Vizag Submarine Drive

It was 15^th November and we were planning for our next trip.

“Goa … Already went there last year,so little off mood for that .”

“Mahabaleshwar… Naaaa.”

“Ooty … Too commercialized.”

“Himachal Pradesh … It will be too cold and roads could be blocked.”

“Vizag and Aaraku … Has everything – beaches, island, hill station, caves, waterfall, beautiful train journey”

The endless discussions went on but finally we settled down for Vizag trip. Luckily everything was available – hotels, trains etc.

2^nd December, 2009

We took an overnight  train to Vizag. We saw many people going there for the same because of a long weekend.

3^rd December 2009

We reached Vizag at 9.30 AM and went to our hotel which was adjacent to the beach. We freshed up and had our breakfast and now we were ready to explore the city.

Since we were staying near to RK beach, we went their first. Played there a lot and taken few snaps. After that we had our lunch.

Our next point was RishiKonda beach which was outer to city around 8 KMs from RK beach (Yes 8 KM is outside the city J ). The only commuting option present is auto rickshaw. There were many resorts present on the way.The crowd at Rishikonda beach consists only of tourist. People were playing beach volleyball, boating and some people were having sun bath and reading books. There was a stretch where water was shallow (not more than 2 feet deep) and it was fun to walk in that.

Next stop was Kailasgiri Park situated above a hill which overlooks the sea. We took a cable car to the top and the view was awesome from there.The whole city lying in the valley between the sea and the hills was visible from there.

 It was a beautiful picnic spot and there was a temple with big sculpture of Shiv-Parvati. It has a huge garden with lots of eating option and there was a toy train which takes people around the Garden. The gush of winds during evening time was great and from the view point, eyeing the vast expanse of sea and land was really good. During evening time, the Sun started changing it’s color, and the sky changed from Blue to Red to Orange and then finally dark. The city then started sparkling and the road around the beach looked like a necklace. Then we came back to our hotel as we have to wake up early next morning.

4^th December 2009

My mobile alarm started crying at 5 AM and we got up early as the train to Aaraku is at 6.30 AM. In this train, seats can’t be reserved early as it’s a passenger train and run on a short gauge. We knew that the journey is of 4 hours, but when we went to the ticket counter and asked for the price, ticket was damn cheap – just 16 Rs. The auto guy who dropped us to the station took more money with respect to the train ticketJ. With some difficulty, we are able to get a window seat. We had the Idly-Wada as our breakfast. Even in this place, everybody was able to understand Hindi.

The train started and when it enters through the forest, the journey became good. There were around 35 tunnels and a dozen bridges we crossed. At Borra caves, most of the people got down, and everybody has enough space to even sleep.

our Hotel in Araku Vally

We reached Aaraku at around 11.30 AM. Aaraku is a hill station and the place consists of tribal people and around 10-12 resorts are there. We didn’t take the APTDC package, as we want few things to be on our own. So we didn’t got any hotel booking. But luckily there was space available. And the hotel was really good with garden and swimming pool and very spacious rooms. And the price here again gave us a shock – he said 1200 for a Suite and 700 for a deluxe room including complementary breakfast.

We freshed up and there were 3 restaurants in the hotel. We took the North Indian one, and had lunch there. After that, hotel guys arranged a tribal dance called “Dhimsa” by the local tribal women. 




They were asking us to join the dance and I was not able to control myself and started dancing with the women. Soon everyone started dancing with them and it was a mix of a urban-rural ladies.

 We also had our hand in archery with a real bow and arrow.

For sightseeing, there are few distant places totaling around 50 KM for a round trip, but the only travel option present is auto rickshaw. First we went to a waterfall, which was disappointing – just a 15 feet narrow stream of water. And Deepak is even able to jump across that stream. Then we went to a tribal museum and then back to hotel. It started becoming colder than Hyderabad. So we asked for more blankets.

5^th December 2009

The day was special as it was my marriage anniversary. And the climate made it awesome. It was very dense fog all around in the hotel garden and the fog was present till 11 AM. After leaving North India, we were seeing such a fog after a long time. It became exactly like a hill station of North India. We had our breakfast and then we checked out from the hotel. We thought that we are leaving Aaraku, but a surprise was waiting for me. My husband booked a tree house in a Wild Life Sanctuary. The room was small but was good and staying in a tree house gave you a very good feeling which can’t be described unless you don’t stay there. We went to Borra caves. The caves house the ancient stalacites and stalagmites formation of rocks and are a visual treat. There are natural Sivalinga formations inside which are being worshipped and the width and height of the caves is amazingly huge. We returned to our tree house after having dinner and we had a bonfire and later dance around that.

6th December 2009

 After having breakfast, we left Aaraku. We used the local buses as the train back is very late. The bus journey is through hilly region and we saw a lot of tribal villages on the way. Then after 2 hours, we came back to a hot climate and then we realized that we are reaching back to Vizag. At 1, we reached railway station and we kept our luggage in stations locker room. Our train was at night and we have full 7 hours to still enjoy the Vizag city.

We went back to RK beach, and our first stop was Kursura Submarine, an actual submarine which is now retired and kept at the beach. It looked like a big black colored whale. We went inside and were amazed to see that everything was kept intact and there was so many machineries inside that and so little space that people barely cross each other. 










The beds inside the submarine are bunk beds and the kitchen is smaller than my cubicle at office. There was a torpedo room from where torpedoes are fired. We were wondering that how people are living in submarines for 6 months.

      




  

At sunset, the beach became very cool so does the sand. There was a local man who was selling some Sea Shells and Conch shells. We bought a few of them and our trip came to an end. Reached back to the railway station to Say bye bye to Vishakhapatnam.

7^th December 2010

We reached to Hyderabad and we have to go to the office on the same day. But this trip has already recharged our battery for a long time. The trip was so amazing and so worth of money that I would suggest everyone to atleast go to Vizag once.

Shimla Voyage

Deciding the place: Perhaps the most difficult part of organizing a holiday is deciding on the destination and the dates. And just how much so, we learnt this summer when me and my husband was raring to go - somewhere, anywhere, away from the scorching heat, away from the grilling schedules. It took a number of "healthy discussions" after which we decided to go to Shimla in April. We wanted to go to the cooler climates and that suits the best.

From Bangalore to Delhi: We took an afternoon flight from Bangalore to Delhi. When we landed in Delhi, the flight attendant announced the outside temperature as 42 degree and we thought that she might be joking. But as soon as we came out of the flight, it was like we came into a Micro wave oven .

From Kalka to Shimla: We reached Kalka from Delhi by the Delhi-Kalka mail, which is an excellent train, in terms of comfort as well as promptness. Then our most eminently memorable & enjoyable trip started from Kalka. We reached Kalka quite early in the morning, and boarded the Shivalik Express, known as TOY TRAIN, which is a continuation of Kalka Mail, and will take us to Shimla. This was an unforgettable journey. The train went all the way through a narrow path amidst the mountain and the sight of all the natural, unscathed greenery is simply breath-taking. We were served tea & complimentary breakfast in the train & it was delightful sipping a cuppa while simultaneously delighting in the beauty of nature. If you reside in a concrete jungle, and all of a sudden you come across nature in all her glorious beauty, I am sure you would be equally amazed.

Hotel: We reached Shimla at 12.30 pm, where we headed for the Hotel Willow Bank, which is a 4 start hotel. Every hotel in Shimla has two sided rooms – valley facing room and road facing room. We took valley facing room which gives a panoramic view of the city and valley, though slightly costlier. We freshened up and ordered the food which was delicious and cheaper compares to the restaurants in Bangalore.

Evening: We thoughtfully chose the hotel at Mall Road, as this is the best place in Shimla to hang around on your own. The Mall Road, as the name suggests is lined with varied shops, to suit diverse budgets. There are rows of handloom shops, shops selling local attire, Sarees, shawls etc. There were Barista, Pizza outlets and to suit the diverse palate, you can opt for your choiceamidst Sagar Ratna, Subway and of course, there are numerous HPTDC Restaurants. We did some shopping and ate in a fast food restaurant. Then we returned to our hotel as we were too tired and also on next day we have to start early.

Kufri and Naldehra Trip: From Shimla, we left early in the morning for Kufri using a taxi. Then we came to know about how the cities are in Himachal Pradesh. The idea of a “city” here is totally different from our concept. Again, totally steep and curvy roads, the houses and buildings set into the hillsides. On one side, you have the hill and on the other side is a railing, followed by sheer drops. There are frequent “gaps” in the railings which are pre-cursors to “cross-roads” (which are nothing more than a fork in the road) or steps. People usually walk or drive two wheelers as the road is just sufficient to allow two 4 wheelers to cross. We Bangaloreans should take a leaf out of Shimlaites’ books.

Another observation about Shimla is its “parking” facilities. Only the privileged few have "terrace parking" – as the road is always at the level of the house roof (which is difficult to explain unless you don’t see it). After few KMs outside the city, driver stopped the car where many people are taking photos. There were some vendors who are renting local dress of himachal Pradesh and take photo in these dresses.

Journey through the horse: We then covered the rest of our journey and reached a particular spot by car, after which the driver told us to cover the rest of the terrain on horseback. Now, I must admit this is the first time in my life that I have to travel using a horse, and I must confess they look quite extraordinary. The journey along a mud-spattered path was seemed to be monotonous, but suddenly it started drizzling and the rains in Mountains are totally different from what we have in cities. After an hour, rain stopped but the mud path became very slippery and every where there is fog and greenery.

At Kufri: Atop Kufri, my husband and I got our snaps clicked by the local photographer. Even if you go there with your own digital camera, see to it that you get your snaps clicked by the local photographers, wearing the local attire. It is a memorable experience. There was a telescope, and through it, we were able to view Badrinath, the local Oberoi Hotel, The China Border as well as Vaisno Devi Temple which has been constructed by the local residents. There is no restaurant there and the only good option we got is Maggi. We went to a resort in Kufri. There was not much to see there, except that it has the go-kart track which is the highest altitude go-kart track above sea level in India. We got some nice picture in that resort. During our return, we saw many people clicking picture atop a Yak. To top it all, you can get your picture clicked as a pair, atop two separate yaks, with a gun and wearing a hat. Keep in mind though that in the process, you will end up looking like cow boys, and people are definitely going to laugh, when you are on the yak.

Towards Naldehra: After refueling, we headed for Naldahera. Here again, we had to cover the terrain on horseback, though after reaching there, we realized that journey is not so difficult that it require horse for a young couple. At Naldahera, there was a scenic shooting spot with many hindi movies shot there. It’s a valley and the sun light is very pleasant here. We then left back for our hotel as our driver was aged and we had a doubt that he can take us back safely in evening time. Driver dropped at hotel and we went back to Mall Road for dinner. On return we purchased a pack of fresh cherries as they are cheaper here.

Local Sightseeing: On third day, we thought of seeing the other not so famous spots in Shimla. We went to Jhakoo temple which gives the view of the whole cityand it’s Lord Hanuman temple. Then we went to Kali temple and Kamna devi temple. During lunch time we went toPresident house. It was made by British and it’s the Summer capital for president even after British rule. There were many things kept there which are of great historical value. But the best was the table where India – Pakistan partition documents were made and signed. We then went to the local zoo which is was very small and people can safely skip that.

Adieu Shimla: Early morning on 4th day, we took the bus from Shimla to Delhi. We had a great time in Shimla and we don’t want to leave the place. But we can’t stay there for ever. Bus was a nice volvo bus which was showing hindi movies. Conductor gave us vomiting bags which we didn’t understand at first. Then after 2 hours of ride, most of the people are stuck with hill sickness and now we know what was the reason. After crossing himachal pradesh, the temperature outside started showing us that it’s a summer time.

Thailand - A land of smiles

Thailand is called the Land of Smiles because the Thais really do “smiles” , yim in Thai means thirteen smiles which represents expressing your inner world. They're like the Eskimos with all their different terms for snow .

About – I was in pursuit of happiness, that can only be fulfill by an adventurous, refreshing, wonder journey with my love. Planning is always be the first step to move forward, but this time it starts exactly six months before the journey with obstacles as office work and our new home setup, but as always, long Patience ends with Sweet memories.

Thailand -Thailand is a unique country having Full of adventures, trills, massages, loving smiles, pubs, lights and beaches. I made my first trip to Thailand and instantly fell in love with the country and it’s people who always admire you with their smile and Swadika, a warm welcome of Thai people. I think I must say that Thai tourism is owned by sweet Thai girls. Wherevar you go, you can see girls, form hotel reception to tour guide. Their main source of income is tourism, so you can feel like this is the lovely place in earth with lovely people. I guess any time half of the Thai population consists of tourists. And you can always see Indian honeymoon couples are in majority.

From Bangkok airport we took a Volvo bus for Pattaya, it took one and half hours for us to reach at Pattaya hotel.

Pattya City -

Coral Island Pattaya - Full of crystal clear water which is clearer than swimming pools.

We enjoyed jet sky, scuba diving, parcelling and played football with hands in sea water All were too exciting , thrilling and full of fun.

Scuba Diving had awesome experience, I feed fishes, that too while walking on under sea bed. Thanks to my swimming class at all these fun were not much scary.

Alcazar Cabaret– My hubby planned for this before flying for Thailand and it was awesome. Show was full of fashionable and traditional costumes with extraordinary screen set. They have all countries dance in the list. It's a must go thing for holiday at Thailand.

Fish Spa and Thai Massages- It was always be too relaxing when taking massage just beside the swimming pool and if the foot Spa is given by small fishes, nothing better than this.

At first, it was little scary but as time goes, it’s wonderful and Thai oil massage was amazing. If I compare Indian massages and body spa, Thai massage have best experience, their hand movement and stroke on your body really release pain.

Thai Food at Pattaya – Beaches always gives you great option of sea food. You can enjoy every thinkable option in Pattaya. Thai foods have its own kind of aromatic flavour with Thai basil. It strives to balance fundamental flavours -hot, sour, sweet, salty and bitter. We enjoyed the famous Thai Tom Yom soup. Thai sea foods are very cheap and everywhere even at road side shops also you can get lots of option, the only thing if you love sea food.

For veggies it could be difficult to get proper veg food as everything from cup noodles to KFC veg burger comes with some non-veg toppings, also if you are chicken core non veggie you can also find some difficulties to get it. Some Indian restaurants are there to delight you with Indian food.

Hotels in Pattaya – Any beach spot you go, best hotels would be just near the beach and main road, where you can enjoy at beach any time and also get shops and mall near to your hotel.

We stayed at A-One Royal cruise. http://www.a-onehotel.com/pattaya/ Best part is that hotel is on middle of beach road and we can enjoy beach any time we want. Thai massage parlour, Hard Rock café and the famous Alcazar show located at same beach road at Pattaya.

Bangkok city – We stayed at hotel The Peninsula Bangkok. Most admirable thing about this hotel is it’s beside the river and has a royal cuisine with awesome lunch and dinner buffet.

The Buddhist temples of Bangkok -Thailand are actually very beautiful and interesting. The predominant religion of Thailand is Buddhism and one will find many temples or Wats that bear the reflections of this religion. Thai people usually offer prayers to Buddha, so almost all famous temple have Buddha statues inside. But shockingly, you can also find Ganesha, Shiv-Parvati and Vishnu temple. We visited these Buddhist temples of Bangkok -

The Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn - It is a well-known Buddhist temple of Bangkok, Thailand and it is situated on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River. It was built in the 17th Century and has attractive prangs that are a type of a pagoda. These are adorned with millions of pieces of Chinese porcelain.

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Wat Pho, the Wat Phra Chetuphon, and Temple of Reclining Buddha - This is among the famous Buddhist temples in Bangkok, Thailand. It is located at the Chetuphon Road. It is the largest and most ancient one of its kind with 95 pagodas, which is the highest in Bangkok. The gigantic Reclining Buddha statue, 15 meters tall and 46 meters long, is an attraction of the temple. This is also the original Thai Open University offering courses in literature, astrology, archaeology and medicine. At present it is known internationally for the Thai Traditional Massage School. The school offers knowledge in general Thai massage, foot massage and therapeutic and healing massage and offers a wide variety of massage treatments as well.

Wat Traimit, Temple of the Gold Buddha - It is among the most recognizable Buddhist temples in Bangkok, Thailand. The most amazing feature of this temple is the fact that the 3 meter tall Buddha image is made up of 5.5 tons of solid gold.

Wat Suthat - It offers a fine blend of Chinese and Thai art, something that was in vogue when King Rama III ruled. The major attraction is big cast bronze statue of Buddha that was built in the 14th century.

Chatuchak Weekend Market - is still pretty much the undisputed king of all other markets in Bangkok. The scale of it is pretty unbelievable - it covers an area of 35 acres, contains more than 15 000 shops and stalls. The range of products on sale is extensive, and includes household accessories, handicrafts, home decoration items, night lamps, art, antiques, books, music, clothes, food, plants and flowers etc... We did almost 80 per cent of our shopping form this market.

At Chatuchak, prices are generally substantially cheaper than the shopping centres, if you use your bargaining power here. The best way to get here is on the Skytrain, Mo Chit station is only about five minutes’ walk away from the market. Finding your way from the station is easy - just follow the large crowd of people that will also be heading to/from there.

We purchased shoes, earrings, belt ,key rings of Angel, demon and guitar buddy, night lamps and night lamp series, cap, plant decoration item (small birds pin can decorated you flower pot), stickers for cloths, all items are too good.

Siam Center and Siam Ocean world (largest aquarium in Southeast Asia) –

The 10000 square metre world class aquarium occupying two levels of Siam Paragon, Bangkok’s has the capacity to hold more than 4 million litres of water (equivalent to 3 Olympic swimming pools) .It showcases more than 30,000 marine animals and as many as 400 aquatic species. I enjoyed movements

of Seals,

Blue Ringed Octopus, Ragged-tooth sharks, Stingrays, Leafy Sea Dragons, Giant Spider Crabs and others.

After scuba diving at Pattaya, again I felt like I am inside the ocean surrounded by these underwater miracle spices.

Chinese New Year: The Year of the Rabbit

Red lanterns are hanging throughout Pattaya and the Thai’s are stoking their grills and makeshift flower pots burning gifts of red envelopes, decorated golden boxes and trinkets to send to their departed loved ones in the afterlife. Dragon dances and fireworks are also on the menu for the next few days which will always make for some fun.