Araku Valley - The Ooty of Andhra

The sky seems gloomy. Who would have thought that something as colorless as water could make clouds so dark. It has started to drizzle now. I tried to rub condensed water droplets on the glassy wall of the room to get a clear view of the busy street ahead. Soon it will turn into an endless music of droplets hitting window panes, rooftops and tree-leaves; just like an old radio coming to life.

For young couples, it's an occasion to express their love. For elderly, its a bitter sweet memory and for young ones, it's just a wet playground. Rain is like God's own poetry; each drop is a single letter in the song of  life. But most of all, for me it's day to ride, break barriers and let the emotions flow and allow the rain to dance with my ride.

Myself and a friend, started our voyage to the beautiful hills of the eastern ghats - Araku Valley. It's an absolute stunner and is home to picturesque hill stations, pristine beaches and temples. Blessed  with so many options, there is no dearth of things to do in Araku Valley and explore the rich cultural heritage of this region.

Lush green forest and the pleasing climate create the perfect ambience for our tiring souls to take a break from the mundane lifestyle. Riding through the moist of the clouds, making my visibility on the road difficult. You never become a rider, riding on good roads always. It was challenging, yet fun to ride. We took a left from the roads, to fall into Sangda Waterfalls. 

The waterfalls is located in the middle of a thick jungle. The only thing breaking the peace of the jungle is the sound of the cascading waters of the fall. The cascading milky white waters against the backdrop of the verdant vegetation on surrounding mountain ranges present an inexplicable experience. Next destination on our cards was, Katiki Waterfalls.

For Katiki Waterfalls, we had to trek to the hill. Getting our bike to the end of the road was difficult, as the mountains were steep and there was no grip on the soil. While trekking on half way, I had lost my bike's key and we came searching all the way down for the keys. Found it on the ground, near the bike as it got slipped from my wet hands while putting into the pocket. With distant viewing of the Katiki Waterfalls, we had no plans of climbing again. The famous Bongulo Chicken (Bamboo Chicken) is served near the waterfalls. It is traditional tribal cuisine, cooked in a green bamboo stalk without oil, making it delicious and healthy.  After a grand relief from the key hunt, we reached Borra Caves.

It's a wonder in architecture created by the World's best architect called Nature.  This cave is the biggest in India considering the area it has spread geographically.  The humic acid in the water reacts with calcium carbonate in the limestone and dissolves the minerals breaking the rock gradually. The perennial water flow over a period of time results in the formation of caves. They are different kinds of formations in the cave, you will be surprised to see them. Apart from these, we felt we were in an alien world. The caves is 80m deep and one will experience a different world altogether. Different lighting theme is been added to the caves for light inside. Next we head to Galikondalu View Point.

If you want to just stop by and enjoy the beauty of Araku Valley then Galikondalu is the ideal site. You can get panoramic views of the valley, its greenery and its mist covered environs from this outward projecting viewpoint. Apart from that you can also experience the trains passing through the tunnels from this view point. Leading through the roads, we end up at Tatipudi Reservoir.  Its a dam located on the Gosthani River  and is a water supply reservoir for the city of  Visakhapatnam.

We had our lunch in the nearby hotel at the reservoir. Andhra's famous food the Hyderabad Biryani, wherever you go in Andhra, the Biryani is served with plenty of rice. May be its a sign, one must go with their stomach and heart filled. No trip is complete without playing in waters, so we head to the Bheemunipatnam Beach.

One of the longest beaches in India, Bheemunipatnam Beach is a 25 km stretch of road literally hugging the coastline from Vishakhapatnam to Bheemunipatnam. Popularly known as Bhimili, it is a lively beach that has managed to retain its serenity. The beach is widely known for being the base to explore ruins of a Dutch Fort and cemetery. The day was filled with  picturesque Landscape with greenery, peaks, valleys and of course the rain made it the one of the memorable days of my life.

" Anyone who thinks sunshine is pure happiness has never danced in the rain"