Well, not exactly. I'd expected something like a southern Varanasi; but while some time a few decades ago Tirumala hill and the shine atop it might have been picturesque and at least vaguely sacred, nowadays (with the endless stalls selling tacky crap, the fast food joints and mini-banks, and of course the absolutely interminable queues) it's more like Eurodisney. As yet there's no one wandering about in a cartoon Vishnu costume, but it's only a matter of time. Most of the people I spoke to were middle class professionals from Chennai, all keen to give me their cards and inaccurate directions. While I was the only Westerner around (unti the taxis pulled up around 12pm - I took the bus), I didn't feel like I was the only tourist, and I didn't bother with the queue to get into the inner sanctum.