This beutiful view is from the aerocon cottage of Tyada Jungle Bell Resort - an eco-tourism effort from APTDC. I made a weekend trip to tyada on the last weekend. Lets start from beginning.
After leaving Hyderabad to go do a project in Mumbai, it was always on top of my mind that I hadnt seen enough of AP. Eco-tourism (basically roaming the jungles) being top on my list, I was determined to check out APTDC's eco-tourism projects in Arku/Tyada. I was actually hoping of some participation from friends also on this trip. But they ditched big time. Anyway...scores shall soon be settled. As it was destined to be, I embarked on this journey...
"Ekla chalo re" . Tyada is approx. 80 kms from Vizag. So i took this amazing semi sleeper volvo of kaleshwari Travels from Hyderabad. Trust me guys...this is the best bus I have ever travelled on...EVER & remember I travel quite a number-o-times. it has sufficient leg space for a 6 footer. The seats recline enough for a comfortable sleep and it is not expensive at all (Rs.650 Hyd-Viz). Then I caught APTDC bus from Vizag to Tyada which left Vizag at 7 in the morning.. After Travelling for another 3 hours, I was at my destination. Having previously been to Galibore near Bangalore, I had high expectations from Tyada as well. But it wasn't as good.
The first and foremost thing that I was looking for in the trip was adventure and the secludedness of the place. However, Tyada isnt exactly that. It is well linked by road and rail to Vizag. So getting there at least wasnt much of an adventure. But if you have been in hyderabad the place will surely mesmerize you.
Having reached there at about 10.30 in the morning, I freshened up and read a bit till 12.30 in the afternoon. Then went for some pet puja at the resort's restaurant, The restaurant was another big disappointment. It had the most unintersting menu i have ever seen. All the ususal fried rices and haka noodles of the world. After a bit of afternoon ciesta (4 hours hehehe), his excellency decided to grace the performance of dhimsa dance at the resort at 7 o'clock in the evening. This is supposedly a tribal dance form. However,it appeared to me as a pretty monotonous and a very proffessionaly carried out coreography. The dancers hailed in the name of "maninger garu". I didnt exactly get the point why they were doing that till I came to know they would say "xxxgaru ki jai" for whoever tipped them.
After a drabbing dance performance, i had a light dinner and decided to return to the cottage. Next morning, there would be a wake up call at 5.30 for a brief walk in the hills (marketed as bird watching by the resort). It is surprising how time comes to a standstill or may be moves at the snail's pace when there is no TV and when there is no one with you. I read for quite some time (Marker - Robin Cook) for quite some time, and when I thought it must be well passed mid night, it was just 10.30 at night. Bored, I slept at around 12.30.
Next morning's bird watching was a turn-down to the core. We were a groop of 9 people - 6 foreign (1 spannish, 3 germans, 1 brazillianand 1..??), 2 bengolis and 1 me. The guide was a telugu dude. He couldnt speak a word of hindi and noded yes for anything. He knew selective phrases in english viz. Birds (prononced as bards), tribals and campfire.
Tyada didnt interest me enough to keep me there through the day. So when I learnt that Borra caves were somewhere cloose by, I set out in the search...
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