Hyderabad From a Local’s Eyes
Hyderabad is known for its Mughlai culture embedded with a typical south Indian mindset. This city can be called the Delhi of South, people are more inclined towards winning an argument in a what-so manner ever, everything else fades away at that moment and to be honest food and culture play a huge part in this behavior. The real Hyderabad is not in the Salar Jung Museum or the Golkonda Fort, the heart of Hyderabad doesn’t lie in its heritages, it lies in its food, culture, and atmosphere. The very dialect of a language in a place can tell you about the food they eat and the type of life they lead. Being born in Hyderabad is a privilege and I am a hard-core Hyderabadi. In this blog, you will see Hyderabad from a local’s eyes. And trust me if you ever visit Hyderabad you will not follow any other blog. If you’ve missed any of these spots during your travel to this insane city, you should revisit now. Rio Samosa Point: Samosa is a snack that is close to every Indian’s heart. Well, Rio Onion samosa is the best one you will find in the entire Hyderabad and if you ask me even South India. The point opens at around 4 every day in the evening, the place sells more than 2500 samosas in just 4 hours. The point is located extremely close to the Secunderabad central and the RTC central bus depot. And almost every bus touches Secunderabad central, resulting in a huge number of employees walking down the lane and forgetting about their stressful routines for a few moments before catching their connecting bus. The point is so famous that there was a bus stop named after it a few years ago. How To Reach: Rio Samosa is situated near the clock tower at the Patny center crossroads. You can take a cab or else walk from the Secunderabad central station as it is in very close proximity. Mujtaba Grills: The new USPs of Hyderabad are ‘Shawarma and Mandi’. ‘Mujtaba grills’ are known for its Shawarma. It gives you the best shawarma in the entire city at the most reasonable price of 120 Rs. The Shawarma is not too spicy, not bland yet it hits you hard. The taste of a Shawarma lies in the recipe of the tomato masala, and this place nails it. It gives you one of the juiciest shawarmas in possible with minimum Mayonnaise. The place gained popularity for the Paneer shawarma. I know Paneer Shawarma is to waste of an effort to eat, but this place nails it too. Though Paneer isn’t as good as the Chicken Shawarma, it still hits you right in your gut. I can tell you that this place will provide you with arguably the best ‘Shawarma’ in the entirety of South India. How To Reach: Take a cab to Picket road or else you can take a bus on 218 or 219 routes. Alpha Café: One of the most prominent and most visited Cafés of Hyderabad. Established way back, the Alpha hotel gained popularity throughout the city for the chai it served. For a fact, it still serves the best Irani chai in the city. It opens at 4 in the morning and runs till 11 in the night. The café is located exactly beside Secunderabad central, making it a public hotspot for an evening snack. People rush into the place for a cup of tea, continuously worried whether they are going to miss their connecting bus is the ‘malai’ over your chai. If you ever board a train at the Secunderabad central, do not forget to taste the Alpha special Irani chai. It is a symbol of hope that not everything is going south, somethings will stay intact. How To Reach: Situated exactly beside the Central Railway station. All you should do is cross the road. Ram Ki Bandi: What started as a regular tiffin spot in the residential neighborhood of Afzal Gunj has now transformed into the early morning hangout spot of the city. Ram ki Bandi was the first place to experiment with South Indian food in the city. The Dosa along Coconut-Pudina chutney of the place is the perfect way to start your day. The restaurant opens as early as 4 Am and closes at around 9 Am. On average it sells 54 dosas in every 5 minutes. Ram Ki Bandi is one of the few things in Hyderabad worth waking at 3 in the morning. Crowds start gathering as early as 3:30 in the morning including the winter and the rainy seasons. Though a lot of places have duplicated this idea of opening early with similar menus, Ram Ki Bandi remains always ahead in the race. How To Reach: Book a cab in advance if your going in the earliest of the morning. The location is Begum Bazar, Ram Ki Bandi. You can go after sunrise as well but it won’t be fun. Charminar: If you’ve visited Charminar during the day, and you’re still in Hyderabad go back at night. The nightlife culture was first introduced at Charminar. Charminar enlightens the entire neighborhood during the night. The old city of Hyderabad is always alive throughout the day, but its heartbeat can be heard at night. The beauty of the monument comes out at night. The local food stalls remain open all night, as the inflow of customers keeps increasing by the hour. Though, Hyderabad is famous for its chicken Biryani it’s actually the Mutton Biryani at Charminar that steals the show. The local stalls provide you with crisp and juicy mutton pieces in the biryani. Cooked at low flame for over an hour, the biryani could easily win you the title of MasterChef. How To Reach: If you are visiting during the night, book a cab. That’s the only way, if you want to enjoy
Top Places to visit in Hampi: Where Travel Meets History & Serenity!
I say this because the place I am telling you about today justifies being a person’s fantasy. Now when a trip is planned we list down a criterion. Okay let’s just do it here; • Unique. • Lots of attractions and activities. • Pleasant weather. • Good food. • Water bodies and Mountains both. (this would be a cherry on the cake) • Best sunrises/sunsets. • Budget-friendly. The place we are literally going to visit with this blog ticks off every point on this list and rises beautifully. Here are the must-visit places in Hampi at the Hippie Island and Central Hampi: Anjaneya Hills, Hippie Island Explore the village of Anegundi, Hippie Island Sunset at sunset hill point, Hippie Island Cafes at the Hippie Island Virupaksha Temple, Central Hampi Mathanga Hill, Central Hampi Vitthala Temple, Central Hampi Ugra Narsimha, Badavi Linga and Krishna Temple, Central Hampi The Royal Centre, Central Hampi Hemakuta Hill, Central Hampi A small town in the south Indian state of Karnataka and is located in the city of Vijayanagara. A UNESCO World Heritage Site: HAMPI. This place is considered a keeper of ancient sculptures, monumental ruins, scenery, architecturally beautiful temples, and visually satisfying sunrises and sunsets. Hampi is situated along the banks of river Tungabhadra and is steeped below 1,400 years of history. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Dynasty. Chronicles say that Hampi was a prosperous, wealthy, and grand city. Almost all the monuments are from 1336 and 1570 CE. Hampi was destroyed by the Muslim sultanates after the Empire was conquered by them in 1565 and since then Hampi is a beauty even in the ruins. How to reach: By air: Hubli Airport is the nearest one to Hampi which is 166km away and has regular flights from Bangalore. Belgaum connects Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, and Jabalpur but is 270 km away from Hampi. But Cabs and taxis are easily available outside the airport to reach Hampi. By road: Hampi is well connected with towns and cities that fall in the state of Karnataka by Buses. Besides the local buses, there are tourist buses available as well. Some of the interstate buses run in Goa, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. When you reach Hospet you can take Auto rickshaws to Hampi. By train: Hospet Junction is the nearest one to Hampi which is 13km away. The trains travel regularly connecting major Indian cities. You can hire a cab or taxi for further travel. Prepare a perfect experience to Hampi using our travel software here Hampi is divided into 2 parts; Hippie Island & Central Hampi: • Hippie Island: Vipapur village/Gadde aka Hippie Island due to its casual and chilled vibes filled with lush greenery, paddy fields, sunset points, and cafes that serve very tasty food. The purpose of visiting this island is to just relax and have fun. • Central Hampi is filled with dotting temples, history, and some ruins of the royal stays that have stunning architecture. These structures have wonderful sculpting carved all over them. South Indian food will make you restless when you come here. Attractions & Activities: Hippie Island How to reach: Once you reach Hampi, you need to take a boat ride and cross the Tungabhadra River which will take only 5-7 minutes. This you will find near the Virupaksha Temple. The charges are around 50 INR. Things to do: 1) Anjaneya Hills Anjaneya Hill is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Stories give evidence of this place. You have to climb 600 (approximately) steps to reach the hilltop. You will experience the very popular sunrise view. This is quite popular among the tourists. There is also a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman on the hill. You will find a lot of monkeys hopping around in this area. There is no entry fee for the temple but you need to pay for the parking. 2) Explore the village of Anegundi This village is nothing less than heaven. The roads are lined up with Banana trees and Coconut trees and the lands are filled with paddy fields. The rearview covers mountains from Hampi. It is covered in between the huge boulders. The road that takes you to Anegundi has Sanapur Lake. The view is just magnificent and feels like you are in a dreamland. You can also go boating at Tungabhadra Dam in the evening. You will have to hire a moped to wander around the village. It will cost you 250 INR/day. Check out our travel experiences to visit the best places in Hampi. 3) Sunset at the sunset hill point This hill point is filled with tourists just to experience the Sunset. You need to climb the rocky hill. It won’t take you long as it is a very easy one. The vibe on this hill is everything. You will see people chanting mantras or some people engrossed in the atmosphere. At times you will find tourists having a musical evening too. 4) Cafes at the Hippie Island Cafes on the island should be visited. The vibes, décor, food, and music make you fall in love with it. • Nargila Café This place serves you the best Tibetian food. It is a restaurant with perfect vibes for a candle light dinner. • Mowgli Hotel A cafe that gives you a true feeling of being a hippie. Amazing food with and a vfm place. • Laughing Buddha A cafe with laidback vibes and a very colorful interior. The place serves you the tastiest food among all the cafes. • Evergreen Hotel The list is quite a big one but these are must-visit ones. These cafes are surely going to enhance your experience. Central Hampi How to reach: To explore this side of Hampi you have to hire an auto-rickshaw for the internal transportation. You can also choose for a bus but it will
