Hotel Shompen Port Blair

... destination to visit before returning to the bazaar. Port Blair has was originally established as a prison for political Indian Freedom fighters and other notorious hard lined criminals. The prison was called the Cellular Jail because it was built so that every cell was in isolation from the others. The main views from the front of the small cells were the punishment areas. It was a hard and cruel punishment that was designed not to rehabilitate the inmates but to break them ...

... Transport and accommodation is available with the ANIFPDCL (Room tariff as low as Rs. 150 - 240 per bed in the guest house and Rs. 100 - 200 per head in the huts/cottages at seashore). It is recommended that the availability of rooms may be checked up at the office of the ANIFPDCL at Port Blair before proceeding to Hut Bay. Food: Homely food is available at the guest house of ANIFPDCL ...

... on any of the sights. Back at the hotel, John and Saleem drop in and we thank them profusely for their hospitality. Despite the last minute changes that we had proposed, they had woven in all our requests into the overall fabric of the tour and we are more than satisfied with the end product. Now all that remains is to pack up, dine and retire early. We have a 7.30 morning flight and the cab will pick us up at six. Packed and ready, and a shower ...

... deadpan faces even as we gingerly follow each other, struggling to stay out of reach of oversized logs being sliced by razor sharp, motor-driven blades. Some of the equipment, it appears, has been in use for decades. It is heartening to note that the focus on environment conservation and the indiscriminate felling of trees has reduced the output of the mill, with only enough work being done to keep the staff from being laid off. It is now past 10 and we ...

... in that we have missed out on breakfast at the resort's restaurant. Havelock, given its remoteness, is heavily dependent on Port Blair for its supplies. That means there is no real abundance of provisions and other items of daily use. What there is - and in excess - is great views, stretches of beautiful, sandy beaches on end, and dollops of peace and quiet. For the city-bred, who has an overdose of the FMCG kind and a famine of the Havelock possessions ...

... us, we set out for the Aberdeen Bazaar to catch up on the sights of the local market and stock up on a beach ball and a Frisbee. That done, and a shower later, we are back at Icy Spicy. Dinner over, we return back to sleep off a hard and bumpy day. The next day will be less hectic but just as exciting - the beautiful beaches of Havelock beckon us. We would need to leave the hotel by 5.30am, so could sleep late - at least by the last morning's standards!

... made by the freedom fighters. After all this - in fact, even without all this - we can't wait to see the jail itself. But that will have to be another day. For the while, we decide to check out the nearby Mahatma Gandhi Park. Not because it is a not-to-be-missed fixture. In the Andamans, which is a good two time-zones ahead of the mainland, it gets dark pretty soon. It is just 6.30pm and the lights are on - it's a different thing that the daybreak also ...

... days back in Berlin, a pokernight with the boys from school, that almost saw me loose my pants, i was on my way to Abu Dhabi. Whilst flying down there, i was pretty much resigned to the fact, that it was just a case of going through the motions, using the chance to see another place and perhaps gain a little more experience, but nothing more. I was in fact already writing a job application for something back home. But 'in shalah' (so ...

... and the sun. Both of these had the potential to make life on Neil Island very uncomfortable. I had also developed a tropical ulcer on my right foot (courtesy of the English Island sandflies) that had prevented me from going in the sea for some time and was now turning septic. All efforts to halt the discomfort with that Asian miracle medicine Tiger Balm had done nothing to stop the infection setting in. Luckily a Danish woman was at hand who knew something about Ayurvedic ...

... to visit. This used to be free. Last year a cost of twenty dollars was put on it which rose to thirty dollars this year. Now there is talk that it will be raised to one hundred dollars next year, which will at a stroke stop many travellers coming here and put out of business the several relaxed hut camps run by local people yet will not make the slightest bit of difference to the 'top enders' such as the luxury chain hotels that are planned. The islands here are a ...