[Neversaygbye]

As the last two weeks of 2021 rolled by, the workload in office eased off and a quick chat with my manager got me four days of leave just before Christmas. Since it was still just the 6 days including the weekend, the options were limited. My better half and I toyed with the idea of a quick trip to the hills of North Bengal/Sikkim but we had too many days in hand and it was also a case of been there/done that.

So we looked at other alternatives and Vishakhapatnam or Vizag came up as one of the options. Now, I had been to Vizag on work for a couple of days about ten years back but had not really had a chance to go around the city on that trip. Whatever little I had seen of Vizag, I had really liked and had always planned to go back one day. My better half had not been there either and she was quite gung ho about this destination the moment I suggested it. And thus Vizag was finalized as our holiday destination.

Since we had 6 days in hand, we decided that we would do this as a driving trip rather than take the conventional modes of transport, i.e. air or rail. There were three reasons for this. First was Covid - we wanted to minimize our dependence on public transport and the resultant exposure. Plus we had plans of going to Araku/Borra caves and do local sightseeing for which we would need to hire a cab anyway (train tickets to Araku were not available at such short notice). Also, from our previous road trips, we had come to appreciate the flexibility that a well planned road trip provides.

At this point, I would like to digress a bit and talk about the car, which in this case is an Indica Vista Quadrajet VX diesel in the 90 BHP VGT avatar with ABS but without airbags, purchased in June 2013. It has been a constant companion over the last 8 and a half years, is extremely reliable and cheap to run and maintain and has been my ride on multiple road trips across thousands of kilometres. Even after 8 and a half years it runs as smoothly as it did when it was new. The car is solidly built, has a rear bench that accommodates three easily, has lumbar support for the driver and very comfortable seats with more than adequate under thigh support, along with great handling and high speed stability. It is also powerful yet frugal and really shines on highway drives thanks to the 200nm torque on offer.

Now that the bit about the car is out of the way, let me go back to the trip.

We decided to try an experiment. Google maps was showing the distance between Calcutta and Vizag as about 900 kms with a journey time of 16 to 22 hours. So the better thing to do would have been to split the journey and do it over two days. This would obviously mean that we would have had fewer days in Vizag with 4 days just going in driving, and this did not seem like a great option. So we took a call that we would try to reach Vizag within a day. For that we would start really early on late Friday night or early Saturday morning and take it from there. We would base ourselves in Vizag for 4 nights and go to other places from there. On the return leg we would break the journey and stay one night at Bhubaneshwar. In any case this itinerary would give us 3 clear days in Vizag, which we felt was good enough to see all there was to see.

However, for this plan to work, we would need to reach Vizag in the minimum possible time, and we were in no way confident that we would be able to do that. One of our friends who had recently driven down to Calcutta from Bangalore mentioned that the stretch of highway running through Odisha was really bad with lots of diversions and we should be prepared for congestion and delays. So just to hedge our bets, I made a separate cancellable booking for the first day. Since 2 pm was the cancellation time, that would give us adequate time to change our plan if we saw that we were nowhere close to reaching Vizag even after 10 or 11 hours of driving.

So with that safety net and with a lot of optimism, we started our journey early in the morning of 18th December. In any case, the route was quite straightforward - we just took the erstwhile NH6 (which is now NH16) that goes from Calcutta to Chennai.



Day 1: Saturday 18th December 2021

The target was to leave after getting at least 5 hours of sleep, considering the long drive of 900 kms ahead. So we went to bed early at about 9 pm on Friday night and got up with enough time in hand to get out of the house by 3 am. However, cleaning the car and checking that we did not leave anything behind meant that we could only leave by about 3:30 am, with the Odo reading 85305 kms.




We made pretty good progress as luckily the roads were devoid of traffic and in just about an hour's time reached Kolaghat, which is some 70 odd kms from Calcutta and has many dhabas and roadside eateries, and usually takes close to two hours to reach. One of the roadside eateries had just opened, and we stopped for a quick cup of tea and also stocked up on chewing gum. I have found that chewing gum helps me stay alert on long drives.




We did pretty good time till Jaleshwar (covered 200 kms in less than 3 hours) but after Belda the roads took a turn for the worse. Not only were there numerous diversions, but even where the road was fairly good, the bridges had horrible craters wherever the bitumen layer had worn off. Unfortunately I just have the one pic of this stretch as I was too busy navigating it, but most of the road from Belda to Cuttack is bad plus the speed limit in Odisha is also 80 kmph (and in some places 75 and even 50) even on the NH.




This slowed down our progress and we also took a short break for breakfast. We eventually crossed Bhubaneshwar at about 11 am and decided to carry on till the OTDC Panthaniwas in Rambha where we would have a stopover for lunch. We duly reached Rambha at 1:29 pm just when we were feeling hungry.




The OTDC property in Rambha is quite a large property, but not particularly well maintained. Service was also a bit tardy.




The strange thing is that while most government resorts are usually in the best possible location, this property was actually not that close to Chilka lake. Or is it that the lake has receded? This is the view of Chilka lake from the boundary wall of the property.




After having a pretty ordinary lunch, we were on our way again and decided to take things slow as the stretch from Gopalpur to Brahmapur had numerous 50 kmph speed limit signs plus these cameras on high masts. Are these speed cams? I didn't try to find out the hard way. But they were a dime a dozen plus there were also cameras on the median.



A little after Brahmapur, we entered Andhra Pradesh. The roads had improved quite a bit after Bhubaneshwar, except for the odd diversion, but the roads in Andhra Pradesh were completely in a league of their own. Butter smooth surface with very little traffic and we quickly made up for the time lost in Odisha. The sun was setting while we were still about two hours away from Vizag.




We finally reached our hotel in Vizag after covering 911.4 kms in a little less than 16 hours including two breaks adding upto a total of two hours.




Our hotel the Bay View was right on R K Beach and the promenade. It had ample covered parking, rooms were great and so was the food, but service was atrocious. There was no bell hop available and after a 16 hour drive, we had to carry our luggage to our rooms by ourselves. The hot water took an eternity to come (you have to leave the tap open and waste water till the time it comes), housekeeping forgot to clean the room or even the cups, room service forgot to send plates and cutlery with the food, and on day 1 we got two 1 litre bottles of water which were promptly downgraded to 500 ml bottles from day two. The complimentary breakfast was great but for some reason they were loathe to give the salt and pepper cruets on the table. Despite all these shortcomings, I would still recommend this hotel simply because of the location. Just be prepared to make multiple calls to housekeeping and room service to make things happen.




The hotel is situated in a happening place on the Beach Road, and an unexpected bonus was that the state boxing championship was happening just opposite our hotel and it really gave a festive flavour to our stay.




There were also numerous street food options available. These looked like permanent stalls and not temporary ones put up only for the championship.



After spending some time on the promenade, we ordered food in our room and called it a day.

Day 2: Museums, Kailasgiri, Thotlakonda and Rushikonda

After a hearty breakfast, we walked to two of the unique museums of Vizag. They were hardly a five minute walk from our hotel. On the way we passed the monument dedicated to victory at sea in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The Eastern Naval Command in Vizag had played a major role in that victory.





The INS Kursura was one of the first submarines of the Indian Navy which was purchased from the erstwhile Soviet Union back in the '60s. It was later decommissioned and converted into a museum that is one of its kind in India.




The Torpedo tubes form a part of the most potent offensive equipment on the sub. The last two tubes also double as escape hatches.




The entire length and breadth of the sub is full of equipment and it is really astonishing how ingenious humans are, to design something this complex. It is also a testament to the training of the 75 member strong crew that they could run something this complex for upto 60 days at a time.




Apart from the very difficult job of running and maintaining the sub, the crew also had to deal with extremely cramped quarters plus a total ban on bathing due to the limited fresh water availability. There was also the very real possibility of tripping or banging their head if they were not careful. A sub is a study in hardship, I realized.




Right opposite the submarine museum is the TU-142 aircraft museum which features a decommissioned Tupolev 142 aircraft.




The Tu-142 is one of the fastest turboprop planes anywhere and this particular model could be used in both defensive and offensive roles.




There was even provision for a gunner at the rear of the aircraft.




From the TU-142 museum we decided to drive down to Kailasgiri which is on the way to Rushikonda and has a nice park on a hilltop and a ropeway with excellent views of the bay.




The view of the bay from the ropeway. Unfortunately, it wasn't a very clear day. Also, there was a huge line at the ropeway and most people were not wearing masks.




Kailasgiri is a nice place for a picnic with excellent views all around. It also has a nice statue garden.




By the time we finished our Kailasgiri visit, it was already past 2 pm, and we quickly made our way to Sea Inn - Raju ka Dhaba which is one of the most highly rated joints in Vizag and came highly recommended by BHPian Abhi_1512. Even at 2:30 pm it was absolutely choc-a-bloc




While Raju ka dhaba is known for its sea food, we were almost totally out of luck. The only things that were available were chicken biryani and fish fry. The biryani was pretty much standard but the fish fry was excellent. Looks like this is one place that I will have to go back to, to do justice.




BHPian TurboNath had suggested that we visit Thotlakonda and Bheemili and while we did not get the time to visit Bheemili as it was almost 4 pm by the time we finished lunch, we did get the time to go to Thotlakonda, which has the ruins of a 2000 year old Buddhist monastery on a hilltop.




Many of the ancient structures have been restored by the AP government (and not ASI, surprisingly!) and the entire layout is great for understanding how monks used to design their monasteries 2 millennia ago.




Not very far from Thotlakonda is Rushikonda beach, which is a nice lagoon and was packed to the brim with people when we reached in the evening.




We spent some time at Rushikonda beach and then made our way back to the hotel. The drive from Rushikonda beach is quite nice with the sea on one side and the hills on the other side.

[Neversaygbye]

Day 3: Trip to Borra Caves and Araku Valley

Borra Caves are one of the most impressive cave systems in the world and are at a distance of about 100 kms from Vizag. It is on the way to Araku valley. The best way to see the caves as a day trip is by taking the train that leaves Vizag at 6:45 am. The caves are also easily accessible by road. However, the road surface quality wasn't very good plus the last section was ghat roads, so even though we left at 8:30 am, we reached only after 12 noon, and barely beat the rush of people coming by train.







This narrow aperture led to humongous cavern




Some of the shapes made by the stalactites and stalagmites were really interesting. Mood lighting added to their eerie look.




There was also this vendor selling an interesting type of halwa. We were not sure whether we should try it but a local gentleman who was walking next to us understood our dilemma and heartily recommended it so we decided to try it after all.




It's a bit like Sonn Halwa but quite tasty and definitely worth trying.




From Borra Caves, we made our way to the beautiful green valley of Araku which is nestled among the eastern ghats.




Araku valley is picturesque and one defining feature is the number of apiaries. We made a quick pit stop for some Araku honey.




Araku and in general this part of AP is also known for the local dish bamboo chicken which is a prepared by cooking the meat inside bamboo. In terms of method of preparation, this is similar to the Banshpora Mutton of North East India, but the spices vary and hence the taste is different. Star Annapurna restaurant in Araku is renowned for its Bamboo chicken and pot biryani and we tried both. Needless to say, we were not disappointed.




We found most of the items on the menu to be quite affordable




A plate of Bamboo chicken that cost just 170 bucks. It was delicious and we were surprised at the quantity!




And the pot biryani was excellent too!




Araku is also famous for its coffee and even has a coffee museum




While the coffee museum had some interesting nuggets on the history of coffee, the displays were somewhat amateurish and the prime objective of the establishment was to sell stuff. There was a live counter with multiple types of coffee on offer for drinking.




Apart from the live coffee counter, the museum also had this in-house shop. Strangely, there was only one variety of filter coffee available at the shop. There was a huge selection of local chocolates available, though.




A stone's throw away from the coffee museum is the Tribal museum, which again, is more of a market than a museum. Apart from shops selling a wide range of handicrafts and more of Araku honey and coffee, it also had ziplining and boating facilities and seemed to be quite a popular recreation destination with the locals.




The one thing we found interesting here was this shop of spices masquerading as a display on agriculture. There was no spice that this shop did not have.




By the time we finished buying spices at the Tribal museum it was already 4 pm and considering the ghat roads ahead, we decided to start our journey back to Vizag. The journey was pretty uneventful except that at one point a loose rock hit the engine guard. Thankfully no damage was done. The Vista has a proper metal engine guard and it is really surprising that most OEMs including Tata skimp on such an essential piece of equipment these days.

We reached our hotel at about 7:30 pm and after freshening up, decided that we would go light on dinner considering the heavy lunch of bamboo chicken and pot biryani. Searching for options on the net gave us this recommendation, which was about 650 metres from our hotel. Of course what Google maps did not tell us was that almost 500 of the 650 metres was an uphill climb. Anyway, we walked down (or rather, up) and reached in about 15 minutes.




House of Dosas has an incredible variety of dosas on offer along with lots of other stuff but everything is vegetarian. Though we usually love our non veg, the overdose of meat in the afternoon meant that we were more than happy to have so many non-meat options.



I tried something called Erra Karam Dosa with Bombay chutney. It was very different from any dosa I've had earlier and I can't say I particularly liked it. The better half was quite happy with her more conventional masala dosa though, although she did mention that our hotel prepares a better sambhar.




Day 4: Last day in Vizag

After a pretty hectic two days where we drove almost 300 kms in and around Vizag and Araku, we decided to take it easy on this day and just visit places in and around the city. We toyed with the idea of going to Bheemili but eventually dropped it as there were still some places left to see in Vizag and also my better half wanted to buy some of the local silk sarees.

After a lazy breakfast, we made our way to the port area to visit the quaint Ross Hill Church, which is located of course, at the top of Ross Hill. The church is easily accessible by car and has a proper parking lot too. One can see the entire port area from Ross Hill.






Dolphin hill is just opposite Ross Hill and can be accessed by ferry. There is no bridge, so do not believe Google Maps when it says that you can DRIVE to Dolphin Hill directly from Ross Hill.




Hardly 2 kms from Ross Hill is Poorna market, which is one of the biggest local markets in Vizag and a great place to buy good stuff at a bargain, provided you get a place to park. The fact that the roads in and around the market are one way don't help if you miss out on a parking slot - just keep going around till you find a place. I dropped the missus at the entrance to the market and went around twice before I could find a place to park.




Well, my better half definitely found what she was looking for. Poorna market has many saree shops that sell the local Uppada silk sarees at very reasonable prices. The shop we went to calls itself PGK Shopping Mall (although its just a two storey shop and not a mall!) and it had a great selection of silk sarees at very reasonable prices thanks to a flat 50% discount.




Shopping done, we decided to visit the Sri Varahalakshmi temple which is the most well known temple in Vizag. We had to deposit our footwear and cellphones before we could enter the sanctum sanctorum but on the whole, we were quite impressed with the systems and processes and the arrangements. The only wrong note here was that almost no one was wearing a mask.




Different shades of red at the temple parking lot. Four different models from three different states too. Talk about unity in diversity.




After having a quick lunch at an eatery opposite the temple, we proceeded to the last pitstop of the day, the lighthouse on Dolphin Hill. The route suggested by Google Maps from the temple was an interesting one, where we went on a flyover, and had to take an offshoot from a roundabout ON TOP OF THE FLYOVER! The route took us past the airport and to the port area and over some mighty speedbreakers too. Thereafter Google Maps in it's infinite wisdom suggested that we take the road past Hindustan Shipyard which we did and we promptly got a proper scolding from one of the AK-47 carrying army men manning the portcullis on that road as it is for defence personnel only. Anyway, the gentleman took pity on us and pointed us to the right route and after a second round of route validation thanks to a helpful autorickshaw driver, we finally reached Dolphin's Nose lighthouse which is right on the summit of Dolphin Hill, and has excellent views of the Bay of Bengal on either side. Do note that the lighthouse is open to visitors only from 3-5 pm, and is in a protected area. You have to submit your ID document to the Army before you are allowed to enter.







With that, the Vizag part of our sojourn came to an end and now we were looking forward to returning to Calcutta after taking a break at Bhubaneswar. While there were some misses (Bheemili and the sea food at Raju ka Dhaba) on the whole we were extremely happy with our itinerary and how the trip had gone.

[Neversaygbye]

Days 5 and 6: Return to Calcutta

The onward journey to Vizag had taken 16 hours and while we could have again done the return leg in one go, we decided to take it easy and split it over two days. Doing it in one go would have meant waking up at an unearthly hour again, and after 4 days of constant travel we were loathe to do that. So Bhubaneshwar was chosen as the destination for our night halt.

Knowing that we had half the distance to cover meant that we could have a lazy breakfast but even then, we were out of the hotel at 8:21 am. We had made a booking at the New Marrion hotel on Janpath in Bhubaneswar and Google Maps was showing that it would take us 10 hours to reach it!




However, while there was initially some congestion, eventually traffic eased out and we made very good time, so much so that the ETA came down to 7 hours, less than an hour after leaving our hotel. This meant that we would reach Bhubaneshwar sometime in the late afternoon, which would leave us with a lot of time on our hands and not much to do. We toyed with the idea of going to Udayagiri and Khandagiri but felt that it would be evening by the time we reached and with an early winter sunset to reckon with, we really would not get much time there. Plus both of us had been to Udayagiri and Khandagiri before.

So we put that idea on hold as we proceeded towards Bhubaneshwar. However, after we crossed Brahmapur the signs for Gopalpur On Sea started coming up and we thought that we might as well make a detour for lunch, since neither of us had ever been to Gopalpur. So 4 and a half hours after starting from Vizag, we found ourselves at Gopalpur.




Unlike the colour of the sea in the beaches of Bengal or even in Vizag, the sea at Gopalpur was a nice shade of blue.




This old lighthouse is one of Gopalpur's most well-recognized landmarks.




Of course, the idea behind stopping at Gopalpur was to also have lunch there, and not just see the place. A couple of our friends had recommended the Swosti resort near Chilka for lunch on the onward journey to Vizag, and although we could not stop there because of timing, we decided to make amends by having lunch at the Swosti resort in Gopalpur instead. It's on the road to the more well known Mayfair and is a fairly large property.




We finally managed to keep our tryst with sea food here. The food was fresh, delicious and the service was great. We really loved the resort and the behaviour of the staff. Even though we had just dropped in for lunch, they really made us feel at home.




After having a hearty lunch, we were on our way again and reached our hotel in Bhubaneshwar at 6:30 pm despite me missing an exit from the highway, which meant we had to take a lengthy detour. While the hotel had ample parking, there was a program happening that evening and all the parking slots were full. However, the security managed to find us a place once we told them that we were guests who would be staying overnight.




Ekamra Haat is similar to Delhi Haat in concept in that its a gathering of artisans and vendors in one place.






The place was all decked up for Christmas and the New Year




There was also a handloom expo on when we went






There were quite a few options for food as well. We decided to go for the local Odiya cuisine. Patrapoda again is similar to the Bengali paturi, the Parsi Patrani machchi, or the Meen Pollichathu of Kerala. In other words, it is fish/prawn/chicken/mutton wrapped in a (banana) leaf and burnt (cooked).




Quite yummy and very different from all the other preparations mentioned above in taste. Also, the green chutney really goes well with this cuisine.




The next morning we started at about 6:35 am with the intention of having breakfast enroute and lunch at home in Calcutta. The latter plan was flexible as I was fully aware that the hideous stretch of road between Cuttack and Belda could put paid to any kind of schedule. At about 9 o' clock or so we stopped at this place near Bhadrak. Literally had to wake the folks up, but they were quite game about preparing breakfast for just the two of us once they were awake.




The place (can't call it a resort/restaurant/dhaba) was quite nice actually and the food was tasty too.




That was the only stop and the next one was at home after completing a trip of 2241 kms over 6 days.




Some stats pertaining to the trip:

Starting Odo reading: 85305
Ending Odo reading: 87546
Total distance covered: 2241 kms
Total amount of fuel consumed: 121.85 litres of diesel
Total cost of fuel: Rs. 11235.39
Trip mileage: 18.39 kmpl
Tolls paid: Rs. 2329 - do note that quite a few of the tolls were on the under construction Belda - Cuttack stretch and I did not understand the rationale behind charging tolls on this stretch. Why should we pay tolls for a road of abysmal quality which is still under construction? The problem is that with FastTag the toll gets deducted automatically and there is nothing you can do. Had we still been in the era of manual toll collection, I would have refused to pay the toll at any of these places.

Apart from the road between Belda and Cuttack, on the whole the entire trip was quite good and we really loved this trip. It was one of our better planned and more relaxed trips (except for the first day) and was also our last trip of 2021. 2022 has now brought with it the third wave of Covid and we don't know when that will be going away, but I do believe that the hills of North Bengal will beckon as soon as things go back to normal. Another TL will come as and when that happens. Till then, take care and stay healthy and safe.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[turboNath]

Thanks Neversaygbye for taking us on a great drive to the gateway of southern India. I had covered a similar route back in 2017 and this brought back so many memories. From your travelogue, it is evident that road condition has worsened since then but I hope they complete the construction real soon. The OTDC property (upkeep & service) seems like it has somehow remained in the same sorry state. You have covered many ‘delicious’ food stops along the way and these will come in real handy soon ! The Ross Hill Church looks like it has been picked out straight from a children’s novel. Loved seeing the vast blue stretches ! Keep on revving the Vista and conquer countless more miles !

[haisaikat]

You seem to have covered a great deal at one go, kudos for covering 900+ km in effectively less than 14 hours. I am assuming the ~100 bhp/ton of the vista plus the quick maneuvering abilities of the form factor also may have aided you. Keep your red machine in top shape as long a you can, it's still looks new.

The hill top church we did not know off but without that we did cover some of the other places like you have done over the last 2 family trips to there. Vishakhapatnam is a beautiful place by the sea offering modern city amenities as a bonus that is what makes it so much attractive to lot of us. I have missed Bora Caves in both journeys. Did you skip the toy train on the hill?

Thank you for refreshing our 2 years old Vishakhapatnam memories (Journey to Simhachalam & Visakhapatnam in an Innova Crysta) when we had similarly driven down from Kolkata with family and in-laws. But unlike you I broke down the journey in 2 days in both the legs halting at Bhubaneshwar.

Keep travelling and sharing, enjoyed this Vishakhapatnam drive along with you through your Travelogue.

[sayakc]

Dear Sumanta-da,

What a stupendous drive it must have been to cover Calcutta to Vizag in a single day! More so, considering the number of diversions that dot through entire Orissa now - it has certainly taken the fun element out of NH 5. From your photos, its evident that Vizag is a very lively city and when I got to know about your drive, it almost made me ponder a drive to that place.

Food, which I consider to be an inherent part of travel, is covered well in the Bamboo mutton or the Pot Biryanis. Also, since my recent trip was very close to the region, I heard that the South Indian style filter coffee tastes great.

Your inputs on the Kolkata - Gopalpur section greatly helped me plan my recent trip!

Cheers and Best Regards,
Sayak

[Travelmania]

Road Trip to Vizag is always a pleasure to enjoy while reading or driving. Your photos remind me of the memories of my trip. Detailed travel diary with beautiful photos and in particular the culinary specialities that you liked and mentioned.

[LONG_TOURER]

Very nicely written travelogue, loved reading it. I am glad that you could do Kolkata-Vizag in 16 hours whereas i could finish it in 17.5 hours covering the same stretch in April 2021. Hopefully the road work along NH 16 gets completed soon.

[ABHI_1512]

The first time I went to Vizag, I was stumped by the sheer dedication of people in keeping the city clean. The city made its mark immediately with its pristine condition. Having gone to the city many times since then, I must say, the best view of the beach is from the Haritha Resorts Rushikonda.

The view from Rushikonda Resort:


Also, good to see that Thotlakonda is now a proper place with structures around, I only got to see a plaque and the large entrance gate only. I have stayed at Ananthgiri instead of Araku and it was a fabulous experience as well. There is a nice off road track to Ketaki Falls en route to Borra caves. The trek to Ketaki Falls was wonderful back in the days, don’t know what’s the position now. Borra caves have lost the charm after the garish lights have been added but that’s entirely my personal view.

Thanks for sharing your travel with us, food is a big part for us foodies and you have done full justice to your cravings everywhere except Rajugari ka Dhaba which has now attained cult status. I had Bamboo chicken at a lovely water stream after crossing Araku station and that still lingers. Your travelogue just rekindled the memories, might just force me to visit the place again. Wishing more trips to you both, Vista hasn’t even scratched the surface yet

[Samba]

This coastal drive is very scenic & you have captured the essence beautifully. The way you have narrated the story, I was visualizing your drive seating in my room on a lazy Sunday evening!

I agree, the blue shade of the sea at Gopalpur is indeed unique. I was here just a week after the Durgapuja in 2021!

[Neversaygbye]

Originally Posted by turboNath

Thanks Neversaygbye for taking us on a great drive to the gateway of southern India. I had covered a similar route back in 2017 and this brought back so many memories. From your travelogue, it is evident that road condition has worsened since then but I hope they complete the construction real soon. The OTDC property (upkeep & service) seems like it has somehow remained in the same sorry state. You have covered many ‘delicious’ food stops along the way and these will come in real handy soon ! The Ross Hill Church looks like it has been picked out straight from a children’s novel. Loved seeing the vast blue stretches ! Keep on revving the Vista and conquer countless more miles !

Thanks Atreya for the kind words. Yes, the road (and the low speed limit) in Odisha does not help. Else another 2 hours could easily have been shaved off the journey time at the very least. I doubt that the construction work will get completed anytime soon, though.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

You seem to have covered a great deal at one go, kudos for covering 900+ km in effectively less than 14 hours. I am assuming the ~100 bhp/ton of the vista plus the quick maneuvering abilities of the form factor also may have aided you. Keep your red machine in top shape as long a you can, it's still looks new.

Thank you Saikat - the power to weight ratio is less than 90 as the car weighs well over a ton but it just chugs along at the speed limit for hours and (probably because of the weight) the ride is extremely grounded, so that really helped me in covering the miles quickly. I have no plans of getting rid of the red machine anytime soon - the Fiat MJD coupled with Tata's build quality has spoilt me plus I am a bit wary of the new diesels and their DPF issues and the extremely thirsty turbo petrols burn a pretty big hole in the pocket when it comes to fuel cost. The NA cars again don't have the torque that makes driving fun. So it's gonna be the red beast for a few more years, it seems.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

The hill top church we did not know off but without that we did cover some of the other places like you have done over the last 2 family trips to there. Vishakhapatnam is a beautiful place by the sea offering modern city amenities as a bonus that is what makes it so much attractive to lot of us. I have missed Bora Caves in both journeys. Did you skip the toy train on the hill?

Yes we skipped the train. The toy train was actually waiting at the station when we reached but the crowd there was to be seen to be believed, and almost no one was wearing a mask or wearing one properly. So we dropped the idea of taking the train and walked around instead. I agree with you on Vishakhapatnam - it is a beautiful city and really spick and span.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Thank you for refreshing our 2 years old Vishakhapatnam memories (Journey to Simhachalam & Visakhapatnam in an Innova Crysta) when we had similarly driven down from Kolkata with family and in-laws. But unlike you I broke down the journey in 2 days in both the legs halting at Bhubaneshwar.

Keep travelling and sharing, enjoyed this Vishakhapatnam drive along with you through your Travelogue.

Thank you. I just went through your excellent travelogue and could relate to all the things you said. Your travelogue is much more detailed than mine. Next time you are in Bhubaneswar do try staying at the New Marrion if budget permits - excellent location and ample parking (unless there is a wedding or some program happening at the hotel). Bhubaneshwar is really impressive as a city - I just wish that getting there would become easier!

Originally Posted by sayakc

Dear Sumanta-da,

What a stupendous drive it must have been to cover Calcutta to Vizag in a single day! More so, considering the number of diversions that dot through entire Orissa now - it has certainly taken the fun element out of NH 5. From your photos, its evident that Vizag is a very lively city and when I got to know about your drive, it almost made me ponder a drive to that place.

Food, which I consider to be an inherent part of travel, is covered well in the Bamboo mutton or the Pot Biryanis. Also, since my recent trip was very close to the region, I heard that the South Indian style filter coffee tastes great.

Your inputs on the Kolkata - Gopalpur section greatly helped me plan my recent trip!

Cheers and Best Regards,
Sayak

Thanks Sayak, yes it was actually a good drive (would have been a great one had the roads in Odisha been great) and I am glad that my inputs helped you to plan your trip. You should definitely plan a drive to Vizag - it's really rewarding and not an endurance test if you do it over two days!

Originally Posted by Travelmania

Road Trip to Vizag is always a pleasure to enjoy while reading or driving. Your photos remind me of the memories of my trip. Detailed travel diary with beautiful photos and in particular the culinary specialities that you liked and mentioned.

Thank you so much for your kind words!

Originally Posted by LONG_TOURER

Very nicely written travelogue, loved reading it. I am glad that you could do Kolkata-Vizag in 16 hours whereas i could finish it in 17.5 hours covering the same stretch in April 2021. Hopefully the road work along NH 16 gets completed soon.

Thank you. I hope that the road work gets completed soon too - even to get to Puri we have to cross the same stretch of road and it's an absolute killjoy now.

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

The first time I went to Vizag, I was stumped by the sheer dedication of people in keeping the city clean. The city made its mark immediately with its pristine condition. Having gone to the city many times since then, I must say, the best view of the beach is from the Haritha Resorts Rushikonda.

The view from Rushikonda Resort:
Attachment 2256814

Also, good to see that Thotlakonda is now a proper place with structures around, I only got to see a plaque and the large entrance gate only. I have stayed at Ananthgiri instead of Araku and it was a fabulous experience as well. There is a nice off road track to Ketaki Falls en route to Borra caves. The trek to Ketaki Falls was wonderful back in the days, don’t know what’s the position now. Borra caves have lost the charm after the garish lights have been added but that’s entirely my personal view.

Thanks for sharing your travel with us, food is a big part for us foodies and you have done full justice to your cravings everywhere except Rajugari ka Dhaba which has now attained cult status. I had Bamboo chicken at a lovely water stream after crossing Araku station and that still lingers. Your travelogue just rekindled the memories, might just force me to visit the place again. Wishing more trips to you both, Vista hasn’t even scratched the surface yet

Thanks Abhi, you are the guiding light for me when it comes to travel considering your extensive travel experience and our shared love for good food. We will probably stay at the Haritha Rushikonda the next time we go - this time we wanted to stay in a more central location. We crossed Haritha Ananthgiri as well on the way to Araku and I can understand why you would have found it great. I found the location much better than Haritha Araku which was right next to the Coffee Museum. We did evaluate the idea of going to Ketaki falls when we were crossing it and asked some people standing at the turning how far it was. They said a trek would be required and we did not have time for that so dropped the idea. I agree with you on the hideous lighting in the caves - the effect is surreal but you expect Mithun Da to break into I am a Disco Dancer at anytime from some point in the cavern. You are right about the Vista not scratching the surface - this was my second longest trip after Cal-Varanasi-Bandhavgarh-Bhedaghat-Khajuraho-Varanasi-Gaya-Cal and a few trips to Di-Pu-Da but otherwise the long touring capability of the car has mostly been underutilized. The fact that I did not take the car with me to Bangalore is to blame for that. Anyway, am making up for lost time now.

Originally Posted by Samba

This coastal drive is very scenic & you have captured the essence beautifully. The way you have narrated the story, I was visualizing your drive seating in my room on a lazy Sunday evening!

I agree, the blue shade of the sea at Gopalpur is indeed unique. I was here just a week after the Durgapuja in 2021!

Thanks Samba. Your TLs are inspirational and also helpful for planning trips! I was pleasantly surprised by Gopalpur - if the road had not been pathetic it would probably be my preferred seaside destination in Odisha since I like places that are less congested.

[TurboOnTarmac]

Nice east coast drive. I think you probably have covered half of our east / Coromandel coast. Our east coast is dotted with beautiful beaches, nearby points of interest (religious, archaeological and historical). One great way to experience is to drive on those wonderful coastal roads (most of them are getting better, thanks to investments made on our road networks recently). Glad you could cover half of it.

I didn't know about Thotlakonda buddist monastery before. Thanks for sharing details on points of interest in and around Vizag. I contemplated a drive to Konark, during christmas-new year period last month, from Bangalore via Vizag with time taken out to explore the city, beaches, borra caves and Araku valley. But due to shortage of time and a few other factors, finally switched to flight + local car rental option. Your travelogue kind of reminded me on what i missed on the way, and made me to add priority tick to this line item in my bucket list.

Thank you for sharing.

[Neversaygbye]

Originally Posted by TurboOnTarmac

One great way to experience is to drive on those wonderful coastal roads (most of them are getting better, thanks to investments made on our road networks recently). Glad you could cover half of it.

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for the kind words - yes nothing beats a road trip if one wants to do justice to a place at their own pace, although sometimes the condition of the roads can play the spoilsport. I agree on the coastal road - I had gone to Mamallapuram from Chennai on the ECR and it had been a great experience as well.

[gmhossain]

Originally Posted by Neversaygbye

, on the whole the entire trip was quite good and we really loved this trip. It was one of our better planned and more relaxed trips

It's wonderful to read this excellent Vizag travelogue of yours. Long, rather really long drives, beautiful beaches, awesome foods -- you had all the ingredients for a perfect road trip! Keep traveling and keep posting.

Best wishes,