White sand, bright sun and turquoise water at The Andamans

Choosing the Andamans

My wife felt that our recent trips had an overdose of the Himalayan mountains. Again next year we have one more Himalayan trip up on our sleeves. So, for the trip in October, I had to plan something farthest from the Himalayas. Something in India and farthest from the Himalayas?...Hmm. How about the Andamans? Thats when I started my research on Andaman and Nicobar Islands - a conglomerate of islands placed way down

in the Bay of Bengal, not even in the Indian peninsula. The pictures of the islands and the beaches looked stunning. Initially, I was skeptical that they were photo-shopped by the travel agencies. While I was planning the first thing I realised is that you have to book the air tickets really early. I made a tentative itenary and found 5 nights in the different islands should be good to start with. That would also not require too much leave from our office. Clubbed with the Dussehera holiday, 3 days leave should be fine.

The Advanced Booking

This was perhaps the most organised and planned trip I made. For our trip in October, I booked air tickets in January. That's a good nine months before the trip. I did all possible research to make the most of the 6 days in Andaman. I contacted several travel agents...read the blogs and forums. Everything was meticulously planned. Its difficult to go there without a travel agent. But I am not very fond of them. They take you to the been-there-done-that places along with a whole bunch of other tourist. You lose the privacy and the quite moments with nature, which is the purpose of our vacation. I also like to plan my own itenary. After all, that gives me a lot of flexibility. After the hotel bookings and contacting one person in Port Blair who will sort out the ferry bookings as per my dates, I was very excited and looking forward to the vacation.

The last-moment hiccup

The day before leaving, as a customary checklist, I checked the weather of the place. I was in for a shock. It showed thunderstorms in the coming days. I rang the hotel manager, who said the weather is very rough in Port Blair and adjoining islands. He was skeptical how the flights would land in such a bad weather. Now that is disappointing. After detailed planning for eight months, you surely don't want to hear that your trip is at risk. I called the airlines, to be assured that the flight is departing as per schedule.

Day 1: 9th October, Wednesday

"Passengers, please fasten your seat belts"

We went to Chennai taking an overnight train. Then, we took the 2-hour SpiceJet flight to Port Blair. Within minutes of take off, we realised that we have a bumpy flight ahead. Just before landing at the Vir Savarkar Airport of Port Blair, I could see the turbulent sea below and scattered tiny islands. The sea and the place is also called "Kala Pani",

meaning black water. The reason is, during the overcast monsoon days, the sea becomes pitch dark. I could see that from my flight. I must say, it is terrifying. As if, you can hear the roar of the ferocious sea below. I considered myself to be fortunate to see this side of the place. At the same time I was very apprehensive of how our trip would shape up amidst the uncertain weather.

A driver came to receive us at the airport. He took us to our boarding at Andaman Teal House. We were very hungry...so straight away headed to a restaurant. It was still very much cloudy and very much windy. And yet from the dining area of the Fortuna Bay Resort, the green water was clearly visible. We wondered how it would look like on a sunny day. In the evening we headed to the Corbyn's Cove, the only beach in Port Blair. It was quite crowded. On inquiry, we came to know the reason, which was not at all pleasing to our ears. There are 2 more islands that we would hop to - Neil Island and Havelock Island. Both are via small ships (they call ferry here). The ferries did not operate for the last 2 days because of the cyclonic weather (Phalin) prevelant. Which means, people got stuck in the respective islands. The only beach in Port Blair is Corbyn's Cove and people have no other beach to go to!
As we went to bed we prayed for a sunny morning the next day.

Day 2: 10th October, Thursday

The delayed start 

Our ferry was scheduled to leave at 6:30 AM for Neil Island. At 5:30 AM we came to know that the ferry has been cancelled. Our hearts sank. So many days of planning and here we are at nature's mercy. Really, whatever we do and how advanced we think we are, we are more often than not dependent on mother Nature. As days rolled, the sky became clear. More importantly, the wind had stopped. "Ferry services are suspended when there is a strong wind around the area. Even if it rains, the ferry service continues,", the localities said. The ferry administrators are overcautious. The good news can around 10:30 AM. Our ferry would start at 12 noon. That was a great relief. As the ferry blew its horn and started the journey towards Neil Island, we were all so happy...
The ferry is primarily used by the local people who hop into the other islands for work and/or personal reasons. There were some Indian as well as foreign tourists. You could make out that all had a sense of relief that things have started moving. The ferry is of one and a half hours duration. I had read somewhere that the

best way to spend the journey is to go to the deck. So, even before the ship left the shores, I was up on the deck. As the ship sailed through the ocean, the sunrays glittered on the ripples of waves created by the ship. The wind was so refreshing. The air was so pure, so pollution-free! There were string of small islands on either sides, all covered with green trees. Your mind wanders here, there and everywhere. You can even find other ferries. You just gaze at the vast stretch of water and wonder how holed up we are in each one's world. And there is such a vast world beyond ours. There are so much to see,  so much to experience!

The first sight of emerald green waters at Neil Island.

It must have been a long time that I sat on the deck on ship and let my mind play around. A steward came and said that our destination, Neil Island, was 10 minutes away. I went to my seat, where my wife and daughter got a bit impatient. I will never forget the first sight of the shores of Neil Island. Vast stretches of absolute emerald green water beaded with stretches of white sand, something I was seeing for the first time

in my life. We all are dumb-founded for a few minutes. It was as if we were looking at some paintings. Driver Bijoy had come to receive us. We had booking in Tango Resort. We dropped our luggage and went for lunch at Sea Shells. We went to the beach near the jetty, called Bharatpur Beach, hoping to take ride on the glass-bottomed boat to explore the world under water. But due to low tide, we were told chances of seeing corals are bleak...its better we come the next day morning. So, we went to Sitapur beach. The roads were narrow and had abundance of greenery on either sides. There was no shortage of coconut trees, You could make out that the area receives plenty of rain. "It rains for six months here", said our driver Bijoy. This green was very different from the green that you even see in the Botanical Gardens. The location of the beach is very secluded. Its a small beach, engulfed by rocky hills on three sides and the sea lies in front. Because of the dark clouds and the fact that we were approaching evening (here sun sets around 5 PM during October) we perhaps did not see the Sitapur beach at her best. On a sunny day, the story would be completely different. It it can very well be your own private beach since few people know about this place.
When we returned to our hotel, only the last few minutes of the day's light remained. We walked to the beach in front of the hotel, Laxmanpur beach.
It was such a calm and peaceful place as the day came to an end. In the morning we were a worried lot. Now, here I am, sitting in a tiny island of the Bay of Bengal.The only thing that lies ahead of me is vast stretch of water. I felt a sense of pride for being an Indian. The more I explore my motherland, the more I discover myself. My perception of India has changed considerably in the last 2 years, since we starting exploring India. The country is much more than the corrupt politicians, congested roads and poverty. It has the majestic Himalayas in the north, the Indian ocean in the south and everything and everyone that lies between them are all so diverse. The majority of people of the country are nice people. The taxi drivers and hotel owners, the hotel and restaurant staffs...you can connect with them so easily. Not all are very well-versed about India's geographical boundaries. And yet, the sense of belonging to India is almost universal among these people. India is, perhaps, more about a concept and an ideology that is deep-rooted among the Indians. Merely drawing some international borders will not arouse the sense of pride and togetherness from within. Newspapers flash news that are sensational. The TV news channels air stories which sell. So, we get news of corruption, of murder, of rape and of scams and scandals. But India is much more than these. Sadly, most Indians also take pride in critisizing his or her motherland under the belief that it places him/her above the "general public" and puts him(her) under the bracket of a superior race. One has to travel through the length and breadth of the country to know what India is. No books, no documentaries can ever capture the core essence of India. At most, they can capture certain parts of her. To be able to know her, one should feel her from within.

Day 3: 11th October, Friday

The painting on the huge canvas!

The sun would rise a few minutes past 5 o'clock. So, I had set the alarm at 4:30. I woke up, got fresh and walked upto the Laxmanpur beach that was only a few yards from the room, just in front of the resort. The white sand bordered the entire shoreline. The darkness was giving way to the first rays of the sun. There were innumerous mollusc strewn all over. Never have I seen such a galaxy of living mollusc in my life. They came in different shapes and sizes, colours and orientation. I carefully walked on the stretch, lest I step on

any of them. I could not see any other human beings around. I was wondering what would I do if I suddenly find a crocodile or a snake on my way. The thought was not utopian as we saw a snake in our dining area the previous night. I was proven correct a few hours later. That walk on the white sands, with the crystal clear vast stretch of water ahead and the soft morning sun was one of the most peaceful walks I have ever had. I kept clicking photos of everything that was around. I saw schools of tiny coloured fishes swimming in the water. I returned to my room at around 6:15 AM. My daughter and wife had just woke up.
We had our breakfast and went to the famous "Rock Formation". It was a great sight to see an enormous

rock that has formed into an arc. We crossed that rock formation and went a few hundred metres ahead. The entire area were covered with irregular rocks. So you have to be careful in each of your steps. A slip on those slippery rocks can be quite painful. My daughter was excited to see little fishes and prawns playing in the water locked by those rocks. It was quite an adventure. When we were returning, we saw a snake holed up on the mountain walls. It had beautiful black and white stripes on its body. I am sure I would have a different tale to tell had it been lying in one of the rocks. Or may be, there were some and we did not see them. And they did not bother us either.
There are so many small things that tell a lot more. When we were returning from "Rock Formation", we saw many others going towards it. Yes, we were the early birds. When I looked at their shoes, I was amused. One lady wore slippers. A man wore a formal leather shoe. A newly-married bride was wearing high heels. And then there were some with the Reebok-Nike sports shoes. I didn't get a chance to see how they managed to reach all the way to the Rock Formation through the muddy and  rocky area!

Before our ferry to Havelock Island, which starts at 2 PM, we went to the last beach, rather returned to the last beach - the Bharatpur Beach. The day was sunny. The beach had a completely new look, compared to what it was yesterday. The glass-bottomed boats were anchored casually on the shores. Day's business had not taken off yet. What stood in front of us was a huge canvas, where the Almighty seemed to have drawn a marvelous painting. Emerald green crystal clear water and specks of white cloud floating above. My daughter jumped into the waters. It was low tide. A few meters from the beach we saw a patch of white sand amidst the water. We walked upto that area. We spent the time lazily. When the tide came, we took the glass-bottomed, which would show us the corals. I don't know swimming. So, I was hesitant whether to
try snorkeling. But then I thought, with a little bit of precaution, let me take a chance. And then insisted my wife to also to try it out. To be honest, the corals in Bharatpur beach were not great. They were few and far between. There was a treasury of corals waiting for us in Havelock Island. But the best part of the snorkeling at Bharatpur beach was that it shed the initial inhibition and fear we had about it. That helped us is taking full advantage of the world under sea at Elephanta Beach!

The more crowded Havelock!

We reached Havelock at 3:30 PM. Our initial greetings with the Havelock Island was not warm. The jetty of Neil Island was a long one. It was scenic to find the long jetty, stretching a few hundred metres into the green sea. And there were some picturesque trees with aerial roots beside it. The jetty at Haveolock Island was a very short one. There were a lot more people around. Even the taxi which was supposed to pick us up failed to turn up. Dark clouds began to hover overhead. We reached our resort. Our cottage at Dolphin Resort

was beautiful and the entire area had lots of trees and greenery all around. We did not waste time and staright-away walked onto the beach in front of it, the Vijaynagar Beach. The waves were very small and the water was shallow. It was about 4:30 and yet you knew the darkness is just a few minutes away. Our stay at Havelock was for two nights. My wife wondered whether we were better off at Neil Island. 

It started drizzling again. At one point the power went off. We could hear creeks of beetles and croaks of toads piercing through the darkness. We sat on some chairs, under the garden umbrella, laid near the shore. We could hear the sound of the faint sound waves and catch a glimpse of the moon above when the dark
clouds gave way. Otherwise, it was pitch-dark.
Really, just the presence of sun or its absence can make a world of difference. The very existence of day and night, around which the lives and living creatures revolve is only due to that one phenomenon - the presence and absence of sun. Everything else in nature, otherwise, remains the same. Our lives are so different during day and during night. When the sun shone on the Bharatpur Island, it looked so picture-perfect and it seemed like a paradise. Only the evening before when the sun had faded, Bharatpur Island was a pale shadow of it when it is sunny. At night, it is devoid of any beauty - no emerald green waters, no white sand! Even a cloudy day can be such a dampener. The sun plays such a crucial role in our lives and we hardly take a notice of it. No wonder, since ancient civilizations the Sun God is worshiped in different names, like Ra in Egyptian civilisation, Inti in Inca civilization, Helios in Greek civilisation, Utu in Mesopotamia...During those days, when the concept of artificial light was non-existent, people relied on sunlight as it was the only source of light and with it, hope! The absence of it, the darkness, brings with it uncertainty, fear and helplessness.

We may have come a long way since those days. But, the fact remains, that without the sun everything around would have been non-existent and meaningless.

Day 4: 12th October, Saturday

The wonderful world under the sea

Actually, we lost the date and day during the journey...ours was more of Day 1, Day 2 etc. Its only when I sit to write the blog, do I refer to my calendar to know on what day and what date was and where we were then. There is also another interesting thing we realised on the days at Neil and Havelock Island. A life without mobile! Our mobile network (thank you, Vodafone!) did not have a presence in those islands. Primarily, BSNL and occasionally Airtel  network was available in those islands. So, in a way, nobody could contact us. There was no beep of email or sms notification. We would forget our mobiles at hotel rooms and not worry about the missed calls. 

The day , like the previous one, started very early for me. We would go to the Elephanta Beach. That beach,

though in Havelock Island, is accessible only via speed boats. We were at the jetty by seven in the morning. We reached to Elephanta beach before the crowd had arrived. We were again the first one to arrive there. What a great beach it is. We set out for the glass-bottomed boat again. And we were stunned. This beach had such a constellation of corals. There were fishes - big and small. Soon, we were up for snorkeling. Having gathered the mental strength from our maiden try at Bharatpur Island, this time we were not hesitant to take the plunge. I told our guide to take us to the deeper part where we can find more beautiful corals. It a world about which I had no clue previously. A few youtube videos before the journey did not do any justice to what we had experienced. It was a world where silence is omnipresent. There were schools of coloured fishes and coloured corals. As the sunlight pierced into the seabed, the light and shadow danced to the tunes of the the big and the small fishes, who found their way through the corals and the stones. Its difficult to describe the experience. The guide whispered in my ear names of some fishes and corals. But I was not interested into the technicalities of it. I was enthralled by what was being played in front of me by hundreds of living creatures under water. What a wonderful colourful world it was. And all so harmonious. I have been to some national parks and used to seeing the regular animals. But this is completely different from all that. Here creatures are not captivated or bounded. Here, the wildness has not been chained by human shackles and boundaries. I am thankful to get a glimpse of this amazing world. Even today when I close my eyes, I can see those fishes and corals in front of my eyes.

Unfolding the beauty of the Havelock Island 

As the day rolled, crowd began to throng the Elephanta Beach, for this is one of the must-see places when you visit Havelock Island. It was also getting cloudy. The place seemed to lose the charm that it had early on in the day. While we were returning in the speed-boat, a gush of wind brought in some drizzle, which drenched us completely. We had lunch in the great ambiance of "Full Moon Cafe". Then we went to Kalapathar Beach. It was noon. I don't know whether the timing of the day and the bright sun above had anything to do, but the colour of the water seemed so picture-perfect that we feel it was the most scenic

beaches we had ever seen. We pinched ourselves to make sure we are not dreaming. We were the only ones in the beach. The sound of the waves breaking on the shores and the whistling of the wind as they passed through the trees behind the beach were all that you can hear. Time seemed to stand still. I dont recollect how long we stayed there - 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour....I don't remember. But one thing is for sure, however long I would have stayed there, I would still yearn to stay there longer. A picture or two can give you an idea of what I am talking. But, surely, no words will. My daughter started playing with the sand and the breaking waves. My wife strolled along, collecting some corals. I kept my camera busy.

Our last destination of the day was Radhanagar Beach, rated as the best Asian Beach in 2004 by the Times Magazine. The beach is the most famous one in the region. Hence, the presence of a lot of people did not surprise us. The beach was very different from Kalapathar Beach. It was crowded, almost thrice the size of

Kalapathar beach and not at all rocky.We had lots of fun in water. The sunset at Radhanagar Beach was stunning.
One of the best things about travel is that you not only get to see a lot of new places, but you also meet people who are different in their own way. The driver, Bijoy, of Neil Island needs a special mention. He was a smart lad. When I realised that he was "taking care" of three tourist groups, including us, on the same day, I was not very pleased. But the way he timed the groups, we never felt he was giving any less attention to us. Not only that, when another tourist group lost their purse, he called the police and ensured that the bag was found in less than two hours! The people in the Andamans are married to someone in nearby islands or they go to study in another island. So, they live in a small closed community of their own. For example, the driver of Havelock Island is a relative of the hotel manager of Havelock Island and he also knew the person from Port Blair, who arranged all our tickets and accommodation, because they played cricket together! He was also a relative to my travel agent in Havelock Island. The people here are very down-to-earth. There is a simplicity in these people, which made our journey even more pleasant. The manager of "Full Moon Cafe", Dipankar, arranged for an auto driver who would deliver our dinner to our hotel room. These are people whom you connect to instantly and even in your first meeting, you feel that you have known them for years. People went out of their way to help you and make your stay more comfortable and enjoyable.

Day 5: 13th October, Sunday

Rain in the Andamans

I woke up in the morning and walked upto the quiet Vijaynagar Beach. The sky was clear initially. Suddenly from nowhere dark clouds gathered on the the distant islands. What lay in front of me was an unique phenomenon. I can actually see the rain lashing portions of the distant island from the dark and dense clouds. Soon, I felt raindrops on me. But the phenomenon I was witnessing was too tempting for me to leave. Of course, in a few minutes I had to take shelter under a roof, for the sake of my camera.
Rains in the Andamans is pleasing for the eyes. It rains very heavily and those green trees and plants get another round of shower. The sound of the raindrops falling on the leaves will mesmerise you. The showers are of short spell and give no warning before the arrival. Anytime you can be caught off-guard by the rains here. They are mostly brought in by the floating clouds. Once that cloud leaves the island, its sunny, as usual.

Beginning of the End

Durga Puja, the most celebrated festivals of the Bengalis, was in full swing. On Sunday morning we took the ferry to Port Blair. But before that we just had enough time to visit the idol of Godess Durga in a decent pandal near the jetty. By then, I had got used to ferry rides.Even my wife and daughter decided to join me on the deck. The refreshing cool breeze, glittering water and bright sun were hard to let go. In the evening, we went to Chidiya Tapu beach and a sunset point nearby. We had high hopes of swimming, one last time in the Andamans. But a warning notice was put up since crocodiles were spotted in the area twice in the last as many weeks.
At Radhanagar Beach during sunset, we saw a person singing most un-melodiously and imitating a famous Hindi movie scene, while his daughter recorded the animated moments. Needless to say, he made a joke out of himself. Because of the swimming ban here, some people just stayed on the shores where water just touches your feet. One person in his mid-fifties, wearing only thongs, was rolling on the wet sand. It was one thing in life he could have easily done away with! And at the sunset point in Chidiya Tapu, when people were amazed at the sunset, someone started shouting that he had just clicked a "million dollar photo" using his "unsmart phone". I wish I went up to him and asked him to show me, before he hits that jackpot and becomes a millionaire!


Another spectacular sunset. Here, the water did not have the colours that those in Havelock and Neil Island had. So, my wife was a bit depressed and told me the place is not that great and photos would not come out well. I differed in my opinion. To me, there is a difference between photos and reality. In a photo, the viewer sees only those area which the photo displays and not even a millimeter beyond it. While, when we see something, we take in as much as we can without filtering out the "unwanted" part from the vision. Its like whether you want to serve the entire dinner to your guest, irrespective of the taste of each dish, or you just want them to have the best dishes. You can call it manipulation or you can call "having an eye to filter the beauty". It depends whether you want to separate the chaff from the wheat and preserve it in an organised way for the rest of your life or just have something in your closet, no matter how crude and unstructured they are!
My wife later admitted that the photos were deserves applaud.
In the evening, we went to the infamous Cellular Jail of Andaman. the light and sound show demonstrated how our freedom fighters were tortured and how strong were their zeal to see an independent India. It was a heart-wrenching, and at the same time, inspirational show. Sense of patriotism filled the air.

Day 5: 13th October, Sunday

Mount Harriet and an almost missed flight

This was bound to happen - sooner or later! The way I plan our trips, there is little margin of error. Despite the fact that our flight is at 12:30 noon, we decided to go to Mount Harriet, Port Blair's highest point. It was a good 70-odd kilometre one-way. Our 2-hour journey was through a typical rural India. Reflections on the water bodies of the distant coconut tress and clouds were a feast to the eyes. Our car zoomed in the narrow roads, occasionally slowing down when trucks and vehicles approached from the other side. Both sides of the road, were generally, muddy, thanks to the on-and-off rain for the last few days. Often we caught sight of
the distant ocean and soon it got lost behind the canopy. A small break at a typical tea stall for stretching our legs. The last few kilometres to Mount Harriet was all the more thrilling. Through the dense rain forest, our car moved up in the spiraling road. Not much of a sunlight was able to pierce through the forest. It was cooler up here. At one point a herd of cows blocked our road. We waited patiently for a good 5-minutes for them to make way. The Mount Harriet peak offered some great views of the adjoining canopied islands and the ocean, jutting into them. On the way back, we stopped at a place to take photos of fleet of boats under the most beautiful azure and in the backdrop of islands.

Everything was going according to plan, until we hit a roadblock while returning. We were supposed to take the ferry, wherein even cars are transported. The problem came when we missed two ferries on a trot as they give preference to locals and 2-wheelers over the 4-wheelers. Our car could not be taken on board. And then we had this eternal wait for the third ferry, which was nowhere to be seen. The clock ticking, we had little option, but to pray for a ferry in the next few minutes.. Suddenly, I realised that there was a passenger-only ferry a few yards away. Without thinking twice, we picked up the luggage, left the car, bid adieu to our good drive, Sanjit, and jumped on it. This took us to the other end and from there an auto took us to the airport just in time. It was almost 11:30. All window seats were booked. In the flight, I requested
my co-passenger, who had the window seat, to click pictures of the tiny islands as our flight took off. He obliged with some great shots.

Concluding thoughts

This vacation was refreshing. There were so many emotions and roller-coaster ride all along. It had its initial moments of anxiety with the ferry getting cancelled. There was the moment of "awe" when we were about to touch the jetty at Neil Island. The moment of heavenly peace to walk on the white sand of the lonely Lakshmanpur Beach in Neil Island. The bone-chilling sight of a snake that looked beautiful and yet poisonous, holed up on the mountain walls. The maiden ship journey, where everywhere you look around

you only see vast stretches of green water. The Kalapathar Beach that looked too beautiful to be true. Watching my daughter having a ball at the Radhanagar Beach and run to the waves and away from them! Standing on the Vijaynagar Beach that day morning and watch dark clouds gather on the distant islands and the rain lashing onto them, a sight aptly captured in my camera. And then the dampener that swimming is prohibited at Chidiya Tapu, only to be rejuvenated by the sight of a great sunset. Last, but not the least, the panic of almost missing the flight. The journey had so much to offer and it is hard to believe that all these occurred in just six days! 

We vowed to come back here again in the next few years. Till then, I will explore other parts of my motherland and ,through her, discover ourselves...And my travelogues shall continue...