We travelled by SPICEJET Bombardier Q400. A small 80 seat plane , slightly longer than a Volvo bus. As good as a private jet 🙂 but for the cramped seats and limited food onboard .

My son sitting next to me near the window was cribbing.

Mom, why did you book tickets on this flight. Make sure we don’t travel by this again.

We took the same flight on our previous visit to Tirupathi  🙂

The wheels are as small as the size of the wheels of a small car . This pic was taken when we were almost ready to land. Lovely view of the village and fields. Seems like the place received some good rains (owing to South west monsoons) as we could see a lot of greenery ..

This is the entry point to the Ghat road that leads to Tirumala. These hills are the signature of Tirumala. All travelers have to go through a security check at this toll gate. All the baggage goes through the x-ray machine and all vehicles are thoroughly checked. I saw police rummaging bags in the open. There is no private area. Before I knew what was happening a pair of hands were all over my body. The women police were doing their duty . Hmmm…sickening !

The entry token has some interesting information. Yes , the timings. A low tech method to curtail mishaps on the ghat road due to speeding bikes and vehicles.

We checked in to our guest house in Padmavathy nagar. This board was prominently displayed . We were not aware of this restriction. My hubby had brought his traditional clothes , like always, but we didn’t pack these for my son. We asked our driver if there are any stores that sell traditional clothes. He took us to the Lepakshi store and we were happy with what we bought. I mean, my son liked them and the fit was very good

This giant squirrel seems to be welcoming all the visitors at the entrance of the steps leading to ‘Srivaari paadhalu’ . It is a wild squirrel almost 2 ft long. Was very playful and eating fruits given by the visitors.

That’s the dome under which the Lord’s paadhalu ( feet sculptured in stone) housed in a glass cage. During our earlier visit we were able to touch the feet and were not enclosed .

The natural arch formation on Tirumala hills.

View from our vehicle while driving down the hill to Tirupati on our way back. Greenery all around.

This is the River Krishna moving from Srisailam reservoir towards Nagarjunasagar . Srisailam reservoir is faintly visible at the far end in the pic.