Raju's Wanderings

  On the weekend of December 13, I decided to visit Bhimbetka, 50 km from Bhopal, on Saturday, and catch the train back to reach Hyderabad on Sunday. Bhimbetka has 10,000 year old rock paintings, predating the Indus Valley Civilization by thousands of year, and even the Indo Aryans by close to a millenium! The whirlwind plan began from Nampally Railway Station. I caught the train to Bhopal via Nagpur from Nampally, Hyderabad on Friday night. By the time I reached Nagpur, the train was already running 5 hours late, and my whirlwind plan of Bhimbetka over Saturday and back on Sunday was no longer possible. So I got down at Nagpur and roamed around the city for two hours before catching a bus back to Hyderabad. This is the Japanese Garden at Nagpur, now a run-down place for morning walkers, and afternoon college romances. I had to avert my eyes and walk fast to keep from disturbing necking couples. The Futala Lake College kids and secret lovers hanging out at Futala lake. Nagpur is th...

  At Rajahmundry Railway Station at 4:45 AM on November 30, Saturday. Maredumilli is a hidden gem about 80 km and less than 2 hours drive from Rajahmundry railway station, that is about 10 hours away by train from Hyderabad. I traveled at 5 am to Gokavaram in a 13 person autorickshaw. The fare was about Rs.50 for the 30 km journey, and fellow passengers were fast asleep crammed together at the front, back and middle of the autorickshaw. "Ladies" are given seats in the auto, while men have to generally sit on wooden planks. Buses depart from Gokavaram to Maredumilli every hour. This is the entrance of the bus station. A bus at Gokavaram Bus station. I travelled by the Gupta Travels private bus that was right outside this bus station. Wandering around Maredumilli. In 1922, the region saw the Rampa Rebellion led by Alluri Sitaramaraju against British colonial oppression of the tribals. This is Manyam viewpoint, on the way to Amruthadhara Waterfalls. Maredumilli is "Agency A...