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Published: December 7th 2007
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Andaman Islands
View of the Andamans from the plane...
So what's that all about you might wonder? Well one of the items that was crossed out on our Spice jet flight to Port Blair on the Andaman Islands apart from the usual lighters and knives was pickles and spices... I was trying to figure out why pickles and spices are deemed unfit to carry in your hand luggage... Could you possibly threaten somebody with a pickle? Or maybe it is the combination, you could make a spicy pickle grenade... 'Ladies and Gentlemen, we are hijacking this plane, if you don't do as we tell you we will stuff pickles down your throat and throw spices in your eyes'... Hmmm... Yes that would cause some consternation I can imagine...
Anyway, we left our bags of pickles and spices behind and had a pleasant flight to Port Blair... We opted to only stay one night in Port Blair and take a boat the next day to Neil Island... And this was a wise choice, as Neil Island is a one of those places where nothing really happens and all you can do is relax, eat, walk on the beach or perhaps cycle around the small island... Perfect for us, after the
Andaman Islands
And more views from the plane...
hard traveling we had done... There are three guesthouses on the island all of which you can reach by foot from the jetty, the furthest being a modest 30 minute walk away... But don't worry, you won't need to walk if you don't want to, as all three guesthouses send their emissaries down to the jetty when the boat arrives with a little bus to bring you to their place if you so choose... We went for the guys who were the least aggressive in their promotion and it turned out to be a good decision... We got ourselves a lovely Nicobar Island style cottage, which means a round bamboo cottage with a pointy roof at a very good price... The staff was incredibly helpful and nice and very 'shanty' as they say here in India... The restaurant prepared great meals and had cold beer, which is always a plus for me... Ha, ha, ha... So we ended up spending most of our time at the guesthouse, eating at their restaurant, drinking a beer at night with a nice fish dish or just lazing in one of the beach front hammocks... Every so often we would go for a walk
Andaman Islands
And yet more views...
along the beach, to see the children playing in the turquoise blue waters, diving of the fishing boats or watch a sunset or sunrise (that is if I could bother getting up that early)... If you are looking for a party, don't come to Neil, go to Havelock... But if you like peacefulness, than Neil Islands is the island for you...
Still after six great days, we decided to go to Havelock Island, the tourist hot spot of the Island and the place to go for snorkeling... Because Neil Island didn't' have much in the way of snorkeling and we did want to see some of those underwater critters before leaving... Havelock was a bit of shock compared to Neil Island, with a string of resorts at beach number 5 (yep the beaches are numbered) and a lot of backpackers... Still it is luckily nothing like the beach resorts of Thailand yet, though perhaps in a few years it will be... So if you want be there before it gets all hyped up and over touristic, go now! Before it's too late! And head for Neil or one of the other Islands first, because Havelock is getting there already...
Port Blair
View of Port Blair from the ferry...
Anyway after one night at beach number 7, we went to beach number 5, because we found the one place at number 7 a bit overpriced for what you get... We found a brand new resort, which means, spanking clean rooms, working toilets and showers and a lower price as the owners are trying to lure travelers to this as of yet not known place... It also meant it was a lot quieter than the other resorts, perfect for us! We got our fill of snorkeling on Havelock Island as had been promised to us by other travelers we had met and who had been there... Saw some Clownfish, so we had a good laugh and Victoria managed to see a turtle, while I was struggling with my rental equipment... Breathing through a snorkel with a hole in it is quite hard! But all in all we were quite content... I also managed to get an ear infection in the process, but luckily healthcare is free on Havelock so I got some eye drops to combat the infection... No, that is not a spelling mistake, I said eye drops! I also got confused at first, but according to the pharmacist
Port Blair
And the waters around Port Blair
at the hospital it was all the same, eye drops, eardrops... It all starts with an e, so who cares... It seems to do the trick though, so whose complaining...
Now we are back in Port Blair ready to head back to the mainland and the pollution and hassles accompanying it... Let the fun begin! Ha, ha, ha....
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Jenny
non-member comment
Hmmm....
Hmmmm.....it looks an awful lot like Thailand from these photos. Are you sure your not just really really drunk in Kho Tao and imagining all of this? Suspicious.....