26 Travel
- 1. It was a facility where 693 souls could be kept in absolute isolation from the world. There are plaques bearing countless names of those in- carcerated in the jail and who died here. It’s a soul-stirring reminder of theirsacrifices. Later, during the sound and light show that’s held every evening, it was revealed that every time a prisoner was noosed a bell was rung, which could be heard not only by the is- land people but also by the sailors onpassingships. The Andaman a n d Ni c o b a r I s l a n d s a r e home to dense mangroves, clear waters, endemic birds, exotic flora and fauna and some of our country’smostancientand isolated tribes. All but a few of the islands have a protected status, mainly to shield the tribes from being exposed to tourists. So visitors are only allowed onafewislands. Wewerebookedintoaresortonthe pristine Havelock Island, which is a two-hour boat journey from Port Blair.Havelockisa parcel of perfec- tion with its azure lagoons, white sands and abun- dantcoralreefs The resort where we stayed, SilverSand,wasan upscale getaway with rustic timber cottages complete with open-air bathrooms, lush lawns and a pri- vate beach with deck chairs and hammocks. It was lo- cated right on Vijaynagar Beachwhichstretchesoutin a gentle curve with calm, shallow waters that made sea bathing as effortless as splashing about in a bath- tub.Asmyfeetsankintothe powderywhitesandandthe waves rose to greet me — I knew there was nowhere elseIwouldratherbe. One of the first things that I had to check off my bucket list was to go sea walking. We headed to Elephant Beach, known for its rich coral formations and vibrant underwater life. A striking feature of this beach were the massive bare tree trunks which lay on the sand — probably from the nearby tropical forest — and stood out against the blue-greenwaters. We were taken to a ship mid-ocean where professional divers quickly ran us through the do’s and don’ts of being underwater. Helmets that allow normal breathing under the sea were slipped over our heads before we hit the waters. Then suddenly, I stepped off a ladder on the side of the ship and plunged30feetunderwater. From my first breath underwater, I could feel the absolute calm of being awayfromeverything.Everyinchofthis space was covered with corals of varied morphology—branching,lettuce,table and boulder. The sun danced on this O n a slow-moving day in office it’s not unusual to catch yourself dreaming aboutanidyllicbeachholiday—afar- flung Caribbean island maybe? Or, whataboutthetranquilblueoftheMaldives?To tellthetruth,I’veneverreallydaydreamedabout theAndamanandNicobarIslands. How wrong could I have been? From the air the water was sparklingly clear and gave new meaningtothewordaquamarine. WelandedatPortBlairandsoonafterwards took the short boat ride to Ross Island. This island is steeped in history as it was once the administrative headquarters of British occu- pied Andamans (1858-1941) and we could still get a glimpse of the leisurely way of life of the officersstationedthere. We navigated our way first through the crumbling ruins of a Presbyterian church cov- eredinthickvinesandthenthesprawlingchief commissioner’s bungalow. There was even a French bakery and the officer’s club where grand balls use to be held. It was almost possi- ble to understand why Ross Island was rather hyperbolicallyknownasthe‘ParisoftheEast’. However, the more solemn reminder of An- daman’s colonial past is the Cellular Jail where ourcountry’sfreedomfighterswereconfinedin tiny cells. The massive three-storied structure which was completed in 1906 has seven wings radiating in straight lines from a central watch- tower, much like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Thewingsoftheprisonweredesignedinsucha waythatthecellsdidn’tfaceeachother. g r a p h i t i 19 LIFELIFE TRaVeLoGue Escape to the blues TheAndamanandNicobarIslandsarestilluncrowdedandunspoiltandoffer pristinebeaches,richmarinelifeandunderwateractivities,saysRadhikaSen 18 g r a p h i t i CALCUTTA ● SUNDAY 5 JUNE 2016 The pristine Radhanagar Beach, which has been ranked the seventh best beach in the world by Time magazine, is one of Havelock Island’s biggest draws The Lighthouse is a major diving site with a sloped reef where attractive types of coral can be found in the shallower parts The massive Cellular Jail in the Andamans, where Indian freedom fighters were incarcerated far from home, is a grim reminder of the very worst of colonialism; (Bottom) Ross Island was the administrative headquarters of the British-occupied Andamans and has ruins of buildings from that era like the now vine-covered Presbyterian church NOTTOSCALEMAPBYNILRATANMAITY Photo:RadhikaSen
- 2. colourfulgarden,castingripplesofgold everywhere.Wehadtomoveslowlyand cautiously, making sure not to bend down otherwise the water would come gushinginsideourhelmets. The instructor filled my palms with fishfoodandgesturedatmetothrowit intothewater.AssoonasIdidIwassur- roundedbyfishofallsizesandcolours. They came up close and cast curious looks as if they too were delighted — andslightlyamazed—toseemethere. We walked on the sea bed for 25 minutesexploringvarioustypesofcor- als,seacreaturesandplants.Ispotteda loneseacucumberallcurleduponthe sandandababyHawksbillTurtlecame to play, happy to hang out with our ‘otherworldly’selves. When I emerged from the liquid world back into the sunlit waters the feeling of calm lingered on. I was back in the water a bit later for a lesson in snorkelling to get a closer look at spec- tacular soft and hard coral grounds repletewithschoolsoffish. The Andamans has always been a divers’ paradise. Experienced divers can head to islands like Cinque Island which has clear waters with a visibility ofupto80feetandwhichoffersastun- ning variety of marine life including blackcoralandsightingsofsharks. There’s also the Lighthouse, a huge dive site with a sloped reef where more attractivevarietiesofcoralcanbefound intheshallowerpartsalongwithoctopi and fish like Fusiliers and Lionfish. If you’re lucky you might even run into a gang of HumpbackParrotfish. One of Havelock’s biggest attractions is Radhanagar Beach,whichhasbeenranked as the world’s seventh best beach by Time magazine. It wasblisteringlyhotontheday wegottherebutthesheersight of this turquoise gem stopped usshortinourtracks. Radhanagar’s waters were rougherthanourhotel’scalm lagoon,butthesurgingwaves gave us an adrenaline rush. Afteramorningofswimming wetuckedintoamealoffresh local seafood at a charming beach-shack style restaurant called Full Moon Cafe that also serves up Mezze platters and surprisingly great Conti- nentalcuisine. My days at this seaside sanctuary seemed to rush by too fast. Before I knew it, it was time to pack my bags to catch the evening boat back to PortBlair. As the sun dipped into the horizon, I soaked in the last few moments of beingonthispicturesqueisland. They say a holiday romance can’t last forever, but the astounding beauty of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will always stay with me. I can’t wait to go back and explore its rich blues and emerge with many more tales fromthedeep. u 20 g r a p h i t i CALCUTTA ● SUNDAY 5 JUNE 2016 LIFE A striking feature of Elephant Beach are massive and bare tree trunks that lie strewn about; (Centre left) Below the water’s surface is a wealth of coral and rich marine life that one can see up close when doing a sea walk about 30ft under water lHow to get there: Air India, GoAir, Jet Airways and SpiceJet fly directly from Calcutta to Port Blair. lWhere to stay: In Port Blair hotels like Peerless Sarovar Portico and Fortune Resort Bay Island are good options, while beach lovers can check into Silver Sand, Barefoot at Havelock, or Munjoh Ocean Resort on Havelock Island lWhat to do: Enjoy the sea, try water activities like scuba diving, snorkelling and sea walking, go island hopping and visit historical places like the Cellular Jail and Ross Island READY RECKONER