“Where do you stay my friend? Come, let me drop you.” These were the words of my classmate I believe were sent by God as I wished him to get me home early. It was a tiring day for us. I was willing to walk until my friend offered to drop me. On the way, we were talking about how to spend our study leave apart from studying. He told me that he was planning to open a stationery shop with all possible facilities at a discounted price and make huge profits. We had a great laugh hearing his funny but beneficial idea. The discussion came to an end as I reached my place. I waved at him and left.
Our Day
The entire day was rolling in my mind as I cleaned myself, secretly wishing to run far away from this chaos. My father was viewing the highlights of a previous match. As I sat on the sofa, he asked me, “It’s been a while since we went on a vacation. Any place that you wish to visit?” That was something my ears were eager to hear. My mother suggested some places which were good but quite expensive. Then my father talked about Hyderabad. We gave it a thought and in no time agreed to visit.
The Tickets
The tickets were booked later that week. I was excited since we were traveling by airplane after 12 years! Our flight was 3 months away from the day of the booking. Quite a long time, though it went in a snap. I didn’t realize how three months passed while being occupied with exams. We prepared a list of that stuff that would be required. As it was the rainy season during that time, rainwear was on top of the list.
With a handful of days left, it was time for packing things. Most of us don’t like to do this part being boring and crucial. Since my last trip, I had an idea about it and thus packed my bag with the utmost care. For those who wish to travel by air someday must know that proof of identity is required along with the tickets during the entry to an airport. My father reminded me of this thing repeatedly as he safely kept the documents with him.
The Excitement
All of us were excited with a few hours left to leave. A cab was booked to the airport and we started for the most awaited moment. As we arrived, I was left in awe with the glamour of the new terminal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. I saw this majestic creation for the first time since it was inaugurated in 2014. They had allowed people to roam inside the airport during that period for a limited time.
After acquiring boarding passes, we spent most of the time in the waiting zone, later realizing the existence of another section at the bottom. It is the heart of the airport with sparkling brands of clothes and accessories along with food. But our eyes caught the sight of the airplanes. Those flying beasts which included Airbuses and Boeings were waiting for passengers to occupy them. It was a fascinating sight.
During all this, we reached the entry gate which was displaying ‘Status – Final Call’. My body gave me a good adrenaline rush due to the thought of missing the flight. My father got to know that he had a missed call from the airline people with whom we were flying with.
The crewmembers greeted us while entering the plane. I had a desire to see the winglets of a plane while in motion and so, a window seat was reserved for me. The flight instructions were given by the crew members as we were nearing to depart. I was in position with my phone to record the take-off.
Seeing me like this, a flight attendant approached me with her concern that whether my phone was in flight mode or not. I told her it was. She allowed me to record, smiled at me and left for her seat. The plane started off from the parking area towards the runway. I was getting more excited as we progressed. After all the months of waiting, with full throttle, we took off for Hyderabad.
During the flight, we were offered snacks. The high altitude had a great impact on my body making me stiff the entire time. When the plane took off the runway, I felt all the forces – lift, drag, gravity, and thrust. My mother was always checking on me. In all of this, I didn’t realize how 1 hour passed.
I was happy that we landed safely at Hyderabad. On arrival, another cab was to be booked at our hotel. The cab approached us and the driver took us to our destination. Another thing, it is mandatory to pay an airport toll at the exit gate. This is usually included in the cab’s fare or we may have to pay them separately.
We asked the driver about better places to visit while in Hyderabad. He told us to visit Tank Bund, Salarjung Museum, Hussain Sagar, Chowmahalla Palace, Charminar, Birla Temple, Ramoji Film City, Golkonda Fort and many more. All of us were arguing about which place to visit first. This went on until we deboarded the cab.
The hotel is another part of our journey. The lobby felt as if we were in a first-class lounge. The bellhop took our luggage to the room. All of the working staff were very kind and always smiling. Being excited, I took the key provided to us at the reception and unlocked the door. That moment we were surprised to see a clean, fresh and cool room. My mother thought of seeing such a room at our home every time we make a mess.
The first thing I did was removed my shoes, placed my bag in the wardrobe, went to freshen up and got comfortable on a two-set chair arranged in the corner from where the entire room could be seen. Every one of us had the privilege to experience such a luxurious room together for the first time. To our surprise, the hotel provided us complimentary water bottles and breakfast.
The long drive from the airport to the hotel made us prolong our hunger. A food hunt was initiated and it ended soon enough when we found a place called ‘Dosa Spot’ next to our hotel. No time was wasted to place the order as soon as we grabbed a table to sit. Every bite of that paneer dosa and onion uttapam tasted so good! We wrapped up for the day, watched TV and dozed off.
The next day, we planned to visit Birla temple, Salarjung museum and local market. We sought blessings of Lord Venkateswara at Birla Mandir which is located on a hill named Naubath Pahad. It is a decent trek towards the temple. Keep in mind that there are rickshaw drivers waiting for devotees at the entrance fooling them into believing that it requires too much to walk till the temple. Politely ignore them and follow the route upwards. All the devotees were chanting ‘Govinda, Govinda!’ as we were waiting in line for the darshan. It was a pleasant environment. You will be in for a treat when you will see the entire Hyderabad city from the hilltop.
After visiting the temple, we visited the Salar Jung Museum. It is one of our country’s national museum which has the belongings of the Salar Jung family. The prestige of the family is greatly showcased through their vivid collections of paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, ceramic and metallic artifacts, carpets, weapons, armor from around the world. The major attraction is a 200-year-old musical clock that has a mechanism functioning at every 60 minutes. People gather every hour to see the clock. Overall, it’s worth to visit. A ticket is to be purchased and photography is strictly prohibited.
It is better to take a rickshaw for nearby places and book a cab for places far away. If you are a solo traveler, bus traveling will be less expensive, but proper routes need to be enquired. The local market has products available at any market place and the prices are quite high. Strolling for a while we were hungry. Café Bahar, one of the famous places to have biryani in Hyderabad is a must to visit. This place has people waiting in line most of the time. We ordered a normal chicken biryani with chicken tandoori and it tasted as delicious as claimed by the many people who visited this place.
This is how Day 1 at Hyderabad ended. My utmost reason for visiting Hyderabad was to visit the sets of the blockbuster movie Baahubali which was filmed at Ramoji Film City (RFC). I wasted no time in preparing my next day attire and went to sleep. The thought of visiting the set was itself making me asleep.
Day 2 of Hyderabad didn’t go as planned. I was the only person to get ready first and the rest of my family got up late. The entry gate supposedly gets closed after 11:00 AM. Plan to visit RFC got postponed to the next day. Nothing to think about a place to visit, the local market was the only option left. My mother looked for silk saree shops. They were having an expensive price tag and so it was dropped. Shopkeepers at the market know local people and tourists and thus sell their products.
For lunch, a place called Chutneys near Banjara Hills is good if you love thalis (a proper full meal course). The food was above average. I didn’t have rice as my tummy got full. Coming back to our room exhausted, the rains started. It was the month of June where we got to witness the first rains of Hyderabad. After the rain stopped, we decided to walk around the hotel area. Bikanerwala, a popular sweet and snack shop was the latest shop to open in that locality. It is a restaurant as well as a shop providing lip-smacking dishes which we couldn’t resist to try.
This city has a different space altogether. Unlike the metropolitan cities, Hyderabad reprises an authentic culture and people who have a less complicated life. Coming back from exploring the streets, we had dinner at a restaurant near our hotel. And like this, our second day at Hyderabad ended. I dozed off in excitement for the next day’s adventure.
The third day went in my favor. Everyone got up early and we left for Ramoji Film City. A carnival was happening there and it ended on the second day of our visit. During this event, RFC gives special tours to its guests with updated activities to be a part of. I had a fear of missing out on the tour of Baahubali movie set. The place is on the outskirts of the city and a cab is convenient to commute. Other less expensive routes need to be asked from locals or search on the internet.
When you enter RFC, a ticket is to be purchased. Although online booking is available on their website, some might prefer going there and buying tickets. As expected, the carnival got over a day before. While buying the tickets, ask for a map that has the directions. Security checking is done and a bus is waiting for people to board it. Once full, the bus leaves for RFC.
I wasn’t sure when the Baahubali movie set would come across and so I started recording just when the bus moved. It was quite a long distance until the main gate arrived. You then get to see the huge Ramoji Film City structure welcoming the tourists. Most of the famous locations used in movies begin to appear as and when you enter. The bus drops you at a point inside the film city and from thereon, you are on your own.
Ramoji Film City is built on a land which is spread across 1666 acres, making it the largest studio complex in the world. It is recommended to wear light clothes to walk across this huge place. If you are visiting in the rainy season, be sure to carry an umbrella since there are limited shelters if rain falls abruptly. The adventure starts from the starting point of the tour where you are dropped off.
Major attractions are Action Theatre, Filmy Duniya, Ramoji Tower, and Borasura. Nearest to the starting point is Fundustan and Borasura, especially for kids. A show is performed at Fundustan followed by Borasura, a magician’s workshop which is filled with surprises at each step you enter. It is kind of a spooky house.
You can directly go to Action Theatre first as people wait in long queues. What I liked was that they showed the process of film making with the audience volunteering for them. We missed Filmy Duniya due to time constraints and went towards the starting point. Here again, buses are waiting to give a tour of RFC.
Our tour guide was an amusing person with a great sense of humor. He spoke in Hindi with a Telugu accent which made me smile more. This ride covers the spots where famous movies and television shows were shot. Now what made me disappointed was that they didn’t take us to Baahubali’s film location and it was only included during the carnival period. I literally missed it a day before. Please take a note of this carnival period (available on their website) before planning to visit RFC.
We were dropped near the bird sanctuary at the end of the tour. It was an amazing sight to see a variety of birds. For a detailed experience, it is recommended to visit this place and you will not regret it. Coming back from sanctuary to the starting point, we were caught by rains. Fortunately, our bus arrived and we wasted no time for boarding. Like this, our day at RFC ended. It is suggested to book a cab before arriving at the main gate as people are already acquiring taxis and waiting for other cabs which creates a lot of delays.
Finally, the day of our departure arrived. Our days spent here went so fast that we longed for more. As a tradition, we got some souvenirs to distribute amongst our friends and neighbors. The place which has earned customers across the country and the world, Karachi Bakery is one of the popular bakeries in Hyderabad. We got to taste their delicacies which led us to buy a dozen of their products. Fruit biscuits, dil kush, and plum cake are few of their famous bakery products. This was our last stop before leaving Hyderabad.
Entering the airport wasn’t that exciting. With only limited days, we couldn’t explore more. I would recommend to take at least a week off to properly explore Hyderabad. The flight was full while leaving compared to the almost empty flight coming to Hyderabad. All those memories were flashing in my mind as I sat on the flight seat. The overall experience was quite enjoyable. Most people prefer going to tourist dense places in India. Less popular locations like Hyderabad will fetch you with unexpected surprises and costs comparatively less fare to travel.
Reaching Mumbai, we booked a cab back home. The discussion of going to other destinations in India was already started. My heart still remained in Hyderabad. The feeling of not getting to see the movie set for Baahubali was almost gone. I discussed the events with my friends and they were happy to hear them. In the near future, I will definitely revisit Hyderabad, but this time the route will be by road.
