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Hyderabad Trip - Part 1

Chennai to Hyderabad

Having heard about Hyderabad from the IT folks and social media riots on Hyderabad food, wanted to witness this city in person for a long time. At last this November we decided to take the trip. With some help from the online flight booking which came to 13K INR for 2 persons, to and fro we took the encouragement to go ahead.  The spice jet flight started at 7 am from Chennai Airport and flew us to Hyderabad by 8:30 am. It was an on time and smooth flight journey. On landing at the Rajiv Gandhi Airport at Hyderabad, we were in awe. Just could not be compared to the Chennai Airport we started from, this was much posh; no wonder its the third best Airport in the country. From the Airport we can avail taxis through booking counters or book through apps too. We got Ola cab booked, and an OTP number was assigned. As per the directions given, we reached the Ola cabs parking area and took the first cab in line giving the OTP. Our accommodation was at Treebo - Banjara hills. For Rs. 750 we reached Treebo. The check-in here is at 1pm only so we left our luggage and went out.








Birla Mandir

Our sightseeing started at the Birla Mandir. Like the one we went to at Jaipur, this was fully made of marble. From Banjara hills we were charged Rs.120 by the autorickshaw to Birla Mandir. Due to the on-going renovation work, we were not able to worship the main deity - Venkateshwara. We got the blessings of the Urchavar and came out. Mobile phones had to left in the cloak room here. From the top of the temple, we can see the Telangana Martyrs Memorial and the Telangana Legislative assembly.

Chowmahalla Palace








From the Mandir we took an autorickshaw to the palace for Rs.150. Traffic is quiet heavy and according to the auto-wallas here are bargaining with the customers. At Chowmahalla, we had to pay an entrance ticket of Rs.150 each. Belonging to the Nizam period this Palace consists of the huge building whose front acts as a stage for events. Behind this is the guest house buildings, garage area with a collection of vintage cars and the garden area. Architecture of the palace is influenced by Türkiye and Iran. Inside the palace we could see the Belgian glassworks including the huge Chandeliers; Crockeries from Europe; Furniture from Venice. Armoury and textiles were predominantly from North of India. After walking through all these artifacts at the Chowmahalla Palace we come out and walk to the backyard to see the vintage cars - from Rolls Royce to Napiers to Fiat. Not all cars look old, some look very new but belonging to the old era. From there as walk back we see the Aftab Mahal building - the ground floor of this building can be seen from outside alone was British like. It has European style sitting area. As we walk towards the main Chowmahalla Palace itself we can see the Quran gallery on the side. Next is the huge garden area getting ready for some event that evening. So we walked all the way to the entrance to catch an auto for Rs.120 to Hotel Shadb for a Mughal influenced biryani and went back to Treebo by another Rs.120 autorickshaw.


Ramoji Rao Film city











The main attraction especially to film buffs when you go to Hyderabad is the Ramoji Rao Film city. This is more than 25 kms from the city. So we checked out their website and opted to go in their bus. The fare for bus comes to Rs.350 per head inclusive of return. On the film city trip, there are few options provided, we chose the studio tour one. Other option includes lunch and trip in a a/c vintage bus as well. While the Ramoji Studio tour is charges Rs.1450 per head, we get to go around in a vintage non-ac bus and get to see three film sets including the one for Baahubali. Our bus slated for 7:30 am at Banjara pick up point arrived at 7:50 am and reached the film city around 9 am, the driver asked us to note the bus number and come back at 7pm. At the entrance we got through with our online booked tickets. Bag checking happens for food items. We had a quick breakfast at the food outlet just near the entrance. After that a bus took us inside film city we could see the huge Ramoji Rao Film city name board at the gates. We drive past the huge fountain area and gardens to reach the first spot of the tour - Eureka. Here we get witness a dance at the palace kind of an entrance followed by another commercial film dance as our welcome, giving us the Eureka moment. After that we got to witness a cowboy stunt show. Next we had to hop on to the ventage non-ac bus to visit the sets. At the bus stop visitors get into buses and once its full it leaves with a guide. With huge open windows, the buses help with good view.











 

Our guide listed various films that have been shot at different spots as the bus drove by. We saw the set of a court belonging to kings, set where motion picture is captured, European street style set, village set, railway station platform set, Airplane set, Baahubali set, an audio video on film sets inside a small theatre, Japanese garden set, Rajasthan set, water fall and variety of birds. By 3 pm we were at the Eureka spot of the film city. Here went for a much-needed lunch but had to satisfy with burger & pasta. Gaining the much-needed energy we next moved to the Space trip show which was a 4D experience followed by the Ramoji Movie Magic were a movie was captured, cut and filmed. The highlight for us was the next one called the Mayalok. We were drove in the onsite vehicle which manoeuvred though set which show cases different cinematic worlds. Finally we come out have a tea and take a fun ride too. By then we totally exhausted and legs begging for a break. By 6pm we reach at the gates to the parking area of our bus but had to wait till 7pm. By 8:10pm the bus dropped us at Banjara at TV9 office opposite to Hotel Leela Palace. For Rs.100 an autorickshaw took us to Chutneys restaurant which was 900 mts away. Ambience was quite good and neat but this restaurant was heavy on the wallet. For a plate of idly, dosa and uttappam we ended by paying Rs.850. Another auto for Rs.120 dropped us at Treebo. 

Banjara hills belong to the upscale areas of Hyderabad. Taking an accommodation at this area is taking a toll on our autorickshaw rides. But the area as such is quite posh, sloppy roads with huge brand stores and malls.

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Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India

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