Calling the blog this way has a reason............ :)
Hyderabad!!!!
For all those who thought Hyderabad has something to do with Hyder Ali(Tipu Sultan's Father), then you all will be disappointed like me. Hyderabad was called Bhagyanagar( named after Mallika Bhagyamati) earlier, later when the queen was rechristened as Hydermahal the city also got rechristened to Hyderabad.
Hyderabad is very well connected from Bangalore via roadways, railways and airways. It is always good to start your trip with to and fro reservation (that too early reservation). The challenge we had was, to reach Yeshwantpur Railway Station on time. For this, one has to do a lot many things, leave early from office, have everything packed in advance even the dinner and take the shortest time taking route to the station(this may not be the shortest distance).
The train Samparkh Kranthi from Bangalore to Hyderabad, had people from different walks of life, various party workers, to locals of Hyderabad and Bangalore, tourists and students. Anyway, I always get positive vibes from a train. As the train started from Bangalore towards Hyderabad, we were all excited about the fun and excitement that was in store for us in Hyderabad that too with no place to stay( I mean no prior hotel reservation).
As the train entered the city, the first station of Hyderabad we saw was Falaknuma( the name itself gives a royal thought), then when the train stopped at Kachiguda Railway Station, we, wondering where we will stay. Then our travel agent came as hope to us, who had booked us a Car, had also booked rooms at Nand International near to Railway Station itself.
There are many hotels near Tank Bund, Lakdi-Ka Pool as in Hotel Venkateshwara, Dwarka Palace, Amrutha Castle and so on........ for all of these to accommodate you, prior booking is a must. Other wise you must be really lucky to have rooms vacant even in rainy season. The Tariffs range from 600 to 1800 depending on the beds. Amrutha Castle is a little expensive, as it's a 3 star hotel.
Staying near to Tank Bund can save a lot of time as this place itself has a lot of places of interests, as in Hussain Sagar Lake( Eat Street Along the lake), Snow world, Birla Mandir, Charminar, Neck Lace Road, NTR Park etc. For Shopping Koti( Sultan Bazaar, Abids, Laad Bazaar( Near Charminar) are easily accessible.
For travelling in Hyderabad, there are Autos, these are no better then the ones in Bangalore, charging you 3 times more then the actual. So better polish your bargaining skills to save your pockets. Another best way is to rent a car ( Not taxi). A car for rental would cost 800 to 900 for Non AC and 900-1000 (for AC). This tariff is for 8hrs or 80kms (which ever gets over first), after 8hrs its per hr Rs.50 and after 80Kms its Rs5.5 per Km. In case both 80Kms and 8hrs expire then cumulative of both the overtime get applied. This is the tariff what we got as of August 2008. Keeping this in your mind either book you Car with Car rental company like Agarwal Travels or talk to your Travel Agent about the rent. More importantly, the rental tariff does not include parking charges ( Rs 10- 20 at every place) or night duty charges of Driver( Rs 50 -100 per hour after 9 pm).
The places of Interest which we visited in Hyderabad are:
Snow World: Artificially created Snow ( you would love it if you have never been in snow-capped region). Entry Fee: Rs.250 per ticket, open from 11 am to 10:30 pm all the days of the week.
Golkonda Fort: Fort built by the Kings who ruled Hyderabad. Entry fee Rs.10, hiring a guide won't be a loss, he would charge you Rs.250 for all the historical information about Hyderabad. There is Sound and Light show at Golkonda Fort in the evenings. This show is in English, Hindi and Telugu. visit this link for more details: http://www.tourisminap.com/soundlightshowsathyderabad.htm.
Qutub Shahi Tombs: This is approximately 1km from Golkonda. These are the tombs of the king who built Golkonda fort.
Dhola-Ri- Dhani: This is the best place to experience Rajasthan in Hyderabad near Kompally. "Aathithi Devobhava" is well pictured here even though you pay the entry fee you still feel you are the honoured royal guest. This is the resorts depicting Rajasthani ambience with the entry fee of Rs:350 (Including dinner+ Taxes) . One can go on Camel Ride and royal Shikara. Dance to the tune of Rajasthani folk music and much more....
Charminar: This is the most famous monument which all of us know. This place is closed on Friday. This place can be accommodated on the day you are planning for shopping as it is near to local shopping areas( Not malls).
Macca: This a Masjid near Charminar where women are not allowed. So no updates on this from me.
Hussain Sagar Lake: This is the lake located at the heart of the city. Locals feel this lake stinks but it was not so when I went there. The boat ride can keep you thrilled as well as give you meditation experience with motor boat and slow boat rides respectively. Along Hussain Sagar there is Eat Street( don't go by its name, it is a street with KFC and other big brands in there, you can even get your nails crafted and get yourself tattooed here. The boat ride is for Rs45 per person.
NTR Gardens and Lumbini Park: These are the Gardens which will refresh you with its musical fountain and Laser show.This is near Hussain Sagar Lake. No more updates on this, I missed them both.
Ramoji Film City: This is very well connected by buses, I feel this way coz I got the bus very easily. One can get buses to Ramoji from Secundrabad and Koti. If you reach Koti Circle and walk a lil , you can find a bus stop( not the Bus stand at Koti Circle) and Bus numbers 205 and 206 will take you to Ramoji in 10 bucks. It is a long journey in the city ( Not for bangaloreans ;) ) via Dilchuknagar. Entry Fee at Ramoji is Rs.300, worth the money you pay...... The most important thing to remember at ramoji is...... it opens by 9:30 am and its better to be there by this time for its every day opening show. It is the fun place one cannot afford to miss if you want to know the tricks of film making and enjoy throughout the day activities. Stunt Show and Free Fall from Ramoji towers are the best.
Birla Mandir: This is the temple across the Hussain Sagar Lake on the small hill with a view of the lake. This is nice white stone temple which leaves speechless.
Salarjung Museum: A must visit, to know about the life of royal houses and history of Hyderabad. No more comments on this as I missed this one too....................... :(
For Shopping:
I can only tell some of the local shopping stuff:
Near Charminar...............
Madeena: For clothes at reasonable price. Again do not hesitate on bargaining.
Laad Bazaar: Well known as Chudi Bazaar. Better wear your Sunglasses here, I don't know about the sunny day but the glitters of the bangles along this street is worth watching. Again..... Do Not Forget Bargaining. You will also get the most famous Hyderabad Pearls here.
Koti ( Sultan Bazaar): We missed this but they say this is also good for shopping.
Abids: I still do not know how to pronounce this Abid's or A-bids.
Karachi Bakery at Koti: You get most famous Karachi Biscuits here. And if you miss this..... then get ready to face all your folks aback home who know about this place.
Paradise Biryani: This is in Secundrabad and most famous biriyani centre in Hyderabad, initially started in the small room. For those non-vegetarians, your trip is a complete waste if you miss this place. My mouth still waters thinking of Veg Biriyani I ate here....... I am a vegetarian and I loved it.........
Irani Chai: I missed it ...... hope you get to taste it in Hyderabad. You get this chai almost every where..........
Pulareddy Sweets: A good place for exotic sweets... I missed it ........ hope you get to visit this place
The Most important thing about Hyderabad...... Do not be ignorant about the climatic conditions as we did.......... We almost spent half of 2nd day and entire 3rd day in heavy rains. The other side of the story was we were prepared for sunny Hyderabad with all our sun glasses, caps and sunscreens.
Thanks to the umbrellas we brought near Birla mandir for Rs.75. At the end of the trip when we looked back at our umbrellas we realised how worthy Rs.75 is and how useful the umbrellas was...... For those last two day spent in Hyderabad, we witnessed rain for continuous 30hrs. So I just want to share, rains in Hyderabad can also be unpredictable.
For all those who don't know, Hyderabad is actually known for its hot and humid nature throughout the year except for rainy season(with fewer rains).
This was not true for us and we missed out on all our shopping plans............. Thanks to rain.
Actually, our experience of Hyderabad contradicts with others.......Who would get to experience the rainy and chilled Hyderabad in their first visit?...... Its only lucky ones like us......... :)
Summary of Tips:
--Plan all your days in Hyderabad in advance so that you don't end up wasting your time.
-- Book your Hotel in advance.
-- Hire a Car for convenience
--Carry your Sunscreen, Sunglasses and caps.
--Umbrellas- you never know how useful it might be.
--Polish on Bargaining Skills( this is must if you want to save your pockets) .
-- A 5 days trip to Hyderabad would leave you completely satisfied.
--Do Not Forget Pullareddy sweets, Karachi Biscuits and Paradise Biriyani
--Tickets to Snow World, Dhola-Ri Dhani can be brought from any travel Agents across the city.
--For any telephone numbers of travel agents, Car rental, hotels etc.... Just Dial Number 040-69999999 can be kept handy.
For the shorter trip as we did one can use this:
Day 1: Snow World--- Golkonda Fort with Qutub Shahi Tombs--- Dhola- Ri-Dhani(Good for evening till night, reach here by 5 pm and ends with dinner at 8 pm)
Day2: Salarjung Museum--- Charminar-Shopping at Koti(Sultan Bazaar, and Karachi Bakery), Abids, Laad Bazaar, Madeena, Hussain Sagar Lake in the early evenings(for the Boat ride), Eat Street. Drive to Secundrabad for Paradise Biriyani and Necklace road walk(If no rain)
Day 3: Birla Mandir at 8 am and head towards Ramoji for full day entertainment and fun.
That's all!!!!!So have a Happy and Safe trip to Hyderabad......... You won't be disappointed.
Finally, I am tuning myself to work after two back to back trips( sounds a lil like FM RJ's dialogue). Now Hyderabad is not two trips back to back......... another one is Madikeri trip...... Hope I get out of my lazy bags to share information on Madikeri..........
Once Again Happy and Safe Trip to Hyderabad.................... :) :)
