So I got some leisure time without pay between my job switch
for few days which I decided to invest for my first solo travel to Araku-Vizag-Baruva
before I leave Hyderabad for a new start to the same despicable life of mine. Had to do
a lot of booking before I leave my place.
Booked my ticket in Godavari express to reach
Vizag/Visakhapatnam. There onwards booked ticket in Visakhapatnam-Kirandul
Passanger for the same day.Booked Haritha Mayuri resort, Araku Valley and Haritha
Beach Resort, Baruva VIA aptdc.in phew… too much money spend within an hour.
Godavari Express 12728 started from Secunderabad Station, PF#1
@ 6pm almost, while it’s right time is 5:35 PM, and its right time to reach Vizag is 5:50 AM.
Araku-Kirandul train starts from Vizag Station @ 7:05 AM so I
had enough time to find the right platform where the train was suppose to arrive and have heavy breakfast, and roam
around there after until the train starts.
The train started 40 minutes late. As soon as it left the
city, I ran to the gate with my camera, stood there for hours waiting for Hills
and valley but nothing such scene arrived, meanwhile at a small station one guy
looked at me and shouted in Telugu which translates [You still have plenty
of time for the views to arrive, 4 stations after take out your camera].
The picturesque views start at right side of the train's moving direction after S.Kota
station all the way to Borra guhalu (Borra Caves) station. Those who wants to
visit Borra caves and Ananthagiri area, should get down at Borra guhalu station
as Borra Cave is just a walk ahead from the station.
This train journey is a must visit by being at train doors/windows. The hills,valleys, bridges, and the endless tunnels, these all will take you to
another world. I paid AC fare so that I can sit at AC bogie gate and take
pictures without any interruptions while keeping my luggage comparatively safe, risky though.
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| Crossing tunnel(s) |
Reached Araku station by 11:45am
Took an Auto for Haritha Mayuri Hill resort.They have all their
room’s balcony facing Valley.
You can find plenty of auto at Railway/bus station but very
few go by sharing for tourist places.
Considering the time I had, I booked an auto to roam as much
as I can in one day. Generally an 80 Km of private Auto rent will range from
800-1200 depending upon your bargaining skills.
I paid 900 for Chaparai water fall/cascade, coffee
plantation road trail and Galikonda view point. To be honest, it was a wrong
time to visit these places, best time to visit is post monsoon i.e. October
till February when you will have water falls full of water, Valleys full of
flowers and the Hills full of mist.
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| On the way to Chaparai Waterfall |
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| Chaparai Waterfall |
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| Chaparai Waterfall |
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| Roaming around the valley in rickshaw |
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| On the way to Galikonda view point |
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| On the right they have coffee plants, the Auto driver told me. |
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| View from Galikonda view point |
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| A village in the valley |
Next day I took aptdc
general bus to borra circle bus stand, Arku bust station is just adjcent to Haritha
Mayuri resort, you just have to walk.
Any bus which goes to S.Kota or Vizag will go through Borra circle then
tyda then S.kota then vizag.
So I took the bus by 9:50 am and reached to Borra circle bus
stand in about an hour.
There will be sharing autos available which will take you to
Borra caves for 30 rs per head you just have to wait for the auto to fill.
Between bus station and borra caves on the way there is a
place called tower point from where another road will take you to KETIKI
(locally pronounced KHATKI) waterfalls.
It takes almost 20 minutes to reach to Borra caves from the
bus stand.
I spent a good 90 minutes at Borra caves which is totally worth.
Its a must visit place in all the seasons.
The structure, the light effect, the ambiance and the crowd
everything here will amaze you. You can get a good scope of photography if you
carry a fast wide angle lens. I was just awestruck there watching lights
changing on cave walls.Exploited my comparatively new lens tokina 11-20mm f2.8 to its limits.
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| Cave Entrance |
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There is a cloak room outside the cave entrance, they charge
10 rs.
For borra cave, 40 rs is entry fee + 100 rs for DSLR and
they charge rs25 if you carry camera mobile phone.
It is not advisable for elderly people to step down into
cave as you have to get down 100s of the steps and will have to step up the
same while returning.
This cave is walkable from borra guhalu railway station if
you are coming in train from Vizag.
Being solo, I didn't get any sharing auto/jeeps, few told
I'll have to wait until one arrives or just go to tower point from there you
can get shared jeeps for borra circle bus stand.
So I decided to skip ketiki water fall as they said there is
very less water and decided to utilize this time to reach Vizag early and visit
at least 1 beach.
I would have walked almost 1 km and then hitchhiked a bolero
for 30rs to drop me to the tower point.
There onwards I hitchhiked a tavera after some time for another
30 rs to bus stand. So by 2 pm I was again at this nice peaceful and serene
Borra circle bus stand.After aprox 30 minutes of wait I got a bus for Vizag which
costed me 57 rs and 2 and a half hours approx.
Reached Vizag by 5 pm, and as soon as I got down I stopped
an auto and asked him to take me to a budget beach facing hotel, now tension to
get a place was transferred to the auto wala :).
He took me to 2 places before I chose to stay in beachview
guest house. So I already roamed around a half part of the marine drive as part of my
room hunt.
This guest house is on same lane where the Novotel hotel is, I paid 1600 rs for one night
stay in AC room.
I request the same auto to be here @ 10 am next day for more
site seeing as I had next train to catch for Sompeta at 1 pm from Vizag Station and I wanted to
exploit each second in roaming around not in conveyance hunt.
After check-in, I ran towards Varun beach with my camera
bag, All I had to do to be at beach is to cross the road. Such a happening
place is this marine drive, clean, full of life, too much and happening crowd,
families, children, drones, fastfood shops, park, playground you just
name it. I just kept on taking pics of my interest, no one to care. I think I’ve
begun to admire this place by now.
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| Marine Drive |
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| Varun Beach Park |
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| RK Beach |
Finally after a long walk and photography session, came back to
guest house.
After a long bath I started walking towards Novotel in
search of food and ended up at Mayuri restaurant.
They don't have thali in dinner and I was super hungry so
ordered chicken curry and 6 fulkas.
There fulkas tasted homely because they used proper wheat flour
not the bleached one (maida).
I thought fulkas size would be small but they were like the
size of parantha but thin, I struggled a lot to finish the food though.
While returning I decided to come back with camera as I
spotted a nice place in middle of the cross road from where I could take some long
exposure traffic light shots.
Had a good sleep, next morning went to beach, walked a mile,
took coffee, came back and checked out by 10, and the auto wala arrived just
about time and you know what, he doesn't keep mobile but smile on his face all
the time.
We reached Kailasagiri early, which starts by 11 so roamed
around the beach road, took some pics, still had time so went to a shoe shop,
bought a sandal as mine was about to break.
Came back to kailasagiri, took entry ticket for 5 rs, waited
to cable car counter to be opened but it was 11:20 and still closed and I had
to catch the train by 1, considering this tight schedule I dropped the plan to
go to the top and returned to railway station where my next train to sompeta,
shalimar-visakhapatnam express 22854 was standing at PF#6.
Had lemon rice on the platform waited for almost 1hr for the
bogie doors to be opened, drunk almost 2 liters of water as this place is too
much humid and this summer will suck all your energy like a black hole.
Reached Sompeta Station (aka kanchili station) around 5 pm.
Either you pay 200+ rs for a private auto or wait for bus at
the road opposite to the station which will take you to Baruva bus stand for
just rs 11.
If you opt for auto rickshaw, just bargain for around 200
and they will take you to Haritha Beach Resort/Beach Restaurant (most of the
auto drivers know it by Beach restaurant).
If you opt for bus, get out of the station, take right, walk
around 300 meters and you will find Sompeta bus stand, ask the drivers/people for
bus to Baruva bus stand.
It takes 30-40 minutes to reach Baruva bus stand by bus,
then just walk another 500 meters ahead towards the destination(navigate
through map or ask people they are very helpful towards strangers).
That 500 meters walk is worth as the road goes through green
fields and coconut trees and in evening these looks even more awesome.
When I reached to Haritha Beach Resort, I realized that this
is the loneliest place/resort I've ever been to. I was the only guest that
night.There is a light house adjacent to the resort adds more
charm to it.
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| This is how Haritha Beach Resort, Baruva looks at night |
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| Haritha Beach Resort, Baruva |
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| View from room |
Whole beach looked like private to the resort, so secluded
and anti-commercialized, actually it a pure local beach with occasional
outsider trespassers like me.
Post freshen up, I rushed to the beach as I didn't wanna
miss the twilight.
While approaching to the beach I smell shit but who cares I
was concentrating on the dusk and the composition.
After taking several shots and complete dark I started
realizing that there are people sitting in groups having their booze party. No
one bothered my presence though.
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| Baruva DUSK |
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| Baruva DUSK |
Returned to the room, again took bath, had dinner and slept
in that super quite place. All I was hearing was waves and birds.
Woke up before dawn, went to the beach again to get some
sunrise pics. Took some pics of fishermen returning from fishing.
The only word of caution for this beach is that it is not a
clean and commercialized beach and you may have to be very careful while
walking on the shore avoiding stepping on poops, If you can neglect that and bear the smell, this beach
is suitable for photographers or the Travelers who are seeking serenity in such secluded places.
Finally again walked to the Baruva bus stand, took the bus
to Sompeta railway station and returned to Hyderabad in Konark Express.
I have no idea what I have achieved by going solo, perhaps I need to do more solo traveling to find this answer. It is addictive I guess...
