But with 'Volvo Bus' fast becoming a generic term for any luxury bus or even for just a bus with curtains and air-conditioning, one has to be careful. Wanting the Real McCoy, I decided on APSRTC's (Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, for those of you not familiar with local abbreviations) 'Garuda' bus service to Hyderabad ignoring the several private operators located opposite the RTC complex itself and offering similar services.

There are two departures in the evening - 7 pm and 8 pm. The ticket itself is fairly easy to procure and informative (platform number, seat number, departure time). It is cancellable at a loss of just Rs. 5/- up to two hours before the journey!

Despite the bus arriving about half an hour before the scheduled departure, it managed to depart about 15 minutes late. On the positive side, however, there is adequate place for stowage of luggage both in the luggage compartment and under/over the seats. They give you a bottle of mineral water and packet of potato chips - something I wasn't expecting on a government-run service. Reading lights, reclining seats and good air conditioning make it as comfortable as a bus ride can get.

Except for a dinner halt at Annavaram ('Ratnagiri Resorts' - quite good) and brief halts at Rajamundry, Vijayawada and Suryapet, I don't think there were any other halts (remember I had to sleep too!). The road itself is quite good and even over a rough patch close to Rajamundry, the ride quality was good enough to get a comfortable night's sleep. The movie they play for you might keep you up till about 11 pm but if you enjoy movies, you might think of it as an additional perk.

With less fuss than air travel (security, check-in one hour before, identify baggage etc) and the same travel time (12 hours) as rail, this is one travel option providing value for money at Rs. 555/- that Vizagites should be looking at more frequently - and not just when the airport resembles a seaport.

The trip from Vizag to Toronto sees me appreciating the changes for the better in India (immigration and customs in five minutes flat!) - something I would be doing more of in the days to come. 

I put up with a family of solid Andhra stock and with Vizag connections as an added bonus who seem to have managed to acquire the perfect blend of all that is good in Andhras and the West. Had it not been for the weather and cleanliness, it was sometimes hard to imagine I was away from Vizag - the number of 'brown' faces all over is unbelievable: we seem to have taken over the place! I actually asked for help in a Walmart in Telugu! From 'Mike' who probably was Murthy or Muthyalu before being re-christened in Canada. Alas, desis will be desis. They can be as fragmented and clannish as they are back home: Punjabi Association, Goan Catholic Association, Telugu Brahmin Association - you get the idea? But, this not being my first visit to Canada or to western countries, I could also sense a new, palpable feeling of pride and confidence among the Indian diaspora in the homeland, its growing clout, its technological prowess, that was not existent during my earlier visits (some thing to do with the Sensex?) and below this, a sense of oneness. As one proud-to-be-Indian sardar taxi driver put it: "In m*#^%& goron ko dikhana chahiye ki Hindustan kya hai!".

To conclude, an investment tip: invest in companies making hair colour - from Sarada of Srikakulam to Vani of Vijayawada, everyone here, it seems, wants to go blonde - or at least brunette.

Vizagite4ever

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