Reddy for This? - Its Andhra Pradesh!
Continuing our travel series, we remain in South India with a trip to Andhra Pradesh , the land of the Telegu-speaking Andhra people. As before, below is a list of friendly tips designed to keep you out of trouble and are based off of real experiences from passport-revoked comrades.
The DOs and DON'Ts of Andhra Pradesh
Visit the Araku valley hill station ,located 115 km from one of India's largest ports, Vishakhaptnam. The natural beauty of this valley rivals only that of Anjali Devi . Make sure to visit the nearby Borra caves (borra named after the word " brain" in Telegu) with its million-year old limestone formations.
DON'T
Joke around and ask if Osama lives there. That’s Torra Borra, in Afghanistan.
DO
Visit Hyderbad, Andhra's capital, India's 5th largest city and emerging IT and bio-tech hotspot of India. Enjoy one of the most remarkable pieces of Muslim architecture - the famous Charminar monument, built by Muhammad Qili Qutb Shah in 1591.
DON'T
Start trash-talking about how the engineers in Bangalore are sexier.
DO
Enjoy the HOTNESS of Andhra foods (reputedly the spiciest of all Indian cuisine), like chutneys (pachadis), pickles ( like aavakaaya - mango pickle), dosas, attu and idlis. Chaapala Pulusu, a popular dish from Nellore is a must. Also, be sure to indulge in the heavily Muslim influenced Hyderbadi cuisine, which includes sumptuous lamb, fish and chicken biryani.
DON'T
Ask around for pork biryani. And don’t grab the first bottle of water you see to douse the flames in your mouth from the hot Andhra food; that is, unless you want to spend the rest of your trip squatting over an Indian toilet.
DO
Check out the beautiful golden beaches of Visakhapatnam .
DON'T
Try sunbathing in a bikini unless you want the entire male population of Visakhapatnam gathered around, gawking at you (they don’t even see that much skin on their wedding night).
DO
Visit the temple city of Tirupati, located in the Tirumala hills. It is india's largest pilgrimage site, where hundreds devoted worshippers shave their heads in offering to Lord Venkateshwara ( Vishnu) for fulfillment of vows they've taken.
DON'T
Visit if you're a christian missionary, or looking to get “just a trim”.
DO
Enjoy a music/dance-filled Telegu movie in any of the cinema halls in the state. Andhra boasts the largest # of cinema halls in India and outputs more movies than any other state.
DON'T
Sing along unless you want to get thrown out or laughed at. However, if you punctuate each English word with the suffix "-udu", the locals will appreciate your deep respect for their language.
