Enchanting Godavari

Our trip to Rajahmundry started with KK boarding the train in DDLJ style. This time to KK’s luck, it was NP in place of Simran, who pulled the chain to buy few minutes of pause time. On the other hand, Madhu who had terrible pain in the abdomen was first to board and surprised us with his presence and a never-say-die attitude. This pain was not due to Rummy’s one liners or Ande’s extra-ordinary sense of humor but due to skipping drinks on few occasions in the past :). We headed to resort by name Pallavi in Palakollu from the railway station the next day.

Post an hour drive from the Palavalli resort, we have reached a place by name ‘Pattuseema’ to board the boat by name “Punnami”.

Once you board the boat, you will be completely unplugged from the rest of the world and get plugged into the socket of excitement. A blanket of high energy surrounds you.

No matter how many times you have watched in the movies or heard about the magnificence of Godavari, seeing it in person is overwhelming. From brown waters, velvety mountains to shimming cobalt sky, Godavari river is truly spectacular. The place is truly blessed with plenty of nature. Here you get connected with the awe inspiring mother nature. You get totally mesmerized by an unmatched atmosphere.

The boat has three bed rooms with attached restrooms, kitchen, and spacious living room and not to forget the expansive terrace. The living room transforms to a dining room by making little change to the placement of furniture. It is aptly fitted with tower speakers and a place for DJ in the corner. The tour guide cum boat owner informs us that the boat can accommodate up to 150 people, but was reserved exclusively for the 12 of us. Our day’s ride started with a small prayer performed by Rajani and Vaiju. We spent some time in exploring the boat and got familiarized with the new place and cheerful staff.  The boat slowed down at multiple places en route our journey to ‘Papi kondalu’ (name of the mountain) to loan kitchen accessories from other boats as every meal is cooked and served fresh on board. The tempo of the boat may be fast or slow or it may vary at times. But the trick is to stay focused on the nature and revel in the wonderful atmosphere.

As the boat sliced through the raising water table and the numerous tiny whirlpools, we witnessed doves winding through the mountains, flock of comb ducks testing their hunting skills, cows & sheep grazing lazily on the mountain trees.  Very soon the cruise would be a thing of past and may become a subject of bed time stories when the Polavaram dam turns to reality.

After a light shower of rain, the clouds hovering a sluggish gait, the glorious river seems to be more idyllic than ever. It was a perfect ambience to have a ‘Me time’ and get connected aptly with your own inner rhythm of tranquility. Impeccably trained boat crew offered us local savouries and delicacies who lived up to the place’s unmatched hospitality. When the boat paused at a place by name ‘Devipattanam’, we recollected the lucid account of heroics of Sri Alluri Sitarama Raju, a great warrior during our independence struggle. Here we noticed a rare sight of a tall tree, lined next to the shore, serving home to thousands of bats.

Couple of hours on the boat took us to our destination ‘Papi hills’. The breath taking & mesmerizing Papi hills merges contextually the greens of earth and blues of the sky. The beautiful mountain seems like a boundary wall separating the river with the rest of the world. On our way back, we had a rare glimpse of rainbow. A beautiful view in a wonderful joyous atmosphere is a rare retreat.

Each person’s favorite songs were played from Bose mini link and dedicated to their loved ones. While the rest of the gang were trying their luck in teen patti, myself and Vaiju occupied the edge of boat deck, facing the wind & waters, a prime real estate aboard and played our favorite music turn by turn. Couple of cabin crew, Madan and Babji, turned into contemporary choreographers and made Rajani, Sowmya, Vaiju match their steps. Very soon they roped all of us in an attempt to burn the calories consumed from the sumptuous meal we had a while ago. Temporary ban of cruise the next day owing to raising water levels made the trip some more special.

Playing with mud (in holi style) at Lagoon (resort in Pallavelli), volley in the swimming pool, listening to popular local actor – Chiranjeevi numbers on the coach, special pooja at a famous temple in Antarvedi, group photo of us jumping aside beach shore, DK preparing ‘meter’ tea for us at Lakkavaram are undisputable highlights of the trip.

The interplay between friends and nature is truly amazing and left an indelible impression in my mind. This gorgeous slice of earth made me nostalgic as I reflected on my glorious childhood days here. The splendor of this place cannot be equaled to any other. This is an experience whose uniqueness truly lies unmatched.