WANDERLUST!

As soon as we had booked our tickets for Vizag, on 2^nd December, 2010, a certain wanderlust gripped me. I did some perfunctory research and decided to book an Andhra Pradesh Tourism package for a trip to Araku Hill-station for Sunday.

The Kirandul passenger train is the best way to travel to Araku valley. This train line is built specially to bring iron ore to Visakhapatnam from the mineral reserves of Bailadilla mines in Chattisgad state. This is a broad gauge line, passing through Shimiliguda station which is the highest broad gauge station in India at 996.32 mt above sea level.

We had to report at the railway station at 5.30 am. It is another matter that the AP Tourism staff forgot to tell us that their counter opened only at 6 am, the guide who was to take us would arrive at 6.30 am and the  train would depart at 7 am.

Our guide called Araku valley ‘the Ooty of Andhra Pradesh’. It is a hill station located 120 km from Visakhapatnam on the Eastern Ghats. It is a beautiful, lush green valley with hill sides covered with tall green trees. There are water falls and streams flowing by. The journey to Araku Valley is most exciting by train as it takes us through 32 tunnels, short and long, through deep mountains and across open bridges.

In his enthusiasm, the guide told us that we would cross 52 tunnels. After an hour of travelling, came the first of the tunnels. And repeatedly, one after the other, our excitement only heightened, and the exaggerated number only added to our thrill.

The longest tunnel is about a kilometer long. We were told not to get up from our seats and never to alight from the train as we would be stranded, the next train plying only the next day. It proved to be a good safety advice. On our return, we learnt of the fact that we had been crossing a naxalite infested area and of course the guide had cleverly kept us all in our seats!  Thank god for that! Else we might not have boarded the train and that would have been sad, for Araku is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited in India. The four hour ride was fascinating.

At Araku, we boarded the bus, which was to take us on our second leg of the tour. Our first stop was the Padma Rao Gardens. The tribal welfare department operates a Horticulture nursery cum training center there. It was beautiful, though not extraordinary. There was a toy train but we had no time to enjoy the ride.

There began a slight drizzle and the cool and wet day seemed ideal for our trip. It was lunch time at the AP tourism guest house. Post lunch, we warmed up to a tribal dance called “Dhimsa” and enthusiastic tourists joined the local tribal women!

Our next stop was the Tribal Habitat Museum. At the entrance, one could wield a bow and arrow for a small fee. The rest of the museum on tribal heritage, living and culture was cramped and dark and we were unable to admire the exhibits.

Being special tourists, we did not have to pay an entrance fee and were ushered in through the exit door. It was chaos and confusion galore!

But there was steaming hot coffee waiting to be tasted. Opposite the museum, was a coffee kiosk where we could sip special Araku filter coffee. We purchased a packet of Araku coffee and the taste was a delight.

The next stop was photo point - GaliKonda, the highest point of Araku.

The last on our itinerary was the Borra caves. Unfortunately, we were unable to view the place as we had to descend about 200 steps and also climb them up, which appeared daunting. Our bus stopped a mile away as private vehicles had parked and blocked our road.  We heard that these ancient caves house the ancient stalactites and stalagmites formation of rocks and are a visual treat. We had seen such a wonderland recently, the Luray caverns in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Hence we were not at all sorry to have missed the caves. Three hours later, we reached Vizag, to our guest house and a good night’s sleep.

All through the years, we had travelled with a purpose, rarely for pleasure. But all that changed, during our first visit abroad. The travel spark had been ignited in our younger daughter and her tales of travel mesmerized us. We were delighted with the sights and sounds of London and some of the most beautiful places on Earth took our breath away! Edinburgh, Scotland, The Lake districts, Oxford, Stratford- on- Avon, the Cotswold, Bath,  Stonehenge, Canterbury, Horsham….and surely we had caught the travel bug. Our  trip to Washington DC added to our travel madness and every week end, we would go on day trips - to Annapolis, Baltimore, Virginia, Ocean City, Ogunquit and a myriad other experiences in Boston and New York. But of course, we were miles away, in a different continent, a different culture, where tourism contributes immensely to the economy. In the UK, tourism adds 76 billion pounds to the economy and in the US, the tourism industry is one of the largest employers.

In India, tourism is a state subject with rampant red tapism. Barely 10 % of tourism resources have been tapped. This reality hit us, hard and strong during our visit to Vizag. The dirty compartments, the unethical activities, the filthy platform, the broken-down buses, the don't- care attitude of staff, and even some of the tourists who believe that loud and drunken behavior is their birth right. Alas! My affair with travelling was short lived! It had just been an infatuation!