The tourist's dream

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Click this link to read my article in TOI Tourist's dream?
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The other day my neighbor Ram dropped in for tea and as happens quite often now days the discussions meandered to the subject of tourism. As we know Vizag has the largest number of experts on the subject of tourism and I was not to be left behind. He bit into a crisp vegetable puff, brushed away the crumbs from his shirt, and asked: “If you were coming to Vizag on a short vacation, how would you imagine an ideal holiday here?” I examined the bottom of my empty tea cup thoughtfully and started narrating my ideal Vizag holiday experience.

Our arrival

I have heard that Vizag has improved dramatically for the tourist and with a long weekend coming up I decide to take a short holiday there with my wife. We fly into Vizag on a crisp October morning; as we look outside our aircraft window we marvel at how clean the port area looks, no more black and brown shades of coal and iron ore dust. On landing we walk through a bright aerobridge into a modern climate controlled airport. A tourism employee is stocking a display stand with tourism brochures; we stop to pick up a few.

The luggage carousel begins to run smoothly and silently. A LCD sign above it gives the flight number. Our luggage comes quickly; we load them onto smooth working trolleys and make our way out of the airport. At the taxi rank, a neat row of mid-sized air-conditioned taxis are waiting. We take one of the taxis; the smiling driver wishes us “good morning” and loads our luggage into the car booth. “Where do you wish to go?” he asks, as he turns the meter. We give him our destination and the vehicle glides away on a smooth road. We look outside the window at the organised traffic and are impressed with the road discipline.

We arrive at our hotel, a mid-range three star property with a swimming pool for Rs. 3,500 a day including breakfast. As we pay the driver, a uniformed bell boy greets us and picks up our luggage. The receptionist gives us a broad smile, “did you have a good flight sir, madam?” she asks. She verifies our booking and checks us in efficiently. We go up an elevator that is quiet and clean. The room has excellent air conditioning and is comfortable.

Our stay

After freshening up we go down to the lobby. Several brochure stands are placed near the travel desk. The brochures are well designed; they have a short history of Vizag, a list of must see sites, restaurants and a clear road map. We ask for a taxi and are soon on our way to do some sightseeing. Our driver, Raju, is both polite and knowledgeable. He drives safely and follows all the rules. He points out places of interest and has something interesting to say about everything we pass.

We visit a number of sites along the beach road. All along there are clear signs in English and Telugu. The venues have distinct information boards. There are plenty of trees for shade and park benches under these trees to rest. We do not see any garish works of public art, everything is tastefully made. There are adequate garbage bins and no litter to speak of. Every public area has clean pay-per-use toilets. We are delighted to see the small cafeterias at the venues; they have soft drink coolers and water dispensers. The staffs are all in uniform and are very tourist friendly.

We stop for lunch at a quaint little sea food restaurant. It has simple ethnic décor, clean surroundings and friendly staff. The waiter is charming; he recommends local dishes to get a taste of the region. The dishes are priced between Rs. 100 and Rs. 150 each. Later we continue take in some more sights. We enjoy a pleasant walk at the water’s edge. We are happy to see that there is no smelly garbage and plastic waste there. The beach is pristine and the waves are sparkling clean. Other tourists are friendly, we smile at each other. One of the pleasures of travel is making friends. We join a young couple from Kolkata and sit together on the sand and enjoy a quiet conversation..

That evening at our hotel we go to the open air restaurant. It is crowded with tourists and locals sipping drinks and enjoying the music. A group of dancers perform a vibrant “Tappeta Gullu” dance for the guests. The cuisine is marvelous and the restaurant’s bar is well stocked. As we have a leisurely meal and enjoy the ambiance we get quite mellow. We are loving it.

The hills experience

Early next morning our taxi driver, Raju picks us up at 7 am. We set out for Araku hills. We stop for breakfast at S.Kota at the Eastern Restaurant. The place is spanking clean, no stink and flies like last time. We use the rest rooms; my wife comments that Vizag’s tourism is finally getting their act together. We have a wholesome breakfast of idly and dosas followed by some amazing coffee in porcelain cups, not the little plastic cups.

As we drive up the hills, we marvel at the beauty of the ghats. No plastics, no garbage, good signage. At Araku, we are surprised to find all the picnic sites to be busy but quiet, no loudspeakers and noisy tourists. Every place is clean. Large shady trees line the roads and there are several public toilets for visitors.  The tribal museum is upgraded and now has improved exhibits. The uniformed tribal guides are helpful and polite. The history of coffee at the coffee museum next door is a real eye opener. We go to Chaparaya. There is adequate parking. The sparkling clean stream is flowing briskly. There is not a piece of plastic anywhere. We sit at the streams edge dipping our feet in the cool flowing water at peace with the world.

As we check into the tourist hotel for our overnight stay, we notice that the things have improved since we were last here. The hotel personnel are not sullen anymore; they greet and show us to our rooms quite professionally. A good addition is low cost rooms with a canteen for the drivers. They can use the bunk beds and a common toilet with shower that is available to them. The days in which they spent cold wet nights sleeping in the car are over. That evening at the restaurant we remember that their menu was not too different from any that you see in a city restaurant. Now it is different. In Jack fruit season they offer Jack fruit biryani and curry and in Mango season they offer mango pulusu. The restaurant management is authorised to purchase local produce.

Our rooms are tidy and the sheets are neat and clean, not tattered like before. That evening along with a buffet dinner, a fireside get-together is arranged on the lawns. We witness a magical Dhimsa dance. There are several other tourists there and soon we make plenty of friends and exchange notes. We interact with some Adivasis who explain their way of life with candidness. The evening passes quickly. The weather is marvelous and the hills are quiet.

Early next morning, accompanied by a guide, we go bird watching. We rent good Nikon 8X40 binoculars at the reception. Our guide, a local young man, is full of information on the flora and fauna of the area. We spend a couple of hours enjoying nature’s bounty. Later we have an excellent South Indian breakfast. After check-out we head to Bora caves. When we arrive there, we are delighted to see that the area has been cleaned up. Last year we saw tons of litter choking every stream here. The parking area has been improved and the entire area has been made a NO HONKING zone. The guides are well trained and concentrate on highlighting the geological aspects of this pre-historic caves rather than telling us which movie was shot here. What a difference!

As we head back to Vizag and reluctant to leave the hills so soon, we stop for lunch at Tyda. I sip a chilled beer and my wife a tall glass of mango juice and enjoy the view. After an excellent meal, we settle down under the shade of a large banyan tree full of squirrels and birds. The trees above sway gently and the calls of thousands of birds fill the air, a cool breeze blows softly around me. “What a wonderful vacation” I think to myself, I must come every year, no twice a year …

Someone rudely taps my shoulder. “Wake up! Wake up!” I open my eyes to see Ram looking a little concerned. I realize was dreaming. I awake to the reality. Vizag tourism continues to be as “3D” as ever before. Dull – Drab and Depressing. Nothing has changed. Perhaps it will someday but I’m not holding my breath.