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Published: February 24th 2010
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We arrived after three flights and a one half hour catermeran (decorated with Valentines balloons, and were given cake and juice to mark the occasion), followed by a crazy rickshaw ride! Our accommodation was in a tropical garden, set back from the beach No. 5 (all the beaches here are numbered). Being slightly weary, our first impression of Beach No 5 was very underestimated, we arrived when the tide was out, which exposed lots of layers of muddy broken coral, tree roots and some rather odd creatures. We later discoved that the holes were those of small crabs which were fascinating to observe, as they scampered around making beautiful swirling patterns in the sands. Even the many stray dogs agreed, and had a keen interest in crab hunting. Also we spotted a few sea cucumbers washed up which we were later informed is a popular delicacy in Burma.
Our first day was spent resting at Wild Orchid - our accomodation (much needed), followed by an evening meal consisting of locally caught fresh spicy fish/veg option and a bottle of Indian wine - fairly pricey but as Valentines Day decided to treat ourselves. We opted for chocolate truffle for dessert, to
our amusement we ended up with one dark chocolate rectangle slab of chocolate - not filling, but delicious - the chef being renowned for his great cuisine.
The next day we made friends with a local rickshaw driver called Ray, who was then our loyal chauffeur for the rest of our stay - he always seem to appear when required! It was today that we discovered the idyllic beach No 7 - rated 2nd best in the world. Well what can we say? Utterly beautiful, a long stretch of unspoilt white sand fringed by a lush tropical jungle (the kind of tropical paradise you often see depicted in holiday brochures). The waters a transluscent turquoise colour, tepid warm waters that are shallow for miles. We spotted a kingfisher and many parakeets flying above the tree canopy, and wandered around the corner to the lagoon area, where we spent some time swimming. The sunset from this beach was stunning, as we watched the sun dip lower and the colours change from vibrant reds, oranges and deep pinks. On our return Ray was patiently waiting to take us back, the ride was very pituresque, lots of lush banana trees, locals tending
their cattle or huddled around open fires, fruits drying on metal frames, the busy market area and dogs roaming the roads. The island had the feel of India, with a relaxed tropical way of life - a good first taster of what was to follow later.
The Andamans is a great place for chilling and also snorkelling. On our third day we decided to take a boat tour to South Button Island, a 2 hour boat trip and one of the best snorkelling sites in the Andaman - passing other islands and mangroves. The water was warm, and crystal clear and the coral was beautiful - in an assortment of shapes and sizes, in pastel colours. We saw a large array of fish including lots of angel fish, neons, silver red snapper and a swordfish - tried to avoid the reef sharks!
The interior of Havelock Island is emerald green and full of lush vegetation, which we decided to explore with a local guide, on the following day. On our way we passed locals weaving panels for shacks, and glimpses of the beautiful coastline. We were a little surprised to arrive at the waitor's house, to be sat
down, to meet the family and sample some more coconut juice. We then embarked on our morning trek - the sun pelting down. We saw an eagle soaring above, lots of huge trees with amazing trunks, and learnt about the various uses for jungle plants - sampling many fruits along the way. We also came across a black gecko, lots of different mushrooms, butterflies and a blue black racket-tailed drongo. Exhausted due to the heat of the sun, we rerurned to the house for a spontaneous lunch at 11.30 am, this was quite filling. We saw the family photos, chatted with the brothers, met all the extended family, were invited to the carnival evening celebrations and were amused by their three children. In the afternoon we decided to return to our favourite beach transported of course by Ray who we happened to locate, we wished to have one more swim in the beautiful waters and glimpse the beautiful sunset for one last time. We also spotted the resident elephant..
On our final day, we discovered the beauty of our own beach, this time the tide was in. Our beach has more shade which is a great advantage, and the
water equally beautiful as it sparkled in the sun. We will miss the Andamans and really glad we made the detour to visit.
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