Andaman adventures!

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Hello again!
Just a quick entry because the internet here is dial up only and hence v v slow! Bit like life in general on the andamans.... It's all back to basics! Things here are really expensive too, including the internet, so if I don't mail anyone in the next few wks, it's only because I'm trying to cut down the amount of time I spend on here......emailing take three times as long and you're paying about 3 times the price for it! Things in the shops are more expensive here too. I've been told it's because everything is imported over to Havelock from the mainland. I didn't check whether it's the same on Port Blair....not that I noticed, so I guess it must just be on the more remote islands.
All that aside though, so far, I've had a great time here, and the islands themselves are really lovely...... Beautiful beaches, crystal clear water, white sand, lovely weather ( if a bit too hot) etc etc. The Andamans, or what I've seen of them so far, seem to be mainly dense jungle, with a relatively small inhabitted part on some of the islands. That's reflected in the wildlife.......currently I have one of the biggest spiders I've ever seen squatting in my hut! The frog/toad in Hampi was welcome to bottom bunk.....this bugger definitely isn't! Unfortunately, he's just too big for me to get out, and I guess if I did, he'd probably make his way back soon enough anyway! Hence, I've become completely obsessed with checkng the mosquito net is well tucked in! Anyone would think I suffer with obsessive compulsive disorder (or whatever they call it!).
The other close encounter was cycling out of Pelican (the guest hut resort where I'm staying) the day before yesterday. A van was stopped out in the road, just back from the driveway as I was cycling out. The driver was trying to get my attention, pointing to the road infront of his van. I was just trying to work out what he was on about when I spotted a massive snake crossing the road! By the time I saw it, the snake's head was already across the road into the grass on the other side, so I don't know exactly how long it was, but put it this way, it was in an S shape, like they are when they move, and the end of it's tail was at least a metre and a bit across the road. By my guess, that would make it at least 2 metres long :O/ On the bright side, it was heading in the opposite direction from where I'm staying :O)
I've hired a bike since I've been here, so I've seen a bit of the island. Sue (the girl I met at immigration at the airport) and I cycled across to No 7 beach (all the villages here have numbers, not names!). Wow. what a beach. Apparently it's been voted the most beautiful beach in Asia by someone or other .....not sure who......but they're right about it being beautiful. It was a really overcast day when we went......we got really wet on the way when the heavens opened.....but it didn't take away from it's beauty. The one thing they obviously didn't take into consideration was the sandflies! We were only there for 15 minutes or so (we had to be back by 4.30 to speak to the guys at the dive school and by the time we'd faffed about deciding whether or not to go and sorting out hiring the bikes it was 3ish by the time we set off) and most of that we spent in the water, but I still got bitten twice. Apparently it's a well known hazard on that beach. I met a girl today who's legs are completely covered in really sore red lumps. Shame though. Guess the flies are laughing there little wings off! They've got the beach pretty much to themselves! Luckily the beach on the side of the island I'm staying isn't infested with them, so you can spend as much time as you like on it!
I've been waking up really early since I've been here. The time hasn't changed from India, but I guess the time zone has, so the sun comes up really early. It's nice though, you make the most of the day, and walking along the beach first thing in the morning is lovely.
There are some lovely dogs on the island as well. Quite often they'll keep you company on the beach too. Really nice....or it is most of the time........not quite so helpful when you're trying to do your PADI homework on the beach though.....I'm sure they thought they were helping though!
I started my padi course yesterday. I couldn't go to my first choice of dive centre as they were fully booked, but I've heard a couple of things since which made me kinda glad that I ended up with Dive India instead. So far, it's going ok. Yesterday was theory day. A 3 hour video first off (yep, talk about info overload.....we were all trying to stay awake by the end of it!) and then we met after lunch to hear all about the equipment and how to assemble and dismantle it. Hence, a pretty dull day. Today made up for it though. We had to meet at 7am this morning and get our gear ready and on the boat and then we headed off to Elephant beach on the other side of the island. There we went through all the skills required for the open water certificate, and then got to do a dive! Yeay!! Mostly it went ok. The one thing I hate (and I didn't like it much in Egypt either from what I remember) is clearing your mask, but you have to do it so often, it's not actually so bad by the end of it....first you have to half fill it and clear it, then fill it right up and clear it, then take it off and put it back on again and clear it, and finally, take it right off, swim around for a minute without it and then put it back on again and clear it! Yep, by the end of it, I wasn't so worried about clearing my mask!! All the other things went more or less ok, and the dive at the end was a fab reward! We didn't go down too far today, not sure exactly but less than 10 metres definitely. I think tomorrow we do a 15 m dive and then 18 m the day after, which is the final day. It's all good though. Saw some amazing fish once I'd stopped concentrating so hard on keeping myself at the same depth! Think I'm ok on the neutral buoyancy thing all the time I'm on the move, but when I stop moving to look at something it isn't quite so good.....guess a bit of practice is needed! The guys said I did pretty well though and it will come with a bit of practice.
Like everything else here, the food in any of the guest hut resorts here is really expensive....probably at least twice the price as in any beach restaurant on the mainland. Luckily I've found a few fab restaurants out on the main road which aren't. My favourite, Nandini's, serves fish...either a small whole one, or a fillet...for 25 rupees.....yep, that's cheaper than anywhere on the mainland....and one of the best veg fried rice I've tasted anywhere in India for 35 rups. The same thing in Pelican or the majority of the other resorts will set you back about 170 - 200 ruppees. The food is fab there too. The fish is cooked so well and there's loads of it too.
Talking of which, I'm starving! It's been a really long day today and although we had lunch on the boat (a couple of samosas, a banana and a few biccys) I'm still really hungry! Hence, I'm gonna love u and leave u and go feed my face :O)
Take it easy guys. Cheers for all your messages etc and if I don't reply, don't take it personally.... I'll make up for it when I get back to the mainland.....promise!!

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Comments

[JaneB]

Hello from Jane & Karen
Hiya Sharon - just to let you know that Karen and I are still keeping up with your blogs! REALLY envious but enjoying hearing about your travels and adventures! We always look forward to the next one! take care and keep on enjoying yourself u lucky thing!