This month turned out to be quite an awesome one for me. A couple of great things happened, and this blog post is strictly about one of them. Of course, I have reserved a dedicated blog for the second one. I think it would be only apt to post about it after crossing some significant milestone (just a lane excuse, sorry lame excuse for being lazy). But, pinky promise.
How it started
September 9th, 2021, turned out to be one of the memorable days in my life for a couple of reasons, and this trip is definitely one of them. It was KavinNila’s (Kavi) birthday that day, so Remya (aka Rocket) and I got into a WhatsApp video call to wish her. And, of course, and as usual, Sashi was busy to join the call. I am sure you remember these friends from our Delhi-Amritsar-Agra trip. A couple of months ago, in a similar video call, we were actually discussing making a trip to Hyderabad to get a break and meet Sashi. Unfortunately, that didn’t materialize, courtesy of the COVID second wave. So, while on the call, it hit us that it was a long weekend ahead, and in the spur of the moment, we decided to go on a road trip to Hyderabad and start that day evening itself. Indeed, it was so kind of respective family members to give permission (“Ekkedavauthu Po”) for the trip on such short notice. Especially my supportive and understanding wife Bansky.
How It Went
Day 1 – 9th Sep 2021
As we were all traveling in Remya’s Car, as planned, she went all the way to Pondicherry to pick up Kavi first. Meanwhile, I was also trying to complete a significant task (which also made the day memorable) in advance that I intended for the next day. So, I got ready after minimal packing, including cleaning my dirty shoes with baby wipes (makeshift madness), and finally got picked up by both of them around 8 pm.
Once we started, I realized that Remya was having a hectic day with one of her projects going live and was on continuous calls since departing from Pondy. It was astonishing max to see her handle both driving and client calls at the same time. At times we paused in the Bypass for her calls to get completed, and unfortunately, her calls kept on extending and finally concluded only around 11 pm when we reached Red Hills. By that time, we were all hungry and stopped at Doni Ka Daba along the highway for a quick dinner.
Remya – WHF (Working from Highway) 
Chicken Mughalai 
Rotti and Mhugalai Chicken for Dinner
Quickly after dinner, we stopped by the nearest petrol bunk (gas station) to fill the tank to sustain us till our destination. The night ride was pure fun; conversations along with AR Rahman and Ilayaraja hits kept us awake most of the time. Only around midnight, while crossing Tamil Nadu – Andhra Pradesh border, we realized that we were yet to book our stay. Thanks to aggregation apps, we quickly coordinated with Sashi and booked our stay around Madhapur. One of the memorable moments that night was, Remya stopping the car suddenly in the middle of the highway, got out, and started dancing for a beat song. Being an early sleeper, I tried my max to stay awake and sparsely napping in between. However, I completely dozed off around 2 am when Remya stopped the car for a short nap.
Day 2 – 10th Sep 2021
I woke up around 5.30 am when Remya stopped at a Petrol Bunk for refueling. I thought she also got dozed off, but to my surprise, she seemed to have pulled off an all-nighter. Around 6.30 am, we reached Andra Pradesh – Telangana border and stoped by a bridge over the Krishna River for some fresh air and some awesome pics. As we were all hungry, we were looking for eateries around. Luckily not too far, we found one run by 2 sisters serving hot Idlis, Pooris, Crispy Bonda & Vada with an out-of-the-world green chili chutney. After our yummy breakfast, around 7.30 am, we resumed our non-stop journey towards Hyderabad and checked in to our stay at Hyderabad around 10 am.
The Krishna River 
That Mandatory Selfie 
Our Ride 
Wallpaper Worthy Clouds 
Bonda & Vada with super Yummy Green Chilli Chutney 
Source of Heat
Being sleep-deprived and tired after a night-long ride, I happily assumed that we gonna rest till eve. But, to my surprise, Shashi called us around noon and informed us that we were going out for lunch and he would meet us at the restaurant. The coordinates he shared led us to Teluguneese, an Authentic Regional Cuisine Restaurant. The day being Ganesh Chaturthi, the restaurant offered us one yummy Puliyodarai/Puliyogare as complimentary, and for the same reason, Shashi and Kavi opted for Veg that day. Whereas, Remya and I started with some soup, then yummy Kodi Veppudu (Chicken Fry) for staters, and Ragi Sangati with one mouth-watering Kodi Pulusu (Chicken Curry) for the main course. We finally finished the meal with some HOT Gulabjamun for the dessert.
Puliyodarai 
Kodi Rasam (Soup) 
Kodi Veppudu 
Ragi Sangati & Kodi Pulusu 
After quite a heavy meal, we decided to take a walk around that area, and it ended up as a walk down the memory lane for Kavi. Yes, she is an alumnus of the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Hyderabad, and her college was nearby. She took us to her favorite Ratnadeep Supermarket, then to a Balaji Temple around the corner from the Supermarket, which she claims to serve amazing Pongal on Saturdays. Finally, to the gates of the NIFT campus and shared a few of her college time stories with us.
Ratnadeep 
Balaji Temple 
NIFT Campus 
All Of Us
After completing the walk, we decided to go back to the room. But, a conversation between Sashi and Kavi led us to the Durgam Cheruvu Lake. To our surprise, the lake features an 800-year-old Bonsai in the entrance. Again we took a quick walk around the lake before returning back to our stay.
After getting freshened up, we booked a cab and headed straight to Zero40, one of the sought-after Microbreweries in Hyderabad. While Sashi and Remya ordered the Beer tasters to start and eventually agreed to get a pint of Old Timer, a craft beer. Whereas Kavi and I decided to go with mocktails as usual. OMG, that place also served lip-smacking starters, especially the Hyderabadi style Chicken 65. Of course, their Stuffed Mushroom and Salad tasted great too.
I also planned to meet my Chennai Blogging Club (CBC) friend Sindhu during this trip. I visited Hyderabad for the 1st time for her wedding. And, also had an awesome time going around the old Hyderabad and trying out a lot of yummy local flavors during my 2nd visit to the city. Luckily, her house was only walking distance from the Brewery. So, instead of traveling all the way back the next day, I requested guys to spare me a few minutes and decided to pay a quick visit to her. I was delighted to meet her and her husband Kiran after a long time and her Little One Aahana for the very first time.
Returning to the Brewery, I ordered one more portion of Chicken 65, continued our conversation, and belatedly celebrated Kavi’s Birthday with a yummy Cheese Cake. We had such an awesome time, and the smile on the pics would say it all.
After having such a marvelous time filled with food, nostalgia, and conversation, it was already around midnight when we returned to the stay. Though we were dead tired after such a long and eventful day, we weren’t ready to call it a day. Shashi ordered some flavorsome Biriyani and Egg starters from his favorite Shag Ghouse, and we continued our conversation over it for a couple of more hours before heading to bed. And that’s how an awesome day came to an end.
To Be Continued …
Gokoulane Ravi 