And A Man lost in Andaman

It was a much longed breather; I was really getting tired of the usual schedule. Life though has become a routine; disparately wanted to break free for few days. Initially I thought to book couple of tickets in Ship. Later I came to know that the process is long and full of uncertainty given the fact that the frequency of sailing is very limited.

Andaman is experiencing heavy downpour this time of the year. We had to play a hide and seek game in true sense to get to the wonderful beaches and many other places of historical importance. Absolute white sand, calm sea, knee-deep water, all shades of blue and green if you turn your head three sixty degrees!

Our very first stop was at Cellular Jail and I seriously do not have many words to describe it. Free people of India should go there and understand at what cost we got the freedom. Most of the people were not talking much; were shocked or deeply thinking at the sight. Come here and you will understand I mean.

People of Port Blair need a special mention. Auto Rickshaw drivers, shop owners, hoteliers, bus conductors, cab drivers, local boys on street; I found everyone so co-operative and eager to help others - we will remember this definitely. Port Blair is a little hilly area with a great sea surrounding this island. Probably this is one of the major reasons why people are so good which is much different from many of the tourist destinations of the world.

Port Blair and surrounding islands are full of historical places. Most of these are someway related to India’s freedom struggle. Our next destination was Havelock Island which took two hours by ship. It was a first time by ship (though a small sized) for me. Another thing, it does not take you to deep sea, you will continue to see land on one side throughout the journey.

Havelock Island has a major Bengali population; during the partition era many refugees were sent here to settle. We had chance to interact with couple of families who are quite happy with their situation. Though right now few hotel chains and large tourism companies are trying to buy as much as land they can. It may not be long enough that the settlers’ lands will be bought or encroached by some other means by this group of businessmen of there are no regulations.

Havelock Island currently sends vegetables in huge quantity to Port Blair and other parts of the group of islands. Farmers were telling me that the soil was so rich that they hardly use any fertilizers. Havelock and its beaches have got a permanent place in world tourist map for its pristine beauty. Foreign tourists in large number throng this place throughout the year. There is a slight decrease in inflow due to a crocodile incident couple of months ago. Locals were very concerned now as we saw. Snorkeling and scuba diving are not permitted in many of the places now. You can see the news here.

Though Radhanagar is considered to be the most beautiful beach in Havelock; I found the beach adjacent to Dolphin Resort (we stayed in this Andaman tourism accommodation) better.

I experienced snorkeling in North Bay. It was a place where we chased beautiful fishes and corals. We have been to Red-skin Island at later part of the journey when we came back to Port Blair. This one and Jolly Buoy are two beautifully maintained coral islands. Our definition of corals got shaped here ultimately. The different types of coral beds were so distinctly vibrant; we were again at loss of words.

I will go back again to Wandoor and Vijaynagar beaches some day soon. There are a plenty of corners in Andaman where I will like to be lost again.