ttt day 2 was eventful too. cab at 750am to prayagraj. from 10am to 645pm did several things at prayag – the sangam, mid-river asthi piece in exclusive boat, lete hanuman temple, kanchi mutt’s temple by the side, veni madhav ( as instructed by raama), walk thru prayag city, visit to pallavi’s alma ( allahabad medical college), a few parks etc. unfortunately all 3 museums closed today ( monday). stupidly took a 7pm bus back. it took 3 hrs, was raining when i reached kashi. so a 9 km walk back to room was cut short. i did 5 km by auto, then dinner, then 4 km by walk when rain stopped. so today only 32.2km walked. tomorow sarnath and a few other places ( raama instructions, again) in my plan. gud nite if u zoom i think u can see my manhood. u see, as per rituals, i am not allowed to wear an underwear ok guys, its 845am and am leaving now ( bit late due to body feeling bit sore from all the walking😀). off to sarnath, 15km away from my hotel ( am at lanka). hv a gud day, guys busy, machan. this is at sarnath museum, about 1 hr back, ogling at this buxom female statue. will write full day summary eod day 3 was good too – out of room at 845am, walked thru pushkar talab to assighat and 5 km on ghat link. interesting conversations with a gp of sadhus/a spanish lady/a death priest. at das-ghat veered off towards sarnath. 12 km more, and it was tiring due to blazing noon sun. reached sarnath by 210pm, finished many sights there incl museum, jain temple, stupa etc. took auto to sarved mahamandir meditation ( 8 km away), since it was highly recommended. bk to kashi by 615pm, walked to bindu madhav, finished darshan, to nattukottai chettiar for free dinner. legs too sore to even walk the 2.5 km bk to hotel so took a rick. bk at 1015pm, and here i am. — tomorow i need to reach airport by 12 noon ( to use lounge)(flight is at 245pm). hv 2 options – ramnagar fort / iit bhu tour. let me decide in morning not to forget to mention that i cracked 30+km for the 3rd consecutive day. legs really sore by now, esp around the toes. hopefully tomorow is a lot lighter, with 2 flights happening. gud nite ok – have ideated my plan as i am doing my kakka. now i will walk to ramnagar fort ( it opens only at 10am so i will just do outside snaps). it is 50 min walk. then i will walk back. 10am checkout of hotel with bag, go to iit bhu ( 4 km away), from there straight to airport. shud reach airport by 12 noon. so, as usual, will write my summary at nite. remember, my bhubaneshwar flight lands at 1055pm, so i may be mia and unreachable ( missing in action) two full blocks during day. hv a good day, fellas after this awesome, dessert, am going bk to the main waiting area since this lounge is cramped. my flight’s at 245pm, lands in delhi at 4pm. connecting flight is at 8pm from delhi to bhub, reaches 1050pm since akka asked about food, writing this snippet from my travelogue. hv eaten “intelligently” and plan–nedly so far ( though not “carefully”). and remember, i ate nothing other than given below ( almost no street food of kashi, however tempting). and hv regularly hydrated myself thru-out my walks sunday 8-9 am – 080 lounge. 3 dosas, 2 paratas, 3 paruppu vadai, 1 bowl cornflakes, 2 breads with butter, 1 coffee, 1 tea, taste of semiya upma 1030pm ( at kashi) – 2 dosas monday 7am – large tea. then to prayag 12 noon – 1 chole bature, 1 channa rice 3pm – 1 rasogolla from messi dehati, prayag ( quite famous) 5pm – 1 tea 11pm – 1 full plate kadai paneer, 4 plain rotis tue 7am – 1 large tea 12 noon – 1 thali ( it had dal, chapati,rice,paneer subji,aloo) 5 pm – 1 tea 9pm – 3 chapatis, 3 idlis at nattukottai chettiar ( free of cost) 930pm – 1/2 plate rabdi ( too tempting) wed 7am – 1 large tea 1-2 pm – kashi airport lounge. buffet lunch – daal, subji, jeera rice, corn soup, 2 tawa paratas, 2 cake slices so there it was. essentially two times eating a day ( more to do with time constraints than anything else). so much of street fud options but avoided all of thm ( except that 1 rabri). ok, my flight is announced now. got to board biophysics is a cusp of biology and physics. same way, geo-math-his, or simply “gomathis” ( invented by gautham) is the intersection between history and mathematics and geography delhi airport. the more exclusive encalm lounge downstairs. the infinia card worked for this one ! so here i am kka was telling me, the greater the delay, the better it is for me, in this exclusive lounge😀😀. flight now leaves at 925pm ( insteas of 820pm). pl note akka – was telling u. how can i refuse the codeshare food which came exclusively to me on the flight was telling u abt my exclusive rowboat ride today morning ( from ramnagar fort back to assi ghat). i have so much to tell, so much to writesorry for these 4 random vids. was just passing time. stepping out into the dirty world of airport shopping area now, at 820pm. will walk upto boarding gate. my flt takes off at 925pm day 4 summary – woke up 630am, walk to ramnagar fort 3 km away tge opposite bank of river, back to hotel ( but this time crossed ganga by boat), bath and checkout, from 945am on rickshaw visiting bhu campus, the various depts, iit, visited their bharat kala museum. auto to airport (33km away). by 1215 pm, was sitting in the lounge. flight to delhi took off at 315pm, rch 430pm. at delhi airport lounge till 830pm, flight to bhubaneshwar at 925pm, reached 1145pm. walked to hotel sambit royale 3 km away. checked in, and here i end my day at 1am😀. garmin shows yday walk at 15km approx and today (1am) already at 3.7km. gud nite, guys gm guys. woken up, feeling groggy. bcos had slept only at 230am last nite. today plan is to cover puri and konark. they form a big triangle, with my hotel. each side of triangle is 40km. so no scope for lots of walk. so still in thot. lemme have a cup of tea and decide over kakka ( i think better then complimentary buffet breakfast is there in my hotel but nixxa u’ll be happy to know that i just told them “no, thank u, just give me some tea ramana – no more usw for my poonool. was continoluosly wearing them till today morn right from prema demise. finally removed the shackles.will now wear only during the ceremonies summary – day 5 was perhaps the grandest day so far. was out of hotel by 9am on rented scooter. belted a grand 293km today ( not 350, chilpu. i was wrong).hotel to konark 60km away ( sun temple, museum, chandraga beach), to puri ( 48km from there), to satapada ( 47km from there) ( this is the hq of dolphin boat rides). i didnt do it bcos it was too costly for 1pax ( there was noone to share since it was raining and no other customer was there). but really beautiful backwaters. left by 5pm from there, drove a straight 128km ( some extra 20km since i cud not locate the shop)(thats when he called amma no). no break except for 1 tea. after dropping scooter at 820pm, walked bk to hotel 6km away, dinner enroute ( note – i ate something a full 26 hrs after delhi lounge). so bk in room by 1045pm. my garmin shows 17km of walk done today! — tomorow plan is plain walk inside bhub – hv identified 5-6 places to visit incl 2 museums. gud nite guys my garmin shows my scooter ride as “cycling”. it does not give distance, only the time. so today, i was scootering for 2.01+.44+1.34+3.00 = a full 7 hrs 20 mins on the scooter gud morning guys. for first time in many, many years, i just slept straight – ie without waking up in middle. eyes closed at 1130pm, next thing i knew, my alarm went off at 630, and i woke up! 7 hours blissful continuous sleep he blue dot is myself ( my hotel is close to railway station). the red dots represent the places to visit ( all within a 8 km radius). a challenge in logistics, lets see after 5 days of so much walking, my toes are hurting. have stopped at apollo pharma and applied omnigel spray. but really dunno if it will help, since there is no “sprain”. it is just an abrasive hurt from all the walking regarding other aspects of my walking, i always take precautions – i put full lump of vaseline in my groins and akkulu before i start day. i wear knee braces ( costly ones from decathlon). i only wear asics shoe with padded socks. i drink water all the time, and put water on my head every now and then to cool myself. but so much of walking has led to me encountering a new problem – my toes sunitha – i have a complaint. i went to kandagiri hills jain temple. they did not allow me inside, bcos i am not a jain. i used ur name, manish-bhai name, and told they are my best friends. still they did not allow how did kittu go for this marriage without u?? and did muscar murali invite u or not? where was the wedding held day 6 summary – day was hectic. bhub city tour. full day walking. left hotel at 830am, to khandagiri caves ( spent some time at apollo pharma to get some gel for my abrased toes), then to 4 museums one after another – tribal museum, museum of natural history, science museum and the grand state museum ( no1 and 4 were mindblowing). then to 3 temples – raja rani, brahmeswar, lingaraja. bk to room by 930pm after dinner. — tomorow morning checkout at 430am, walk to station ( 5 min away), vande bharat to vizag at 515am, reaches 11am. not yet planned anything in vizag yet ( will do my study during the train journey😜). so, signing off.. gn guys — today walk total was 33.2 km, btw small consolation being – it is the luxurious vande bharat. vb has wider and more elongated seats than shatabdi. am on a vb for 2nd time in my life sunitha, manish-bhai and jai are in blr for the weekend. dhwani ( dixit’s dau who we probably saw as a baby) is getting engaged. groom’s from blr itself, an old family friend of sunitha’s dad. arranged match. we wish the young couple all the best. if possible, sunitha cud share some official snaps with us feeling bored by the window. this odiya lady next to me speaks v little hindi. let me try to sleep for sometime sunrise by the backwaters ! i am sure u realise that my route and my seat and the 6-11am time means that the sun will blare down on me in sometime. but thats ok, what are the window shades for pl dont tell this to amma🙏. both my shoes have torn at exactly the same spot. top of shoe near the little toe finger. i think design flaw of asics, or some configuration flaw where my little toe finger sticks out😀. i will get the shoes properly repaired at vizag. u bought me costly asics shoes, and i used them really well nixxa with my huge, huge walks coopra – see machan.. i dont think my blister on toe has anything to do with diabetes. it has to do with 32-35 km of walking each day. and i cant give that up ( atleast till tue). if poss, recommend some medicine. yday morning ( within 2 km of my starting the day), i was unable to walk so i did some quickfix at the pharmacist – omnigel spray followed by bandaid. and after doing this, i was able to walk thru the day ( another 30km) with negligible discomfort just 1 backpack daa for 10 days. just 2 trackpants, 3 gym tshirts ( v thin). smallest possible luggage so that i can walk with my bag if i need to vzg feels really hot. it says at 1215pm – is 32 deg, feels like 38. so not stepping out till 330-4pm. will start my walk only then like how lovers send nudes to each other, coopra, this one’s for u specially. at treebo celeste hotel, seethamdhara, heart of vizag. next 3 days here. tue 240pm flight bk to blr. so planning for these 3 days, till i step out at 4pm after buying the meds prescribed by u i faced “rejection” today ( not that it is new to me). i spent 4 hours in the train talking so sweetly to the odiya girl next to me ( about 25, but just married) mounita. heard all about her life, her husband etc etc. main purpose was to finally get a selfie with her at the end. but total kela hogaya. she refused. “bura na manna. if u want, i can come on video call with ur dau..”. so full rejection, felt v bad😭😭😭. anyway i recovered, and we had another 10 min before reaching vzg station. so put a brave face. tragi-comedy in life and u wont find a more lousy, unhygienic guy than me ! mounita disembarked, leaving her railneer water bottle ( she had drank a little). i grabbed it as i disembarked, and hv carried it to my room. hv started drinking from it as well and while we are on the same topic. @kaca moga for some reason i was reminded of u when i saw these sculptures and exhibits in the museum, with all the molais. just sharing a few with u kailasgiri hills at venkojipalam, vizag – my cousin anand murali’s own country. he is a senior exec in the pharma industry at hyderabad, as u may know hello sundar – please visit anytime. rajani and na1 at home only. i will inform rajani. u may also call her directly at 9844532906. sunday 8am shud be completely ok. sorry i am not around during your visit. i will call and speak to u after i am bk in blr on tue night rajani -sundar has come from delhi, to offer his condolences. tomorow 8am he will come home i think. he may call u 710pm – am at rushikonda beach now. but one day or another, am gonna get into trouble for all my bravado. i took a 16 km circuitous highway route, as u can see above, from my hotel to rushikonda beach. it passes thru thick forest on both sides at 2 places. and vizag darkens up by 530pm. it was pitch dark during a 3km area, between 615 and 645pm. a passing scooterist ( going the opp way) actually stopped and told me – “hey, be careful. sometimes there are leopard movements here”. i quickened my pace, and here i am, safely at rushikonda. from here its a 11km walk bk to my hotel, but on more reasonable roads ay 7 summary – perhaps slightly lighter than other days. or maybe not😃. woke up at 415am, checked out, bbsr station by 455am, vande bharat 515am to 11am. at vzg, auto to hotel treebo celeste ( too hot). 2 hrs sleep, 2.45 lunch nearby, bk to room ( still hot). started walk 415pm, bk in room 10pm. 30km walk covering zoo area, hanumankaka highway, rushikonda beach, road along coast, bk via cbi road.stopped to buy from pizza hut so that i cud hv in room for a change. total for day = 30.3k ( barely missed the 40k steps mark finally got my scooter. involved a 4km walk thru hot sun, locating the place etc. arakku is 130 km away. wish me luck guys ( not 90 as thot esrlier😭). wish me luck guys summary – day 8 was an exhilarating ride ! ( no pun)(total 310km driven today) collected scooter at 950am after some struggle, went to arakku valley (2-3 tourist spots), then to chaparai, then borra caves, bk in city by 740pm. dinner and bk in room by 9pm. — garmin shows just 5.6km of walk, but see the total “cycling” count. its 8.4 hrs in all. — am retiring for day now. waking up early by 515am and heading off to sunrise view point ( do i need to remind that the sun rises by the coromandel coast). rest of day wud be local vzg sightseeing gud morning. i took many quirky snaps – for example – with the sun sitting on my head etc. only problem was – my view point got obscured by an abandoned ship. and it was too late to go in search of another view point😭. anyway summary – day 9, the final day of my trip, was a fitting finale. 515am woke up, since i still had the scooter, off to tenneti hills for a sunrise photoshoot. back by 630am. 1 hr of some google map browsing, leisurely breakfast, off on scooter. gangavaram beach ( 30 km away and a most desolate dirt path), witnessed a search party already there looking for a 22yo man washed away the previous day. next to ross hill church, yarada beach, fishing harbour, ramakrishna beach, 5 museums in all ( all next to each other at rk beach), kailashgiri hills, it sez view, ttd hills ( yes, they hv a thirupathi hill at vizag!). returned scooter at 830pm, went ti cmr central mall to watch a telugu movie in midst of telugu audience ( as a icing on my trip cap) but prudence won over enthu ( movie was to start at 11pm, but i cannot afford too late a nite). so gave up idea and reached bk my hotel at 950pm — tomorow its bk to blr. its gonna be a difficult walk of 13km to airport in midmorning sun with my heavy backpack. shud reach airport by 1130pm to use the lounge. flight’s at 220pm, will take airport bus, shud be home by 6pm-odd. ciao, folks just see these charts. during my 13 hours on the road, i have walked 10.5 km, i have scootered 9.45 hrs in total. garmin has also warned me that i hv had no rest and that my stress levels are high ! but charts aside, hv never been more enthu. only disappointment is i hv been unable to do the telugu movie due to mismatched timings, and i cannot afford a 230am go-to-bed woke up at 715am, went down to hv boiler tea from shop next door ( hotel gives only machine tea). gud morning @coopra raaman this is almost final ( and sad) photo from my side. in another 50 mins, will be grudgingly trudging my way towards vizag airport. all fairy tales do come to an end. i’ve had a great one ( something which will be etched in my memory for ever). in the true fitness of things ( meaning – with the same irreverance and happy-go-lucky that i hv fostered througout the trip), the above snap is me doing kakka while sipping tea. and yes, no poonool, machan ! au revoir sitting simply, as my cobbler is repairing the shoes. i eat like a pig, so u can see the beautiful bulge at my belly hv almost reached vzg airport, na2. flt is at 220pm, shud be home by 6pm. it was a difficult 13 km walk with my backpack in the hot sun, but made it😃. will pick up some stuff for u guys inside the airport doing shopping for the babies and rajees at the boarding gates. vizag specialities picked. — and one more thing – total kela happened at thd lounge. they accept 50 different card types, but NOT INFINIA CARD. raaji – complain to hdfc bk! am hungry now, dunno what to do😭 ( buffet is 1090 at the lounge if u pay – no way i will do that !) nixxa – these are the 3 boxes i got for u guys. all vizag speciality. and sarvani is the biggest sweet shop chain in vzg. if u want more of any of these, let me know — and btw, i decided to pay& use the lounge😭. reason – only 3 other eateries at this small airport, and each item was priced rs 300 or so. am sure i can melt more than 3 such items, so it will compensate for the buffet😜 also, i need a proper resting place before my flight. my seat is middle seat 23b. and my body is wet with sweat. i have 2 hrs to go for my flt, and i want to make sure the sweat evaporates properly before i board i spoke to hdfc bank cust care. they have confirmed that as per their website, they hv given a comprehensive list of airports where infinia is accepted. unfortunately, vizag is not in that list. but anyway, they will take it as feedback i have a koluppu vyaadhi ( koluppu = no pun intended), and i need ur help in solving this mental problem. you see, i do things in excess and go overboard many times. this is one of them.👆. see my face above, how contorted it looks. reason – since i paid thru my nose rs 997 for vizag lounge, i ate so so so much food. i entered at 1140am when breakfast was still in the buffet. i left just now 125pm, after doing full justice to the lunch menu. from this info itself, u can deduce how much i wud hv eaten ans – ai express operates flights which have 31 rows. so i am in last row row 31, as u can see from pic. i am in window seat which means either a or f. but the light is coming from my left side, so i am in seat A. so final ans – i am in 31A day 10 summary – return to blr – woke up at 720am, checked out by 820am, walked the 13km to airport in hot sun and with my luggage ( backpack😃). reached airport at 11am, quick checkin. 1120am at the lounge only to realise that infinia card not accepted here. so went and bought sarvani sweets for family, decided to pay for lounge buffet, went back to there. boarded flt at 210pm, landed 4pm, now waiting for my vayu vajra bus back home. 14 km walked today approx. ending ny travelogue thus, and txs for reading yes, @coopra raaman at home. as usual, a special morning snap for u – a semi-nude kakka pose. i have dutifully hung the poonool on the door ( which i had worn to kashi and prayag and removed thereafter). gud morning to all u fellas. reached home at 625pm ( kia04 bus dropped me at jeevan bhima nagar. i then walked thru beml gate to jalagandeshwara cross.took an auto there for rr 50, to reach home, to fool my folks that hey i took auto u see. — skipped dinner, slept off at 845pm itself ( can u believe😃), woke up at 630am, made tea for fam as usual, imm ran to kakka room ( was bursting at seams txs to yday’s lounge buffet lunch) we are at 1020am of day2. full 10 days trip, right? total 3000 photos. but i am now making blogposts with 10-15 photos each, instead of just one photo. but only the FIRST photo shows up in preview, so pl click on link to view the other snaps some of these photos were shared earlier, but no issues. —- my apologies too to everyone, as always in case my snaps are being repeated. only consoling message to you guys is : since the snaps are “web-link” previews, they do not take any space ( meaning – they dont go and sit in the media folder of whatsapp on the fone) – so no storage space taken