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

Araku Vizag Tour

IRCTC no longer offers this tour from Hyderabad but I hope the below details should help you in planning your trip.

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 will get the tickets from the IRCTC office located near the entrance from platform # side. 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.

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.

You will reach Vizag in the morning and a IRCTC guide will be there to receive you at the station. Typically there are six seats reserved for the package in the Comfort format and they are likely to be in the same coupe. Assuming that the passenger count is around that number, expect a Sumo or a Qualis to be you transport vehicle for the next few days.

You will be taken to a nearby hotel where you can freshen up. For breakfast you will get Idly and Vada. The guide will arrange it for you. You may as well order something from the hotel. Once you are ready you will checkout from your hotel (along with your luggage) and will be taken to Kailasagiri.

Kailasagiri provides a breath taking view of the entire Vizag town and the beach. It has a number of other attractions as well like the Siva-Parvathi statue, a toy train and a rope way. You should take the toy train ride as it takes you around the hill top and provides 360 view of the city. The rope way is also a decent attraction specially if you have not experienced it first. You should be done in 2-3 hrs.

Araku: Next you will start for Araku by road. The alternative is to go by train and that is likely to be a different experience but that is not part of this package. Pretty soon the road will start snaking around the Araku hills and mountains. If you nauseate on such journey please keep some medicine handy. The roads are not as winding as in the North Indian hill station, nor is the elevation very high. Also, from a temperature and clothing perspective, do not worry too much and may be just carry a jacket with you particularly if are from North India. It would not be as cold as some people might make it out to be. On your way the cab will stop at the Tyda Jungle Resort for lunch. The food is decent but obviously with a South Indian touch. You will reach Araku by evening 5-6 pm. On the way be on the lookout for a few local things like spices, coffee, local chocolates to purchase if you are interested. Be prepared to put your negotiation skills to test with the street side vendors.

You will find the coffee to be cheap in this are, but one of the prime reason for the same is its composition. The coffee is a bit raw and there is something which does not dissolve when you actually prepare coffee. I am not particularly sure on the details but I guess the Chicori (a mix in coffee) proportion is higher when compared to Nescafe or Bru instant coffee. The local chocolates are nice though and you should definitely try them.

When you arrive at Araku, you will have the option to visit the tribal museum before checking into the hotel. One will like it unless one is particularly disinterested in such places. You can the check in to the hotel and are free to roam around the town if you wish to. The elevation of Araku is nothing compared to some of the Himalayan hill stations so please do not have any such notions else you will be disappointed. However, its a nice weekend get away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, has ample greenery and very pleasant weather.

Borra Caves: Next morning, the guide will arrange for breakfast. Again these will be packaged idly/vada. These might not suffice and it is advisable that you order something else as well in the hotel. You will checkout and then start for Borra caves. You will reach the caves around noon. The limestone structures are pretty amazing to watch. Also the Araku railway line passes right over the cave wall and there is a marking in the cave which indicates the same. There is a lingam as well within the caves. Once you are though with the caves you will head back for Vizag.

Vizag: You will reach Vizag but afternoon around lunch time and will be taken to a AP tourism hotel for lunch. Again the food is decent but with a local touch. Once you are through with lunch you can opt for the beach or a local park. I would suggest that you go for the beach as there is nothing special about the park.

A major attraction on the beach is the submarine museum INS Kurusura. A must see. You will get a first hand glimpse of a naval submarine from the inside. It was a memorable experience for me. Post this you can walk and roam around the beach which is relatively well maintained and clean.

You could also take a drive down the road adjoining the beach before you head for the station to board your train for Hyderabad.

I must say that the guide was a pretty nice chap and was always eager to help and very polite. Overall, its a very decent package for a weekend getaway from Hyderabad. I am not sure why IRCTC does not run this tour during the winter months as it is not that cold in Araku anyways. Not sure if it is because of the rains. The pace of the tour is also decent and there is no need to rush, however, one might complain that it does not cover all the attractions of Vizag particularly few of the temples and the Buddhist sites located in and around Vizag.

APTDC Shirdi Package Tour Review

Overall Rating: 3/5

There are a number of packages run by APTDC for Shirdi. This specific review pertains to the Sleeper Coach 3 day package, although much of points would be applicable for the other tours as well.

Bus Rating: 4/5

The Sleeper coach is nice and relatively well maintained. It is normal bus though from Veera though and not a Volvo or a Mercedes. The biggest glitch with the coach was it did not have any entertainment amenities like a personal LCD which several sleeper coaches have to offer.

Another important thing to note is that the bus has pick points from Ameerpet, KPHB(Ganesh Marbles) and somewhere in Miyapur as well although the APTDC website does not mention this. You can take the driver's contact number and coordinate the same.

On-Route Experience: 2/5

While going from HYD-Shirdi the Bus stops at Harita hotels for dinner which is a decent place when compared to what is normally available on the highway.

One of the biggest pains during the bus journey is finding a suitable place to attend to nature's call. The loo at Harita resort is by far the best one at which the bus will make a stopover.

The other place that it stops later and during the return journey leave a lot to be desired. Most of the other venues wereawfully dirty and some did not even have water available. Most of the APTDC buses from the other packages as well will make the stopver at the same venues.

On complaining the conductor says that these stop over points are designated by the APTDC management so he does not have much flexibility.

Another, minor irritant was these guys stopping the bus to pick unscheduled passengers if the bus happens to be empty. Creates some delay and undue noise.

Hotel: 2/5

They have a tie up with a hotel called Sai Ujjwal. What I will mention next is something very important in case you 4 or more members are traveling. Do not book your tickets together. If you do, you will get a single 4-bedroom room whereas the money that you end up paying does not reduce. Now this can create an awkward and unexpected situation. And if you request for two separate room the hotel guy will ask for extra money and does not entertain your request.

Instead make two separate booking of 2 people each. That way you will get multiple rooms. It avoids any awkward situations, saves money and time. Time as now you will have multiple bathroom which is the bottleneck in the race to get ready. The earlier you get ready the sooner you can get into the Q and save time therefore.

Darshan: 5/5

You will have to manage the darshan on you own and there are no tokens required. Avoid taking cellphones and bags etc. Although they did not stop people who were carrying these to our surprise but may be they start enforcing it if there is rush. You can deposit your footwear near the Entry Gate # 2.

The best part about the Darshan was, that the devotees are allowed inside the premises in batches. You will be made to sit on the floor and while the priest will perform all the rites and then the aarti. You can watch this directly or over the big LCD TV's placed in the halls. Subsequently you can seek the blessings from close quarters as you are made to leave the premises.

You can collect UDI( holy ash) from the counters outside. You can also visit the Museum where a number of Baba's personal belongings are kept.

The one's more religiously inclined should also visit the Dwarkamai Complex. This is the place where Baba used to stay and cook food.

Food: 4/5

You should be done with the darshan by 1:30 to 2 at max. You can have food at any of the nearby stalls and there is ample variety available and then headback to the hotel. The bus leaves sharp at 4:30pm for Hyderabad.

APTDC Tirupati Package Tour

There are two tours offered by AP Tourism for Tirupati from Hyderabad. A four day tour which starts from Hyderabad on Friday and a three day tour which starts from Hyderabad on Mon, Tues, Wed or Thursday. We traveled using the three day tour.  You can make your bookings through the designated travel agents or the APTDC offices. You can also book the seats online by going to this website.

Package Details

Since the website does not provide very good details on the package inclusions probably these details would be useful.

They are using new Mercedez Air Conditioned buses for the tours so on a lighter note you can say that you have taken a ride on the Mercedez. However these buses are similar to Volvo semi sleepers in terms of comfort.

The first pick up point is in front of the Vishwanath Theatre near JNTU circle at 6 pm. From there the bus goes to Yatri Niwas in Secunderabad and then to the last pick up point at CRO in Basheerbagh. It reaches Basheerbagh by 8 pm. The bus waits for you even if you are late by a few minutes. However, its advisable not to take chances and cause discomfort to fellow passengers. Also if you delay the journey you would reach late at Tirupati and will meet more crowd there. Also you might miss some of the other temple darshans which are part of the package as the schedule is pretty hectic.

The bus would stop at around 10 pm for dinner on its way to Tirupati. You would reach Tirupati town by 7:30 am and they would take you to Sreeniwas Guest House there. You will be given a room to freshen up and have break fast. The breakfast is served on the first floor of the guest house and is not complimentary. You will have around one and half hours to do this and this time is sufficient.

The guides have difficulty in conversing in languages specially Hindi so please be patient with them. Take help of your fellow passengers or request the guide for further instructions. The guides are helpful otherwise.

He will ask you to leave most of your belongings at the guest house, even you chappals. Do not leave your chappals as you will have places in the temple where you can leave them. Regarding other belongings its your call but I would advise you to leave them. This is because you would have to go through a number of security checkpoints if you are carrying bags etc. Also do not carry any electronic items if you can. These are not allowed inside the temple and in case you do wish to carry these you will have to leave it with the guide or you need to deposit it at the designated counters. However, given the rush that is there it would be harrassment.

The Sheeghra Darshan token which comes for Rs 300  is part of this three day package.  The four days package has the Rs 50 token as part of the package. Your guide will arrange for this and you need not worry about it. In spite of the token please be prepared for a 3-5 hour wait for getting the glimpse of the Lord.

Two ladoos are part of the prasadam as part of the every full ticket/token. Incase you wish to buy more ladoos you can ask your guide to do so. This would save a lot of time for you and would not cause discomfort to other passengers as well. There is a long queue for getting the token to buy additional ladoos and then there is a separate queue to get the laddo. The guide gets the complimentary ladoo for you and can easily procure additional ladoos as he waits outside while you are in the queue for the darshan. You should be able to complete the darshan by 3:30 to 4 pm.

One the main darshan is complete you would head back to the guest house and would only get around 30 mins to wind up and leave. So if you happen to come out early from the darshan of Lord utilize the time to have lunch at the stalls near the Lord Venkateshwara temple.

You will have to checkout from the Guest house by 5 and this time you will board your Mercedez bus which will take you to the Padmavati temple. The tokens for darshan here are not complimentary. You can buy a Rs 40 token which will get you complimentary ladoo and the queue would be smaller or you could by the Rs 10 token as well. Again electronic items are not allowed in the temple premises.

You should be done by 7pm and then the bus would leave for Hyderabad. It would again make a stop for dinner at around 9:30 to 10 pm. You would reach Hyderabad by 5:30 to 6 am in the morning. The bus first makes a stop at CRO, then Yatri Niwas and then at JNTU.