Location: Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
We were: Nisa, Sanjeev and myself
Andaman taught me a lot of things – about the ocean, about blueness. My home town is quite close to Arabian Sea, at Ernakulam. However, I never touched the water, my connection was only those evenings spent on the banks of it, with friends. Andaman islands and the ocean opened my eyes, invited me into the depth of blueness.
Reaching there
We flew from nearest port, Chennai. Tickets are quite expensive, so it’s better to book well in advance. There is quite big honeymooners’ rush during the wedding seasons too. I did not look for the Ship options, primarily due to time constraints.
Within the islands, there are many bikes for daily rent or auto-rickshaws and line buses in Portblair.
Between the islands, commute is only by ship – economical government owned ships, or convenient private ferry lines. We booked all our tickets in Markuzz, as it was convenient to do so online in advance. I heard travel agents can stand in queue for you to get government ferry tickets, which could be much cheaper. I made special reminders in my calendar to call up Markuzz and confirm each ticket, 24hrs before each travel.
Emerald Blue and You
The first thing I noticed was BLUE! The blueness of the ocean strikes you on the face! I truly liked the tourism byline “Emerald Blue and You”. Truly! However prepared you are, you would be surprised by the vast gradients of blueness around. If for nothing else, go to Andamans to feast the eyes. This was not so striking in Portblair, as it was in Havelock and Neil islands. Oh! so Blue!
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- I truly liked the tourism byline “Emerald Blue and You”.
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- From the landing flight – It’s a grand view of islands on the transparent ocean
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- We reached Havelock Island, during low tide. We took a swim before sleep, in the shallow water. Surprise! We woke up to a huge, vast spread of blue in all shades
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- Havelock Island – We were late to checkin for the ship; but the blueness of the morning ocean was so tempting!
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- Neil Island – Clear blue sky meeting the blue ocean. The trees just add that contrast
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- Neil Island – Blueness of the morning. Refreshing to eyes
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- Ships and their arrival times define most of the check-in schedules of the resorts, not 12-12 cycles as in the mainland.
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- Neil Island – The sea recedes in the evenings, leaving the bed open for curious explorers
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- Cant stop being surprised by the vast gradients of blueness around. Yellow as a contrast here
Knowing the ocean
What to do in the Andamans. I usually do not spend a lot on tourist activities. However, it’s worth the money going into the deep ocean waters, walking on the sea bed, touching the colorful Nemo fish playing around you. I never knew what anemones or coral animals meant. It was so different to see the rich corals and beautiful marine life. And yes a lot of Nemos!
First, it was good to start our travel with an introduction in the Marine museum. I at least got to know what to look for while diving in the sea.
Then we went for a sea walk on the sea bed with Sea Link Adventures. They took us to their jetty, instructed us how to breathe through the heavy oxygen helmet, how to communicate through sign language under the sea and guided us inside the waters. My 9 year old daughter Nisa got scared when taken down without us; so she returned.
And do scuba! We had booked a slot with India Scuba Explorers in Neil Island. They are a bit expensive than what we saw in Havelock but they are also very professional. Half a day went for the preparation and training of the 30 minutes dive. The diver took extra care to make my daughter at ease, by cracking jokes. However, she hardly went a meter, before returning scared 🙂
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- Lanes of jail rooms all emanating from a central watch tower. An architecture designed to make the inmates feel lonely and powerless in front of the empire.
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- Walking on the sea bed. I never knew what anemones or coral animals meant. It was so different to see the live corals and beautiful marine life. And yes a lot of Nem
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- Parrot fish – they create the silver white sands of the Andaman islands that tourists rave so much. The visit to Samudrika aquarium was a good beginning to understanding marine life
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- A bomb pit and tricolor bridge across it – remanants of the World War
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- Old and biggest saw mill in Asia; still functional. Tourists are allowed inside to see the mill, the museum and World War II remnants
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- Inside the Japanese Bunker from World War II
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- A lot of the time between islands must be spend on waiting for ships. Government ships are way more cheaper, but we went by private Markuzz for the certainty of online booking
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- In the evenings, when the tide is low the ocean becomes almost a swimming pool!
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- Rustic, nostalgic! A post-office
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- There is always a queue for light & sound show tickets in the cellular jail. We booked for the last show and went out for a walk
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- A Japanese Bunker from World War II, inside the saw mill
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- I was scared to dive deep into the ocean. I’m so glad I did! The calm and serenity inside the ocean is deeply soothing
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- What else do we need, when the waters are so inviting! The blue gradients starting with white towards dark blue
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- Local markets with the fresh catch
The islands – Port Blair, Havelock, Neil…
Port Blair reminded me of Kerala, perhaps a few years back. However Havelock is quiet touristy, mostly due to Radha Nagar beach – selected the best beach in Asia by Times Magazine. Neil, on the other hand, was more of sleepy village, and often a more economical alternative to Havelock. In all places, there are quiet many activities for the tourists – in the ocean or outside it.
Stay and Eat
Eat fish! All over!
These islands are great for sea food, however great food options are available only in portblair. In Neil Island, the options are almost null. Same goes with accommodation options. Dolphin resort in Havelock is a very economical good option, if you can get through booking. I tried a lot to book this resort, but failed in getting connected to phone on time. When I visited the resort for dinner while in Havelock, I felt I should’ve tried harder! I really wish they improve the booking process
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- The Nest in Port Blair. You get a decent A/C room in an apartment and good food
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- Humble New Lighthouse Restaurant, next to fisheries. Tick-mark the seafood entry in your travel itinerary.Focus only on seafood, lemon rice and other items were tasteless. They are open almost through out the day, an big advantage for travelers on undefined schedules.
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- A single crab at New Lighthouse Restaurant. They bring you a platter of prawns, crabs and all kinds of fish to choose. And we fall into that temptation looking at the freshness and size of those!
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- View from Eco Village resort in Havelock. The ocean is just on your doorstep. Dolphin resort is a better option, if you get through booking.
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- We were guided to this restaurant by our scuba divers, and got a discount for that. A better option than expensive dinner buffets in Pearl Park or Tango beach. He cooks after your order; so relax with a beer. The walk back to the resort was under moonlit night, so it’s wise to carry a torch
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- A humble mess in Port Blair. Very nice South-Indian meals and hospitality. Felt very homely
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- In North island, the only food options are expensive fried rice made in shacks. Regretted not carrying much food wth us
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- CPWD guesthouse. We stayed here when we arrived in Port Blair
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- Pearl Park Beach Resort at Neil Island- A basic stay, and there arent many choices anyways. All 3 sides of the property are open to ocean. Extremely small rooms and especially toilets.
Places to stay: There aren’t any nicely-identified chain inns on the island, and only a handful of resorts not devoted to scuba diving.
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