The following day, we had the function and it went off well. That evening, we started planning for the following day - Araku and Borra Caves. We did gather the route information and the best time to leave Vizianagaram, so that we can beat traffic.
However, before we ventured out towards Araku, we went through a serious expectation settings session by friends and relatives. As they live out there and have been to this place many times in the past, they could see the damage being done to the valley over the years. We were told to expect that the climate would be better than the plains and it might rain/ drizzle out there. Apart from that, there isnt much left.
Moreover, this time of the year isnt the best time to visit. They say that the best time would be October to December. In fact, some even had advised us to take the train from Vizag, which is still considered a better option that driving around the place. Apparently, the train journey to Araku goes through some 50+ tunnels and one among them goes over Boora Caves.
Here are some pics:
On the way to Araku from Vizianagaram
Valley view - 1 on the to Araku
Valley view - 2 on the to Araku
Valley view - 3 on the to Araku
Valley view - 4, over looking the railway track
Valley view - 5, over looking the railway track
Valley view - 6
Valley view - 7
Jack fruit tree. We found quite a lot of these, which apparently is a major source of income for the locals.
I must admit that the expectation settings did a lot of good for us. We did have a very little expectations but still I feel the drive was worth it. The roads are good and maintained quite well. And as we have been told, we did experience light drizzle as were climbing up the hills. The weather was quite pleasant and it was a great feeling coming from a very hot, humid and sultry plains of Vizianagaram.
Finally, we reached Araku Valley and it was like any other tourist town. As expected, there isnt much that we could do there. Btw, we were asked to check out a place called Chaaparai, which is about 15 kms from Araku. The attraction of this place is a natural water slide over a rock. The road leading to this place is good, but at one point, we need to take left, which goes towards Paredu. This stretch of the road is bad. It is a single road and it's quite bad. The worst part is the local commuters in the jeeps, they are all over the jeep as they show us in one of the Fevicol ad.