I had been to Vizag last month. Just for two days. One day I spent with my family. The other day, my friend took me out. It struck me odd to find hills all around a bustling city, after 4 years of stay in Bangalore. This was in spite of all the years I spent growing up in Vizag. Funny, how your own home becomes a foreign place to you. The place is as good as I left it. Roads are at least better than Bangalore. There are some new places worthy of a visit since I had left four years back. The port town is interesting as are the three shrines of different religions together, each on its own hill adjoining the other two at the entrance of the harbour. The beach road has some great spots, parks, plazas and stuff with interesting statues, sculptures and designs. The submarine museum is awesome. Too bad, I could not visit it as it opens only at 4.00 p.m. But standing by this sheer fighting fish is an experience itself.
The best part of the day was the long drive along the sea to Bhimili. The long coastline has its own romance here. Starting from the outer harbour and leading to Bhimli, one of the longest beach roads in India is a treat to drivers and bikers. The twenty two-kilometer ride is simply fantastic. Bhimli plays host to the relics of the ancient Dutch settlement and a great beach. En route Bhimli, you could cover a number of other attractions. My friend had brought his old and trusted Yamaha RX 100. The drive took an hour on the road, detours and stops excluded. There are a few roadside eateries often in shacks. There is the Kartikavanam, a multi-cuisine restaurant right on the beach looking like a cross between a dhaba and a resort.
We enjoyed a long road sandwiched between the sea and casuarina woods on one side and hills and thick vegetation on the other. Small villages, essentially inhabited by fishermen added an ethnic touch. The sea played hide-and-seek with us every now and then. But it accompanied us all the way to Bhimli. We stopped many places en-route and enjoyed the greenery and the untouched golden sands of the beach. We walked along the beach discovering our own secret spots. At Erramattidibbalu, (Sounds corny? It simply means Red Earth Dunes) we saw red dunes of earth rich in coastal alluvium along the seaside, resembling a miniature Grand Canyon. It is a popular movie location too. We halted at the Rishikonda beach beside the GITAM College. There were some pretty cottages facing the sea on a hillside here.
The road curves in and out, up and down. It goes up around hills to give you a stunning view of the sea and then goes down to deliver you at some beach. Bavikonda lies at a distance of 16 km. away from Vizag along the beach road leading to Bhimli. Nearby is Tatlakonda near the Mangamaripeta village. These are the sites of some ancient stupas, viharas and other constructions dating back to 3rd BC I felt like in another age, serene and unmindful of all the progress of time.
Once at Bhimli, we were transported into a town where the time had stopped. This small town, the oldest municipality in India after Surat seems to take the epithet seriously. It looks like a small town of the colonial past. Amidst the bougainvillea bushes, you will find a number of cottages, which have made it a haven for the retired folk. But there is a lot more to this tiny town. It even has a central clock tower. There are some Dutch ruins that make this place so romantic. An old synagogue, a Dutch inheritance, still exists. Having enjoyed some water sports for a brief time at the local resort, we came back the same way.
A few words cannot justify the pleasure of this trip. You got to do it yourself. When you go, take a loaded camera.
We returned to Vizag and visited the Kailsh Giri Park. Now that was another treat. This park lies on a hill, adjoining the sea and is approachable on two sides. We took the side on the Bhimili road. It offers an unmatched picture of the sea; the city and the suburbs form a vantage. It is difficult to tear away from this place. The hill juts into the sea and rarely one gets to sit atop a hill and watch the sea. The waves look like moving in slow motion and you can hear the faint sounds of the surf. The rough sea looks graceful in a rich hue of blue skirted by pure white surf along the beach. There was a nice breeze that soothed your body of all the sultriness. And there are some terrific viewpoints all over the hill to watch the city, the sea and the hills on each side. It would remain in my memories for a long time.
Mark my words, if you got a friend in Vizag, pile on him and get a value-for-money vacation in the bargain.