Hotel Megapode Nest Port Blair

... through the bazaar was slow because of the condition of the walkway, the piles of merchandise on the edge of the walk, and the large amount of people that were moving both in and out of the small shops, around the merchandise, and up and down the hill that was the bazaar. We came upon a shop selling grains of various types. It was hard to tell exactly what type of grain or seed they were selling because of the layer of flies that swarmed around all food on the street. Clothing, toys ...

... that. We aren't feeling or smelling our best and we've still got a 2.5hr ferry ride to get to our final destination, Havelock Island. But once there we will be mainly scuba diving and hopefully surfing - Chris has agreed to try and help me beyond my current level of Standing-up-once-in-Cornwall-years-ago, so we're really looking forward to it. There is apparently no internet on Havelock Island, so we will probably be off air for some time. Love to all x

... has had any health issues to speak of. In a minor act of celebration, we play a few rounds of cards before going to sleep. Hard to believe that we have been ____kms away from the mainland for the last five days - and in another few hours, Andamans will again be a few dots a few inches away on a map. Or is it just that? Maybe for the millions who are waiting to discover that the Bay of Bengal is not just a sprawling, watery stretch to the east of ...

... you have read up on and seen so many images of this iconic establishment that seeing it in brick and stone before you is an unsettling sight. We begin our visit with the small but well done up museums that serve well to be a foreword to a chilling story. The photo exhibition housed in the left wing of the entrance building jogs your forgotten history lessons and puts the role of the jail in perspective with India's freedom struggle. A display of paintings in ...

... a notice advertising rentals of two wheelers. This, we realise, is one of the best ways to explore Havelock - but, of course, the size and mix of our group, and the fact that we can't wait to hit the beaches, forbade us from trying this out. A sudden sprouting of a half a dozen shacks on our left and a clutch of private cabs ahead tells us that we are tantalisingly close to the beach. We decide to catch a quick breakfast before changing in the public ...

... civilised folk and their cultured behaviour! The rest of the journey back to Port Blair is without event. We drive into town at about 8pm, passing the airport on the way, eventually alighting at the Gandhi statue near Aberdeen Bazaar. M/s Saleem and John are patiently waiting for us, munching desultorily on some roasted groundnuts. They ride on ahead on their bike to meet us at the hotel to discuss the next day's plans. We have a 6.30am ferry to ...

... one on your right grabbing your attention. This is the one that is open to the public and this is the backdrop to the Sound & Light show. But just behind the rows of chairs laid out for the show, there is a peepal tree. You would be pardoned for missing it, taking it to be just another tree in the compound. But then, there aren't many trees left here now. And this one, this is more than just flora. This is history, a mute witness to all that happened ...

... and a couple of severe Hypoglycemias...i think everyone there is diabetic... As Fabian put it quite humoursly, 'there are only fast pedestrians and dead ones'. Speed limits, serve more as speed minimums, as all seem to blantantly ignore them. no wonder tho, with cameras not flashing until at least 40km/h above the limit, if at all. Seat belts are a nice accessory, but no one says they have to be worn, and stopping at red lights is ...

... tournament which resulted in no fish being caught that day thus disgruntling several tourists) and the school before finally petering out into a sticky jungle track of red earth.<br><br>Despite the idyllic setting that confronted us we had been warned by previous visitors of a number of menaces to look out for. Like all information in this part of the world though the validity seemed to sway in the breeze and we often heard contradictory or downright opposite evidence. "Look out ...

... because the local officials don't allow foreigners to run (profitable) businesses. This frustrating and counterproductive phenomenon seems to be widespread in the Andamans (if not all of India). I heard a story about a businessman from Madras who brought out a ship to the Andamans and did a good job at carting away all the millions of empty plastic water bottles that litter the beaches before turning them into profit as scrap plastic. Of course, this couldn't continue ...