Andaman: a photo essay

Not very long ago, I was very interested in visiting Andaman and Nicobar islands. But the winds started blowing in another direction and I wasn’t anymore. It turned into a checklist, which I had to do get rid of from my mind. Finally, after all these years, circumstances notwithstanding, I landed in Port Blair, alone. Seems like a roadmap of my life ahead.

 But let the travelogue begin (because I have never documented my travels in word before)! 

For a 6 day trip, sure I packed a bit too much travel in it. Some of it was worth it. Some were not. 

The first thing which strikes you instantly from the air is the dazzling emerald and sapphire colours of the pristine waters surrounding the islands. All the documentaries I have seen, just spring to life in that movement. And I was going to frolic in this environment for the whole week!

I have now kind of made it my thing, and I don’t know whether people do it consciously or not, that I always vising any museums associated with my place of interest. I find an informed journey is enriching journey. So I went around the anthropological museum and Samudrika museum by the Indian navy. The anthropological museum was full of pictures dating back hundreds of years to the instruments and ornaments of indigenous tribes. For the interested, it can be quite enticing. Apart from documenting native inhabitants, It also had a dedicated section for the island cultures all over India.

 One quirky thing which struck me was that some tribes still live in communal huts with space earmarked for each family. In a world where we are notoriously defending our privacy, it is an outlying notion. But is it really any different from the ghettos where urbanisation and income disparity has forced several generations of a family to cramp in the same living unit?

Samdurika museum, while low on housing aquatic life, made for it by its expansive collection of different varieties of corals. It houses a dizzying array of coral ranging in size and shape and interestingly, in colour! While all coral turns to marble white once dead, they also house a blue coral which retails its colour.

From there I left for Ross island which promises a dive in history. But it was underwhelming for me. It is a naval base where people are allowed to visit the ruins of a former British base. It was known as Paris of the east before being destroyed by a powerful earthquake. Now gigantic trees cover all these ruins, tomb raider style.

It also has a lighthouse on the other end with an amazing boardwalk leading towards it. You also get to see the lighthouse on the other end of port Blair which has featured on 20 rupee note. 

 I left ross island to reach cellular jail just before the closing time. Scores of travel articles have been written about this place, I doubt if I can contribute anything new. But if any filmmaker happens to visit this place, their gallery documenting the history of its inmates will surely fill the plate of ideas to the brim. I am surprised why not more of these incidences are dramatized for general people?

Cellular jail has very spacious cells which might strike odd at first as to why put a single occupant in a room bigger than the bedrooms of a lot of people? But then you realise it was purposely built for solitary confinement of freedom fighters away from the mainland. It served two main purposes. First, solitary confinement prevented the exchange of ‘dangerous’ ideas among inmates. Second, being on 3 days journey from the mainland, made the escape of inmates, or their ideas, to the mainland impossible. But kudos to their resilience, they still revolted and the government was obliged to shut down this facility.

 One constant thing that you will find all over the port Blair, they have really made an effort to implement the order to make their island plastic-free, in letter and spirit. To this effect, they have banned the sale of the one-litre water bottle, you can only purchase 2litere bottle which you have to carry. Because you cannot drink 2L in one go and just dump it. 

 Using the newly renovated marine drive style road, I walked from cellular jail up to the flag point where Netaji unfurled the tricolour for the first time during world war II. Later I got to know that renaming of Havelock and Neil Island is actually something he did then and it’s a tribute to him. 

Wherever you go, you will find miniatures of Jarawa tribes on sale. My feeling on this are very conflicted. Is it insulting to them? While SC has banned human safaris long ago, are we still propagating the same thing? Seems to me, the answer is mostly yes. We buy the caricatured version of people in a variety of ethnic dresses all over India. So how do we differentiate? I don’t really know. 

 Here sunrise happens by 5AM and the sunsets by 5 PM. This means life starts at dawn here and I had to comply with that. I reached Mohanpura bus terminal to catch the first bus out for Baratang but found out that you have to book the ticket in advance. So I pivoted and hopped onto the bus for Chidiyatapu which left at 5 AM. State transport services have got Electric AC buses plying all over here. Even If not AC, I had already decided to do trips on public transport because I wasn’t going to spend almost 10K on cabs just for a single person. For me, it was an amazing bus trip. At one spot bus was travelling along the beach and the rising sun on the horizon. I got off by 6-6:30 but everything was closed in Chidiyatapu. why? Because no one on their sane mind reaches a tourist place at 6 even if it is late by the place standards. But I took a hike on the road along the beach.

This is the first time I came to know about the existence of saltwater crocodiles because of a ‘swimming prohibited on the beach’ sign placed there. Thankfully, the crime rate in Andaman are astonishingly low but you can’t shake off the feeling once you have grown up in Delhi feeding on newspapers daily. I got a buddy in one of the stray dogs there which stayed with me till I left. She was the assurance I needed while roaming in an area where not a single person was in sight. 

 I came back to see the zoo but it was closed on account of being Monday. But I saw a group of wildlife photographers with their humongous camera setup who were there just to film these birds. Officials there wouldn’t let me wander off on the trails to Munda Pahad alone before the official opening time so I took the Bus back to port Blair. 

And from there I decided to take the bus to Bambooflat. For two reasons. One, I read one of the blogs that the long bus ride till that point is very scenic and second, that it is the starting point for Mount Harriet. And scenic it was… It seems I enjoyed the bus rides more than the actual places. By the time reached the destination, It was raining fire (I have never covered my head before facing the noon sun in Andamans). And since I was the only one there wishing to go up to Mount Harriet, I decided to drop the plan (also backed by locals) and instead took the ferry back to Port Blair. 1/4 the time, 1/4 the price. All the passenger ferries in islands carry both, the vehicles and passengers for the dirt-cheap prices (maybe not, but for the people hailing from Mumbai, it is). 

 I had booked my ticket to Barantang before I departed to bamboo flat And I was supposed to report at 5:30AM for departure. My verification done, my vaccine certificate checked, and I was good to go. As I was going through bus, no prior permission to visit Baratang was required. Thus started my 3-hour long journey, a major part of which was to wind through the serpentine Andaman trunk road cutting through the Jarawa tribe area in the jungle. For this reason, vehicle only move in convoy on this road and are not allowed to stop in between the checkpoint (and no photographs while in the area). I didn’t see any of the tribal people but it definitely was one of the most impressive jungles I have seen. Trees reached colossal heights, so much so there was hardly any harsh sunlight peeking through the canopy even when I was returning in the noon. I was shivering in the jungle! Bridges, cliffs, river, curves (so many that I don’t it had any straight segment at all)… you name the feature and it was there.

 After crossing over to the island via the ferry (carrying the bus!) I got on the speed boat which took me to the limestone caves. There are only a few limestone caves in India of which a bunch of it is here. But tourists are allowed only in one for the legitimate fear of damaging the others. It was surreal to finally see terms ‘stalagmite’ and ‘stalactite’ materialise (bonus point – sinkhole!). oh, and this was also the place where  i had the best lime juice ever. the lemon there just tasted so different.

What I thought is a pipe going through the cave was actually one of the roots making its way through the rocks! Sunlight damages the limestone and it turns black and fragile but the limestone inside the cave was shiny and growing inside the cave due to constant water seepage. While coming back I decided to take a walk on the mangrove boardwalk and I went on the edge of the sea (thankfully I boarded the speedboat from there for I can not swim for my life of it, yet). Although I could not go to mud volcanoes as the Baratang journey took the whole day. But was it worth it? Hell, yeah.

 Another thing that caught my attention is how seriously their safety is taken into their consideration. You have to wear a life jacket while on the boat, no exception. Nowhere in India, I have seen this. If you go to Elephanta island from the gateway of India, you wouldn’t even know if they have enough safety jackets for all people, let alone how to wear them. So one more point to administration. And oh, this also happened to be my birthday and I was roaming in an area with no network so I missed a few calls. But anyway, happy birthday to me.

 The next day I finally sailed for the dream island, Havelock for it happen to house one of the most famous white sand beaches in the world, Radhanagar. Boarding a cruise is akin to boarding a flight albeit less stringent and less stressful. 

After checking-in in Havelock, I decided to get done with scuba first. I opted for boat diving in the deep sea instead of scuba diving as I was really looking forward to this. Again, their attitude towards safety was on full display as I was required to go through a 20 min training session with a wetsuit before going for the real dive and that too only after they have taken your full medical history and ascertained your health is not at risk of turning into a liability for them. To my amazement, they had power goggles and I was so thankful that I would be actually able to see everything instead of just a blurry outline. After I dived, I will say it was worth my money. I spent around 20-30 minutes inside at the depth of around 10 m and encountered a myriad of corals, animals and fishes. It was a moon-shot when compared to diving at Tarkali. What they don’t tell you beforehand is that if you dive for an extended period, your mouth gets so dry due to breathing through the respirator.

 Afterwards, I rented a bicycle and decided to do a traditionally opposite route. I decided to visit Kala Pathar beach first (recommended is for sunrise) because it was a lot closer. The ride to the beach was one of the best in my life. Peaceful road, scenic jungles, empty beaches. Riding along the sea was fun!

The next day I left for Radha Nagar beach in the morning (again, recommended is for sunset) via bus. This beach is worth all the hype. The cleanest water I have ever seen! Turquoise and sapphire was the colour.

You could actually see behind the waves! Wow. And whitest beach I have been to (well, Juhu Chowpatty should not a point of reference for this). I walked up to Neil’s cove and it was the kind of place where you could lie down on a mat, unpack a lunch and spend the whole day soaking in its tranquillity. I encountered numerous crabs and shells on the way which stopped crawling the moment they detected the motion of people. Watching this was kind of my cheap thrills.

The plan was to do a jungle trek to elephant beach next. I found a couple walking alongside me and thus it was less strenuous on the mind (it being hiking through the jungle alone). Because the cyclone has just passed a week ago, the rain had made the trail muddy and only ‘pagdandi’ of sorts was available to walk on. It was fun navigating through the jungle to find a way where we will not just slip in the mud. This trek ended on elephant beach which was a hub of adventure sea sports. I should have gone for parasailing here but I missed it because I was kind of short on time (because to my dismay, I discovered I can’t take the boat to the main jetty, I had had to hike back). So began my hike back. And this time I was truly alone although a lot of groups were coming from the opposite side.

To my surprise, I could get a full network in this dense jungle here on the island. And because of this slipped in the mud. You see I was on call and not really paying attention. So only way to complete the hike was to do it barefoot because my muddied slippers were making it really difficult to walk. So barefoot hiking through the jungle, checked. I washed my slippers in a small stream I was back on the main road. Took the bus back to jetty, hauled my cycle back to the shop (And I lost the key for the lock, on which I particularly insisted before, and ended up paying extra), checked out of my beach resort and went back to jetty to get on my cruise for Neil island.

 Here is the real reason Why I wanted to go to Andaman in the first place. I have read that Neil island is one of the few places in India from where you can actually see the milky way from the naked eye. And the best time to go is in December. Another one is Ladakh but I thought I will never willingly subject myself to that many layers of clothes to escape the cold. Guess what, I guess now I will. Because my plan in Andaman flopped. Big time. I reached there a week after the cyclone has passed. And you would think this will warrant a clear sky. But just my luck. It was cloudy the whole week I was there. In Port Blair, I think I saw the same number of stars you can see from Anushaktinagar. Bummer. But I thought (actually, hoped) that Neil would be better. Nopes. The cloud cover was so high it even obstructed the sunset and sunrise there (here I followed the proper sequence of beaches to visit).

I saw stars, lots of stars, but what would it be like if the sky have been clearer?

 Neil was a sleepy hamlet when compared to havelock. Everything, everybody was so chilled out there. So much so, Mobile networks were also hardly working. Here I completely relied on my host then. Tourist activities increasing notwithstanding, his business was low because his homestay mostly caters to foreigners and solo travellers. So he decided to accompany me instead of sitting idle. And I am so thankful to him. The whole time I was there, I was peppering him with so many questions. This homestay was also having its own beach. I finally encountered Kevda (Pandunas) there. I first got to know about it as a fruit consumed by tribals. And I thought, being a tourist place which celebrates their tribals, you will some tribal food in the market. But no whole Port Blair is filled with the food of India but nothing dedicated to indigenous tribal food. What I can say… market follows the demand-supply curve. None of the people I talked to have ever consumed the fruit, but at least I got to see it.

On the other hand, it was so sad to see mounds of dead corals there just washed ashore and lying in the sea. Locals there know how much damage the increase in temperature is causing first-hand. They have grown up swimming among these corals just to see them die now.

 The next day I left to see the famous natural coral bridge. I was accompanied by my host’s friend who also grew up on the island. After reaching the bridge, where hordes of tourists have assembled, we decided to walk up to the next bridge which was far. It was the best decision I made during this trip. While walking, he showed me many different types of corals there on the shallow water of this rocky beach.

I wondered if we could climb to the top and to my pleasant surprise he said yes. A small climb and I got see the best view I have ever had. It really was the highlight of the trip. Dotted with sea mahua trees, it was a different world altogether. We got down after some time and went till the end of the bridge below where jagged rocks meet the violent waves from the sea.

While on Neil island, I realised how important a crop is supari to this island. You will find their cultivation everywhere, fruits getting dried in every other home and almost everyone who has time to spare is cutting supari.

I

 again had a cruise to catch. But had some time to spare so decided to walk around in Laxmanpur beach near the jetty. I ended up going on the floating bridge right in the sea (even though it was just 4 ft high water) even though I was sitting there, it was an experience to behold. The bobble of water made me feel I am moving yet I was not, just soaking feet there. And then suddenly, it was time to move again.

 I really was lucky for it turned out I stayed with good hosts. My stay in Port Blair too was although a hotel but it was run by the family in their own apartment building. It gave such a good vibe to me that stayed in it on my last day too before catching the flight to the mainland. And Uncle introduced me to his family (all of whom were such nice people!). 

 This place warranted souvenirs before I left. And therefore I went to the government-run Sagarika emporium which curates the items made by local artisans. spending money on trinkets was never my thing but here I felt happy doing it. And seashells were favourite to splurge. 

 Maybe I will come back again. there is still so much left to see (and absorb). This natural beauty has no rivalry. People told me not to go alone as I would get bored. I enjoyed venturing out on my own after so long. it was something I needed. what that something was, I still don't know. Would this trip have been better with friends, with other people? Yes, obviously. But it was always better than a trip that lingered in minds for years but never materialised.