Vizag - Araku Valley - Tyda- Part I

This is my first post on this blog so I will began with my most recent trip (in April 08) to Vishakhapatanam (Vizag), the serene coastal town of Andhra Pradesh in India. Later, I intend to write about my other trips undertaken some time back.

The trip to Vishakhapatanam happened by chance, as one of my colleagues' was getting married. We boarded the direct train from Hyderabad (Godavri Express, train no 2728) to Vishakhapatnam but got down at Duvvada, which is one station before Vishakhapatnam mainly because my friend had got us a booking in the guest house of Hindustan Zinc quarters where his family stays. Vizag is 15 -20 mins by road from Duvvada.

After the marriage got over on friday morning we went down to explore Vizag. I must say it's an amazing city. Its coastline is one of the best I have seen and I have seen quite a few coastal towns. The city is very neat and clean and people are very friendly (which generally Andhra people are).

RishiKonda Beach

First we went from Duvvada to Rishikonda beach (about 30 kms) and then to Ramakrishna (RK) beach. The road to Rishikonda beach is as beautiful as it gets. In fact there is an APTDC resort very close to Rishikonda beach and one can stay there in as low as Rs 1200 ($30) per night for an A/c room if you book well in advance (http://www.tourisminap.com/). The resort is on a small hill on the Rishikonda beach and view excellent.

At the beach you can go swimming or boating. But remember the last boat hire is till 6:00 PM only. There are lots of temporary beach shacks which provide water, cold drinks and packaged food like chips. You can get roasted corn in the season and of course icecreams but do not expect any other food items. Waiting for the sunset at the beach is worthwhile. It's a beautiful sunset. Here's a pic of the Rishikonda beach at sunset:

RK Beach

The all famous 'beach road' of Vizag is along the RK beach. It looks like the marine drive of Mumbai but is actually much better in terms of activities and general cleanliness. The government has developed the whole area along the beach quite well. In the evenings you can see a lot of people at the beach some walking or jogging and others for an outing with families. On weekends it looks as if whole of Vizag comes to the RK beach to celebrate the sea. There is a very famous temple at the beach.
There is an acquarium as well which children might enjoy. The ticket for acquarium is a nominal Rs 20 (adult) and Rs 10 (children). The acquarium is small and if you have nothing else to do, you might as well take a look. It will not take more than 10-15 mins. But the true fun at RK beach is to walk around, go in a group, chat, gossip, eat and swim if you want to. There is a nice restaurant by the name "Windy's". It has a lot on it's menu and is quite cheap. Caution: If you are in a hurry, this is not the place for you as the service is very slow. Here's a pic of RK beach:

Submarine Museum - At RK beach

The best part of RK beach though is the submarine - INS Kursura kept by the Indian Navy as a museum. The tickets are nominal - Rs 25 (adult) per head. There is an extra charge for Camera (Rs 20) and Video Camera (Rs 50). The submarine is a must see. Its the first submarine museum in South East Asia and it is awesome. You get to know the tough life which our Navy has to undergo while protecting our seas. A pic of the submarine:
Vuda Park

The Vuda Park is also on the beach road and is a fabulous place to spend some quality time with friends and family. With a musical fountain, boating facility and a skating ring it's a place for one and all.

Kailasagiri Park

Kailasagiri has been developed as a lush green park on a hill outside Vizag. You can see a white colored lord Shiva statue from some distance which is symbolic of the park. This can take 2-4 hrs depending upon how much you stay put at the park. Its a perfect place to have a picnic with family and friends.

In part II of this post I will cover Araku valley and Tyda experience and pics. Wait for that... :)