Saturday, September 1, 2012

peaks at bells ferry Coco s INDIAN/CONTINENTAL $$ (off Map p902; %23540600; Rd No 2; mains 120325; h11.30am-11.30pm) This





Excess Club BAR (%23542422; Novotel, Madhavpur; h7pm-2am Tue-Sun) Set over a huge space, Excess was the current most happening place; open the latest, the best DJs, but the furthest away past Hitech City.

Coco s INDIAN/CONTINENTAL $$ (off Map p902; %23540600; Rd No 2; mains 120325; h11.30am-11.30pm) This chilled-out rooftop restaurant/bar almost succeeds in resembling a bamboo beach shack, though it s position on a busy road above a Chinese restaurant was always going to make it tough. Looking out over KBR Park, relaxed Coco s

ferry from england to france Touch BAR (Map p902; %23542422; Trendset Towers, Rd No 2, Banjara Hills); h7pm-midnight Wed, Sat & S





MMTS trains (www.mmts.co.in) are convenient, particularly for the three main train stations. There are two main lines: Hyderabad (Nampally) to Lingampalli (northwest of Banjara Hills) has 11 stops, including Lakdikapul, Khairatabad, Necklace Rd, Begumpet and Hitec City; the Falaknuma (south of Old City) to Secunderabad line passes by Yakutpura, ferry from england to france Dabirpura, Malakpet and Kachiguda among others. Trains will be labelled with their start and end point: HL is Hyderabad Lingampalli, FS is Falaknuma Secunderabad and so on. Trains are efficient but only run every 30 to 40 minutes. Tickets are 3 to 10.

898 ANDHRA PRADESH Kalakriti ART GALLERY (Map p 902 ; www.kalakriti.in; Rd No 10, Banjara Hills; h11am-7pm) Shrishti ART GALLERY (www.shrishtiart.com; Rd No 15, Jubilee Hills; h11am-7pm) C Courses Vipassana International Meditation Centre BUDDHIST MEDITATION (Dhamma Khetta; %24240290; www.khetta. dhamma.org; Nagarjuna Sagar Rd, 12.6km) The Vipassana International ferry from england to france Meditation Centre ferry from england to france has intensive 10-day meditation ferry from england to france courses in its peaceful grounds 20km outside the city. Apply online or at the Hyderabad office (%24732569). A shuttle runs to/from Hyderabad on the fi rst and last day of courses. T Tours APTDC (p 906 ) tours the city ( 270), Ramoji Film City ( 600), Nagarjuna Sagar (weekends, 450) and Tirupathi/Tirumala (three days, 1950). The Sound & Light tour ( 200) takes in Hitec City, the botanic gardens and Golconda Fort s sound-and-light show, but you may spend much of it in traffi ferry from england to france c. Tours leave from APTDC s Secunderabad branch (Map p 896 ) : : : : : : : 66 66 66 66 66 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 6 66 66 66 66 66 # R R # # # # # # # # # #

Touch BAR (Map p902; %23542422; Trendset Towers, Rd No 2, Banjara Hills); h7pm-midnight Wed, Sat & Sun) Touch is all about image. It s a stylish, comfy place to watch the beautiful people. Also has an ice bar with temperatures set at -23.

6 Mecca Masjid. A4 Transport 7 Osmania General Hospital. A2 13 Afzal Gunj Bus Stop.B2 8 Salar Jung Museum. B2 14 Koti Bus Station. B1 15 Mahatma Gandhi (Imlibun) Bus Eating Station. C1 9 Hotel Shadab. B3 Hotel Suhail ferry from england to france HOTEL $ (Map p898; %24610299; www.hotel suhail.in; Troop Bazaar; s/d/tr from 475/620/900; ai) If all budget hotels were like the Suhail, we d all be much better off. Staff are friendly and on top of it, the rooms are large and quiet, have balconies and constant hot water. It s tucked away on an alley behind the main post offi ce and the Grand Hotel away from the Hyderabad bustle, but it s also unlit at night; some readers find it sketchy.

cape vincent ferry Big Dosa Company INDIAN $ (Rd No 45, Jubilee Hills; dosas 75-135; h8am11pm) There s a lot that s big





1 Sights cape vincent ferry & Activities Beaches BEACH The long beaches of Waltair overlook the Bay of Bengal, with its mammoth ships and brightly painted cape vincent ferry fishing boats. Its coastal Beach Rd, lined with parks and weird sculptures, is great for long walks.

Big Dosa Company INDIAN $ (Rd No 45, Jubilee Hills; dosas 75-135; h8am11pm) There s a lot that s big about this dosa joint: the portions, the taste and the very idea itself of a gourmet dosa. The feta cheese and roasted pepper dosa, served with sundried-tomato chutney or the shredded chicken dosa make the journey out to Jubilee cape vincent ferry Hills worthwhile.

Vijayawada is on the main Chenna Kolkata and Chennai Delhi railway lines. The daily Coromandel Express cape vincent ferry (2841) runs to Chennai (sleeper/3AC/2AC 214/544/732, seven hours) and, the other way, to Kolkata (2842; sleeper/3AC/2AC 395/1054/1440, 20 hours). Speedy Rajdhani cape vincent ferry (Thursday and Saturday) and Jan Shatabdi (daily except Tuesday) trains also ply the Vijayawada Chennai route. Trains galore run to Hyderabad (sleeper/3AC/2AC 190/478/639, 6 hours) and Tirupathi (sleeper/3AC/2AC 198/502/674, seven hours). The computerised advance-booking offi ce (%enquiry 2577775, reservations 2578955; h8am-8pm Mon-Sat, till 2pm Sun) is in the basement.

port angeles ferries Araku itself is a small dusty town, but its surroundings are beautiful. A bicycle is the perfect way





Non-ashram options include the clean and simple Sai Surya Guest House (%288134; Gopuram Rd, 1st Cross; r from 350), and the excellent-value Sri Sai Sadan (Meda s Guest House; %287507; srisaisadan@gmail. com; Gopuram Rd; r from 810; a), near Venugopalaswamy Temple, with a roof garden and spacious rooms with fridges and balconies.

Araku itself is a small dusty town, but its surroundings are beautiful. A bicycle is the perfect way to explore the countryside. You can hire a bicycle (per hour/day 50/250) from Hill Resort Mayuri. It s best to check the security port angeles ferries situation before heading out, with a reported Naxalite (members of an

sym citycom 300i The Vizag area s natural harbours have long been conducive to dropping anchor, which helped monks fr





The Vizag area s natural harbours have long been conducive to dropping anchor, which helped monks from Sri Lanka, China and Tibet come here to learn and practice meditation. Bavikonda (h9am-6pm) and Thotlakonda (h10am-3pm) were popular sym citycom 300i hilltop monasteries on the coast that hosted up to 150 monks at a time with the help of massive rainwater tanks and, at Thotlakonda, a natural spring.

Buses run from Vijayawada to Amaravathi every half-hour or so ( 24, two hours), but it may be quicker to head to Guntur ( 12, 45 minutes) and take another bus from there. The drive here will take you through some lovely lush scenery sym citycom 300i and memorable glimpses of village life.

Vijayawada is considered sym citycom 300i by many to be the heart of Andhra culture and language and has an important Durga temple. Nearby sym citycom 300i Amaravathi, meanwhile, was a centre sym citycom 300i of Buddhist learning and practice for many centuries.

considered amalgamation with Pakistan and then opted for sovereignty. Tensions between Muslims and Hindus increased, however, and military intervention saw Hyderabad join the Indian union in 1948. Sights sym citycom 300i Charminar MONUMENT (Four Towers; Map p900; Indian/foreigner 5/100; h9am-5.30pm) Hyderabad s principal landmark was built by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the founding of Hyderabad and the end of epidemics caused by Golconda s water shortage. The dramatic four-column, 56m high and 30m wide structure has four arches facing the cardinal points. Minarets sit atop each column. The 2nd floor, home to Hyderabad s oldest mosque, and upper columns are not usually open to the public, but you can try your luck with the man with the key. The structure is illuminated from 7pm to 9pm.

pt jefferson ferry Boats depart every month-ish for Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. Bookings for the 56hour journey





Boats depart every month-ish for Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. Bookings for the 56hour journey (from 1960) can be made at the Shipping Office (%2565597, 9866073407; Av Bhanoji Row; h9am-5pm Mon-Sat) in the port complex. Bring your passport.

Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of Highest Peace) is the main ashram of the late Sri Sathya Sai Baba (1926 2011), pt jefferson ferry the deceased afro-haired guru revered by followers pt jefferson ferry from around pt jefferson ferry the world. Setting pt jefferson ferry up the ashram in his hometown of Puttaparthi 60 years ago, he lived here for most of the year, though with his death from a respiratory-related illness on 24 April 2011, the town faces an uncertain future. While the millions of dollars pumped into the nearby hospital, schools and university will ensure the town continues to thrive upon his legacy, long-term it remains to be seen whether devotees will continue to arrive en masse without the presence of the man himself.

alaska marine highway ferry # # # # # # # # # f SR NAGAR AMEERPET BANJARA HILLS SOMAJIGUDA MASAB TANK SAIFABAD Hussain Sagar Ban





kateshwara here, at his home. It s one of India s most visited pilgrimage centres: on average, 40,000 pilgrims come each day (the total often exceeds 100,000), and darshan (deity-viewing) runs 24/7. Temple staff alone number 12,000, and the efficient Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD; %2277777; www.tirumala.org) brilliantly administers alaska marine highway ferry the crowds. As a result, although the throngs can be overwhelming, a sense of order, serenity and ease mostly prevails, and a trip to the Holy Hill can be fulfi lling, even if you re not a pilgrim.

# # # # # # # # # f SR NAGAR AMEERPET BANJARA HILLS SOMAJIGUDA MASAB TANK SAIFABAD Hussain Sagar Banjara Lake KBR Park Jalagam alaska marine highway ferry Vengala Rao Park Chacha Nehru Park Ameerpet Rd Rd No 3 Panjagutta Rd Lakdi-ka-pul Rd Mahavir Marg RdNo 1 Rd No 2 Greenlands Rd Rd No 14 YellareddygudaRd RdNo 5 Rd No 13 Rd No 7 Rd No 10 AmeerpetRd Rd No 12 Balkampet Rd YousufgudaMain Rd Srinagar Colony Rd Necklace Rd Necklace Rd Train Station Khairatabad Train Station Begumpet Train Station Lakdikapul Train Station 20 19 18 12 14 5 10 6 9 8 15 17 2 13 11 1 16 7 3 4 Care Hospital 4

Liquids Et cera BAR (Map p902; %66259907; Bhaskar alaska marine highway ferry Plaza, Rd No 1, Banjara Hills) Regularly featured in the papers Society pages, Liquids is the reigning queen of Hyderabad nightlife. There s no sign, and its name changes slightly each year.