The Haritha Jungle Bells Resort at Tyda, developed by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, amidst the thick forests of the Eastern Ghats, is a great place to unwind at. It will take about one-and-a-half-hours to reach Tyda, located 75 km from the city of Visakhapatnam. The resort abutting the Visakhapatnam-Araku Ghat Road is at a height of 2,000 feet above sea level.

Araku Valley

Things to do

The historical Borra Caves are just five km from the resort, and a two-km trek from the caves takes you to the 300-foot Kataki waterfalls. The APTDC also offers a refreshing four-km trek through the forest early in the morning, touching a couple of tribal hamlets. You can also go about on a bicycle or give tribal archery a shot. You can enjoy your evenings watching tribals dance around a bonfire.

Getting there

The resort can be reached by road or train from Visakhapatnam. The nearest railhead is Tyda station, just two km from the resort. Jeeps and other means of transport are available from the station to the resort. There is a single train that leaves Visakhapatnam daily at 7 a.m. or you can take the buses and taxis run by the State Transport Corporation, APTDC and private operators.

Tariff (for two)

Igloo cottages: Rs. 1,800

New bridge and wooden cottages: Rs. 1,800

Wooden cottages: Rs. 1,500

Log huts and aerocon cottages: Rs. 800

Extra person: Rs. 150 for A/C and Rs. 100 for non A/C.

Tariff includes free south Indian breakfast for two.

Checkout time 10 a.m.

(Contact details) 0891 – 2788820; Fax: 0891 2788822; Cell: 98480 07022

* This article was publised in Metroplus of The Hindu by Mr.Sumit Bhattacharjee

Ok, everyone knows I’m a travel buff and have been waiting for my travelogues. So, here comes the first and most recent.

All of us crave for that far way exotic place that we would love to get away to far away from the madding (or maddening) crowd. Very often, we think “we should get far away” and little do we realize that there are so many places very near us, which we often ignore in search of that elusive exotic locale

So, a couple of weekends ago (Feb 21st/22nd) we set off from Vizag for Anantagiri, which is probably a little bit in the shadow of its illustrious cousins, Araku and Borra Caves. Did you know that Anantagiri is just about 10km away from Borra Caves? Anantagiri is generally known for the coffee plantation and you see acres of these while you drive around.

It was a motley crowd of 10 – My parents, grandma, 2 maternal uncles, maternal aunt and her family (my uncle and cousin), and of course my wife and me on 1 SUV (Toyota Qualis) and a small car (Maruti Zen Estilo).

We started at around 9am from Vizag and drove on for about 30 km to get away from the city and into the green fields around. It’s quite a rural setting once you cross Pendurthi, all the way through Kottavalasa and Srungavarapukota (or S Kota as it is more popularly known and is 60km away from Vizag).

We had a small stopover for breakfast at the famous “Shankar Vilas” in S Kota – for the people yearning to get a taste of a rustic, authentic small town hotel – this is the place. After a good breakfast of idli, vada, dosas of various varieties and some steaming tea and coffee, we were well fed and on our way into the hills.

(For those of you who have more time on your hands, at short excursions from S Kota (less than 10km, there is the Tatipudi Reservoir set amongst lovely hills and the Punyagiri temple and waterfall)

It was a bright sunny day and catching the lovely blue sky brought back many fond memories of a many a clear day from the past.

As expected, we had our share of stories and anecdotes flowing from the people in the cars, while the lucky fellow in me got to drive as usual (It was my first time driving a Qualis).

We entered the hills just a few minutes after crossing S Kota, at first it’s actually a slow ascent taking in the vastness of the valleys around you. As you pass by, you notice the change from the Urban to the rural to the tribal culture. You catch sight of a few tribal folks going around near the road, busy with their daily activity.

About 20km into our ride, we reached the eco tourism resort called Jungle Bells in Tyda, this is a great place for staying around and exploring the wild, the one thing that catches your ears is the variety of birds chirping around all the time. We just stopped over here to look around the facility (I had stayed here with a few friends on an earlier trip). The cottages are situated on the slope of a densely forested hill going almost a 100m upwards. I think it’s a good place to trek around as well.

After a little while of clicking snaps and going around, we continued on our journey to Anantagiri, passing the famous Borra Caves along the way. Anantagiri is at a much higher elevation (around 3000 ft) compared to Tyda and Araku valley and hence gets a cool breeze. The ascent is really a good drive, as you take many hair pin bends along the way. You cannot help but gape at the views at times and just feel like turning off the engine and enjoying the sight in front of your eyes. We saw many monkeys along the way as well, jumping around like only they can.

We reached the APTDC resort at Anantagiri around 2pm, we had booked our stay for the night there. This resort is really at a lovely location, overlooking the valley and the cottages are designed in such a way that every cottage has a lovely view of the valley, the pattern is such that no cottage obstructs the other. Each cottage has a big, spacious balcony overlooking the valley. The door to the balcony is all glass so that you can stay indoors and still enjoy the view.

We had a good lunch at the resort (we got surprisingly good food for such a remote location), relaxed around the place for a couple of hours and then set off for Gaali konda (“Wind Hill”), which is just 10 km uphill, on the way to Araku valley. It’s the highest point (almost) in this stretch of the Eastern Ghats and lives up to its name as there is a pleasant breeze and a Titanic-like view point. The cool breeze brought our spirits alive as did the sun slowing sliding into the shadows and leaving its dusky tones over the valley as birds slowly settled into their nests and soaked in the beauty all around. It was a poetic location and words cannot truly describe everything out there.

We returned to our cottages after buying some honey and coffee beans at Gaalikonda (please check the quality of the honey as it is said that they mix jaggery at times).

The night was a time to relax, not say a word and take in the lovely stars above – it was just a day before Sivaraatri, so the whole sky was dark. The image of Venus in the far sky, appearing so near because of the lack of other visible lights around is something that will stay with me. It was a true spectacle of stars which were right there in front of your eyes. In the distance, we could see a fire or two and the occasional lights of a vehicle taking the turns. The calmness of the night is something that strikes you after the hustle and bustle of city life.

The next morning, we woke up to the misty spectacle of the valley in front of us and the birds coming to life again with their songs, which we might not understand, but appreciate.
The sun slowly came peeping into the world, spreading its charm through the mist and then imposing itself on the valley. We went to the edge of the hill, just beyond our cottages and spent some time in solitude. Then we went up the tree (the children in us came alive) and sat on different branches. It was just time to let yourself free and enjoy every moment.

Even before we realized, it was time to pack up and come back home. We started on our return journey to Vizag around 11am, once again passing all those beautiful sights and taking in more of nature’s bounty, letting ourselves unravel in its lap.

I’m sure I will keep coming back here for more…….

This is a view from our cottage of the valley:

View from cottage

These are a couple of views of the cottages, notice how they stand right at the edge of the hill.

Cottages

Cottages at the edge

This is a view of the accommodation, the inside of the suite:

Inside the suite

View from the suite:

This is a view from Gaali konda:

View from Gaali konda

Nearest Major Railway Station and Airport: Visakhapatnam

Distance to Anantagiri: Approximately 100km

Other modes to travel: Kirandul Passenger that starts around 7am from Vizag (you really get to enjoy the tunnels and this is the preferred mode of travel if you are in a big, boisterous group)

Where to stay: Anantagiri APTDC Resort (Approximately Rs 2100 per night for a luxury suite with satellite TV, geyser, AC and great food for this remote location)

Another option: Jungle Bells, Tyda (to get the feel of staying in a jungle amongst the birds, lovely cottages – 15 km before Anantagiri)

Excursions: Waterfall near Anantagiri (7km trek), Borra Caves (10km) , Araku Valley (25km),Gaali konda (10km – you can get natural coffee beans and honey here – check the quality before you buy), Chaaparayi (35 km)

Recommended stay: 2 nights minimum

Best season to visit: October to February (Visit when the valleys are blooming with flowers after the monsoon season)

What not to forget: Camera, Odomos!!!

Är det något män säger för att de verkligen menar det eller är de lika svårtydda som kvinnor?

Betyder frasen “han är trött nu” verkligen “sorry kid, jag tror inte att det kommer vara så mycket action där på ett tag“?

Är det bara ytterligare ett fall som sorteras under rubriken “män är dåliga på att kommunicera”?
Är det något de säger bara för att utmana, typ “tja, du kan ju försöka, men det kommer nog krävas ett proffs för det. Pallar du det?“?
Är det kanske något de säger för att dölja sanningen om att det egentligen är de själva som är “trötta nu”?
Eller kan det vara så att män talat sanning från första början; att vissa av deras kroppsdelar lever sina egna liv bortom deras kontroll?

Min kollega Nils har tidigare i sin blogg tipsat om översättningar via Tyda där Tyda.se är en utmärkt översättningstjänst för enskilda ord mellan svenska och engelska. Tyda bjuder även på en tjänst där man kan få höra uttalet på flertalet av orden.

Google lanserade för inte så länge sedan en översättningstjänst för lite större textstycken och hela webbsidor. Googles tjänst översätter automatiskt en text eller en webbsida till och från en rad olika språk. Normalt brukar automatiska översättningstjänster av det här slagen inte lyckas så väl men jag måste säga att Google lyckats ganska bra. Resultatet blir naturligtvis inte perfekt och räcker kanske inte riktigt för att utan vidare översätta egna webbsidor eller texter till en rad språk men tjänsten kan ändå vara vettig för snabbare översättningar där det handlar om att få en förståelse för texten snarare än en perfekt översatt text.

Tyda.se är en sida där du kan slå upp ord på både engelska och svenska, samt lyssna på hur orden uttalas. Du kan även bli medlem i deras forum och diskutera språk dagarna i ända Dessutom gratis. Gratis är bra.

Jag har bara testat att slå upp ett enda ord, community, men det gick alldeles utmärkt!

Tyda.se är en helt suverän sida med ett online svensk-engelskt lexikon. Förrutom att översätta ord kan man även få dem upplästa för att höra uttalet. Jag skriver mycket dokumentation och specifikationer på engelska och använder tyda.se dagligen. Sidan erbjuder också en plugin för webbläsaren som man kan installera på datorn och genom ett enkelt klick på ett ord man inte förstår på en webbsida får den svenska översättningen från tyda. Extra pluspoäng för den snygga AJAX lösningen där man inte behöver skriva in hela ordet för att hitta översättningen.