Sujan's Holiday in Andamans

 

My Holiday in Andamans:

Well, a holiday for most of us in the current period is considered a utopian experience giving that we have now emerged for the dark yester clouds and timelines of the pandemic era, most families have not been able to go out and enjoy the outdoors in all its resplendent grandeur. However, all that aside, we (a friend who is my neighbour too) planned to visit Andamans in November’2022. We made our bookings in the first week of August to go to Andamans as of 20^th Nov and spend an exciting seven days at Andamans. The next few months, while busy at work passed away in the flash of an eye with all of us eagerly waiting to experience this wonderful holiday.

In the build-up to this eventful holiday, all of us engaged in mindless shopping anxiously thinking of the things that we needed and didn’t have for this holiday, The last few weeks was interesting to see a shopping bag delivered at the doorstep almost every other day, courtesy of the efficient e-tailers who crisscross every landscape in our nation today.

So, the morning of 20^th Nov, we had a flight to leave Bangalore at 07 am, All of us earnestly woke-up, prepped our luggage, locked home and took a cab to reach the airport by 5 am. We completed our check-in and the group of seven decided to get an early breakfast, In the endeavour of finishing breakfast, we almost missed our flight, our tour operator called to say that they are closing the boarding gates down in five minutes and that we were to rush. All of us trotted down to the boarding gate and we were the last ones to get on the flight.

Our first stop was Chennai, we had another connecting flight to leave Chennai at 10:15 am and reach Port Blair at 12:30 pm. The wait until the next flight was punctuated with kids walking across the airport, buying juices, donuts including a stopover by the ladies looking for ayurvedic products at a leading cosmetice brand in India. Our flight departed on-time and we reached Port Blair at 12:30 pm. Our covid vaccination certificates, government ids were verified and our hands were marked with a seal which said 'Vaccinated'. We were then picked up by our designated cabbies and we reached our hotel in Port Blair, Hotel Sentinel. This is a small quaint hotel with clean rooms, we checked-in rested a while and were to be picked up by 4 pm to go and see the Cellular Jail. We had a filling lunch at Hotel Sentinel and went on to visit the Cellular Jail.

We reached Cellular Jail, bought the tickets, spent about 45-50 minutes walking through the museums and then got connected to a guide for a walk across this historical site, the guide walked us around the gallows clearly showing that the beams were still dated from the period including the lever that were used to hang the prisoners at the jail, we were given a detailed walkthrough of the torture areas, showing how the prisoners were detained, the different torture methods, milling oil, etc. We then walked across one of the wings (initially star shaped with seven wings and now only three remaining) where the guide described the daily routine of these prisoners, we then visited the only named jail cell of Veer Savarkar. After which we walked out of the prison. The prison was lit in a myriad of different colours making us think of how big this prison really looked like. It made me feel sad and wonder of the ultimate price that so many freedom fighters paid with their lives, for the freedom that we dearly enjoy today.

Hotel Sentinel where we stayed upon arrival at Port Blair:

Cellular Jail Pictures:

Post our visit at Cellular Jail, we drove about the city and delve into every local detail that was waiting to be seen and explored, We then returned back to our hotel, walked about, had dinner, chit chatted and ended the day a tad early given that it had been a long day.

Day 2: Havelock / Swaraj Island.

We were picked up by mid-day to catch a Nautika ferry to transit from Port Blair to Havelock. We reached the jetty, checked-in and eagerly waited at the waiting room to board our ferry. We noticed that the entire jetty was being revamped in preparation for the G20 Summit scheduled at Havelock island. The children were visibly excited to get on the ferry and we experienced a smooth journey, when we anticipated some sea sickness and discomfort. The sea was a crystal blue and every now and then we see a shoal of flying fish making short bursts over the ocean surface. We reached Havelock island and first decided to visit Kala Pathar beach and Radhanagar beach. Some times words cannot describe that feeling of awe when we saw the blue skies and the sea in hues of Turquoise Blues, there was an amazing sense of calm and relaxation, being on a such a beautiful Kala Pathar beach. We spent time clicking pictures and being awe struck at such a scenic beach. We then went to Radhanagar beach, Since it was way past lunch time, the children were getting hungry, we treated ourselves to sliced star fruits drizzled with tangy spices, a treat it was and surely one that was well enjoyed and more quickly gobbled up. At Radhanagar beach (titled the 7^th best beach in the world), we felt while the beach was beautiful it was crowded with people and lacked the calm of what we experienced at Kala Pathar beach. The beach is a treat to watch at sunset and while we were there around sunset, due to the clouds we missed a glimpse of the beautiful sunset. Pictures here:

Ferry Ride – Nautika:

Kala Pathar Beach

Radhanagar Beach:

Post visiting these two beautiful beaches, we were tucked away to our hotel Barefoot at Havelock. This is a resort in the midst of the forest where 31 accommodations are beautifully created to maximize the Andaman experience. It came as a surprise that the pathways are not lit and the guests are provided with torches to navigate through the resort. The resort itself is on Radhnagar beach but away from the crowds offering much needed tranquillity. We moved to our accommodations and after a while decided to put our torches to use and walk to the restaurant, The swimming elephant. My wife happened to mention that we were vegetarians and were hopeful of a good dinner, The staff at the restaurant went the extra mile to ensure we were well taken care of and it had been an amazing culinary experience with the different foods that we savoured.

Post dinner, my friend and I decided to walk in the dark to the beach, our families following us with absolute worry thinking if it was safe to walk through a small patch of forest area in the pitch dark of the night before reaching the beach. Midway, the family decided to abandon us and returned to the reception. My friend and I continued to the beach and after a while we saw our families making their way back to the beach only this time that they were accompanied by one of the staff members who happened to be the food and beverage manager of this establishment. His name was Mervyn, we learnt that he loves staying at Andaman and decided to stay back after a holiday in Andamans, Mervyn showed pictures that he took of the animals he came across at Barefoot, snakes, crabs, water monitor lizards, etc. We earnestly follow his Instagram page to see every new picture that he posts. The bigger treat that night, we experienced thanks to Mervyn was the clear skies and we switched off our torches to quietly gaze at the star lit sky. There was a shooting star every ten minutes and we got to identify some of the popular constellations as well. An unforgettable experience this turned out to be.

Day 3: Havelock Island

We returned to our hotel to hit the sack and caught some shuteye as there were grander plans the next morning. I woke up early and returned to the beach to catch a glimpse of the large forest patch before reaching the serene beach side. After this walk at the beach, we had a breakfast fit for the kings as today was the day I get to complete one of the biggest items on my check list a scuba dive. Post the dive, we were to be driven in a speed boat to Elephant beach which promised to be exciting with many water games.

Off we went to Aryan Dive club at Nemo beach and around 8 am, we signed our declaration forms, changed into wet suits and were whisked away by the beach. Each of us were paired with a master diver who would direct and ensure we have a comfortable dive. We were then taken away to the beach side with the full diving apparatus and taught the ropes on what issues to face in a dive and how to apply ourselves to resolve them. We learnt to breathe in and out using the gear, how to balance the pressure in our ears when deep in water, what to do if we got water inside the mask / if water entered our mouths, and as the norms, we learnt the symbols to say okay, not okay, dive down and go back up.

The dive itself was an experience that is inexplicable, so many different types of fishes, corals, colours, it was certainly like transcending into an unknown world where even the smallest of things were extolled as an absolute new novelty. The divers were kind enough to get their Go Pro cameras and click pictures and a small video that helps recollect this mesmerizing moment.

Post our dive, we were driven away to the beach side jetty where we were assigned a boat to take us to Elephant beach, The journey to Elephant beach was about 35 minutes boat ride, this was akin to watching an amusement park of water sports. There was every activity that one could relish – snorkeling, jet skiing, different shaped boat rides – banana, sofa, dragon, etc. There was parasailing and under sea water walking as well. I personally enjoyed Snorkeling the most. We wore a snorkel mask and hardly 50 meters from the beach the landscape changes to a view of deep-sea corals, to hand feeding fishes, to watching oysters and star fishes with absolute glee. We returned back in the afternoon and went back to our hotels. In the evening, we walked along the beach at Barefoot to reach a beautiful cove and experience a beautiful though cloudy sunset. Post the walk at the beach, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner before closing off for the day.

Pictures of Barefoot here:

Reception – Barefoot, Havelock

Morning Walk at Barefoot:

The beach in the morning:

Scuba Diving:

Return from Elephant Island on the Speed Boat:

The evening Walk:

Walking by the cove during sunset:

Day 4: Off to Neil / Shaheed Dweep Island:

 Today was the day we transited from Havelock island and moved to Neil island. We had to leave a little early in the morning to catch a ferry at 9 am. Our ferry was booked with the same operator Nautika while there are other options as well. We reached Neil island and quickly checked in to our hotel -The Sea Shell Samsara at Neil Island. After a brief rest we were driven to Bharatpur beach. This beach is right next to the jetty where we had offboarded, Given it was a day with low tide, we were able to walk a great distance into the beach wading through corals which otherwise would be submerged during high tide. We had a packed lunch which we ate enjoying the views of the beach. This also turned out to be a good place to do some quick shopping for shells and local handicrafts. Post visiting this beach we visited Coral Cove where the rocks have created a natural bridge, The highlight here was the little pools of sea water filled with sea life - fishes, sea urchins, star fishes, corals, sea cucumbers which made up the surface between huge piles of corals. Getting to this place and returning has been a cumbersome experience as one has to rely on locally plied auto rickshaws which follow no queues / system to rally tourists to and fro. Post visiting this place, we went to Lakshmanpur beach spent some time walking on the beach and returned back to the hotel. Upon returning to the hotel, we spent a lazy evening swimming in the pool and enjoying some relaxed time. Slowly the clock ticked away as the day closed with a wonderful meal enjoyed at this hotel, Next morning we walked along the beach early in the morning, spent an hour sitting next to the beach, eyes closed listening to the sound of the waves hitting the beach beckoning one to go into a meditative state. Pictures here:

Bharatpur Beach

Coral Cove

Lakshmanpur Beach

Hotel Sea Shell Samsara

Day 5: Back to Port Blair

Today is the day we transited back from Neil Island to Port Blair, Today was a day of absolute rest as tomorrow was a bigger day with a visit planned to Baratang island. We took our return ferry from Neil Island returned to Port Blair. We checked into our hotel at Port Blair - Sea Shell. This hotel was a small and think our stay at Hotel Sentinel was better. In the evening we visited Corbyns Cove and the Flag Point, This was the point where Netaji Subash Chandra Bose first hoisted the flag on 30 Dec 1943. From Corbyn's cove one can also see the smallest island at Andaman - Snake Island. Post witnessing the grandeur of the beaches at Havelock, Neil Island, Corbyn's Cove didn't seem as wonderful as the beaches we had seen before. After visiting these two places, we retired back to the hotel to wind up the day as on Day 6 we have to leave Port Blair at 3 am to go and visit Baratang Island. Pictures Here:

Corbyn's Cove

Flag Point at Port Blair

Day 6: Visit to Baratang Island

On day 6, the entourage woke up really early, We had packed breakfast provided by the Hotel, a collection of sandwhiches, juices, fruit and muffins, We left really early at about 3 am to go and queue up at Jirkatang checkpost along the Andaman grand trunk road. The journey from Port Blair to Jirkatang is about over an hour, Upon reaching there we had to fill in forms and request permission to pass through the Jarawa forest, home to the indigenous tribes in Andamans, Once the permission was provided, the cars pass in a convoy at a maximum speed of 40 kmph, no overtaking is allowed, no interactions with anybody, no stopping of the cars and you pass through the reserved area to reach another check post almost 2 hours later. The drive through the forest is a dotted with pristine greenery and extremely thick foliage making one think of all the flora and fauna that exists there. The convoy has fixed timings and is allowed to pass through the reserved area 4 times in a day. This is made to ensure protection to the indigenous people to follow their traditional practices and have no interactions with tourists. Upon reaching the checkpost at Baratang island, we transferred to a ferry to reach the remote Barantang island. We then got tickets to move onto a speedboat which goes along the backwaters close to the mangrove forests. After this 25 minutes ride through the backwaters, we walk along a pathway created through the mangrove forest and hike along the forest for almost 2 kms, at the end of which we enter a cave containing limestone crystal formations. This was an interesting and a very memorable experience, We also see Paduak trees, the state tree of Andamans which grow to a height of over 120 feet. We returned back to our hotel late in the afternoon, all tired after this exciting day. We decided to rest and call our Day 6 a close. Pictures Here:

 

Mangrove Forests

Limestone Caves:

Day 7: And that's a WRAP! 

In the morning, we packed up our luggage, checked out of the hotel, We first visited the aquarium and then visited the tribal museums, Both places were very good and the children found these visits to be interesting and educational, After visiting the museums, we went shopping into town for our last minute souvenir shopping, We bought all things that interested us, We had lunch at the only vegetarian restaurant in Port Blair, We were dropped off to the airport, our bags were scanned to check if we were carrying any shells / corals from the beaches which tourists are not permitted to carry, Souvenirs purchased from stores with a bill are permitted. We completed check-in and caught a pleasant flight direct back to Bangalore. 

When I look back at this holiday, it has been one with several interesting and fun experiences. There have been quite a few niggles where things didn't work out as well as we had hoped, but overall this is a holiday that I am strongly recommending to everyone I know.

Thank you for reading and please chime in with your comments on this blog.