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.
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