Hyderabad - Part 2

Hope you all enjoyed my previous post Hyderabad - Part 1 :-) This post will cover Day 2 & 3 and the last post on my Hyderabad trip.

Day 2, July 23rd, Saturday

The places we were visiting today were new to all my friends. We decided to start with the faraway place – Nehru Zoological Park. We took an Ola and reached at 11 A.M.

The so-called famous Park: Nehru Zoological Park: -

The entrance fee is 30 bucks per head and 20 bucks for still camera. We took for one phone. This is waste of money. You can take pictures even if you don’t take the ticket but to be on safer side you can buy one.

We were supposed to start from the right, you get bicycles and carts (similar to golf carts) as well. But we started off from the left. You have restrooms, which are poorly maintained, and they charge 2 bucks.

First, you get the aquarium for which they charge 2 bucks again. There are quite some beautiful fishes here.  We just kept walking around and saw monkeys, birds, butterflies, elephants etc. The animals were mostly caged or sleeping or hiding in theirs homes. Then, we reach the safari point where we would see Lions, Tigers and Lazy Bears. The fee is priced at 40 bucks and they take you in a well-contained minivan. We got to see a Tiger and Lion from a near close view, apart from this nothing great.

Then you get to see Rhinos and Hippos. The directions are cleanly shown throughout the park.

The rains were on and off. I just wanted to exit the place. Unless it’s your first time to a zoo, the place isn’t exhilarating at all. Finally after 2 hours we were out from the park.

We took an Ola to Charminar and stopped at the Pista House for lunch. It’s hardly about few meters from Charminar. The food is lip smacking and the biscuits down there are delicious. They are quite cheap as well. Who says only Karachi biscuits are famous in Hyderabad? These are must try biscuits!

Next stop - Charminar and Chowmahalla Palace: -

Charminar- This is in the heart of the city. There was construction going on one part of the Charminar, hence we got a glimpse and left towards Chowmahalla Palace.  The area is heavily crowded and women can go crazy over stuff. The best place to shop unless you know to bargain.

We walked towards Chowmahalla Palace that is about a kilometer from Charminar. Google maps helped us reach to this beautiful palace. Entrance is 50 bucks per head and 50 for the camera. Surprisingly they charge about 250 bucks for non Indians. The place is known for its collection of Vintage Cars.

Apart from that there is nothing much to see here. But off course if you are into history, you will get to see the collection of weapons, the clothing’s, Qurans, Paintings etc. used during the historic period. The history is very well shown.

Salar Jung Museum: -

It was already 4:30 P.M. We took an Ola and headed towards Salar Jung Museum. Thankfully we reached on time to get the tickets. The museum closes at 5 P.M. Entrance here is 20 bucks per head and 50 for the camera. There are two floors with central, eastern and western blocks in each & about 41 rooms spread across the blocks. Each room has been categorized and well maintained. We were there for about an hour and decided to leave as most of the rooms were being closed and we would be late for the laser show at Lumbini.

Again, unless you are into Indian sculpture, arts, textiles, ivory, walking sticks, paintings, pottery, weaponry, armory, furniture’s, manuscripts, it’s quite boring. But the antiques are amazing. You will definitely need about 3-4 hours to thoroughly enjoy the beauty. One of the other delights is the musical clock. Every hour, a timekeeper emerges from the upper deck of the clock to strike a gong as many times as it is the hours of the day. Unfortunately we did not get to see this.

Lumbini Park - Hussain Sagar Lake: -

Ola/Uber - best way to commute rather than hiring a cab in Hyderabad. It costs hardly 60-70 bucks. We reached Lumbini at 6 P.M. The entrance fee is 20 bucks per head. To our bad luck, the show was cancelled due to technical difficulties. There is nothing in the park apart from the show. We decided to go to the heart shaped lake - Hussain Sagar Lake.

There is a ferry that will take you to the center of the lake where there is the magnificent tall statue of Gautama Buddha. The ride is charged at 55 bucks for the roundtrip. The color of Buddha keeps changing. I was mesmerized at the statuette & was at peace. After having spent about 15 minutes, we were taken back to Lumbini Park. Make sure you keep the tickets until you get back.

There is also the Indian Flag hoisted on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake. Hyderabad is now officially India’s second tallest tricolor flying at a height of 291 feet. The unfurled flag can be seen from miles away & it looks amazing!

There are washrooms here as well. Unclean but definitely better compared to the Zoo (charged at 2 bucks :P).

Last stop - Birla Mandir: -

The place is 1.5 kilometers from the park. We took a rickshaw and he charged us 50 bucks. I was so glad that I was there. The sight is so striking. You are supposed to deposit your phones and other belongings except for your wallet. The main God here is the, Balaji. It was a Saturday, there were so many people & a huge line to the temple. After our prayers we sat down for about 30 minutes. The weather, the place it was perfect. The day got better and better and it ended with a bang.

The second day was just Ok. It was a different experience. I would definitely visit Birla Mandir and Lumbini-Hussain. Charminar - May be for food and shopping. But the other 2 places - probably not.

The night was well spent with a small party followed by visiting Cream Stone at 2 A.M. The beautiful windy weather and company of amazing friends - I couldn’t ask for more. Also, made two new friends. They hail from 2 different states and I totally enjoyed my time with them.

Day 3, July 24th, Sunday

It was a lazy Sunday. I was supposed to meet another friend of mine. We met at 10:30 A.M. at GVK One mall. After having spent for about an hour, we decided to go to Bikanerwala. It’s about 10 minute walk from the mall. He definitely knows my likes and dislikes. We ordered Chola Battura, papdi dahi chaat and cold coffee. The best part about the place is the amazingly soft Rasgulla. It was so tasty, we ended up taking parcel to our homes. I took an Uber to my friends place as I was familiar with the roads by then.

Afternoon, around 3 P.M. we started towards Golconda Fort. It took about 45 minutes to reach our destination. There was no entrance fee because of a festival going on there. So, the fort was heavily crowded and garbage thrown all over the place. It was more like a small trek towards the top of the fort. We were dead exhausted half way through, yet we kept continuing and reached the top in about 45 minutes after taking wrong turns. Either taking a right or left wouldn’t make a difference but we took a right & since there was festival was going on, the way was blocked and we had to climb down and take a left. A magnificent view of Hyderabad as you reach the top spot - spent about 20 minutes and we headed towards our home.

Pictures below -

  

We stopped for Irani Chai and biscuits. These are probably one of the best combinations I have ever had. Also, you get these small onion samosa charged at only 4 bucks. Exquisite taste. I am going to miss this in Bangalore.

                           

 

The night was planned at Kabul Darbar. This is the best place in Hyderabad where you get amazing Afghani food and big thick rotis. Another good thing about this place is you get to sit on Deewan and enjoy your food. Big thanks to my friend and his roomies who took me here. Knowing the foodie in me, Kabul was definitely one of the best ones.

Day 4, July 25th, Monday

The go carting (Runway 9) did not happen. I decided to take rest. Flight was scheduled at 8 P.M. & I was home by 11 P.M.

Hearty thanks to my Hyderabad friends who took care of me, showed me around and made me eat some real good food. :)

Hyderabad - Part 1

It all started in June when I decided to visit Hyderabad. But due to unavailability of dates and people involved, the date was set on July 22nd-July 25th. The reason being two of my close friends stay there. Well, one of them had recently moved while the other was staying in Hyderabad from past 3 years.

The date was decided & I booked the flights. Now, you might ask why flight? The reason being there was monsoon sale going on and the rates were available at cheaper price with cash back on completing the trip. I booked the tickets on Ixigo and was priced at 1500 (Indigo) and 2000 (Spicejet) with 200 and 650 cash back respectively.

The night prior to the travel date, I called up my friend and planned the itinerary. I told him the places I wanted to visit and he being the dearest friend of mine prepared an excel spreadsheet, showed me the 2 plans of which I decided to go with Plan A considering most of the places were closed on Friday. (But eventually the plan changed and we decided to go with Plan C.)

Plan A: -

Day 1, Friday: Ramoji Film City.

Day 2, Saturday : Old City - Golconda Fort, Chowmahalla Palace, Salar Jung Museum, Nehru Zoological Park, Charminar.

Day 3, Sunday: Birla Mandir, Lumbini Park, Hussain Sagar.

Day 4, Monday: Runway 9.

Plan B: - (One of our friend was working on Friday, hence the plan)

Day 1, Friday: Nehru Zoological Park, Charminar, Shopping Old City, Golconda Fort.

Day 2, Saturday: Ramoji Film City.

Day 3, Sunday: Chowmahalla Palace, Salar Jung Museum, Birla Mandir, Lumbini Park, Hussain Sagar.

Day 4, Monday: Runway 9.

Plan C: - Probably the best plan for a 3 day trip because less crowd on a Friday for Ramoji compared to weekends & old city can be covered in a day. This way you get to spend one evening at Lumbini for the Laser Show and one evening at Golconda for the Sound & Light Show. Though we didn't get to see both, supposedly they are good.

Day 1, Friday: Ramoji Film City.

Day 2, Saturday: Nehru Zoological Park, Charminar, Chowmahalla Palace, Salar Jung Museum, Lumbini Park, Hussain Sagar, Birla Mandir.

Day 3, Sunday: Golconda Fort.

Day 4, Monday: Runway 9.

July 21st, Thursday 7 PM -

From Bangalore, there were 2 of us travelling to Hyderabad. We decided to take the Uber Share after having sumptuous dinner at friends place. An angel got along the journey. I call her an angel because she knew the roads and saved an hour for us. We reached airport at 9:30 P.M. However, It’s better you take a separate cab rather than pooling if you are more than two. We saved around 250 bucks here.

We had a quick bite at KFC and proceeded towards the gate. It was an hour's journey and as soon as I took my seat I immediately dozed off. On reaching, I booked an Uber and our pick up was at Point D. Once you are out of the arrivals, there is an escalator headed downwards that leads you to the spot.

Day 1, July 22nd, Friday

Ramoji Film City:-

Ola was pre booked, the cab was scheduled to come at 7 A.M. and our friend prepared Omelette and Tea for us. We reached early & waited an hour to get the tickets. The entrance ticket costs 1000 bucks per head for adults and 900 for children and they give you a sticker that you have to stick onto your part of the body where it’s noticeable. There are red, blue and yellow stickers. The red ones are normal while the rest are tour or VIP stickers. You will also be given a map that will help you during the journey of Ramoji.

Our friend already told us that we would follow him as he had already been here 2-3 times and was keen on showing us everything. The gates open at 9 A.M. and we were taken to sit on a bus. This bus takes you to the Film City and the ride is about 10-15 minutes.

Top: The set for Colleges, Dil Se (Multicuisine restuarant), Wall Designs
Bottom: The Angel Fountain, Radha Krishna, The Jug Fountain

First, we took the Complimentary rides starting with Frisbee Coaster followed by Break Dance. Both the rides will definitely remind you of your childhood days. The third was the best of all. It’s called the ranger ride and goes 360 degrees, thrice clockwise and anticlockwise. You have to keep all your belongings inside to prevent them from falling. I was seated on the front and it was thrilling, I could only imagine the scenes from the movie Final Destination. The harness is tight and this is by far the most amazing ride I have ever been on. The Carousel ride was under construction. There are paid rides too. The only paid ride we took was the bumping car that was at the end of the day.

Frisbee Coaster, Break Dance, Ranger Ride, Carousel, Super Jet Rides

We almost made it in time for the opening ceremony of Film City. It’s called the Eureka, which is at 9:45 A.M. The sight is amazing. The doors open and you see people dancing to tunes of Jodha Akbar.

Once you enter, you are on your own. Unless you know the place it’s really difficult to go around. There was another complimentary ride called the Super Jet ride. You will be able to spot it as soon as you enter. It just goes up and down and this is the last complimentary ride we took.

Ramoji as you enter,

Next, we took the Red Vintage Bus Tour. Each bus has a guide who gives an overview of Ramoji. You will be asked to either continue with the same bus or change buses. The instructions are very well explained and simple. The bus will further take you to the Angel Fountain, Jug Fountain, the Gardens where the movie/song scenes are shot, couple of them being Dilwale, The Dirty Picture, Chennai Express and so on, the Bhagavatam, the Mahabharata set scene, the Railway Station, the Airport, the Colleges, Bomb explosions set scenes, beautiful Hawa Mahal, Leg Garden, Sun Fountain, Bonsai Gardens, Kripalu Caves, Butterfly Garden, the stunning Japanese Garden, Askari Garden, Sanctuary Garden, Bird Park, Family Garden, Rock Garden, Umbrella Garden, Mughal Garden and the Charisma Garden. We spent about 2-30 minutes depending on the place and covered all of them.

Pictures below: -

The Airport

The Jail

Bird Park

Mahabharata

Kripalu Caves

Bird Park

Bird Park

Japanese Garden

Sun Fountain

Railway Station

Hawa Mahal

The Red Vintage Bus Ride

The light khambas

Front view of the bus ride

On the way to Kripalu Caves

The set where bomb explosions take place

Outside the Butterfly Garden

Askari Garden

The view from Hawa Mahal

Butterfly Garden (With Flowers)

Bonsai Garden

The Statue Of Liberty

The shows: -

1. The first show we witnessed is the Spirit of Ramoji at the Alampana Theatre at 12:30 P.M. This theatre is situated at the Ramoji entrance to the left. It’s a 30-45 minutes display of various dances, with hula-hoops, caps, and magic. It’s good to see how the dancers dance 3-4 shows a day with so much enthusiasm.

2. The next show was the Lights Camera Action at 1:30 P.M. situated at right of the Movie Magic building. The show is based on Hollywood blacklight display. It’s a spectacular show where each concept is pictured on the concept of black light. The show is about 30-45 minutes.

3. We had a quick bite in one of the shops and proceeded towards the Space Yatra. This is a 20 minute ride to the space. It’s amazing how the idea is conceptualized. This is on the other end of lights camera action building.

The movie magic building seen from the other side

4. Next stop was to the Filmy Duniya. Here you are made to sit on a cart and you travel all around the world. Starting from the golden period to the modern period, it’s a ride you will never forget and that will stay with you for a very long time! This is situated right next to the space yatra.

After this we took pictures with Superman, Batman, Jim Carrey, Cars, Charlie Chaplin, Arnold, Angelina and couple others (All of these are in between the lights camera action and space yatra buildings) and headed towards Borasura.

5. Borasura – The Magician's Workshop.  We were the only ones trapped in this miraculous creation. It was scary yet adventurous. There are places you get lost but eventually you get out. This is situated next to the Carousel ride. If you see a big Blue face with his mouth open, that’s Borasura.

6. We ran towards the Action Theatre. This is located next to the Filmy Duniya. The magic of cinema is fascinating. This is a chance for you to be in it. I literally mean it. It’s a place where they show you how a movie is created and one among the audience gets an opportunity to be a part of the movie if you volunteer to do so. The entire show is about 45 minutes.

7. The last show we witnessed was the Fort Frontier Stunt Show. It’s at the Wild West theatre. This is situated at the Ramoji entrance to the right. The show was at 3:30 P.M. and is pretty amazing. You will witness a full packed action stunt show. Towards the end they give out Ramoji currency but for that you need to be seated on the front.

Wild West

The only show we did not go in the Dadajin Live TV show. It’s situated next to Borasura. It’s purely for kids. I am not sure how the show is but I am assuming the kids would enjoy it.
It started raining but we did not stop. We went towards the bumping car. It is priced at 30 bucks for 15 minutes. I enjoyed my car ride bumping into my friends and unknown people.

Note: We did not have proper lunch but there are couple of places where you can eat. You also have shopping centres and other facilities available such as wheel chairs, first aid, atm, baby feeding room and atm.

It was 5:30 P.M. We booked an Uber and started towards the city. My other friend came an hour late and I was more than happy. It had been more than a year we had not met. Dinner was from the famous Paradise Biryani. Honestly, it was just good, more like dum biryani. I have had better.

Panorama view of the Sun Fountain

Thus, Day 1 came to an end. Day 2 and 3 will be covered in the next part of my blog. Stay tuned. :-)

My favorite picture of the day. (Space Yatra, Filmy Duniya, Action Theatre, Movie Magic & Lights Camera Action)