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The sun, sand and surf

Travel tales
Last Updated 12 January 2017, 19:33 IST

As the morning sun started to lighten up the seemingly endless ocean below, I started noticing much more than just the usual ocean water.

 Little tiny islands started dotting the airplane’s glide path with an increased
frequency.

The corals started appearing, leading to more tiny islands below with their remote and crystal clear beaches. Is that the island, I thought?  How about that one? Shortly however, the captain announced our final approach to Port Blair,
a tiny little airport in the main island of the Andamans.

Most travellers who come to the Andaman Islands will likely only spend a few hours or a night in Port Blair, before moving on to the main island of Havelock or the slightly more quiet one, Neil.

Our trip was exactly that —  clearing the tiny little airport in Port Blair and rushing immediately to the Ferry Pier which would whisk us away to Havelock, about a 75 minute ferry ride away.

 If one is travelling with a foreigner, make sure to check if any permit or sign-in is
required, as there are certain restrictions which can change from time to time.  
Once we get to Havelock Island, I was simply stunned.  I had truely never been to a place like this. The funny thing about the Andaman Islands is that they’re actually closer to Thailand than India, but are a part of India.

 I like to compare their beauty with that of the Thai islands forty or fifty years ago, before the influx of five star hotels and foreigners, who just wanted to party. This place is, as cliche as it sounds,  simply breathtaking.  Goa has it’s charm but also it’s crowds.  The Andaman Islands offer a completely different experience.

You can rent a scooter and literally hug the coastline of crystal clear white sand beaches as you get lost in your own thoughts.

You can pull over anywhere, spread a towel, pull out a book and spend the entire day. Coconut sellers call out to you, sea snakes, fish and jelly fish are visible from the shallow depths of the coral... there is so much to see and experience.

After a few days of eating the best seafood and meeting like-minded travelers, I decided to check out Neil Island. If Havelock is the quietest part, Neil Island is literally the much sleepier, long-lost brother. 

There are maybe two or three ‘hotels’ on this island, and by that I mean a few small buildings which have rooms.  The hotel shack is hardly open, so you make sure to eat when they’re open, else it’s Parle-G biscuits for dinner. 

The day before I left, a Canadian couple I’d met asked if I wanted to join them for a trip on a fishermen’s boat the next day.  They had worked out a deal to be with him on his boat as he went fishing, starting at 6 in the next morning.  Sure I thought, why not! 

We met the next day, had a cheese sandwich, and then sat on his boat.  
We sped away into the horizon for an hour, and then two, until we could see nothing.  This would be a bad way to die, I thought.

 Slowly, however, as we watched on, the fisherman caught a few fish, took out a masala pouch from his bag and then cooked the fish in the most delicious manner — in fact, it was the best one that I’d ever eaten. 

That would have been enough. But another 20 minutes later, he powered down the boat again, looked at us for about 5 minutes until I quietly asked “Umm, now what? We go home?”  The fishermen laughed, told me to be quiet, and just stared at the water.  Within another minute, about 50 dolphins started circling
the boat. 

We all sat in amazement for about 10 minutes before our beloved fishermen-cum-host said, “Ok, time for beer no?” 

    We each cracked open a bottle of warm beer which was sitting in the boat all day, and made the two hour ride back to shore.

  The entire cost per person for this full day, once-in- a-lifetime excursion?
Rs 300 per head.

 How to get there

Air Asia has non-stop flights from Bengaluru or Port Blair. Tickets range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 depending on the booking period.  Cheaper flights exist from Chennai.

Places to stay

Emerald Gecko - Basic Beach Hut - Rs 1,500 per night
Wild Orchid - Rs 5,000 per night
Barefoot Havelock -
Rs 11,000 per night



Sanjay Manaktala (The author is a standup comedian)   

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(Published 12 January 2017, 15:32 IST)

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