We asked Google Maps to take us to Vijaywada first which is around 670 kms from Bangalore. We headed out unsure if we would be able to reach there in a single day.

Route from Bangalore to Vijaywada was planned via Chittoor (on the Bangalore-Chennai Expressway NH75), Tirupati, Ongole (to connect to NH16 Chennai-Kolkata highway) and to reach Vijaywada.

Murugan Idli in Kolar was our first stop. I remembered the taste of the original Murugan Idli store from a trip to Madurai 10 years ago and wanted to experience it again. The supple idlis did not disappoint, and I will be happy to visit again just for the curry leaf podi idli.

I had also set up the air mattress on the rear seat of the car. That was the first and last time we used it. Kids were happier without it all through and never asked for it. Throughout the entire journey of 7700 kms, if at all the kids wanted to sleep (rather, we knew when they would sleep) one of us would be behind and they would just doze off without their heads on our lap or shoulder.

We stopped for lunch at a forgettable place on the highway. Food was not great; nobody enjoyed it and on highways in India it is hard to convey what non spicy food requirement really is. This was again one of the firsts which we decided against mostly later and usually not stopping on the highways for food.

In Vijaywada we stopped at the Lemon Tree Premiere Hotel with a MAP plan. After roughly a 11-hour drive, kids and I went for a swim first under the moonlight which also happened to be a blood moon (2nd April) and I got to explain about lunar eclipse to Dhimahi and Devasya. They cared more about the spectacle of it than Rayleigh scattering of light. Full after a buffet dinner we slept soundly post a tiring day. Next morning we checked out and thought about visiting the famous Kanak Durga temple and enjoy the view of the barrage over the mighty River Krishna.

This was just the second day, but we were about to learn about ourselves and India. Kanak Durga temple is situated on top of a hill, and we were asked to climb up in the April heat of Vijaywada where we were sweating like pigs not being used to such high temperatures. Sure, the devotees were climbing up but there was a route where certain cars were being permitted to drive up the hill. None of us being strongly religious did not want to climb up and I asked the policeman and the woman manning that crossing to permit us up, but I learnt the word Protocol darshan - which will carry through across India.

Protocol Darshan

At most busy temples in India these are the ways to reach the shrine -

1. Get in the free serpentine queue and only the god knows when will you get to see them.

2. Some temples have an official paid or sometimes called a VIP darshan ticket which will be a much shorter queue at a very affordable price for a middle-class family. These are mostly online tickets and sometimes can be bought at counter too. We used these at Omkareshwar Jyotirling.

3. Many temples have touts and agents who will bribe their way through and take you along. We used this mechanism at Jagannath Dham in Puri.

4. Protocol Darshan where you have to arrange for a special VIP ticket or direct access bypassing all queues through an influential arrangement via phone calls. It is still available at a cost (and not free), just that it is not commonly known or accessible through publicly available means. It is an official arrangement just not for everyone. We availed this at Mahakaleshwar Jyotriling through my brothers contact who is a regular there and has protocol access.

5. I'm guessing there is higher darshan available which is available to celebrities and politicians and senior government staff. I've seen this but I have no access to it.

God is not accessible to everyone in India with the same ease. I am not too religious and without an option 2, 3 or 4 I tend to skip temples if it is too crowded. We did not visit the Kanak Durga temple for the same reason.

Of course, God has made it painless for the influential, political class and senior government employees to get blessings. When a common man sees this preferential treatment no wonder, they are in awe of the people on whom God showers its blessings so easily. While I also benefit from such arrangements occasionally as highlighted, I hope God decides to be more equitable soon.

Journey continues

Unable to get easy access to Kanak Durga Temple we continued on the journey to Vishakhapatnam (AKA Vizag) after looking at the magnificent view of the River Krishna and the barrage. In monsoons, with a lot of water it must be an even more humbling to look at.

I booked the WelcomHotel Devee Grand Bay in Vizag via the HDFC concierge for a same-day booking to redeem the reward points. I continued to use the HDFC concierge many places until in the middle of our trip they changed the policy and did not permit same day hotel bookings anymore.

We went straight to see the defence museum cluster in Vizag on the beach road and were pleasantly surprised with lively vibe which reminded of the Marine Drive in Mumbai.

Tired after 2 days of driving we retired for the night without knowing what to do the next day.

Day 3

I decided to not continue to Araku the same day so as to not tire the children further. We decided to stay in Vizag and enjoy the local touristy spots.

Our first stop was Kailasagiri which had a cable car going up. Dhimahi was afraid and resisting to go up in the closed gondola. She is usually excited about amusement park rides, so I was a bit surprised. She did not disappoint and was very happy once she was in it. It is also learning opportunity for her that it's important to be brave when fearful.

Vizag zoo had a unique opportunity to drive through the zoo in your personal vehicle. Golf carts were also available but it was fun for us to drive through the zoo and stop whenever and wherever we wanted to explore animals.

Next, we went to Rushikonda beach which was supposed to be a Blue Flag certified beach. I did not find the cleanliness standards to be as high as we could disappointgly see plastic bottles on the beach. The services like changing rooms were at the same local level as one expects in India and with no higher standard even though it was paid. Overall, I would say some of the beaches of Goa has a better experience when we compare these parameters. Maybe, I was disappointed because I expected higher standards due to blue flag certification.

Hygiene standards of India

I remember in 2010 when Commonwealth games were organized in New Delhi and before the atheletes flew in stray dogs supposedly had access to the residential facilities prepared. A senior ranking official commented that hygiene standards are higher in the west than India and hence concern of athletes. Thankfully, issues were resolved since it was an international event. However, in 16 years apparently not much has changed for Indian society when it comes to hygiene. Somebody had pooped in the shower and changing room of Rushikonda beach. There was a toilet available separately. It was clearly not a toilet. We just moved to another changing room but this appaling behavior just reminded me that we as a country need to evolve our hygiene standards for sure. As we Indians talk about being a developed nation, we need to also develop basic cleanliness and hygiene standards overall. Barring this shitty incident, I definitely can say that tier 2 and tier 3 towns and cities we visited were in general much cleaner than big cities like Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi. More on that later.

Post this we had an excellent meal at the Zamindari restaurant in Vizag. I will highly recommend visitors to go to that restaurant if you are in the vicinty. After a hearty meal, we slept like logs.

Borra caves and Araku

Excited about our destination, we got ready after again a buffet breakfast. I keep mentioning buffets because in the later part of the travel, as we went to smaller and interior places the kids missed the lavishness and extravagance that these excellent hotels provided in the first section of the trip. More on that later.

Borra caves are a huge natural cave formation where perhaps a river flowed millions of years ago. It had unique natural geological formations, some of which you can view here. The cave was well tiled and well lit for tourist friendly access. I try to always engage a guide in such places to know more about the place and also generate local employment wherever we visit. If you are in this region, I will highly recommend a stop here. We had more interesting cave exploration later in the trip.

Another interesting activity we noted while going to Borra caves through tribal regions is that there were unofficial local tolls managed by villagers to generate revenue. When we were first stopped we were a bit concerned but it was harmless and initially we gave Rs 50 out of fear of harassment or extortion. They were fine with Rs 10 also later, and it looks like it is a common mechanism to generate extra income by women of the region. Money was not a concern, but unauthorised stops in general did make us a little fearful but there was nothing to be afraid of really. One concern I had was involvement of children in such activities as that move them away from studies and instead give them an easy path to some money for daily expenditures which may not help them in the long run. Sadly, there were such instances too.

We reached Araku and stayed at Mandala Farms which was well made and chatted quite a bit with the owners. They had a story which we aspired to as a family as well. They have a good amount of land on which they have constructed using sustainable architecture. The husband is a cinematographer while the wife is an environmentalist. While it looked like a dream life to me, the concern I have had in my mind is visible. Their child, 3 years old, was quite lonely and didn't have company and was very excited to meet us and spend time with us - which we were happy to do. He does not have company of similar age children, and they were figuring out boarding schools where he can go to already. That has been a no for me, as I want to spend time with my children and enjoy life with them and not away from them. Hospitality at Mandala Farms was a major concern and the food provided was pathetic irrespective of the prices (which were also quite high). They did say their cook is not there but they definitely should have paid more attention.

Araku was very beautiful and made the journey worth it.