Andaman Islands - Mt.Hariett and Ross Islands

After an eventful day 1, we woke up ready to check out what was in store for Day 2. The Barefoot Holiday representative had briefed us on what to expect the next day and we quickly got ready, had the sumptuous complimentary breakfast offered by Hotel TSG Emerald and gathered at the hotel lobby where the rest of the group awaited. We were covering 3 major landmarks today. Dawn and Vijay were discussing about "bed shaking experience" at 6AM, which was later confirmed by our driver as a minor tremor that had occurred during the wee hours of morning. So, it was an exciting start to the day alright.

Place : Chatham Saw Mill, Port Blair
Date  : February 04,2013

The initial drive was to the Chatham Saw Mill. Initially, like everyone, we wondered - whats there in a mill and why are we doing it. The answer revealed itself in front of us as we walked through the massive wood mill and watched huge wooden planks being chopped and shredded. 

The mill itself is built around the bomb pit, a huge crater formed by bombing during World War II. A hanging bridge has been constructed over the pit to enable visitors to take a walk over the crater.We also paid a short visit to the museum in the mill compound and then walked out to the Port Blair harbor to proceed to our next destination. The short walk to the harbor was on a footpath that was build right by the side of the sea. We could already sea beautiful fishes glide in the crystal clear blue water and monstrous crabs docked on the rocks by the side which promised a great island trip.

Place : Mt. Harriett, Port Blair
Date  : February 04,2013

We took the boat from the port and reached Mt.Harriett. Our Xylos were already transported to the place by a bigger boat and we boarded them to commence on the road journey which was more like a high range drive. En-route, the driver stopped at a scenic location and pulled out a Rs 20/- note. As we wondered what he was up to, he held the note up and, in a few seconds, we understood why. It is this location that forms the print behind a Rs 20/- note.



We then proceeded to Mt. Harriett  where we were taken around and explained about the rare flora and fauna that this area nurtures, including the only tree in Asia that produces a very rare fruit- the Vernacular Mango. The view point gave a glimpse of the low lying areas of this part of the island which were still submerged by the sea water that lashed in during the 2004 tsunami. 

On a side note, I would advise anyone who goes to Andaman to always carry water bottles,umbrella and lot of sunscreen. Luckily for us, Barefoot Holidays had arranged snacks, water bottles and tea.  We relaxed under the canopy of trees, and engaged ourselves in taking photographs before returning back to Port Blair for lunch. The most memorable part of this trip was the group picture - the only one we managed!

Place : Ross Islands
Date  : February 04,2013

After a simple but tasty lunch, we proceeded to the port once again to board the ferry to Ross Islands, the erstwhile capital of Port Blair, that lies about 2 kms to its east. The island is presently under military control and no human settlement is permitted. We were assigned to a female tourist guide who first explained to us the file facts about Ross Island. She informed us that a large part of the island was destroyed during the 1941 earthquake. Ross Islands stood on the path of the 2004 tsunami and took much of the harm away from Port Blair by acting as a shield by breaking the massive waves that were heading towards Port Blair - but not without a cost. Ross Islands and its remaining structures faced further destruction in the process. She then took us on our one hour walk around 64 acres stretch of Ross island. The next thing that happened was quite amusing.


The guide started making a weird noise and as we watched, herds of deer started coming out from behind the trees and made its way towards her(and us). 

She handed out bread crumbs to them and they behaved more like pet puppies rather than wild deer. The overly friendly deer population gathered around us and did not hesitate to come towards us as long as we had bread crumbs to offer. 

This baby deer was particularly crowd conscious

We moved along as the guide headed forward beckoning to peacocks, rabbits, and even a squirrel that came out to get the bread crumbs from her. 

She handed over bread crumbs to us an encouraged us to keep feeding them. Well, its not everyday that you get licked by a deer!

Meanwhile, the four of us did not miss to get a picture of us together in this beautiful landmark!

Expedition members!

We walked along the walk way that has been build around the island, following the guide who took us around and showed what were the remnants of an opulent past. 

The dilapidated buildings of Ross Island

 There was the church, chief commissioners residence and museum - all of it covered with creepers that had made it home over the years. The place was inexplicably clean owing to a strict ban on littering and usage of plastic.

The remnants of a what was once a Church

Our one hour was up and we proceeded to the jetty to board the ferry back, after having tender coconuts. Did I mention that the cheapest thing in Andaman was tender coconut? We made full use of every opportunity and had lots of them throughout the trip.

We returned to Port Blair and headed to our next destination - the Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex.


Place : Water Sports Complex, Port Blair
Date  : February 04,2013

Jet Skiing at the water sport complex

As the name implies - this meant fun. We tried speed boating and jet skiing. Port Blair offers comparatively cheaper rates for water sports than the rest of Andaman. So, if you visit Port Blair, remember to do all water sports activities here itself. From here, we proceeded to Sagarika Handicraft Emporium after suppressing the "anti-shopping protests" by Vijay. By the way, he continued the protest by sleeping in the vehicle while the remaining 3 of us shopped. We picked up a few souvenirs and returned to the hotel. We had the usual 6:30 PM briefing on the next days itenary by the Barefoot Holiday representative, Karthik. 

The next day was the part trip that we were all looking forward to - The Havelock Island. My next blog will cover our Havelock days, and trust me - that was the best part of the journey. So more promising stuff coming up. Read on...

Havelock - Living The Tropical Dream King Size

Date : Feb 05, 2013

Location : Port Blair to Havelock

The atmosphere was charged with excitement as we woke up and packed our backpacks to leave to the port to board the ship that would sail us to Havelock. We finished our breakfast in a jiffy and reached the port in our vehicles. The 16 of us stayed together and had our luggages checked in and waited at the jetty to board the Macruzz, the cruise liner. This ship  would be anyone's best option to reach Havelock from Port Blair. Since all the reservations were done upfront by Thomas Cook, we did not have to worry about the availability and charges. So, if anyone is planning their trip themselves, it would be a better idea to make bookings in advance.

The cruise liner is built in such a way that even when it sailed at top speed cutting through waves, we never felt we were actually sailing. This should be a plus for anyone with sea sickness. The only flip side of this cruise ship is that you do not have permissions to venture out of the seating space to enjoy the sea journey, even if you wish to.

After an almost 2 hours of sea journey, we reached the Havelock port. Even from a distance, the beautiful blue sea water was a pleasant sight to see. As we got down and collected our luggages and grouped outside the port, we were greeted by another Barefoot Holiday representative, Shawn. We were given tender coconuts and then boarded the 3 jeeps which awaited us. The roads in Havelock are pretty old, and needless to say, we had quite a bumpy ride for the next 20 minutes before we reached our destination - TSG Blue Resort.
If anyone in our group did have complaints about the TSG Emerald stay, that must have been resolved by the stay at Havelock. The TSG Blue is a fine resort at 5 minutes walk away from Beach No 7 - Radhanagar beach. 

We checked into our wooden cottages and since it was already noon, proceeded for lunch. We were told that sun sets at Havelock at 5:00PM, and hence the 4 of us walked to the beach without wasting any more time. What I did not know was that I was going to see the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life so far.

The beach was a cool turquoise blue lined by white sands and greenery. Without hesitation we got into the waters and soaked ourselves up for the next 2 hours

The beauty of the beach was complimented by small huts built all along the shore to escape the sun.

As the shades changed in the sky heralding the arrival of sunset, Dawn and Vijay decided to unleash their photographer instincts. It was to be the most beautiful evening of our lives.

The sky was painted in a vast array of colors as the sun set across the horizon. Not even a finely captured photograph can justify the actual beauty of the moment.

And the world is a much more beautiful place to live in when you hold the hands of your friends.

Date : Feb 06, 2013

Location : Havelock Island, Andaman

Today, the itenary had an item that we were looking forward to - snorkeling  After breakfast, we headed to the port once again for our boat ride to Elephant Beach for snorkelling. We got into our swimming gear in a makeshift changing room(a hut) which had various types of hermit crabs running around inside it. We changed while keeping an eye on the crabs lest one of them got too near! Snorkeling is a beautiful experience, especially for people who always want to keep their head above water but also wish to see the underwater life! 

Post snorkeling, I and Rama relaxed by the beach side while Dawn and Vijay went exploring the area which had an eerie beauty because of the numerous fallen tree trunks.

Numerous fallen trees which lined the coast of elephant beach added an ethereal beauty to the place.

The beaches of Andaman are a perfect for those who love fishing. 

Barefoot holidays provided us with packed lunch boxes and snacks before we returned to the resort. 2 days of sea water and hot sun was taking its toll on me and I was already feeling sick and feverish. We freshened up at the resort, and after a short nap walked to the Radhanagar beach once again to watch another sunset. This time, myself and Rama had sworn not to get into the waters. Dawn and Vijay on the other hand behaved more like "mermen" and were completely in the sea already while I walked with Rama on the white sand watching the setting sun.

At times, it takes such walks to realize how rejuvenating vacations can be. We were away from everything, tucked away in a beautiful island among friends and corals.

As the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, we knew it was time for us to return. Deep inside our hearts, we wished we could have more of this everyday. Alas, we were returning to Port Blair the next day.

Date : Feb 07, 2013
Location : Havelock Island, Andaman

The day was special due to another reason - it was our second wedding anniversary. Though the trip was not planned around it, I was personally glad we were having such a good time together. And this was the day we were doing something out of the box - scuba diving. We were ready by 6:00 AM and took the ride to the Ocean Pearl Diving Institute. We were given the pre-diving pep talk and then we slipped into our diving gear. It was excitement plus a lot of questions about breathing underwater that went on during our short boat ride to the diving area. Once there, we were all launched into the shallow waters by the instructors and then, like in the Bollywood movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, we learnt the underwater signs 'Okay, Not Okay, Up, Down'!

With the diving goggles secured around the face and oxygen tanks in place, we were led into the deep water by the instructors. Very soon, I was seeing all that I have so far seen only in NGC and Discovery unveil right in front of my eyes. I was swimming along with beautiful fishes of every color. Schools of fishes came towards us and  In one deep corner of the ocean, swam the largest fish in the area. It gave an uninteresting look towards us and swam on. We touched the immensely beautiful corals, and the beautiful "Nemo" that lived inside it. They playfully swam around our fingers as we touched the corals they homed. We found Nemo after all!

It was 30 minutes of diving, but a life time of memory to cherish. These 30 minutes made us want to do more. And I am sure we will. Trust me when I say that its a much more beautiful world under water!




We proceeded to our next destination for the day - The Kalapathar beach, another one of Havelock's finest. Since it was noon, the colors of the sea were at its best. We spent another one hour here just sitting and watching the colors of the sea.

The serene beach derives its name from the surrounding village, known as the Kalapathar village, and the black rocks embellishing the coast line.The waters were shallow with large coral reef population making this place ideal for snorkeling.

It was time for us to board Macruzz and return to Port Blair. This was officially our last day in Andaman. Those were the most fulfilling and energizing 5 days of my life so far. We saw new places, met more people and made new friendships. The best part of travelling in a group were the last 2 - meeting people and making new friendships. We realized that there is so much more in life when we do the unthinkable and travel to exotic places like these. And its a matter of pride when I think that its home, its India.

As I sat in my window seat the next day in our return flight to Chennai and watched the islands of Andaman become smaller and smaller as we gained altitude - I was promising myself, "I will come back, another time..."



Trip Details:
Tour Operator : Thomas Cook, Barefoot holidays
Duration : 6 Days and 5 Nights.
Group size : Max 25, we had 16
Accommodation : Hotel TSG Emerald(Port Blair), TSG Blue Resort(Havelock)
Cost : 62000/head - All inclusive(3 times meals, transport, accommodation, air tickets, entry to museums, snorkeling)
Scuba Diving : Ocean Pearl Diving Institute, 3500/h
Start point : Chennai

Andaman - A Tropical Paradise - Day 1 @ Port Blair

Like I said in my first post, I am just taking my baby steps in blogging. And, undoubtedly, my first official post has to be something about that I am very passionate about. So, here we go...

Myself and Dawn, have always been passionate about travel. It was 2 years back that we decided to do one or two real trips every year. I will sometime go back to the details of the trips that I have done previously, but for now, I will begin with the latest and the best of all - a tropical vacation at the Andaman Islands.I am breaking the post into different parts because - its going to be a lot.

This trip idea was conceived by us and then shared with my best buddy from college, Rama & her husband. Finally, we chose a good plan from Thomas Cook and picked the Feb 3rd departure from Chennai. 

Date : February 03,2013
Location : Port Blair

The much anticipated trip date came up, and we traveled from Bangalore to Chennai, and after an overnight stay at Rama's place, we arrived at the Chennai Domestic Airport at 6:30 AM, saddled with heavy backpacks(when I say heavy, i mean "HEAVY"!).

After an almost 2 hour flight journey, we started seeing the island group at a distance. As the flight neared the runway for touchdown, we couldn't help but notice how similar to Kerala Andaman was. We met with the remaining 12 members of the Thomas Cook group outside the airport and we were greeted by a representative from Barefoot Holidays. We were all given welcome kits and ushered into 3 cozy air conditioned Xylos, our luggage marked and loaded. The short road drive to the hotel gave us a glimpse of the beautiful city of Port Blair. The roads were clean and perfect. We reached Hotel TSG Emerald, and after a few hours of relaxing and lunch, we were off for our first day tour. We visited a museum that displayed various tribal artifacts that gave an insight about the history of Andaman. 

The next part of the trip was something that we were looking forward to - The Cellular Jail. It was almost similar to what I could remember from the movie Kalapaani. The high walls, the long corridors and the empty cells that once housed several freedom fighters from India's past. 

The guide explained in detail the stories of the past and explained the daily routine of the prisoners. We were shown around the places of work, the small sheds were prisoners worked to extract oil from coconut in quantities that were not humanly achievable. And then, the methods of punishment, when they failed to do so. We walked along the long corridors of the jail, and entered the cell where the prisons most famous inmate was housed - Veer Savarkar.

Later in the evening, we watched the sound & light show which is the narration of the history of the jail and its prisoners by a lone tree that has remained a mute witness to all that has happened within the walls of the cellular jail. 

Though major wings of the jail has succumbed to natural disasters like earthquake and the tsunami, the jail still stands by as a testimony to the gory past of battle for India's freedom from the British.


As we returned to our hotels, had a good dinner and curled up on our comfortable beds, we could still silently hear the cries of freedom fighters, the patriotic shouts of 'Vande Mataram', and above all ,a feeling of pride and respect for  the freedom fighters who lived and died for the today that we enjoy.

A New Year, A New Attempt

I have always wondered if I could really write a blog. I do write a diary and I am lazy enough not to do it regularly. Perhaps a blog would be an easier way to write what I feel like because I have access to it(both the blog and the internet) for at least for 8 hours a day. And today, I decided to convert this idea which was lying dormant at the back of my mind to a reality after some serious pep talk from a friend of mine.To begin with, I do not even have a clue about what this blog will be about. I think I will just let it go with the tide.

On a positive side, I atleast have an idea on what my next blog would be. I will definitely try to keep it interesting - after all, it would be my first official blog. So, until I am back with that, its a short break.