Boat Trips, Sunburn, and Loos with Views

The paradise called Andamans

A recent social share by a friend who had just experienced an amazing trip to the Andamans brought back these memories of the five amazing days we spent there a few years ago.

As our flight glided down through layers of cotton-candy clouds, the sometimes-turquoise blue-sometimes-emerald green waters seemed to leap up at us. As scores of tiny islands flashed by under our descending wingtips, the Andamans had already given us a glimpse of things to come.

The cameras had come to life while we were a few thousand feet up in the air, never really to rest until those same islands were but receding specks on our return. Five amazing days were far from enough to take in everything that the islands of Andaman had to offer but they were more than enough to leave us with a sense of loss when it was time to leave.

From Chennai to Port Blair to Havelock Island to Neil Island to Port Blair to Chennai, spanning every possible mode of travel , there were experiences galore to savor; snorkeling at elephant beach, the speedboat ride to Havelock island, the bike rides to Radhanagar and Kala Pathar beaches; the sumptuous food at B3 on Havelock Island to name but a few.

Checking into our hotel for the first leg of our trip, we were surprised by the view from our loo, which was as good as those we had from the plane! The Andamans were like nothing we'd seen before. Stretches of white sand lapped by startlingly clear waters, and lush greenery, barely a few feet away from each other. Everywhere we went, the sea was never more than a few hundred meters away, the sound of it always heard. From no data connectivity on Havelock Island to no cell phone connectivity at all on Neil Island, the break from the mundane just got better and better for us.

The boat rides between islands took some getting used to, but once we started enjoying them, they were real fun. Nothing more so than the trip on the deck of the evocatively named MV North passage from Neil island to Port Blair. The boat rides and the beach trips did come at the cost of some sunburn, which though was a small price to pay for the sheer joy of it.

A special mention of the food, which was outstanding throughout our stay on the islands. although we didn't come across any local specialty, every single dish we had left us wanting more.

As our flight took off from Port Blair and we glimpsed those bright green specks of land on the blue-green waters again, we couldn't help but feel that we were leaving something precious behind. We're surely going back to get more of it though.