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Photo: K.R. Deepak

Biking couple Tourists from Canada, who are on an all-India tour on bike

Whether it’s the serene blue stretch of the Bay of Bengal, the sun-kissed beaches or the verdant valleys of the Eastern Ghats, the City of Destiny seems to be a hot favourite among foreign tourists. The number of foreign tourists visiting the city has gone up over the past few years. “Vizag has a quiet unhurried charm about it,” feel Howard and Jennifer from Canada who are on an all-India tour on a motorcycle. They started their journey from the busy streets of Kolkata earlier this month and plan to cover the entire Indian coast in the next three months of their vacation in India. The clean beaches of Vizag instantly won their hearts. They are here for three days, exploring the beauty of the city on the motorbike.

“We decided to go around on a motorbike since it is the best way to get the flavour of the country,” they say. There are no restrictions of time or schedules. We can stop anywhere as per our convenience and it’s also an excellent way to explore the place, says Howard.

When you’re on a bike, you establish instant rapport with the people around. For them, you’re no longer a tourist cocooned in fancy hotels and herded from one sanitised tourist spot to another in swanky coaches - you are one of them and they smile at you encouragingly. It takes you a while to learn to dodge the vendor carts and jay-walking pedestrians and navigate comfortably beside scores of mini three-wheelers which double as family carriers. But the couple from Canada feels that it is these things that add to the charm of the country. “People in India are as beautiful as the country itself. They are very friendly and helpful,” smiles Jennifer.

The couple has learnt a smattering of Hindi as well as they go about explaining to the people how ‘thand’ (cold) their country Canada is. Their next stop will be at Pondicherry where they plan to spend a couple of days before heading straight to Kanyakumari.

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