Promises of posting them Pictures from the VanaYatra – Places we visited and People we connected with 🙂 – Phew!
The journey begins!
View of R.K Beach, Vizag from our first stop [just to freshen up and re-fuel ourselves]
Journey continues – Borra Caves being the next destination!
Bus breaks down on the way and we get a break!
We go hiking!
Click some flowers
Find a stream for some nice feet-therapy 😉 Free freee freeeeee!
Some more spiders 😛
And some scenic stuff 🙂
Some nice people too! Look at the little one smiling from behind 🙂
We stop at Bagamaravalasa for lunch
The family that hosted us
Don’t take my pic! I don’t have any sindoor on, she says!
And then she comes well-dressed 🙂
Look before u leap 😉
Sweet Pumpkins everywhere! We were served sweet pumpkin on all 3 days in all the places that we visited and they were convincing us to carry a few back home too!
Kuk-a-dooo-kooo!
Grand farewell! Little did we know that this was just the beginning!
Enter Borra Caves
And then we walk down some a lot more
Borra caves are supposed to be 150 million years old !!!!!!!!!!!
A Sivalinga formed inside the cave
We bid good-bye to Borra! Proceed to Arama for our night stay!
A grandddddddd welcome [Din’t I tell u that farewell after lunch was just the beginning?]
They wash ur feet and don’t buy any of your bahanas!
The welcoming rangolis!
The Pooja arrangements
Bhajans programme into the thick of the night!
Followed by their traditional dance Dhimsaa 🙂 The one with the towel leads the group and whoever takes that position has to dance with one such towel in their hands.
And we join in!
So do the guys!
Time for PetPooja, what with all that we burnt down dancing 😉
The village serving us as food as one unit. Amazing to see how close-knit they all are 🙂
Five-star treatment! Hot water to wash our hands 😯
It was well past 12 when we finished dinner and these people were so excited that they treated us to another round of nice music following which, most people retired for the day and a few of us stayed put all night by a camp-fire 🙂
Oh and a few ladies styled my hair too 😉 Hv a look 😛
One day and so many pics uff! Will post the remaining pics in the next post 🙂
Continued here
The Song of Life 
first!
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great pics!! We too visited Borra caves…it was awesome!
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Ya, but hvng visited Belum caves in Kurnool region, this did nt impress me much 🙂
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such brilliant pics, speak of lot the fun u guys would have had… and the taste of real india 🙂
loved them
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and I so want to go to Bora caves and vizag.. everytime I plan something happens, its totally jinxed this and Pondicherry will u believe I havent gone there, its be 8 yrs in blore 😦
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haha !! For me its Ootty and Goa ! We have been planning for ten years now !! OMG !! Every time some thing comes up !!!
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Real India indeed Mons 🙂 Well said 🙂
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We ate lunch at same place I think. The faces look familiar but it was a looooong ago anyways. Lovely pictures. Waiting for more :).
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Oh Which place? These r nt places which serve public usually 🙂 we hd been there for relief activities and so stayed with them 🙂 🙂
Wil post them soon 🙂
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amazing amazing! the flowers, the foot in that stream, totally awesome pcis 🙂
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Thanks T 🙂 🙂
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3 minutes and 6 comments 😦
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the flowers look pretty…the hair style is wow…the pictures of people give that close to life feeling…the caves look wow !!
So much fun just by viewing these pictures Swar…you must have had a great great time 🙂
Waiting for the next part 🙂
Oh and the header is lovely 🙂
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😛 Nice way to learn multiplication na 😉
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lovely pics… takes me back to the good old days spent at my village…
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Thatz nicey nice 🙂 🙂 🙂
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The Burra caves sounds really exciting ! I am a sucker for such places !
and why did you dirty the water with that leg of yours ??
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Good that I went there before you polluted the place 😛 😛
Check Belum caves btw.
https://thesongoflife.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/caves-caves-everywhere-navratri-in-kurnool-part-2/
We had been there sometime in ’08. I loved them better 🙂
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WOW … loved … loved the pictures ….
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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I loved the feet in water picture 🙂 ofcourse the others are good too 🙂
Next time me too wants to come fr vanayatra 😦
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I wud luv to hv ur company too. Will def. let you know 🙂
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Lovely pics, Swaram! It looks like such a wonderful trip! I can’t decide which pic I like the most!
I so want to come with you guys the next time!
Waiting for the next installment..
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It would be gr8 if u cn make it Smithu 🙂 🙂
Wil post them tonite 🙂 🙂
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Very Nice Pics Swaram !! Thank you for such a wonderful treat first in the morning !!! 😀
Was this trip a part of some philanthropic activities or just a trip ?
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We have an NGO called Youth For Seva. We do this to connect with tribes and fill their gaps 🙂
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aaahh Borra caves 😀 😀 😀 …. oye did u visit the radha krishna mandir uppppp the ladder .. as a kid I luuuvvvved it ;D
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It’s ShivMandir 🙂 🙂
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lovely !
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🙂 🙂
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Pics and the story line thumbaaa channaagidhaey. Borra caves looks awe-awesome. 🙂 😀
That last pic had me foxed. It is like one of the pics that can be looked at with different perspectives to give different views. Thought you were bowing down, at first. 🙂
Brother/family have a plan of Vizag/surroundings. Will point this post. 🙂 (I am also invited, but I don’t have any more leave to spare. 😦 huh!)
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LOL what other perspectives 😛 Pls to throw some light 😉 😉
Wow! Do try to make it 🙂 Totally worth it 🙂 🙂
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Hee Hee Hee. I (my brain) saw the picture first with a top view perspective as if it was shot from the top when you were bent looking down and the flowers going from ear to ear in a ‘U’ fashion. 🙂 Later, I just saw your ears/cheek in the photo and adjusted my perspective. 🙂 It was something like the image in http://mathworld.wolfram.com/images/gifs/young3.jpg where you can see a young girl or an old woman depending on how you see it.
ishtondhu ‘light’ saakkaa, illaa innaa swalpa baekkaa. 😀
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Awesome photos, especially Bora Caves.. It is too good..
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Omme baruvantavaragi 😛 😛
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Whoa! This was awesome! I love Borra caves, very nice! And I like the whole trip in theory, so cool swaram! 🙂
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Thankie DI 🙂
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Wow..nice pics Swaram 🙂
Love streams.. and the stalactites and stalagmites.. awesome!! Wonder why they dont put such pics in the text books 🙂 Geography would be so much more interesting and fascinating na..
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Ha ha ha! Brilliant idea 🙂 We shud tell them that 😛
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The pictures of Bora caves are very interesting! You could have published those pics in the medium or large sizes – it creates a better visual effect (at the cost of slower load times, of course!) – But at least some of them which are very nice (like the cave pictures), you could publish in the medium/ large size. Yeah, in my site I need to publish at least some of them smaller – I know!! 🙂
Destination Infinity
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🙂
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agree with DI actually but then I can understand why u didnt too 😀
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😛 😛 😛
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Hey Swar, Brilliant .. the caves look so mysterious.. I am reminded of some story books and novels looking at it.. glad to see that u guys had a great time!! And the flowers looks so beautiful on the beautiful ladies hair!! Way to go girl !
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Aww thank u for the compliment Rekha 😉
U r abs. rt abt the caves 🙂
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I was admiring the beaty of water, stalgamites, the flowers etc. until I saw the beauty of their love….Such memorable treasures for you Swaram!! Seeing the pics, I don’t think we can really do anything for them. Thanks for sharing the pics. Rangoli looks awesome without colours at all 🙂 🙂
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Seeing all these, I only think only we need a change, and not them. what you say?
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Vanavasi Kalyan Parishad has done a lotttttttttttttt of work to get them to this level RS 🙂
We r nw adopting 3 such villages – there will be a school, a night school for adults, a health centre and a Shraddha jagaran kendra in each village which will be supported frm our side 🙂
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U r rt. When it comes to humanity and behaviour, we hv got lotz to learn from them 🙂 They exemplify Atithi Devo Bhava 🙂
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U r so rt. Their love totally won over everything else. Otherwise, how many city bred folks wud even imagine walking 2 kms away for toilets and bathrooms 😉 😉
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Should plan a visit there soon 😛 awesome pics! you clicked them, right? 😀
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Me, my husband and my friends 😛 😛 😛
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this place looks magical. the walk specially. i had no idea such a place existed..And the treatment you guys got is so heart warming!
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Hai na 🙂 🙂 🙂
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WOW !! Swaru, u just took me to those places, thru ur pics. 🙂
Love them all…such simple, innocent ppl !!! And I bow before their hospitality. 🙂
Those caves are really impressive. 🙂 I shld visit them soon. 🙂
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Come come come here 😉 We will go 😛 😛
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What a lovely post!
Loved all the pics 🙂
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Thanks Rays 🙂
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aweomee picss swaram…loved the borra cavess :O … good stuff
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Thanks Dido 🙂
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Wow!!
You lead a VERY interesting life, I must say!!
These pics are awesome, and so is your enthusiasm in capturing it all for us 🙂
Keep us hooked 😀
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Thanks momofrs. Very sweet of u to say that 🙂
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Great pictures especially the ones inside the caves! Thanks for transporting us into the world of Arakku Valley.
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Thank u so much 🙂 The caves r such magnificent structures 🙂
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The pics of the caves are awesome! You seem to have had a gala time!!
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Oh we did Vidya. Thank u 🙂
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Nice pictures, Swaram, esp. the last one with orange flowers. They know how to express their love. It is amazing to know that still innocent, good people live here, in our country, showing their love without expecting anything back, the next minute.
The caves are interesting. I never knew that such old caves with stalacites are here in our country too! Thank you for sharing!
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stalactites…t was missing!
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Thanks Sandhya. Ya, they do restore our faith in the big world 🙂
I hv seen two such groups of caves already. Both here in Andhra 🙂
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wow, loved every bit of this post….lovely hairdo that was….am so JJJJJ
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He he thanks 😛 😛
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Beautiful pics swar… Its an awesome place to be… And I simply loved the pic of that whit flower… Its pleasingly different… 🙂
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I hd nt seen those flowers before too, or atleast dnt remember dng so 😛
They smelt really nice too 🙂 🙂
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Swaram Mujhe bhi jana hai to all these places …
Beautiful pictures loved each one of themm Lovely
you had a great time i envy you 🙂
Bikram’s
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Come come join us next time 🙂 🙂
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I loved foot-in-the-water pic 😀 tumba tumba chennagide. who clicked? Su?
btw nin blog na visit maadi yeshTu divsa aaytu gottaa 😦
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Thanks ma. Ws clicked by my friend 🙂 🙂
Haudu Hegidi? Phone madbeku ankotide 🙂 🙂
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Thanks for this wonderful picture post Swaram 🙂 Loved them.. the foot in water pic is amazing 🙂 🙂
I should join you all when u go next time 🙂 Let me know.. 🙂
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yep agree.. that’s the best pic
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Thank u so much. Pls do so. Wud be gr8 🙂
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Waaaaooooooo!!!
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😀 😀 😀 😀
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Finally the pics are up and I am late since my laptop crashed again 🙂
Tahnks for the pics Swaram.. I am sure you guys had loads of fun and look how happy the localites are too 🙂 You guys are doing a great job.. do they have it in Bangalore too?
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Oh ho! Hope ur laptop and u r dng better nw 🙂 🙂
YFS hs a chapter in Blr. They dnt hv a Vanayatra though 🙂
Come join us in Hyd 😛 😛
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loved the pics of Borra caves ans starting flowers…looks such nice trip altogether
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Thanks Vandana. Yes it was 🙂
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Brilliantly captured,loved them all.They decorate their house so nicely,loved it.
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Ya Sari. And keep it so neat and clean too 🙂
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Beautiful snaps, Swar. Did you stay in those huts?? Must have quite an experience I’m sure! LOL at that lady who refused to be clicked without her sindoor 😀
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Tee hee I ws visiting ur abode 😛 😛
Deeps, other ppl sleptin these huts and like I said, me and a few others stayed awake whole night under the well-lit sky and by the campfire 🙂
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Beautiful clicks Swaram……all of them. Infact I even liked the very 1st pic….all tht darkness and light looked magical 🙂
And the Borra caves sound amazing.
Thanks for letting me know, I’m glad I didnt miss them:-)
p.s: this is the 3rd time I’m posting. Eachtime my comment got rejected for some flimsy reason or the other.
Incase any of the comments got thru I didnt want u to wonder wht I was trying to do 😛
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LOL I checked the spam too and none of them got thru Nance 🙄
Ha ha thanks 🙂 The first pic ws to show we were gossiping at unearthly hrs when everybody ws snoring away to dreamland 😉
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Now i am jealous …. why i dint go there….
We see genuine happiness on the faces of these people.
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Oh ya! And these are some of the remotest villages in the country, where they hardly have access to anything 🙂
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