

To Trimbakeshwar:

Shared Taxi:
The shared taxi (OMNI) accommodates 8 people and you may have to wait for some time while it becomes full. I the charge was around Rs 100 per person. It is a safe normally to take these. It takes about an hour to reach Trimbakeshwar and the road is pretty good. It is approximately 40 km from the Nashik road station.

Buses:
The buses are run by Maharashtra RTC and may not be very convenient.

At Trimbakeshwar:

The shared taxi will drop you right at the east gate of the temple. The best thing is as I said earlier are the timings. You are at the temple at around 0400 am. You have a lot of budget stay options nearby and some agents will be hanging around to take you to some of these. Bargain on the price.

In case you plan to perform any ceremonies like Rudra Abhishek, Maha Mrityunjaya jaap, or Kal Sarpa Yagna you should talk and book the priest in advance. Rudra abhishek can be done on the same day, normally and takes about 2 hrs. The priest can also ensure a fast track entry from the west gate.

The temple premise is closed for Rudra Abhishek post 0730 am so you should plan accordingly.

Other ceremonies are conducted outside the temple normally at the houses of the priest.

Gents are required to only wear a dhoti to be allowed entry into the main temple premise. Ladies are not allowed inside the main room where the Jyotirlinga is located however they can view the ceremonies on a large LCD TV. They have a replica of the Jyotirlinga outside the main temple on the right side for ladies.

IRCTC Andaman Tour Package Review

Andaman Package Tour Andaman's offer an exciting mix of nationalist history, adventure and captivating natural beauty. IRCTC offer's the package in two broad categories. One which includes air fare (typically there are ex-Chennai or ex-Kolkata) and another one in which you manage the air travel and they will manage everything from from receiving you at the Port Blair (Veer Savarkar) airport and dropping you back.

The duration can very from 3 days/2 nights to 5 days/4 nights and the coverage varies accordingly.

Package Details

Day 1: Arrive at Port Blair

If you are arriving early in the morning before 10 am and are not too tired you may want to cover the following places on day 1. 

Port Blair has a hot and humid climate generally so plan you itinerary with that in mind. Specially the Cellular Jail should be visited either early in the morning or in the evening if you wish to avoid the sun. However, you will have to re-visit the Jail in the evening for the Light and Sound show. It is a must see. One good option is to cover the Museums, then visit the Cellular Jail post lunch then head for the Corbyn's cove beach and return to the Jail for the light and sound show.

- Samudrika Marine Museum: A must watch given the sheer variety of corals that are on display. Budget for between 45 min to 1 hr. There is an entry fee but it is very reasonable. It also has some exhibits on the local anthropology so if you are not too keen on the anthropological aspects you may as well skip the anthropological museum. This may not be part of the package.

- Anthropological Museum: Provides a good details on the native people of the islands. A lot of things would be enlightening. This may not be part of your package. 

- Cellular Jail/Museum and Light and Sound Show: The cellular jail (Kalapani) is a massive complex with a small museum at the entrance. There are separate tickets for entry and the light and sound show. Normally the IRCTC representative will guide you on what needs to be done and arrange for the light and sound show which happens both in Hindi and English. You can advise him about your preferences. If you are interested in the nationalist history you will easily take 2-3 hours to cover the entire complex. Ensure that you climb the central watch tower. It gives a excellent panoramic view of Port Blair. If it is only evening your representative might advise you to head for the beach which is a good option. If you are too tired have a the tender coconut milk right outside the complex. It is really refreshing and the size and sweetness of these coconuts is much better than what we normally get on the mainland.

The light and sound show is conducted in the evening. Pick a seat based on your convenience. Since it is open air, it advisable to have covered legs or use mosquito repellent creams.

- Corbyn's Cove Beach: The beach is clean and not very crowded. There are quite a few water sport activities available like the speed boat ride, banana ride etc. Changing rooms are also available. From a scenic beauty perspective there is nothing extra ordinary about this beach and if necessary you may even consider skipping it.

Important: The standard tour gives you an option of Ross or North Bay Island however you will have sufficient time to cover both on day2 and you must if you interested align with what is mentioned below. You just have to pay little extra and the representative will arrange the ticket for both destinations for you. We did this. The guide be booking the ferry ticket for you accordingly the next day so you can save some time if you discuss on your plan upfront.

Day 2: Ross Island or North Bay Island

Ross Island:  This island was the capital of Andaman's during the British rule and used to be referred as the Paris of the east as it had all the modern amenities of that period. The island is maintained by the Indian Navy and you will also see some bunkers from the second world war here, Most of the building are in a dilapidated state now but it gives a very interesting feeling with scenes of nature reclaiming what was her. 

If you like hiking then you can spend the entire day on the island as well. There are at least two trails that you can explore. However if you plan on scuba then you can only cover one trail. 

This island also protected Port Blair during the 2004 tsunami as it bore the brunt of the it.

Based on your booking the ferry will either take you back to Port Blair to the North Bay island (a must if you would like to try scuba diving).

North Bay Island (Coral Island): On the way to this island you will see a light house which appears on the Rs 20 INR note. The main attraction of the island are the corals and the glass bottom boat ride/scuba/snorkeling.

I would recommend that you go for glass bottom boat ride and scuba. One call out though. The marine life in this area is rather limited because of the rampant commercial activities but for a first timer scuba is a must do. If you are going to go to Jolly Buoy which offers a much better under water expereince you may skip this altogether but that is not part of the IRCTC package normally and requires some prior permission from the forest department.

The instructor will go along with you to a underwater for the scuba dive and relax these guys are professionals. It was a wonderful experience. Read the disclaimer carefully though as in certain medical conditions scuba may not be advisable.

Next day you will be taken on a bigger boat to Havelock/Neil-Havlock on a bigger boat.

Day 3 and 4: Havelock

It will be afternoon or evening by the time one reaches Havelock depending on the itinerary. Havelock is a very small town and the food options are rather limited. The day to arrive will be your free time. If your resort is on the beach then enjoy the beach. Observe the high/low tides. The water advances by 300 meters between high and low tides as the beaches are quite shallow here.

The USP of the island is its pristine beaches and the resorts which are on the beaches. There are some very good treks as well. The famous Radhanagar beach is located on this island and is really beautiful and pristine. The beach also offers an elephant ride in the nearby jungle.

Normally you will be taken to Radhanagar beach on the second day morning. Spend time as per your leisure. There are some cottages on this beach itself but these need to be booked in advance from some place at Port Blair. It may be a good expereince to try this as well. If you are planning to take a dip in the sea bring along extra pair of clothes.

The cab can get your belongings from the resort and then will directly take you to the jetty for the return journey to Port Blair

If you have a lot of energy then you may try some of the treks as well. There are quite a few scuba diving options as well. You could also choose to explore the island by bicycle.

Remember to try the tender coconut. It is amazing.

Day 5: Port Blair
Normally there is nothing planned as part of the package for day 5. If you have time you could explore more of Port Blair else they will arrange for the drop back to the airport.

Accommodation: 

- Port Blair: We were three adults and got suite at Port Blair. The hotel was a decent one with basic facilities and served the purpose.

- Havelock: The resort had a decent location and was ok. One glitch was the that we had to argue  on getting an extra mattress. Later on we did realize that one can get better rooms as well if you get into more arguements but then it is one night and you may not run into these issues if you are travelling as a couple.

Food: Package includes breakfast which is quite basic so have your expectations accordingly.

- Port Blair: The hotel folks were much more accommodative and you could swap the time of the breakfast items. They served Idly, Omelette and some other items.

- Havelock: The food here was again basic with Poori Sabji and bread butter jam being offered.

If you are into sea food then you could try the local cuisine. Strict vegetarian options are also available but may be rather limited.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Summary: If you do not want to get into the hassle of managing everything on your own and adventurous stuff like (diving at Jolly Buoy and treks at Havelock) are not a must have then go for the package else you could go on your own or keep a buffer of one day for Jolly Buoy. Talk to the operator at Port Blair and they may be able to accommodate some changes for extra charges.

Bangalore New Delhi Rajdhani Express

The reason for this blog is the limited or outdated information available about travel by Rajdhani.

This was my first trip on a Rajdhani, Bangalore to Nizamuddin Rajdhani(22691) to be precise. We boarded the train from Secunderabad.

Normally, the train arrives/departs from Platform # 10 of the Secunderabad station. However to be more certain you can check it out by dialing 139.

Complimentary food is served on-board this Rajdhani and I suppose on all the other Rajdhani and Shatabdi's. There are a lot of bad reviews about the food quality on the net but I feel things have changed for the better since then. This journey was in Oct-2014.

Only branded items are now served on-board the train and the food quality and the overall. catering service was good.

They start serving the breakfast right after the Train departs from Secunderabad.

Bangalore to Secunderabad

Did the Bangalore to Secunderabad leg of the journey as well. The train departs from SBC Bangalore (also known as KSR Bangalore). There are 4 stations in Bangalore so check it out in case you are new to Bangalore.

Reaching KSR:  The station is connected by the purple metro line. So this may be a cost effective way to reach the station however, not advisable if you are having heavy luggage or with elderly as there are no lift/escalators between the metro and the railway station. No porters available either. So you need carry the heavy luggage over the foot over bridge on your own.

Food: A three course dinner is served on the train. Starting with a tomato soup with bread sticks, the main course (Veg option has chapati, rice, dal, one curry and curd) and followed by a dessert (normally an Amul ice-cream). The quality is decent however they take too long to serve the items.

Udaipur

Udaipur is the Land of Maharana Pratap. The capital of the erstwhile kingdom of Mewar. Often called the 'Venice of the East', although the title sounds a big exaggeration, the city can definitely be called 'City of Lakes'. There are 7 lakes in and around the city and you will not realize that you are in Thar Desert region of India.

Getting There By Train:

The city is well connected via rail. You could check out your options here.
The city has two railway stations: Rana Pratapnagar and Udaipur City. We got down at Udaipur City.

Things to keep in mind:

It's a small city and station and if you are arriving late then do not relax on the platform for long. You will not find Auto's immediately and will have to get to the main road.

If you are a budget traveler, try to book the rooms on the Platform itself in advance via irctc.com. They will be almost 50% less costlier then the hotels.

There is hotel within walking distance of the station exit as well and it's actually not a bad option.

In and Around the City:

Udaipole (Pole in the local language means Gate) is around 3 KM from this place. The major attractions: City Palace, Gulab Bagh, Vintage Car Museum of the City are at a walking (within a 2 KM radius) distance from Udaipole.

The Auto-wallah would show you around 9 points in the city and will charge anywhere between 400 to 500. Not all these points are worth watching in my opinion. My recommendation is the City Palace and Pratap Smarak only. City palace is walkable from Udaipole, Pratap Smarak is a bit far.

Attractions:

City Palace:

Surya: Emblem of the Clan

 

Main Entry to the Palace

Pratap Smarak

Pratap Smarak

Shopping:

Rajasthan has quite a few Zinc mines and Hindustan Zinc has a production facility in Udaipur. You will get a lot of decorative items and women's accessories made out of zinc mixed with other metals in the city and these are the areas specialty.

As Moradabad is famous for it brass-work, one can say that Udaipur is famous for Zinc work.

Ramoji Film City: Review

Ramoji Film City

It is a place visiting at least once if you are in Hyderabad or if you have your parents or friends coming along. Since it would take the whole day for this visit plan accordingly.

Planning The Trip:

You could either hire a taxi or book a bus to Ramoji. A non AC Indica would typically charge 1000 bucks. The plus of going by a cab is that buses typically reach there around 11 am and you would miss the opening ceremony by then. Also you might be a bit late to cover every thing. Ideally you should reach there by 10 am.

Also carry an umbrella/caps with you as you would have to walk around a bit in the Hyderabad heat. All the more important for the IT junta which sits in the AC all day long.

Show:
There are a number of shows that you can watch over the day based on your taste if you are short on time, or you can go in for everything as well.

Spirit of Ramoji:
The shows has several sub-shows. I found the clown show, the dance show with styles from across the states of India to be average. The one sub show that particularly stood out was the trick with the stick.

Wild Wild West: This one is a action show which would give you an idea of how the action scenes would be shot and is worth a watch.

Dome Theatre: You can have a dance show, then you have some tricks like rolling on broken glass and some acrobatics similar to what happens in a circus if you have seens one. You might want to skip this if you are running short of time.

Ramoji Tower: This one has a simulator show and I would not describe it in details lest it would take away the element of surprise. Must watch if you are there!!

Action Theater: Over here they show you the operational aspects of building a movie. They would ask for volunteers for the show. Most of the people would shy away, but ladies please dont be shy you would love it so go for it. Again not to be missed.

Sightseeing: The red buses conduct a sight seeing tour. Try to do it early in the morning or by the afternoon. Do not delay it till 4 or 5 pm as the guy might skip some of the places due to lack of time.

If you are a garden buff keep sometime to visit the gardens that are there. They are well maintained and beautifully landscaped and also provide privacy to the if you need some :).

The closing ceremony happens at around 5:30 and is a traditional dance of the north-east. You can decide if you would like to stay back for that on your own.

Food:
There are a number restaurants. However none of them apart from Jimmy's Drive offer you to share the plate. The other ones have buffets and might be a bit expensive overall if your group does not have a good diet. Also food is not allowed into the film city.

Do check out the details on the website www.ramojifilmcity.com although I do not think much would change.

Enjoy!!

AP Tourism Papikondalu Package Tour from Hyderabad

IRCTC has stopped the tour package from Hyderabad however you can book via the Telangana tourism website listed below.

IRCTC Papikondalu Package Tour
The tour is offered in two packages Standard and Comfort. The main difference is with respect to the railway berth that is allotted. In case of Comfort it is AC 3 tier while in case of standard it is Sleeper 3 tier. The tour starts from Secunderabad railway station. You can get the tickets from the IRCTC office located near the entrance from platform # 1 side or their office near the clock tower. You can make your bookings through the designated travel agents or the IRCTC offices.

You can also book the seats online by going to this website (Telangana tourism)


Note: The IRCTC people will ask you to come and collect the tickets in person which may be a hassle. Become adamant that you cannot come down in person. Since they have started booking e-tickets it is possible for them to email along with the scanned copies of other documents.

Package Details

The website provides the details of the package inclusions and exclusions nicely and you can also refer to these on you reservation print.

Day 1: Rajamundry

Compared to Hyderabad, Rajamundry it is a very small town. Also while they write it as "mundry" the actual pronunciation is as 'mandry'. You will reach Rajamundry in the morning. There is no guide on this tour and everything has been completely outsourced by IRCTC to the local travel agents. They will call you while you are still on the train and inform you about your pickup vehicle which will be parked in the parking towards the exit from platform #1 side. The driver will take you to the hotel where your accommodation has been booked. In our case it was a different hotel than what is mentioned on the IRCTC website. The hotel staff is not very sophisticated and you will have to ask them for everything. However, since you would only be using the room to freshen up and sleep it should be manageable.

Accommodation Rating: 2/5

Expect serious language problem if you do not know Telugu right from the time you set foot in Rajamundry. On a positive note you will get to experience rural Andhra first hand for the next two days.

Papikondalu

As soon as you get ready you and your co-passengers will be taken by the same vehicle to the office of the tour operator managing the tour. If your train was late(which it usually will be) you may have to rush a bit. Carry all your reservation documents along with you. They will issue you a ticket for the Boat cruise and from there you will be taken on a bus to the pick-up point at the river bank. You may carry one bag of essential stuff that might be required. In the evening you may feel a bit cold due to the breeze over the river so some warm clothing can be carried along. Although some of might find the weather to be pleasant as well. Note down the bus number as in the evening/night it might get dark and we will have locate our bus. Given the language problem and the interior location we might be in for some adventure if we are lost.

The road and the bus both are not very good and if possible try to get a front seat unless you enjoy rural Indian roads. However, you will enjoy the greenery and the scenery. The place is the most fertile region of Andhra Pradesh and gives a very different feeling when compared to the hustle and bustle of Hyderabad or any other big city.

Some of the pick points are not very good and have steep slopes so if possible wear appropriate shoes and clothing. If not, do not worry it is still manageable in a saree/chappal just be a tad more careful.The lower deck is air-conditioned but they do not run the AC during the onward journey. The upper deck will provide a better view but is also exposed to the Sun directly. Also there will be few folks who will dance to the Telugu numbers on the upper deck, make you and the co-passengers dance, play tambola during the return journey. So you can choose your spot accordingly. You can also choose to move up and down the decks and that is not a problem in any way. However, from an experience perspective the boat and the music is way too noisy and if your plans were to enjoy the scenic beauty in peace and tranquility you will be disappointed.

You will be served breakfast once you are in the boat and it has set off for its day long journey. It  might be 1100 hrs  and the side pick shows what you will be having by then so prepare accordingly.

The first stop-over point is this pink colored building, a police station with some history as per the guide. The station witnessed some action during the British era when it was attacked by some of the freedom fighters.

The journey after that will continue non-stop till the dropping point where the co-passengers for Bhadrachalam tour have to be dropped. You will reach this venue at around 1500 hrs. There is Shiva temple and the religiously inclined can get down for the darshan. The boat will stop at this venue for around 30 mins.  You can also buy some beautifully local handicrafts made out of bamboo here.

On a different note if you have plans to opt for the IRCTC Bhadrachalam tour, be considerate that there is a steep slope that needs to be navigated from the river bank to the road with all your luggage and the condition of the stairs is very bad. You will have to hire porters if you are carrying some luggage. The IRCTC folks have mentioned this upfront on their site but just to re-iterate. It might be a bit difficult for the elderly. I would suggest that you check out the APTDC road tour if you are keen on Bhadrachalam in that case.

The boat will stop mid-way once to pick up your lunch which is prepared by the locals living on the banks of the river. En-route you will also get to see the Bamboo huts on the beach alongside the river where tourists can stay over-night. This is again not part of any of the IRCTC packages. It is included in the APTDC package and can be availed from the tour operators directly if you are planning the tour your self. The sun would be setting by the time we reach the dropping point and there will be some beautiful scenes for our viewing pleasure.

Overall, we felt that dedicating the whole day on boat cruise was a bit too much. The only reason for planning the tour in this manner are logistical as they have to drop off the Bhadrachalam passengers at a certain point. Instead, it would be better if the journey is shortened with a longer stopover at one of the beaches. Irrespective of this it could a new experience and may not be there for the taking once the Polavaram project is complete as most of the area will submerge underwater.

We get down very near to the tour operators office and they will request you to fill a feedback form for day one and also ask for our option for day 2 between Konaseema or Annavaram. 

Konaseema Tour : - Kadiam,Ryali,Antervedi and Inavilli.
Annavaram Tour : - Annavaram, Pithapuram,Draksharamam,Biccavolu and Kadiam.

Kadiam: area is famous for its plant nurseries. On the face of it does not sound that exciting but you will be amazed at the size and the number of these.

Antervedi: Is a coastal village which is confluence of the river Godavari (the largest river of peninsular India and the incarnation of Ganga in the South). There is temple of Lord Narsingh( one of the avatar of Vishu). There is a giant chariot located near the temple as well which would be 2 storey tall.

All the other locations are famous for their temples. Since the Konaseema has a mix of temples and the beach we opted for Konaseema.

Papikondalu Rating: 2.5/5

Day 2:

The cab will arrive sharp at 7 am although the tour operator will ask you to be ready by 0600. Plan accordingly and try not be late than 0700 as you will find traffic if you start late. They do not serve breakfast today although it is part of the package. Feel free to decide your course of action. Either ways it would be a Idly/Vada. Incidentally, food at Rajamundry is a lot less expensive compared to Hyderabad. Also, we need to check-out while we leave. We can leave the luggage at the hotel cloak room/the tour operators office or carry it in the vehicle which ever is convenient. Our hotel did have a cloak room although because of the language problem initially the receptionist said it was not there. Only when our co-passengers who were conversant in Telugu asked him he said yes.

Also avoid wearing shoes today as taking them off at the temples and the beach will be inconvenient.

Kadiam: The pictures from one of the Kadiam nursery should be self-explanatory about the venue.

Ryali temple is the next stop over point. From here we will start for Antervedi, the largest stretch of the journey. The amount of greenery was breath taking to watch and it should be mentioned that some of this area was destroyed during the cyclone. The sheer number of the coconut trees is daunting. We will reach the Antervedi beach at around 1100 hrs. If you plan to stay at the beach for long time first visit the nearby temple as it will close at 1230 and then only reopen at 0300. There is a langar at the temple in case one would like to have the lunch there.

The beach is pristine and not many people are around. Not more than 20. The river Godavari joins the Bay of Bengal from our right if we stand facing the ocean. The exact confluence point though is not visible. For that you can hire a local fisherman boat and they will take you to the exact confluence point. If the plan is to stay longer, they can even take one to the island which is located in the middle of the river. Plan to bargain nicely with these folks and they will agree at Rs 50 per person if it is a more than 10 member group else at around Rs 500 for 7-8 people. Once we are done with the beach we can start for Inavilli and have lunch en-route.

The confluence of River Godavari and Bay of Bengal as per the local fishermen.

We will reach Rajamundry by around 1830 to 1900. You can ask the driver to stop over at the ISKON temple and attend the aarti there. Collect your luggage and then the cab driver will drop us at the station. There are AC and SL waiting room with decent facilities at the Rajamundry station and the train generally departs from the first platform itself although it departs late.

Day 2 Rating: 3/5

Overall we found the experience to be average for this tour from IRCTC and they can do a better job on this one.

For some of you who might be interested to take the trip via road may refer this link