Our trip to the Andamans

Amidst the dense rain forests to

swampy coastline infested with
crocodiles, across the mighty
architecture of the Cellular Jail whose
plan resembles a spokes of a bicycle
to the relaxing sea beaches of Havlock
island. From the never ending fury of
the smoky covered skyline of the
Barren Island to the lush coconut
beaches of the Corbyns Cove Beach.
Our Incredible Indian Tourism has
some of its finest port folio to be
offered in a package known as the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Day1 (1/9/14)
Our trip contained our family members and my inlaws
with three children making the trip extremely delightful.
We planned our flight from Silchar to Port Blair via
Kolkata which included an overnight stay at Kolkata in
order to catch the flight to Port Blair in the early morning.
Our flight left Silchar Airport on September 1, 2014 on
Air India Flight Airbus A319 AI754 14:45 hrs which
landed on Kolkata airport on time within its estimated
arrival by 15:50Hrs. It was a nice flight and our only
grudge was the lunch which consisted of only a packet of
peanuts and a small pack of Frooti. We had no other
choice but to settle with whatever
we have. Finally after an hour
and some five minutes our
aircraft landed at the newly
improved Kolkata Airport. The
aerobridge was connected to the
aircraft for easy movement of the
passenger to the airport terminal.
It was my first introduction to
the new airport terminal in
Kolkata and I was definitely
impressed. The walk to the
luggage conveyor was shortened
by electric flat belt conveyors and
finally descending to the
escalator to the desired luggage
conveyor system. The luggage
conveyors also had a new upgrade from its rubber belt to stainless steel which is
an innovative upgrade. At the gateway I was received by my uncle Mr Poddar who
lives in Kolkata who took the pain to receive us at the Kolkata airport and arrange
our transportation to a nearby hotel right next to the airport gate. The cab drove us
to a nearby hotel named Hotel Swagatam Inn at jessore Road right next to gate no
2 at Kolkata Airport for our overnight trip.

Day2 (2/9/14)
We barely slept the night as we had to check in our luggage by 3:45AM. So we
immediately left the hotel boarded a taxi which offered two trips for 11 passengers
with a total of 9 luggage. The hustle and bustle continued till the taxi did two
round trips from the hotel to the airport departure terminal. After we got our
luggage screened we settled down with our boarding cards with us and waited for
the Air India flight Airbus A319 no AI787 which would depart for Port Blair at
5:50AM. Now being a father of two baby girls I was
not only faced questions not only from my kids but
also from other fellow passengers with a common
enquiry weather they are twins or not?. A simple
nod was the only way to answer the incoming
query. Finally the boarding call was announced
and we were glad to find our seats. Thanks to the
courtesy of the flight mode on android mobile
phones which allowed taking pictures from on
board flights. We were served a good breakfast
which included of Purees, Choley, cakes and buns
with extra butter and jam at your disposal.
Everyone was glad to munch on the scrumptious
breakfast and it was good enough to fill the gap of
disappointment in the earlier flight. Now another
interesting part is I found several passengers hiding the stainless steel spoons in
their hand baggage with the Air India Logo in it. Now if you ever see a stainless
steel spoon with the Air India Logo in somebodys house you will figure where it
came from. Nevertheless our flight descended at the famous Veer Savarkar Airport
at Port Blair which is regarded as the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. We were greeted at the Airport by Mr Dinesh who happened to be the
logistic incharge for Andaman Island Travels Ltd. We were on board an AC
Chevrolet Tavera which was driven by Mr Ibrahim who was very kind enough to
answer our queries regarding every question regarding the majestic islands. As we
were travelling towards our designated hotel appointed by our tour operator we
were impressed with the citys super clean roads, gentle traffic unlike any metros in
India. Everything seemed so unreal. 24Hrs electricity, Thanks to the continuous
DG gensets which fulfills the power requirement for 80MW everyday throughout the
islands. A mini hydroelectric project has been set in Diglipur to reduce its
dependence on diesel. Being surrounded by ocean waters all around there is strong
wind across the coastline and thereby raising possibilities to generate electricity
from wind. I hope their administration is doing necessary studies on its feasibility.
Being an union territory its taxes on diesel and petrol is also less compared to
other states in India. Well our cab driver was kind enough to drop us to our hotel
which is in Phoenix Bay close to the popular Aberdeen Bazaar. The hotel comes
with a restaurent in the ground floor which is good enough to accommodate around
10-15 people for a single batch.


The hotel has only one major drawback. It does not have a lift which makes it
tough for elderly people who are often reluctant to climb stairs all the time. Besides
it is also not an easy task for to climb up stairs with all heavy luggage to your room
when your dealing with jet lag and sleep deprivation. Even though the hotel staff
were always there to help us with our luggage whenever the situation demanded.
Overall we have a good impression of the hotel. Its neat and tidy and the staff is
extremely helpful. This was our adress for the next 5 days.Now based on our
itinerary we had to board our cab by 3PM in the evening for our visit to the Science
Museam and the famous Corbyn Cove beach which is a good relaxing destination
also popular among tourists to sun bathe and enjoy the beach.

The beach is well equipped with life guards and other water sports entertainment
like speed boatride, jetski ride. You can also swim in the beach in safe areas and
always abide by the lifeguards advice not to swim too far. The beach also comes
with changing and shower room for people. I would say its a fun place to be with
your family and have a good time. We also visited the science center which is a
good place to understand several principles of science experiments. The facility
comes well equipped with various information kiosks related to Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and also comes with a 3D digital theatre room. If anyone wishes he
or she can try out for Rs 20/- per head. Well that was the end of our first days tour
itinerary. We got back to our hotel on completion of our days tour.
Day3 (3/9/14)
The next day I woke up early morning and I decided to explore the city on my own.
I walked across the road and walked up to Aberdeen Bazaar and then reached
Mahatma Gandhi Water Sports Complex. I was impressed not only with the thick
bitumen on the roads but also good width which made vehicles easy to drive and
park across the road. I never saw anyone without a seat belt in the front seat or a
motorcyclist without a helmet. Traffic laws are indeed respected in the islands
which gained in me a sense of confidence that I am in a safe place. And
surprisingly I never saw any rash driving in the city. No one is above the law and
Port Blair is a strong example of that. I wished other cities, towns and villages
followed even half the discipline of Port Blair traffic police department. The roads
are neat and clean always well maintained by Port Blair Municipality Corporation.
Just in the middle of the Aberdeen Bazaar stays tall the Clock Tower which has
stood through time. I have given a picture clicked both in the morning and during
the evening. It was a rainy morning which made the fun of exploring the city even
more.

So we were about to get started with the second days itinerary and it included a
city tour, followed by the famous Cellular Jail and visit to the famous Chatam saw
Mill, Anthropological Museam, Samudrika Marine Museam, and Sagarika
Emporium which is a registered government emporium. Among all of them my
personal favorite has been the Cellular Jail which has stood through the passage of
time as a mute witness to the inhuman torture given to our freedom fighters who
fought for our independence. The strong fortified walls were made of bricks all
imported from Burma by the British and the entire plan of the building resembles
the spokes of a bicycle. The entrance to all the individual cells shared one common
point the central tower. The main objective to build such a jail was to demoralize
the Indian struggle for independence. The Cellular jail or the Kaalapani had all
possible evil tortures a person could never imagine. For a living mortal it was an
ideal example of what hell would actually look like. The prisoners were chained to
oil mills and job was entrusted upon them to extract oil from mustard seeds. They
were whipped to death if they failed. There are also stories where a british officer
punctured a prisoners tongue fearing he could complain a delegation led by higher
British officials about the brutal torture which the prisoners had to undergo
through. It was never ending saga of endless deaths and violence throughout
several decades. Many notable dissidents such as Batukeshwar Dutt and Veer
Savarkar, among others, were imprisoned here during the struggle for India's
independence.

This travelogue would actually fill up major parts of the tour if the entire stories of
the Cellular Jail are written. Our visit further followed by visiting the Samudrika
Naval Marine Museum which is maintained by the Indian Navy. It contains a good
collection of several species of Corals and other marine creatures. The
Anthropological Museum contains a history of the indigenous tribals of the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands like the Jarawa, Onge , Shompen and many more.
The Jarawa tribes are protected with great care by Indian Government and several
medical facilities are given to them for their protection and care. We also visited the
Chatam Saw Mill which is regarded as one of the oldest and largest saw mills in
Asia. It was built by the British but now its been run by the Andaman and Nicobar
Administration to meet the requirements of the timber industry. An office of the
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests is also situated in the island. The island is
connected to Port Blair island by the Chatam Bridge built ages ago by the British.
In the evening we all joined in the Cellular jail and enjoyed the light and sound
show which is spectacular event organized by the officials every evening.

Day 4 (4/9/14)
Our next days itinerary was
Havlock Island which is
57kms away by sea and had
to be reached by
government ferry which
would depart from Phoenix
Bay Jetty by 6:30AM. So
accordingly we reached the
Phoenix Bay jetty and
boarded our 73
seater passenger ship
named MV North Passage. It
was my first exposure to the
open marine ambience. I climbed the deck and found a nice wooden tool box to sit
and enjoy the fresh sea breeze. We reached Havlock in around 2 and half Hours. It
was a delightful journey and most importantly my first experience on open waters.
If anyone visits Andaman Islands I firmly recommend a cruise to Havlock.
On reaching the Havlock
Jetty we were received by
our tour operator drivers
who drove us to our resort
known as Holiday Inn which
boasted of a beautiful quiet
beach right next door.
The kids made themselves
at home and we found
favorite spot to relax and
enjoy the sun and have a
good time. We were already
tired of the cruise and we
decided to call it a day till
the tour operator told us we
had to cover up the famous Radhanagar Beach which is rated as the second most
beautiful beach in Asia. At first I thought it to be overrated till I finally experienced
it for real. The beauty of the forest covered mangrove coastline meeting the sea.
Its such scenery which is only to be found in Radhanagar and nowhere else. Also
this spot is a famous spot for sunset but sadly the sun was all covered with clouds
wasting all efforts to wait till sunset. But it was still a breath taking experience.
Radha Nagar beach has its best to offer during its peak season time which followed
from October but nevertheless we got to get a glimpse of the beauty of Radhanagar
beach at its best.

An interesting chemistry which I found in Havlock island was Havlock being an
English name had some amazing beaches like Radhanagar. Govindnagar which
were Indian names. The same chemistry can also be seen in Neil Island which
being an English name has beaches with Indian names like the Sitapur Beach. But
Neil Island wasnt a part of our itinerary which didnt allow us to visit that place for
now.
I took a long walk across the sea beach and found an isolated place and decided to
spend a few moments with Mother Nature. With the super quick sand crabs across
the shore digging sand and sea gulls flying merrily and the sound of the waves
further adding to the heavenly orchestra. Yes indeed its heaven. I would love to visit
this place time and again and yet never feel tired of visiting. Nature has its own way
to recharge a persons soul. Mother nature is always ready to give you a hug no
matter how much tired you are and Radhanagar beach is an ideal destination for
all weary hearts to recharge themselves. The beach also has a nice place to rest on
carved Padauk(A special type of wood found in the andamans) timber seats.
Speaking of lunch we had a delicious homely meal right next to the gate of the
Radhanagar beach. I havent had a homely Bengali meal for a long time and I was
delighted to get a taste of home at Radhanagar Beach. Coconut water is available
for Rs20/- and this is some of the best coconut water ever to be found anywhere in
India.
In the evening we had a glimpse of the gorgeous sunset which was unfortunately
blocked by clouds.
We were further joined in our party by Mr Kiren Rijiju (Honorable Minister of State
for Home Affairs) who was honored by other officials of Andaman and Nicobar
Administration.
Finally we decided to proceed to our resort and rest in our respective nests.
Day 5 ( 5/9/14)
Our 5
th
Day included a visit to the
Kalapathar Beach which is around
7-8Kms away from our Hotel. The
beach is mainly a rocky beach and
being a no swimming zone,only
photography is allowed. We went
there and did some photography
and finally proceeded towards our
main jetty point at Havlock to board
our govt ferry to return back to Port
Blair.

On reaching Port Blair we were received by our driver who was sent by our tour
operator Andaman Island Travels Pvt Ltd and he boarded us back to the hotel. On
reaching the hotel we were pretty much wasted from the sea ambience. I had a
headache for around 2 days. Probably it was sea sickness. Later in the evening we
went to a nearby restaurant which offered typical Bengali delicacies like dal bhat,
bhendi bhaja, mach bhaja and so on. The restaurant owner also proposed to try
their lobster fry which would be made from lobster (pic attached).I decided to have
a look at it, till I offered to drop the idea after looking at its wonderful texture.

Day 6 (6/9/14)
We have spent quite sometime in the islands for now and we are very much used to
the sea water and its sickness. Well say hello to more of it. Today we are are do
NorthBay and Ross Island which are fairly close to the Port Blair Island. We had to
reach Aberdeen Jetty by 10AM and board the ferry to North Bay which is a 20
minute boat ride by sea. We were given life jackets for safety and waited for the
diesel engine to fire up. The engine fired and we finally departed for North Bay
Island which happens to be bordered by Coral Reefs. Now being a coral reef island
a proper jetty cant be built across its shore, so the most practical way to reach the
island was on a glass boat which offered a brilliant view of the corals down below
the floor of the glass boat which is made of 1 inch thick glass specially tampered for
the desired strength. The glass happens to be the only surface which connects with
the water and there is always a risk of any sharp rock breaking the glass and giving
way allowing the boat to sink. So its quite a risky affair in my opinion. But North
Bay being a private island is maintained by its owners allowing the tourists only to
climb up to the Light House which is helpful in navigating ships. Also the island
happens to be a great place for scuba diving and snorkeling.

After spending around an hour in North Bay Island our final point of call for the
day was the iconic Ross Island which was the British Capital of Andaman and
Nicobar Islands during pre independence era. Ross Island has a history of its own.
The ruins of the Commisioners Bungalow, The Presbyterian Church, Junior
Commisioned Officers Mess, and even a Water Distillery unit. It was also known as
the Paris of the East. But
Sadly a part of Ross
Island was destroyed
during the Second world
War by the Japanese.
The ruins of the
buildings only speak of
its glorified past. There
are many peacocks,
Deers in the island and
its maintained with a lot
of love by Indian Navy.


During the Tsunamis Ross Island stood as a primary barrier between the tsunami
waves and Port Blair Island which took major part of the damage. A visit to Ross
Island can only speak of the wonderful times which it was for the British Officers
who were commissioned during pre independence era. Quite irony of the tale is
Indians who were fighting for their independence were chained and tortured in
Cellular Jail in Port Blair and the Mighty British were enjoying in great pomp and
glory just in Ross Island which happened to be only 300-400 meters away from
Port Blair Island. Time has taken its toll and justice has been served.
While returning
back to Port
Blair we came
across a coast
guard ship
which was
guarding the
islands with
great dedication.
The size of the
ship developed
powerful waves
which was
strong enough to
capsize a small
ferry. We were
alarmed by a
coast guard
patrol speed boat to change the direction of our ferry accordingly and take us safely
to Port Blair.

Day 7 ( 7/9/14)
After spending
around 5 days in
the Andamans and
getting used to the
tropical
rainforests, sea
breeze we decided
to do something
different. Formally
our tour was over.
We kept a day off
allowing us to
choose anything
from whatever the
tour operator
suggested us. So
our closest bet was the Chidiatapu Beach which is 30kms from Port Blair and
needed to be reached by car. Chidiatapu is also a forest reserve and dense forest
areas can be spotted everywhere. The road from Port Blair to Chidiatapu is an open
invitation for nature lovers to try an affair with the open blue sky, dense green
forestry and off course the deep blue sea all in a single package. We spent a few
moments walking on the sand, sitting on the large trunks of trees which parked
themselves on the sandy beaches. Even though its safe for swimming but after
having spent almost 5 days in the andamans we decided to sit and relax and talk
about our tour and experience on the majestic islands of Andaman.
After sitting for an an hour we decided to get back to our car and get back to our
hotel and pack our bags we had to depart to Kolkata from Port Blair next Morning.
After this itinerary our trip came to an end and we were almost ready to bid good
bye to the beautiful Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Day 8(8/9/14)
Our tour was all over and we reached the airport by 7AM. We had a fairly large
amount of luggage which needed some time to check in. Our departure time was at
8AM which departed on time and we reached Kolkata Airport.
We spent a day in Assam House at 8,Russel Street Kolkata engaged ourselves in
some shopping and finally arrived in Silchar by 10.9.14 which concludes our entire
journey.
Conclusion
Since we were a family oriented group so we didnt opt for other adventure oriented
spots like the Barren Island which is the only live volcano in South Asia and it
being 139kms away by sea. The Baratang Islands which is almost 100km road/sea
trip. It also included the Limestone caves, Mangrove boat rides, mud volcano and
not to mention if you are lucky you can even see the Jarawa tribal people. Also
other places like the Cinque Island,Neil Island,Rangat, Little Andaman, Mount
Harriet and several other places are there to experience the beauty of mother
nature. In short Andaman is a never ending mystery and it always has lots to offer
to a thirsty traveler. Andaman is a place which always tells you to come back again
and unfold more mysteries of Mother Nature.
As a citizen of India I feel there are many things which people from other parts of
India can always learn from people of Andaman. Like the importance of traffic laws
and respect for your fellow car driver. I have never seen a single motorcyclist
without a helmet. Car drivers always passed one another with a smile even if they
were on the verge of collision. I also noticed a lady from Andaman who was our
fellow flight passenger warning a gentleman who was taking pictures of aircrafts
and airport areas despite the warning given for a no photography zone. The Port
Blair Airport shares its similarity with Silchar Airport being defence cum civilian
airport and hence the restrictions on photography.
Andaman also shares a good environment and its pollution levels are much less
than other places in India. It is also covered by 24 hrs electricity and most of its
electricity comes from diesel gensets. However I think wind energy could have a
good potential in the Andaman and I urge the central government to carry on
necessary studies on its feasibility.

Hope you all enjoyed reading my travelogue. Thank you very much
Warm Regards
Anirban Dey
Silchar