India Journals

A Day trip to Machilipatnam

An October 2009 trip to India by Anannya

Machilipatnam Beach Photo - India, Asia More Photos
Quote: An ancient port, called Masulia or Masulipatnam (from where Muslin gets its name), 90 minutes bus ride from Vijayawada

Having a Beer

Story/Tip

Having a beer Photo - India, Asia
Quote:
If you want to have a beer, be ready for a big shock. No, don't worry, there is booze available. It's just the bars that are there. You may not have ever seen something like this.From outside it is a regular wine shop. But you enter, they point you to the backside of the shop where in a courtyard a few plastic chairs are laid out with a few tables. There is also a small air conditioned room. The deal is to pick up your beer at the counter, having paid for it, take an empty glass (if you like to drink beer straight from the bottle, then of course no need) and head to one of those chairs. Have a smoke. You want some salties along with your beer, there are packets for a buck at th...Read More
Manginapudi Beach Stone Photo - India, Asia
Quote:
The Bay of Bengal regularly experiences cyclones which affect the eastern coast of India. But the Tsunami of 2004 caused immense damage by changing the topographical character of the place. The beach in particular, Manginapudi Beach, described earlier has been restructured with many damaged structures put back as well as some basic beautification and tourist friendly amenities put in place.One such interesting structure is the gate with two fishes welcoming you. One catches it on the approach road from quite far and it is quite a bewildering sight. However, it is still quite sparse and underdeveloped. Of course, there are people who like beaches to be under-develope...Read More
Vijayawada Bust Stand Photo - India, Asia
Quote:
In my case, I was in Vijayawada on work and had a Sunday off. The best option here is to take the extremely efficient APSRTC buses. Head to the main bus stand and platform number 25 or 26 has direct buses, usually nonstop, to Machilipatnam. The fare is about Rs. 34.

For these non-stop buses, the ticket can be bought before boarding. There is no standing. So if there is no place, then the guys will put you on the next bus where you will get a place to sit.

There are trains as well and Machilipatnam has a railhead.

There are no airports. In fact, the nearest airport is Vijayawada itself.

Why Machilipatnam

Story/Tip

Machilipatnam Beach Photo - India, Asia
Quote:
Machilipatnam does not feature in the list of Destinations on this site. It is a small fishing hamlet on the east coast of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Historically, it is a significant place with an ancient port, called Bandar locally, that came into being from the 3rd Century BC. It is mentioned by Ptolemy as Maisolos and the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea calls it Masalia. It was a busy port in the 17th century with French, British and Dutch trading ships using this as an important port of call. For the tourist, there is historical as well as cultural value in visiting Machilipatnam. It is worth visiting for a day. It is just 1.5 hours bus ride from Vijayawada. There...Read More