With 6 offers including 2 substantial scholarships and one grammar placement, we all needed a well earned big break. Given that it was December and time to meet R and K the plan was to go to India and from there a 9 day trip to Andaman.
I had been to Andaman on a school trip when I was 15 years old and thoroughly enjoyed it, so was looking forward to it.
On the day we were to leave, K and I were both busy with work till noon.We picked R from school and had a tiring 3 hour bus ride to London Heath*ow.
The flight to Chennai via Dubai was tiring but uneventful except for one thing. K wanted to buy a gift for his parents. I persuaded him to buy gold but when he got it, I was so jealous that I went and bought a small gold ring just so I won’t resent his purchase. Not one of my finest moments, let’s just say.
We landed in humid Chennai around 8 pm and after a long wait for our prepaid taxi, finally reached C’s home around 10.30 pm. R and K were wide awake waiting for our R and the kids had a great time catching up. K and I had a blood test home visit the next day, so we chatted for a bit and went to sleep. The kids slept together chatting away most of the night as R had caught up on her sleep in the flight.
The next day, soon after the blood test and a quick breakfast, C and I left for Sunda*i silks in T nagar to buy Pattu pavadai for Raksha for next Diwali. The idea was to buy these clothes and give them to the tailor so they would be ready when we came back from holiday. But ultimately that did not work out as the tailor who was supposed to visit us at 7 pm that day, did not turn up.
C and I had a lovely time shopping and window shopping at Nalli , Sundari silks and Max. Since it was a Sunday and we started early, the crowds and traffic were not so bad.
The kids meanwhile had a great time playing, travelling in a scooter, feeding and stroking cows etc.
It was another late night as we had to pack for our 5 am flight to port Blair the next day.
The kids woke up without any prompting and we made it to the airport in good time. Unfortunately the air India security check was quite tedious and the jumping of queues, pushing in etc did not help.The flight was ok and we landed in port Blair 25 minutes ahead of schedule, around 6.30.It turned out to be most unfortunate as the Green ocean cruise to Havelock island did not leave till 12. We had to check in at 11 so we could not visit chidiyatapu or the zoo. The kids played in the garden for a bit as we were not allowed to check in or wait in the building till 9 am.
At 9 am we finally went in. The rest rooms were an absolute night mare, the building was dirty, the chairs were torn and the smell was awful. We had a nightmarish another 2 hours , though the kids were real troopers and tried their best to make the best of the situation, playing games, reading the kindle etc.
When it was time to board the ferry, the lining up was a mad rush and a fight broke out between two men. The local guards were called and finally there was a proper line up.
We finally boarded the Royal class but it was anything but Royal. A highly stupid and inappropriate movie was played. The toilets were once again a night mare. The ship was smooth sailing though and we made it to havelock in two hours.
After disembarking and taking our luggage , we walked through the crowded quay where a rep from Baref**t Have*lock was waiting for us.
We took the cabs to Barefoot and finally our nightmarish travel was done. We relaxed in the restaurant for bit and then got some grub for our hungry tummies. We had nothing since the meal in the flight at around 6 am and it was nearly 3 pm now.
Post lunch, we went in to out tented ac adjacent cottages and settled down. After a quick shower, we went to check out the private beach. It was quite dark as the sun set here around 4.30 pm and sun rise was around 3.45.
The North Star was burning bright. The kids were playing with the torches given to light our path. After a few minutes , I went to the spa, got myself spruced up and relaxed.
Came back to the tent, slept soundly and woke up promptly for the bird watching session at 5pm.
And what a session it turned out to be. I never figured myself to be patient enough as an Ornithologist to spot birds and enjoy doing it. Initially I only enjoyed the walk through the thick forest area by the beach and found it difficult to spot the birds through my binoculars. However, as we spotted more and more orange, shiny green, blue green and other colourful feathers , quirky tails , beaks of all sizes and flamboyant crowns , I caught the bug and really enjoyed it.
R enjoyed spotting hermit crabs and ghost crabs as they scuttled about carrying shells. We saw the mud fish that had lungs and gills that would, if it found itself outside water , it would jump its way back in to the water by itself.
While we were enjoying the birds and the crabs by the beach, suddenly, there was a flash of silver and it turned out it was a silver fish swimming and jumping towards the beach from the sea. It was the most fascinating sight I had ever seen!
R was hungry by now and we made our way back to the restaurant through the forest. The forest was full of rich vegetation, tall tees, rich foliage, Mohua fruits ( something like wood apple) and pandana cactus leaves.
There was an in-house consultant , a wild life conservationist from Mumbai called Nar*man. He had interesting tidbits about everything we saw and overall it was a lovely experience. It cost INR1000 and was totally worth it.
The next day we also had N bring a green snake to the hotel for all the guests to touch and interact. I did not but the kids did and had a great time.
We spent a total 4 days at Barefoot. We had a trek to elephant beach and it was one of the best treks ever. Havelock hotel in itself is like an untamed jungle and the lush greenery , golden beach and clear water , not to mention absolute privacy, is a fantastic lot. The trek was through a hilly, lush with tall trees, thick mangroves and shady pathways with rough roots underfoot. We all thoroughly enjoyed it and the acqua blue beach at the end of it was a sight for sore eyes. But the beach was absolutely teeming and as with the rest of Andaman hygiene was a huge issue. Almost everybody was using gutka and we all rebelled against using snorkelling equipments already used by gutka filled mouths and ultimately we neither snorkelled nor scuba dived. We simply rested, had some tender coconut and made our way back.
C, I , K and the kids went swimming in the crystal clear Radhanagar beach. It was our best swim ever. We had a solid 4 hour swim, going quite deep in to the shallow waters, playing catch, watching the fishes, letting the waves massage our backs, jumping into the waves and swimming to our heart’s content. The famous sunset was a sight to behold and the golden sands were a good refuge when we wanted a rest.
Then the night mare began. R had not bothered to hydrate herself during the trek and just that morning had filled herself with cheese that was not of the best quality. She started vomiting and for the next 48 hours could not keep any food down. She had diarrhoea too. I once caught her vomit in my hand as we were inC’s room and K washed her diarrhoea stained clothes, so we caught the bug too. K had high fever and I vomited our wedding anniversary dinner and dessert. :(
But C as usual was positive throughout, insisted that we take it in our stride, helped us manage her liquid intake and ensured that R and K gave her company. So, we pulled through somehow with walks through the jungle and gentle rests at the reception cottage and spending time in C’s wooden cottage which was the best int he property. ( V , C’s husband was ultra sensitive and the pre was mould in their tent, so they were shifted to this cottage)
What we did not realise was that the best of our visit was over. We stayed for 2 days at Neil island and 2 days at Portblair. While makkruzz was a much better ship than Green Ocean and the boat trips were pleasing, the unorganised, night marish waiting with the kids and the luggage in the absolutely burning sun and the chaotic in unboarding and long walk on the bridge was not.
The seashell property on Neil island was again full of beautiful gardens and the swing near the beach h behind helped us three recover double time. The restaurant was a green house ( glass walls all around) with lush gardens visible outside the walls and hence a good place to relax. But, the food was not of good quality and hygiene in the bharatpur beach with everybody spitting, dogs and the untidy glass bottomed boats and life jackets did not let us enjoy the beautiful corals and marine life below. The punishing sun did not help either.
We also made it to Lakshmanpur Beach to see the coral natural bridge and take pictures in front of the aqua marine water that had receded. The kids had a gala time spotting fishes and hermit crabs amongst the corals that were visible in low tide.
At 9 am we finally went in. The rest rooms were an absolute night mare, the building was dirty, the chairs were torn and the smell was awful. We had a nightmarish another 2 hours , though the kids were real troopers and tried their best to make the best of the situation, playing games, reading the kindle etc.
When it was time to board the ferry, the lining up was a mad rush and a fight broke out between two men. The local guards were called and finally there was a proper line up.
We finally boarded the Royal class but it was anything but Royal. A highly stupid and inappropriate movie was played. The toilets were once again a night mare. The ship was smooth sailing though and we made it to havelock in two hours.
After disembarking and taking our luggage , we walked through the crowded quay where a rep from Baref**t Have*lock was waiting for us.
We took the cabs to Barefoot and finally our nightmarish travel was done. We relaxed in the restaurant for bit and then got some grub for our hungry tummies. We had nothing since the meal in the flight at around 6 am and it was nearly 3 pm now.
Post lunch, we went in to out tented ac adjacent cottages and settled down. After a quick shower, we went to check out the private beach. It was quite dark as the sun set here around 4.30 pm and sun rise was around 3.45.
The North Star was burning bright. The kids were playing with the torches given to light our path. After a few minutes , I went to the spa, got myself spruced up and relaxed.
Came back to the tent, slept soundly and woke up promptly for the bird watching session at 5pm.
And what a session it turned out to be. I never figured myself to be patient enough as an Ornithologist to spot birds and enjoy doing it. Initially I only enjoyed the walk through the thick forest area by the beach and found it difficult to spot the birds through my binoculars. However, as we spotted more and more orange, shiny green, blue green and other colourful feathers , quirky tails , beaks of all sizes and flamboyant crowns , I caught the bug and really enjoyed it.
R enjoyed spotting hermit crabs and ghost crabs as they scuttled about carrying shells. We saw the mud fish that had lungs and gills that would, if it found itself outside water , it would jump its way back in to the water by itself.
While we were enjoying the birds and the crabs by the beach, suddenly, there was a flash of silver and it turned out it was a silver fish swimming and jumping towards the beach from the sea. It was the most fascinating sight I had ever seen!
R was hungry by now and we made our way back to the restaurant through the forest. The forest was full of rich vegetation, tall tees, rich foliage, Mohua fruits ( something like wood apple) and pandana cactus leaves.
There was an in-house consultant , a wild life conservationist from Mumbai called Nar*man. He had interesting tidbits about everything we saw and overall it was a lovely experience. It cost INR1000 and was totally worth it.
The next day we also had N bring a green snake to the hotel for all the guests to touch and interact. I did not but the kids did and had a great time.
We spent a total 4 days at Barefoot. We had a trek to elephant beach and it was one of the best treks ever. Havelock hotel in itself is like an untamed jungle and the lush greenery , golden beach and clear water , not to mention absolute privacy, is a fantastic lot. The trek was through a hilly, lush with tall trees, thick mangroves and shady pathways with rough roots underfoot. We all thoroughly enjoyed it and the acqua blue beach at the end of it was a sight for sore eyes. But the beach was absolutely teeming and as with the rest of Andaman hygiene was a huge issue. Almost everybody was using gutka and we all rebelled against using snorkelling equipments already used by gutka filled mouths and ultimately we neither snorkelled nor scuba dived. We simply rested, had some tender coconut and made our way back.
C, I , K and the kids went swimming in the crystal clear Radhanagar beach. It was our best swim ever. We had a solid 4 hour swim, going quite deep in to the shallow waters, playing catch, watching the fishes, letting the waves massage our backs, jumping into the waves and swimming to our heart’s content. The famous sunset was a sight to behold and the golden sands were a good refuge when we wanted a rest.
Then the night mare began. R had not bothered to hydrate herself during the trek and just that morning had filled herself with cheese that was not of the best quality. She started vomiting and for the next 48 hours could not keep any food down. She had diarrhoea too. I once caught her vomit in my hand as we were inC’s room and K washed her diarrhoea stained clothes, so we caught the bug too. K had high fever and I vomited our wedding anniversary dinner and dessert. :(
But C as usual was positive throughout, insisted that we take it in our stride, helped us manage her liquid intake and ensured that R and K gave her company. So, we pulled through somehow with walks through the jungle and gentle rests at the reception cottage and spending time in C’s wooden cottage which was the best int he property. ( V , C’s husband was ultra sensitive and the pre was mould in their tent, so they were shifted to this cottage)
What we did not realise was that the best of our visit was over. We stayed for 2 days at Neil island and 2 days at Portblair. While makkruzz was a much better ship than Green Ocean and the boat trips were pleasing, the unorganised, night marish waiting with the kids and the luggage in the absolutely burning sun and the chaotic in unboarding and long walk on the bridge was not.
The seashell property on Neil island was again full of beautiful gardens and the swing near the beach h behind helped us three recover double time. The restaurant was a green house ( glass walls all around) with lush gardens visible outside the walls and hence a good place to relax. But, the food was not of good quality and hygiene in the bharatpur beach with everybody spitting, dogs and the untidy glass bottomed boats and life jackets did not let us enjoy the beautiful corals and marine life below. The punishing sun did not help either.
We also made it to Lakshmanpur Beach to see the coral natural bridge and take pictures in front of the aqua marine water that had receded. The kids had a gala time spotting fishes and hermit crabs amongst the corals that were visible in low tide.
We climbed our way back up and returned to the hotel for lunch.
With the sun being harsher than I imagined, C and I took to the local market to buy a dress for me and a frock for R, as what we had packed was not adequate, given the weather.
We then landed in Port Blair which unfortunately for us, turned to be the worst of the lot. The outdoor AC was maddeningly loud right next to our door in the seashell property and the manage, though he apologised profusely could only move us to another room, the next day. I returned the food ordered u;touched as it was so oily and looked clearly unhealthy.
Breakfast was an ok affair and the hotel was too small for the huge number of guests. We visited the cellular jail and the disrespect and general attitude of the teeming crowd was tasteless. The prisons and the chairs were the jailers issued commands to punish the freedom fighters were mocked at and flippantly pictured with inappropriate poses by many tourists. The history of the place was so sad but the current attitude made it more depressing.
We. visited the beach but did not even get down as it was too crowded despite a crocodile having been spotted only earlier.
The next day we went to the market to buy two more frocks for R and went on another long wait for the ferry to Ross Island. This trip was mildly better as the golf tour of the island was pleasant and we just spent the next 4 hours spotting peacocks, deers and rabbits, listening to songs from my Deez* r account offline.
The ferry and flight back early next morning was ok as we knew what to expect. But we definitely should have gone to Thailand as initially planned and would advise our friends to may be visit havelock Radhanagar beach for a day but that is it. Very difficult with kids, though to their credit the three kids complained very little and found ways to enjoy even when the going was tough.
The icy spicy restaurant was good and the qu*a spa’s Balinese massage did relieve me of my back pain for atleast a week or so.
I had had a manicure and pedicure at Havelock on the first day and that was ok as well.
It was a relief to reach Chennai and honestly the weather turned out to be quite pleasant and in fact there was a mild drizzle when we landed.
