The first day in the Andamans

  Port Blair, India
Monday, May 19, 2008

Day 1 - Monday, 19th May, 2008
 
At four in the morning, the city of joy looks at its gloomiest. The showers of the evening before had drenched us to the core as we stepped out of the shelter of a streetside tea-shop and sprinted down Jessore Road. The only advantage in staying this side of town is that the airport is just a few minutes away. We had only just begun to enjoy the inexpensive ride in one of Kolkata's ubiquitous buses through the humdrum of Dum Dum when, without warning, the skies opened up. Our conductor, wrapped up in his own world, had forgotten all about my periodical reminders to get us down at Gate No.2. In the downpour, we got down a stop ahead - in front of what is Gate no.2 and a half! From there began a half-kilometre trudge in the rain, lugging our rucksacks and bags to the hotel.
 
After half a night's disturbed sleep, we board the early morning flight from Dum Dum with more than a little trepidation. There are enough negative news reports about the weather in Port Blair in the middle of May, and there is every reason to be gloomy about our holiday prospects. Besides the fact that the Andaman trip is one that is always a dream more than reality, a visit to these beautiful islands in the Bay of Bengal is fraught with issues - proximity, budget, and not least, the weather.
 
As we watch the criss-cross, natural waterways of the Sunderbans blend into the Bay of Bengal, we size up the odds we have just overcome. A newspaper report about the cancellation of a flight from Kolkata to Port Blair just a week ago had us panicking. After all, knee deep water at the Veer Savarkar airport told us more than we wanted to hear about the weather in the islands. What's more, the met department hastened to add that the monsoon this year might arrive early and could be expected by May 20th! Which is a day after we land there!! 
 

Approaching the Andamans

Islands from the sky are one of the most beautiful sights one could hope to see. And islands in the sun are ever more so! After over an hour of visual feasting on fluffy clouds, the rising sun and snatches of the emerald sea below, the first glimpse of a tiny island is indescribable. That, we guess, must be Sentinel Island - the first inhabited landmass that one gets to see after leaving the mainland; ironically, out of bounds to outsiders given the animosity of the native tribe here. 

Bird's view of the islands

After soaring over a clutch of islands, as a large, green, coconut fringed expanse finally seems to rise up from the sea, we know we are descending on Port Blair. A welcome respite from the descents on to struggling, sprawling metropolises, this is like trying to find an asphalt strip in a sea of greenery dotted with pretty cottages and contented single storey buildings. And, of course, a dry air strip!!!
 

Touchdown at Port Blair

Veer Savarkar Airport - the very name reminding all who land here that the Andaman is not just another island with lovely beaches and lots of sun. Which is what really makes this place so much more captivating and worthy of a visit. The footprints of history are as clear here as at the most significant places in the life of our country. More on that later. For the while, we are just happy to be in Port Blair - happier still to see the sun shining on us.
 
Outside the airport, we are met by our travel consultants, M/s John and Saleem. Both of Kerala origin, their parents were among the thousands from the mainland who had made the islands their home. And, like most others, they are fluent in Hindi, which is virtually the first language here. As you soon discover, the Andamans are sometimes min-Kerala, mini-Tamil Nadu, mini-Bengal, and so on. In short, a mini-India.
 
Just the drive from the airport makes you fall in love with this unspoilt sea-side town. Neat, unpretentious, Port Blair is town only when you want it to be. Otherwise it's just the greenery, just enough buildings to make a town self-sufficient, and plenty of picture post card visuals. We stop short of Aberdeen Bazaar, turn right and pass a mosque to pull up outside the Andaman Nest. Basic and clean, the Nest may not give you any views of the Bay of Bengal. But then, who wants to watch the sea only from some balcony or a hotel window.
 
Most tour options gently 'advise' you to rest the first half of your first day. But we aren't to be held back. Just the excitement of having landed up in peaceful Andamans, being thousands of miles away from the struggling mainland, is enough to send our large group into a vociferous frenzy. All that boorish yelling and the non-stop banter is asking for trouble. A pink-face-turned-red glares at us from outside our open door and adds for good measure, 'You must be the most uncultured lot in the whole hotel!' or words to that effect. Well, that is much less harsh a treatment received by Indians from the Brits on this island!
 
Breakfast takes on a south Indian flavour, at the Annapoorna, a pure vegetarian hotel. While the food isn't too bad here, the service is - at best - passable. During the course of the next five days, we must have paid 2-3 more visits here. My memory of this much recommended joint range from some superb filter coffee to some pathetic service from none other than the manager!
 
Our itinerary, as suggested by John and Saleem, is close to what we have in mind - but not entirely eye to eye. They have planned a day trip to Baratang to see the limestone caves, the mud volcano plus a bonus ride through the Jarawa reserve; a cruise to Wandoor; one to North Bay, Ross and Viper Islands; and a day's city tour. The first day's plan is just Corbyn Cove, the beach closest to the city and, possibly, the sound and light show at the Cellular Jail.
 
As for us, we have our sights set on Havelock Island. With one of the finest beaches in Asia and good prospects of snorkelling, it features high on any itinerary. The downsides are that you need to keep aside a night and two days for the return trip from Port Blair. The cost apart, this means that you would probably need to sacrifice some other fixture from your tour programme if you are on a tight timeline.
 
We decide to check this out on our own and try the Andaman Tourism office. The cheapest accommodation is in the Dolphin's Nest, the Tourism Department-run resort. As for the tickets for the cruise, we are told we would need to do the bookings at the counters at Phoenix Jetty. So, fine, we think - we would do this leg of the trip on our own. We book rooms at the resort for Wednesday night, pay 50% advance and head for the jetty. The general mood is upbeat as we are heading for Corbyn Cove just after that, so all that stands between us and a good time at the beach is a quick stop-over at the ticket counters. At least, that is what we think!
 
Phoenix Jetty is about 15 minutes drive and on the northern end of Port Blair. All ferries to Havelock, North Bay, Cinque Island etc. leave and dock here. We pore over a tightly printed schedule of ferry timings to and from this jetty. There are fast boats that take just 2 hours and slower ones taking double the time. We find one that leaves on Tuesday 6.30am and a return at 2.30 - that means we would need to devote both Tuesday and Wednesday to Havelock. Which also mean that we would have to speak to Saleem and John and make some changes to the overall travel plan - maybe, drop Wandoor and North Bay. So far, so good.
 
Some very slow and unhelpful clerks, utter inconsistency in counter rules and stark differences in the schedule of ferries that we have and their computers show, all add up to end us with a full two, harrowing hours spent of our precious morning at the wretched booking hall. And that teaches us lesson number one. Better to depend on package tours and resourceful agents if you are on a very tight programme.
 
The clear waters by the jetty, the white gleaming cruiseliners of the Shipping Corporation of India docked there, and the thrill of booking tickets to Havelock had pumped us up on a high when we reached the booking office. But by the time we leave - at noon - we have had enough of the place and scamper off grumbling.
 
But all it takes is one look at the ocean as we zip along the pretty, coastal road to Corbyn Cove for us to forget the nightmare we lived a little while ago. As it is, Port Blair is a lovely, laidback town with some well-laid, undulating roads weaving between tree-lined and cottage-dotted vistas on either side. But the real charm here is obviously the waters, stretching to a turquoise blue to as far as the eye could see - the vision marred, of course, by the odd verdant island or a passing cruiser. Which is what we had seen so far. Quite naturally, then, the sight of Corbyn Cove and its beautiful sandy beach told us that the Andaman experience would be all about promises kept, and exceeded. 
 

Corbyn's Cove

Just 7kms to the south of Port Blair, Corbyn Cove is a beautiful sandy curve that is fringed by lazily swinging palms all around. The sea is perfect for hours of playing among the waves, with a tantalising slope that invites you to go deep into the waters. A mini-island some way into the sea almost beckons you to try a swim towards it - but that could well be more of a dare than an invite!
 
But the good time has to be rationed! We have to be at Aberdeen Jetty by 1.30 to catch the ferry to Viper Island. That just leaves us enough time to lunch and rush to the jetty. A hurried meal later, we are back in the car, struggling to get Corbyn Cove out of our thoughts. And then we see it - that imposing icon of the islands, no less featured than the pristine beaches. The Cellular Jail, in all its chilling reality, stands like a solemn remnant to a gory past. We pass it by, for now, and come to a halt just a little up front - at Aberdeen Jetty. On the right is a water park constructed in memory of the tsunami that ravaged the islands in Dec, 2004. A canon pointed towards Ross Island also stands on the waterfront.

The walk to the ferry...

An hour by ferry, this is where we have our first brush with the amazing history surrounding the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Just a minute's walk from the famous - or should it be infamous? - Cellular Jail, Aberdeen Jetty is the take-off point for Ross and Viper Islands. We pass Ross Island on our right as the boat does a u-turn around the Cellular Jail. It's a half-hour ride where we also pass the office of the Naval authorities and a couple of large ships that are anchored at Haddo Wharf. Soon, we can see the crescent shaped outline of Viper Island gaining clarity. Once a full-fledged prison harbouring local and mainland prisoners, its importance waned at the commissioning of the Cellular Jail. Still, the fact that this is where some of the bravest of India's freedom fighters were imprisoned and hanged continues to attract ferry-loads of tourists to the island. 

Viper Island ahead

We soon realise that we have very limited time on the island. Let alone explore and see the old jail, with its separate quarters for men and women, we are asked to just walk up to the hillock, see the gallows and board the ferry in 30mts!
 
One look at the map put up on the single storey building in the entrance and it is clear that this small, serene island has had its share of injustice and gore. There are conflicting stories about the name that the island took on. In 1768, a vessel called Viper that carried a senior British Officer, who intended to establish a penal settlement here, crashed near the island. Of course, the wreckage you get to see now is a semi-damaged Tsnunami remnant. The other oft-quoted reason for the name of the island is the presence of large numbers of vipers - today, not much evidence of this either.
 
The jail and gallows were finally built in 1867 and soon got into business when ferryloads of Indian freedom fighters were sentenced to Kalapani. Men and women alike found their way here, imprisoned in a building that is well into the island. The strict ferry departure schedule meant that we would have to restrict ourselves to the gallows. Built on a hillock just above the entrance - for good effect, evidently - this is where many freedom fighters, including Sher Ali, the bold Pathan who killed Lord Mayo, were hanged to death.

Walking up to the gallows...

 
As we head back for Aberdeen Jetty, the sun is now a golden yellow and settling down into the Bay of Bengal. At the Jetty, we are met by Saleem who hand us the passes for the Sound & Light show at the Cellular Jail. And standing in front of the imposing gates of the most infamous prison in the whole of India were hordes of people, each of them just dying to get in. Time sure does funny things to places, and to people! 
 

The Cellular Jail

The first glimpse of the Cellular Jail is something that doesn't fail to take your breath away. And we are now about to hear the story of how the same - literally - happened to hundreds of inmates of this prison. Among the things that one immediately notices is a Swarn Jyoti on your left and a large concrete stage beyond that. Which is after you take in the neat, brick structure of the three storey jail building that is both aesthetic and abominable. In front of you are two wings of this shrewdly conceived building, with the 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 ever since the jail is built. This also happens to be the narrator of the tragic saga captured so touchingly by the show. We choose to see the Hindi version, with Om Puri's emotion packed baritone rendering the drama, even as the lights strategically flit all about the compound - from the cells to the gallows to the torture area to the peepal tree itself. Lasting about 45mts, it's worth taking in the performance if at all to understand the jail, the times, and the sacrifices 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 is at an early 4.30! Apart from a Japanese Buddhist temple, there isn't much that really catches our fancy. Suffice it to say, that it is a tidy and well-maintained park in a tidy and well-maintained town.
 
It is only the first day in town and we are already bored with Annapurna's fare. The driver promises us that he will show us another decent vegetarian restaurant, and drops us in front of Icy Spicy, in Junglighat. He sure knows his Port Blair, for this turns out to be a hit with all of us, and a regular stop during our stay in the capital. The food is superb and the service is sublime!
 
It has been a packed day, the first one. But wait, we are told by John and Saleem, the next one is going to be a much longer, much heavier one. For starters, we have to catch the 4am bus to Baratang, for which the cab will be at the hotel by 3.30am. Of course, to accomplish that, we also have to be ready by 3.15am.

Worse still, wake up by 2.45am.