Kala Pathar beach and Vijaynagar beach........

Day 6: Havelock island

The day started with a walk on the Vijaynagar beach. The cool breeze and the sound of waves were soothing to the mind. The agenda of the day was to visit the Kala Pathar beach, laze around Vijaynagar beach and another visit to the Radhanagar beach.

Breakfast was complimentary and was the regular fare of juice, eggs, toast, parathas. Freshened up and left for the first place on the agenda - Kala Pathar beach. Its just a few mins drive from the resort. The beach gets its name from a nearby village with the same name. The sea gives you company on one side decorated with black rocks and the other side of the road is lined with tropical forest. The beach was deserted with the presence of one coconut vendor. Since mornings are high tides and we were told of not entering the waters because of strong currents and rocks, we just took a small stroll on the beach, had water from a really huge coconut(haven't seen this huge a coconut until now) and off to the Makruzz office to book for the onward journey.

Kala Pathar beach during high tide

The Makruzz office is located near the jetty on the left side coming from the jetty. We booked premium class tickets which were priced at INR. 950 per person. Premium class is located on the upper deck. A colleague of mine had advised against the lower deck seats to avoid sea sickness.

Kala Pathar beach

We then headed back to the resort and it was time to get into the waters! The resort has a private beach with trees lined on the shore. Mr. Husband enjoyed swimming and I was just lazing around the shore. The best thing about Andamans, according to us, is just lazing on a beach under the shade of a tree and reading your favorite author! It was just what we needed after a hectic schedule back at Bangalore. Lunch was at Anju Coco and we retired to reading books by the shore.

It had become a ritual to witness sunset on beach while at Neil island and how could we miss the spectacular scene at Radhanagar beach. All our evenings at Havelock island were spent watching the sunset at Radhanagar beach. We reached Radhanagar beach by 4:45 pm, went for a long walk on the beach and saw the amazing sunset.

There are lots of shops and eateries lined up near the parking. On our way back, I was tempted to buy some jewelry and souvenirs. The items are expensive compared to Neil island and do not forget to bargain! In case you visit Neil island and have some time for shopping, do it at Bharathpur beach in the mornings.

On our way back, we stopped at Anju Coco for dinner. It was a relaxed day with nothing much to do or roam around but well spent.  

Andamans - Trip to the paradise

Day 1: Bangalore, Chennai and Port Blair

Andaman....The name itself is mesmerizing..!! You may call it A Paradise..!! Andaman had always been on the bucket list..And it was 28th Feb, 2014 when we landed on Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair.. :)

Bangalore does not have direct flights to Port Blair.. We started from Bangalore on 27th Feb, 2014.. We took Chennai Mail to Chennai which was scheduled for departure at 10:40 PM.. I was anxiously waiting for the train to arrive when it slightly past 10:40 PM..!! And finally it was there at 11:40 PM..

It's easy to travel in Chennai through the local trains.. Autos are way too expensive there..!! Pretty much to my surprise we reached Chennai at 5:10 AM..When you reach the station, just walk outside the station arch..From there you need to get to the local train station which is known as Park Station..Just follow vehicle exit from the station and cross the road to get to the Park Station..The station near airport is Tirusulam Station and it costs you INR 5/- from Park Station..The train came on 2nd Platform and the Tirusulam Station was 12th station from Park Station..When you get down at Tirusulam Station, take the subway and you reach Airport..!!

Our Jet Airways flight to Port Blair was scheduled at 10:20 AM..So we freshened up, had breakfast and were all set for Andaman to mesmerize us.. :) I was excited and when we saw the first glimpse of the islands, we were awestruck..!!

First glimpse of the islands..!!

On seeing the clear turquoise waters, white sands and green cover, we knew that the next 10 days would be one of the best vacations of our lives..

Isn't it amazing..!!

We reached Port Blair at 12:20 PM..We had planned Port Blair as just a transit city visiting just the important locations..Diviyum Manor was where we stayed.. It is located just outside the airport and you can actually see the hotel from the airport..!! We had booked the hotels in November itself since March is a peak season..The tariff was INR 1799 + tax for A/C room and INR 1299 + tax for Non-A/C room with breakfast..

Inter-Island commute is through ferries..There are government ships and private ships as well..Coastal Cruise and Makruzz  are the private ships..We had called the hotel 2 days in advance to book Coastal Cruise for Neil Island on 1st March..

After reaching the hotel we freshened up, had lunch and were ready to see the monumental Cellular Jail.. Cellular Jail is a huge jail with solitary imprisonment for Indian Freedom Fighters.. Great freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar were imprisoned here..

Cellular Jail

The gallows, the cells, the oil mills and the huge tree at the entrance tell you what our freedom fighters had to go through to get us freedom..!!

Punishment given to Indian Freedom Fighters

A light and sound show happens in the evening.. It's a must visit place... And the light and sound show is something you should never miss..!! It's a jail with amazing history which tells you why Andaman was known as Kaala Paani..

Veer Savarkar's cell

And here we were at the end of our first day at Andaman..
Cost of Auto from Hotel to Cellular Jail - INR 50/-
Lunch/Dinner for 2 at Annapurna hotel(pure veg) - INR 500/- approx.