Unplugged ~ The Andaman Islands

“India is a place where color is doubly bright. Pinks that scald your eyes, blues you could drown in”. – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

That quote seems so apt here in the Andaman Islands where everything appears bright and fresh. Once upon a time, Port Blair the largest of the islands was a penal colony with a large prison built by the blood sweat and tears of the prisoners. Known as “kalapani" or the black waters of death, the cellular jail is an impressive and yet oppressive edifice to the cruelty of the British jailers who once held power here and the laments of the prisoners who were tortured here.

The islands have somewhat outgrown that dark chapter in their history and are now a sought-after destination for people looking for the beautiful clear waters of the ocean, water sports galore and a totally unplugged vacation given the poor cell phone and internet connectivity here.

A two-hour flight from Kolkata to Port Blair brought me to this beautiful destination followed by a two-hour ferry ride to Havelock Island. There are other day islands and day trips that have historical and geographical significance, but I did not make it there on this trip.

The waters are an unearthly blue and so clear that you can see to the bottom of the ocean floor. One of the gentlemen who was seated in our area of the ferry runs a scuba diving operation on Havelock. He asked us about our snorkeling and diving experience and pooh pahed the guy who mentioned other parts of India. He said that once we had dived here, we would be spoiled for life.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of trained EMTS and medical facilities on Havelock they do not permit folks over 55 to dive or snorkel so I can’t personally attest though I did an underwater tour in a submersible to see the coral and abundant fish.

The interior of these islands is still covered in jungle. Out of the 836 islands in this group only 31 are inhabited. There are islands where the native population doesn’t allow strangers to land, and you’ll be killed on sight if you do decide to live dangerously.

I feel like in three days I barely scratched the surface of all the flora and fauna and natural phenomena to be found here. Definitely worth a return visit.

Commercial fishing is outlawed here, and the coast guard enforces this strictly. It is said that this is one of the few areas in the world where fish die of old age. Being very close to Myanmar (Burma) here the coast guard often impounds illegal fishing boats that make their way to these waters to try their luck at fishing.

My niece @ramniksethi was originally slated to come with me but settled on a video call to admire the beautiful blue waters that stretch for miles empty of any sailing vessels or people.

This is the life. A gentleman had brought his own hammock and strung it in the shade of the trees at the public Kalapathar beach enjoying his afternoon.

I did not have a hammock with me and did not think to ask the resort I was staying at if I could rent one, but I too found a nice shady spot, a refreshing coconut and enjoyed my stint at people watching.

I found a lot of friendly people to chat with who were open to sharing their own experiences and were free with advice for a solo woman traveler.

In the late afternoon after lunch and a refreshing nap I made my way to the beautiful Radha Nagar beach with its beautiful white sand where it seemed all the folks currently on the island were enjoying frolicking in the water.

Photographers roamed selling their services taking pictures of families and newlyweds. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous and one of the highlights of my trip here to Havelock Island.

The next morning found me on the pier for my trip to the Elephant beach which is the water sport mecca on this island. I was so not prepared for the chaos and cacophony of noise before the first tickets were issued and people assigned to boats.

Once we actually got assigned to our boats, the next challenge was wading in the water to clamber on board the boat. I can look back and laugh at myself but let me tell you scrambling on and off these boats is not easy for someone who is not super agile. I don’t know how the women in saris managed this endeavor.

The boat dumps you on this moving platform with these steel posts that one can hold for support except some of them are missing and others are loose so they twist with you as you try to hold on.

At one point I stopped and just stood there because there was nothing to hold onto. A couple coming up behind me helped me out, the gentleman went ahead with my hand on his shoulder and his wife clutched at me from the back. Thank God for good Samaritans of which I encountered many on this trip.

Then on the return trip as I stepped on the beach, a huge wave came along and almost swept me out except for the bruising hold of two water sports operators who held on to me. A lot wet but thankfully not floating away to sea.

This area is surrounded by jungle and the government is very careful to maintain the ecosystem. I tasted a delicious mango, drank my fresh green coconut as per habit. The fruit sellers particularly the coconut sellers have to account for each coconut and require you to return the empty husk. Interesting!

I did a submersible ride to view the coral and the abundant sea life under the sea.

Being an island, all goods are brought by sea and then carried by human labor to small tempos and distributed around the island.

Neil Island ferry stop. I did not personally visit just watched the beautiful scenery from the ferry as it stopped to load and offload passengers.

As we came into port in Port Blair the sun was setting. I disembarked and took a quick picture from the jetty. I was one of the fortunate one that the military guard said OKAY while he stopped others from pulling out their phones to capture the image.

That night I visited the cellular jail for the light and sound show. The light and sound show is extremely well done but as I sat there listening to the sound of the cruel jailers, the pitiful laments of the prisoners and the sound of whips and images of hangings, I had to wonder why I would devote an evening to such a grim subject all be it, it is a part of history. It was declared a national memorial by the Indian Government in 1979 and today twin flames are lit to remember all the freedom fighters who contributed to the Indian war of independence.

I already have an itinerary for the next visit and surely there will be one because these islands have a lot more to offer than a beach vacation and a grim history.