More photos Fishing Harbor

For those interested in seeing more photos I took of the people at the Fishing Harbor in Vizag, visit my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissaenderle/sets/72157622563843157/

Lots of great faces. I can't wait to have some time to paint them!

The People of Vizag Fishing Harbor

Passing by the grounded submarine which the city claimed and then turned into a museum, we went to what would be our final destination – a boat ride from the fishing harbor. Nearing the area, I noticed tiny dried fish lining the edges of the paved road. Vehicles, apparently used to this practice, simply moved closer to the center of the road or swerved to avoid running over the fish. Turning into the harbor road, I was greeted with a sight that caught my eye and a smell that turned off all the Indians in our car. Yes, the smell of fish was quite overpowering, but I didn’t care. What I saw were “real” people with wizened faces, triple-pierced noses, and scarves amidst large piles and baskets of dried fish. The scene was a bustle of activity, people laboring much the way they probably did a hundred years ago. I intended to head back to this place when the others in the car did the boat ride. Alas, between the 60 rupee ($1.28) fee and strong fishy smell, no one was interested in taking the boat ride. Sadly the car once again drove past the fish workers. Upon hearing that the tour had ended albeit nearly 3 hours early (several museums were closed due to holiday), I asked the guide to take me back to the fishing harbor. I could tell that the driver and guide were a bit impatient, but I was determined to spend at least a few minutes here, a scene so rich in photo documentary possibilities. Between meeting the people, witnessing their excitement as they saw photos of themselves, and being offered a stogie by a woman (of which I politely refused), this was my favorite part of the entire Vizag tour.

Rushikonda Beach, Vizag

After lunch at a hotel overlooking the beach, we had about half an hour to spend at the Rushikonda Beach. It was quite a bit cleaner than the ones in Chennai and would have been a good spot to enjoy. Not having swim clothes, I just pulled up my pants legs and walked in a bit. Women walked in with their saris, enjoying the time with their children. Men and boys went in with their boxing shorts. The water was nearly the temperature of a bath. Standing in one place, at times I was on wet sand, then shallow water, and suddenly the water was close to my knees. I was surprised that there weren’t more tourists here, but perhaps it wasn’t the right season yet. I can imagine that the area would be good for water sports. After posing for several photographs with a group of people, I decided I had enough sun and went towards the fishing boats. Here, a man was busy repairing nets. Running a span of the beach were some stalls selling hideous sea shell crafts, many incorporating Hindu gods. Nothing even remotely appealed to me. Once again I was asked to pose with some young people, as they eagerly took a number of photos with their cell phones. Such a celebrity this red head is getting to be!

Thotlakonda, Bhuddhist Complex

Our next destination was Thotlakonda, a Buddhist complex 16 km from Vizag. Also on a hill, the complex which was active between 200 BC and 200 AD offered beautiful views of the sea and surrounding hills. Although there wasn’t a whole lot left to see, I can imagine how tranquil it must have been for the Buddhist monks who meditated here and visiting monks who came from as far away as China and Burma. One could see foundations of a kitchen, tiny dormitory rooms, stone-cut troughs, stupas, a dining hall, and eleven rainwater tanks. Destroyed by Hindus, the site was rediscovered recently via an aerial survey and excavated in the late 1980’s and early 90’s.

Kailasagiri, Vizag

Located on one of the main hills overlooking Vizag is Kailasagiri. From here, one has a panoramic view of natural harbor of Vizag, the sprawling city, and bay. Well maintained with plenty of shade trees, grassy areas, flowers, and well-manicured shrubs, this would be a great spot for picnic. In our short amount of time, we took the rope car down for a pretty (but similar) view, walked around a bit of the area, and admired the 40 meter high white statues of Shiva and Parvathi. I would have liked to walk through the park a bit more but didn’t want to be late back at the vehicle. It turned out that I would have had plenty of time, as the others slowly wandered back over 20 minutes late – grrr.

Simhachalam Temple, Andhra Pradesh

The next day I took the Vizag Heritage Tour. The first destination was the Simhachalam Temple, located on a picturesque tree-covered hill known as “Lion’s Hill” about 16 km away from the city. This Hindu temple is dedicated to Lord Varaha Narasimha, an incarnation of Vishnu. According to several Internet sources, it is the second richest temple (after Tirpati) in India. It is also Andhra Pradesh’s most famous temple and is a common pilgrimage for devotees. The newer entrance tower was painted white and was in a similar style to the gopurams of Tamil Nadu. The real treasure was the ancient temple, constructed some time in the 9^th or 10^th century. The place was abuzz with people, many of whom had just-shaved heads. Women were selling orange petals. In the parking area, one could choose from a plethora of religious trinkets, snacks, and cheap Chinese toys.

After placing my sandals in the holding slot (shoes are prohibited in temples), I walked towards the stone temple. Lion-like figures formed the columns, lined up in a row. The surface of the temple was covered with mythical creatures, men doing heroic deeds, dancing figures, and a central boar-like headed creature named Vamana. The morning sunlight cast itself right on a smooth column containing inscriptions of ancient-looking writing that probably was in Telugu. Next to it, people were giving doing pujas to a bull figure, offering flowers, bananas, incense, and coconut. I would have liked to have stayed to admire the scene and the beautiful exterior of the temple, but the tour guide ushered me through a gate in order to see the interior. There were two lines – one free (which had a long slow-moving line), and the other paid. Different ceremonies were going on inside. I passed by the sacred statue of the main deity covered in sandalwood paste that is revealed in its true form only 12 hours of the year, but didn’t understand its significance. I was also allowed to enter a tiny temple in which a Lingam was placed in the middle and worship underway. I preferred watching briefly through an open door, decorated with hanging garlands of marigolds. Next to that was a large circular open-air thatched structure with a short wall. Inside were several calves, each with a brightly beaded necklace.

Araku Valley Tour

The bus took us to our first destination, the Tribal Museum. The spiral walkway inside the small museum took us past diorama type displays of life-sized tribal people, tribal tools. jewelry, and musical instruments. The bus then ushered us to a rather disappointing botanical garden with a toy train, and then to a hotel for lunch. After a traditional South Indian meal eaten with our fingers, we went outside and watched a Dhimsa dance performed by one of the 17 indigenous tribes of the region. It was rather challenging photographing the dance, as the women dancers wove in and out, abruptly changed directions, and alternated between full height and nearly crouching. Capturing the faces of the fast-paced tribal women was further complicated by the tourists who joined in the dance.

Moving onward, we stopped at a scenic vista to absorb the view of the valley and then drove past coffee plantations along the steep sides of the road. The yet-unripe coffee was shaded by trees. Was this co-existence needed for the coffee or was it simply a way of maximizing land use with multiple crops? Also present were groves of cashew nut trees. Located about 29 km from the Araku Valley were the Borra Caves. One of the largest and deepest caves in the country (80 m depth), the opening of the cave was impressively wide. A paved path and well-maintained series of steps led visitors through the cave, with its varied sizes of stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by carefully spaced lights. Contrary to most caves I’ve been in, the temperature inside wasn’t noticeably cooler.  With several minutes to spare, I sat on a plastic chair and enjoyed the picturesque valley with its fast-moving stream below.

With the light quickly fading, we boarded the bus once again and headed towards Vizag. Considering the severe turns, narrow road and size of the bus, the driver moved at a rather fast pace through the mountain roads. At around 8pm, we finally were back to Vizag. It had been a long, but enjoyable day.

Train Ride to the Araku Valley

While it was still dark, I got dressed, took an auto rickshaw, and arrived at the train station with time to spare. At 6am, the train would depart for the Araku Valley, a hill station about 115 km away from Vizag and located close to the border with Orissa. With an elevation of between 600 and 900 meters above sea level, this hill station of the Eastern Ghats lures visitors with its scenic beauty and pleasant climate.

I had been told by others who had taken the trip that the ride to the valley was a treat in itself, and they were right. Through the open windows of the train, one could see the lush landscape of Andhra Pradesh. For the first couple of hours, the terrain was quite flat, dominated by rice paddies, palm trees, and fields of millet. Abruptly, the train began to climb. On one side of the train one could see the tree-covered hills and valley below. The view on the other side was mostly obscured by the stone hill around which the train tracked hugged. We passed through the first of many tunnels somewhere around 46 in all. From another train car we could hear the excited screams of schoolchildren as the length of the tunnel blocked out all light. A few tunnels after, the tour guide in our car turned off the light inside the train car, making everything totally dark. Occasionally a small waterfall cascaded down the rock surface. Once in a while things opened up and one could see the landscape from both sides of the train. Trees of the nearby hills were a dark green, while the distant ones were shrouded in atmospheric haze. Rivers and streams accented the green land. Pockets of terraced plots dotted the hills, eeking out available farming land. Hampered by the bars across the windows, some began standing next to the open train doors, really taking in the scenery. I also did this for a while, admiring the unfettered view. A few times the train stopped at small stations. Women balancing wide squat woven baskets on their heads emerged on the train, selling snacks and fruit. Young men carried their metal pots of coffee and chai, pouring the hot sweet liquid into small plastic cups for customers. 

Between the scenic ride and conversations with the pleasant Indian eye surgeon sitting next to me, the time went by quickly; I could have gone on for a while. Alas, we were at the last station, with the tourism busses waiting for us.