Trip to the Andaman

Andaman was one of our dream destinations. Our dream finally came true when we decided to go there for our honeymoon. We saved and planned for a 5day vacation in the Andaman. We did our own flight bookings, and the hotel reservations + booking of local travel agent were done by a good friend – Alok. We headed for our honeymoon destination early morning on 10^th Dec 2006.

Day 1:

It was the first time we had seen islands from a plane. As the plane descended from above the clouds, we could make out the islands from a distance. They looked like small green patches on a blue canvas, more beautiful that what we generally see in pictures. We reached Port Blair by 9:00 am. The airport itself is a small structure where you don’t need a bus ride and can walk to the arrival gate. We were received by Alok at the arrival gate and we headed out straight to our hotel with him. The city itself is very picturesque with small homes scattered over hills and planes with plenty of trees in between. We were booked at the Sabra hotel in the main market place called the Aberdeen Market. Our hotel room was very comfortable with a small sitting room attached to the bedroom. Along with our guide we chalked out our site seeing plans for the next 5 days. Since the first half of the day was nearly over by then, we decided to visit the tourist places inside the city. Our guide first took us to the Chatham Saw Mills. The mill is located on a separate island called the Chatham Island. It is connected to the main island by a bridge constructed over the sea. We visited its small museum and factory where we saw the huge wood cutting machines at work. This island was bombed during World War II and the mill was rebuild after that. It’s the only place where you can see an 80-90yr old tree horizontally!

We next visited the Samudrika Museum which is maintained by the Indian Navy. It contains specimens of various sea creatures, the main attraction being the giant skeleton of a blue whale.

We were hungry by then and stopped to have lunch at a small restaurant in the main market. The combination of being a non-vegetarian and a food lover has its obvious consequences – you pay double the price for 2 pieces of chicken instead of 4 pieces of paneer in the same gravy. But in Andaman, to our great delight, it was just the opposite! So we ordered prawn/sea food dishes with gee and relished them with an increased appetite.

After lunch we made our way to the Central Cellular Jail which is now a national memorial. It is located at the top of a hill. The jail houses a small museum containing the history of the jail and the freedom fighters who where imprisoned here. Walking through the jail corridors you can almost feel the anguish and plight of the prisoners. We climbed to the top of the central tower and the view from there is simply breathtaking. Clear blue seas surround the jail from 3 sides. A 1hr light and sound show is held at 7:00pm daily. We passed our time by visiting another nearby museum and took some rest at the hotel. I had anticipated a handful of people for the light and sound show, but apparently it is quite popular with the locals as well as the tourists and the seats were nearly full by the time we reached there. After the show we went back to our hotel. I had my first taste of crab that night at dinner. Yummy!

Day 2:

The next day we started at 8:00 am for a nearby island called the Ross Island. It has the remains of a British base. The island is small enough to cover on foot. Dears roam about free here and you can even feed them.

At around midday, we left for another nearby Red Coral Island. Our jetty stopped a few 100 meters from the shore and we were lowered to a small boat with a glass floor. As we neared the shore, we could see the corals under out feet through the glass floor. The island has snorkeling facilities and my husband immediately jumped at the offer. Snorkeling can be done by non-swimmers too. They strap you up in a life jacket and you are always connected to the instructor with a rope who accompanies you for the dive. I decided to stay back to wave at my husband and click photos. We had a simple lunch and simply relaxed on the beach for the rest of the afternoon.

Late in the afternoon we headed to the third island of the day – Viper Island. It is on this island that you can see the major effects of tsunami. All the palm trees were beheaded; a local ship lay wrecked on the shore. I don’t know where it got the name ‘Viper’ from but it sure has a very desolate feel about it. It also houses a small structure that was used to hang women. This place definitely gave me the hibee-jibees. We got back to Port Blair and after a few hours of rest we headed to Alok’s house on a dinner invitation. We met his sister and brother who had come along with there respective families. We had dinner of chicken biryani that was cooked by Alok’s sister and sister-in-law together. Seeing the family together, I missed my parents.

Day 3:

Getting up at 4:00am in the morning is an ordeal, but Havelock Island is worth every second of sleep lost. We boarded a jetty for Havelock Island at 5:00am and were ushered in the staff rooms immediately. We were asked to stay there till out guide came back. So we sat in the bunker for about 1 hrs listening to Karnataka version of morning aarti. We were eventually allowed to the deck where we enjoyed the jetty ride and leisurely watched islands pass by. We reached Havelock around 9:00am and had a quick breakfast of puri and aloo sabzi. We then headed to the main beach.

We reached the main beach after ½ hr ride on a jeep. No words can fully justify the beauty that unfolded before our eyes. Miles of pure and smooth white sand stretched before us. On one side lush and dense tropical forests, and on the other pure blue sea extended to the horizon. Even the tsunami monster had left it untouched, bewitched by its beauty. The water was so tempting that we rushed in as soon as we had changed clothes in the nearby restrooms. We spent the rest of the morning just enjoying the sea, running around, taking long walks or just doing nothing at all. The best thing about Andaman is that you don’t have to deal with the holiday crowds and beggars here. With just a handful of people on the beach, it was practically a private beach for us. We also did not sight a single beggar anywhere we went, through out our stay here.

After a light lunch of rice and fish curry, we hired a boat for Rs 300 (not part of our deal with guide) and headed towards Elephanta Island. What once might have been a very beautiful beach was now completely destroyed by tsunami. Huge trees lay completely uprooted on the shore. The beach has been engulfed by the sea leaving not much place to enjoy. We returned to catch our ferry back to Port Blair at 5:30pm. This time we slept for most part of the journey back. We came to know afterwards that Havelock also had options for helicopter ride of the entire island, camping facilities near the beach and elephant rides through the jungles. Though we felt a bit disappointed at the opportunity missed, we were blessed by a perfect day, perfect weather and a perfect place.

Day 4:

We have become experts in rising early. Today we planed to see another aspect of Andaman - its forests and mangroves. We rose at 5:00am and a 3hrs car ride brought us to Baratang delta. On the way we had to cross the tropical forests inhabited by the Jarwa aborigines. The jungle falls under the conservation law and hence it is prohibited to take photographs or try to interact with the Jarwa people. We spotted a couple of tribe people on our way. There wore dresses made of colorful beads and carried spears and bows for their defense. It always amazes me that people of so extreme nature and habitations co-exist on the same planet.

On reaching Baratang, we took a small motor boat to visit the calcium caves. The boat took us through a small water inlet between dense mangroves. A bamboo bridge connected the end of the inlet to solid land. I felt as if I am on a National Geographic mission. We arrived at the calcium caves after a 15 - 20 min walk thought the jungle. The calcium structures are entirely natural and create interesting shapes. A group of 7-8 people are allowed in the caves at a time due to the fact that it is a highly seismic zone and an earthquake can strike any time. The calcium being soft can fall off the cave roof and injure or trap people inside. This is no vacation; this is definitely a Nat Geo mission.

After the calcium caves, the boat took us back to Baratang. From there we took a jeep on shared bases to the site of an active mud volcano. This place does not cease to amaze me. One minute you are in a jungle, the next minute crossing a mangrove and then visiting a volcano in the same place! The volcano site was an elevated ground with 3-4 holes in the ground constantly burping out semi fluid mud. This volcano has been active since a very long time and eventually the surrounding area became elevated by the mud thrown out of these volcanoes. The volcano crates were kind of cute compared to the huge lava vomiting once we get to see on TV. The more adventurous souls can also visit the only active volcano in India from there – the Barren Islands. We had enough adventure for the day so we were back in Port Blair by evening. After freshening up we just roamed in the marketplace and tried out different sea food varieties.

Day 5:

We did not have the stamina to make another early morning, hence we decided to sleep a bit late and visit local beaches later in the day. We went to the Corbyn's Cove beach just a few kilometers outside Port Blair. It’s such bliss to just do nothing and relax. We strolled and followed crabs on the beach. The beach itself has two parts. The normal sandy beach on one side; and the sea crashing on the rocks on the other side. You could also explore the place and can chance upon very picturesque settings. We had our lunch at a beach side restaurant and by 4:00pm we headed to Chidiya Taapu to watch a sunset. It was a cloudy day and no amount of praying could clear the skies. So we watched the sun set behind the clouds instead of mountains as was planned. We returned by evening tine and our drive cum guide told us that we can visit the Gandhi Park in the city, so we spent almost an hour in the park. The park is quite big and rides for children and boat riding facilities were also there. Next day we have to return to Kolkata and we have to do our long pending shopping.

The rest of the evening was spent shopping in the local market. Pearls, corals, shells, there are a number of things to tempt here and at relatively cheaper prices. It is advisable to collect bills for all the purchases done here. You never know when the airport officials might want to see them. We have to give a miss to some places like the red coral island, jolly buoy island and Mahatma Gandhi under sea marine museum as they were not open due the Tsunami destruction.

Like all good dreams, our trip had come to an end. We boarded the early morning flight to Kolkata the next day. There are many more places to visit in the Andamans and to cover all of them it will need at least a 15 day tour. Leaving Andaman is like leaving an entire way of life behind. In the few days we stayed here, we had grown to love this place and its way of living. Living in a city like Gurgaon, we have come to value the peaceful life in Andaman even more. For the British this place may be kalapani; but now this is one of the most precious heritage of our country.

Flight Tickets: Rs 14000/- for two people to and fro (Kolkata to Port Blair and back).

Hotel rents: Rs 650/- per day.

Travel costs: Rs 12000/- (Includes travel agent cost + a private car for 5 days + all tickets)

Food: Any good non-veg dish (prawn/crab/fish) will cost around 200/-. Normal veg dishes also available at all restaurants + south-indian eating places are also there.

Eating Places: Samudrika open air restaurant near the sea shore, Waves at Corbyn's Cove beach, Gagan restaurant in the main market. Many more are there, but at these places you get nice food at better price.

Best time to visit: Mid Nov to Mid Feb.

More information on tourist spots at http://www.andamanisland.com