My Way On Highway: Day 53, A Long Drive To The Borra Caves

Day 53 was perhaps the most challenging day on the road trip so far. To begin with, both of us woke up sick. Think it was the prawns last evening that did it. Somehow we managed to force ourselves out of bed and got ready. In no mood for breakfast we still decided to have some watermelon at the hotel buffet since highways in Andhra Pradesh do not have eateries in general. Our second concern was the route. Extremely keen to visit the famous Borra Caves near Araku Valley, some 90 kms and a 2.5 hour drive away, we were a bit perplexed about whether to take the road connecting to Puri straight from there or come back to Vizag and take the highway.

An elderly gentleman who runs a restaurant on the Beach Road in Vizag told us the previous day that the direct road from Borra Caves leading to Puri Highway is unsafe. Even the last patch of Chandanpur before Puri falls in the Naxalite region. Though inclined towards that very route because it was shorter, we were worried and decided to ask more people around and got a positive response. Internet research followed and then we decided to give the Borra Caves – Vizainagararm – Puri highway the green signal for now. There was a third challenge too: Driving to Borra Caves from Vizag and then on to Puri would mean some 550 kms of travel the same day!

Joining Us For The Drive

The drive to Borra Caves was a pleasant one as the landscape inched towards the mountain side. As for the villages on the road banks, life didn’t seem to have been too kind. People went about their daily routine without expression. That’s why spotting the friendly and cheerful girls on a truck in front of us was a welcome respite!

Borra Borra

We reached Borra Caves just in time for its opening at 10 am. Tickets worth Rs. 60 each were purchased plus a ticket for using the camera, which cost Rs. 100 (such a scam!). As we walked on the path we were transported back to the Paleolithic Age some 30,000 to 50,000 years ago. Archeologists have unearthed stone tools with imprints from those times.

Discovered in 1807, Borra Caves are possibly the deepest caves in India, at an elevation of 2,313 feet. There is no way you can help not be in awe. Dimly lit in parts (you may need to use your smartphone’s flashlight), the stalagmites and stalactites form different shapes and the rest is left to your imagination. I think I saw a giant monster from the past.

Save money for you do not need a guide to explore the caves. Concrete steps lead you to the course of the caves and there are sections when you have to bend halfway to enter. Going off track is not advisable. The musty smell of bat droppings and their constant calls are a reminder of the fact that they are very close. But don’t worry, as they do not come out.. All in all, being at the Borra Caves is an experience we can never forget!

The Road Less Travelled

After spending an hour uncovering the natural marvels of the Borra Caves, we took to the road again following the route we had decided upon the previous evening. The drive was smooth and uneventful except for the several instances where we found fellows citizens of the road to be really off from the traffic rules the rest of the world follows. Upon asking a not-so-gentleman to drive properly we got a reply that said, “Main to aise hi chalaata hai! (I drive like this all the time!)” Soon it was 3 PM and we had not eaten anything all day except for the aforementioned fruit. Naturally, there were elephants stomping inside our stomachs. So spotting a restaurant just before the Odisha border was a relief. We ordered the usual suspect – The Meal – and ate to our heart’s content.

The Coastal Lagoon

We really wanted to stop by the Chilika Lake but it was slightly off route and we were running low on time. Luckily we got a lovely sighting of the brackish water body from up the highway! Considered to be the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world, Chilika Lake covers an area of 1,100 square km. Not just that, it supports a large fishery resource and functions as a wintering ground for migratory birds that come from as far as Lake Baikal in Siberia. Have to mark this one for next time!

The Last Leg

Finally it was time to take a detour from the buttery roads of the state highway to the New Jagannath Road to Puri. The road was so new that it was still being built. We couldn’t have asked for a more painful last leg that went through muddy and bumpy paths. And that’s not all, we even got stuck in a traffic jam for 30 minutes and just then we saw…

By the way, all this was happening on a day when we wanted to reach Puri before darkness fell since Chandanpur was still to be crossed. It was 7 pm when we whizzed past the Chandanpur area. All was fine except when we came across a makeshift barrier where a guy came carrying a knife towards us to take the toll fee of 50 bucks! Scary! Entering the precincts of the holy city of Puri finally put us at ease. We have just reached our hotel Shakti International. It is being celebrated as a Platinum Pick by MakeMyTrip for the second year in a row. Tell you more about it when you come tomorrow. Ciao!