Andaman: Call of the Emerald Waters; The Itinerary Question

Andaman; only the name is enough to make you imagine white pristine beaches and emerald blue waters. This colouration is where these Islands gets its name "the Emerald Islands". I shall dedicate another post for my 12 day journey in these islands in details but first let me clarify a few doubts harboured by people who want to go there.

1. How many days will it take to cover the Andaman and Nicober Islands?

    First, the Nicober islands are off-limits to tourists, only the tribal people who live there and on-duty Indian Navy personnel are allowed.
   Secondly, there are more than 500 islands but only 30-35 are permanently inhabited by people (tribal or otherwise). Even out of these few only 7-8 are open for tourists. This may seem like a very small number but trust me, to cover all these islands you will need about 20 days in total.
   But thankfully you can also visit the islands with just 5 days in hand. As you can see there is no easy way to answer this question, the number of days depends on how much of the region you wish to explore.
   My suggestion is take as many days as you can afford, you will not get bored or run out of places to visit.

Coral Bridge, Laxmanpur Beach, Neil Island: One of the most iconic landmarks in Andaman

2. Travel agency or Self-Planned ?

If you are planning to go in the peak seasons (October - January end) you may face difficulties in getting accommodation after reaching the islands. It is therefore recommended that you book hotels beforehand (via travel agencies or on your own). The problem is there is no internet connection (not mobile phone internet, anyway) and hence it is not possible to book most of the hotels online in a reliable manner.
The travel agencies have sources on the island who executes these bookings on your behalf. But if you can book the rest houses managed by Andaman tourism development corporation (a government organisation) it is ensured that you will get the best views.
Arranging cars and ferry services on your own may proof troublesome as well, travel agencies do make things easier but at the cost of money and flexibility of course. if you have sufficient time and if you are trained to adapt to tricky situations, I say, go for a self planned trip. if you study enough, you will be able to see places that most tourists do not go to.
In my opinion, book hotels on your own or give preference to the agency but leave the transport to a reliable agency. Just mention your planned itinerary and let the agency do the rest.

3. Itinerary:

6 DAYS 5 NIGHTS:
With this you will be able to say to people, 'yes, I have been to the Andamans'
Day 1> Port Blair.
Day 2 > Baratang (Lime stone cave + mud volcano) - Back to Port Blair
Day 3> (Ross island, North bay island // Jolly boy-Redskin islands )+ Chiriya Tappu
Day 4> Port Blair - Neil Island - Havelock Island (night stay)
Day 5> Havelock Island - Port Blair
Day 6> Port Blair - flight back

9 DAYS 8 NIGHTS:
This itinerary allows you to explore the entire length of the Andaman islands from the South to North and back.
Day 1>  Port Blair.
Day 2 > Baratang (Lime stone cave + mud volcano) - Rangat (Night stay)
Day 3>  Rangat - Diglipur
Day 4>  Diglipur - Port Blair
Day 5>  (Ross island, North bay island // Jolly boy-Redskin islands )+ Chiriya Tappu
Day 6>  Port Blair - Havelock Island (night stay)
Day 7>  Havelock Island - Neil Island (night stay)
Day 8>  Neil Island - Port Blair
Day 9>  Port Blair - flight back

14 DAYS 13 NIGHTS:
Leave no stones un-turned.

Day 1>  Port Blair.
Day 2 > Baratang (Lime stone cave + mud volcano) - Rangat (Night stay)
Day 3>  Rangat - Diglipur
Day 4>  Diglipur - Port Blair
Day 5>  (Ross island, North bay island // Jolly boy-Redskin islands )+ Chiriya Tappu
Day 6>  Port Blair - Havelock Island (night stay)
Day 7>  Havelock island (leisure)
Day 8>  Havelock Island - Neil Island (night stay)
Day 9>  Neil Island - Port Blair
Day 10> Port Blair - Little Andaman
Day 11> Little Andaman (Leisure)
Day 12> Little Andaman - Port Blair
Day 13> Port Blair (sight seeing)
Day 14> Port Blair - flight back

Now let me give a brief description of the places that I have mentioned in the itinerary.

1. Port Blair: 
This is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicober Islands. It has a very large port and the only airport. Port Blair is situated in the Southern part of the islands. Among many others, the following are the places of interest.
NOTE: Most tourist attractions remain closed on Monday.

Cellular Jail

• Cellular Jail: The infamous Cellular Jail where the most daring freedom fighters were sent by the British Colonisers. The jail itself was built by the inmates, between 1896 and 1906; and the brick walls are the only witness to the inhuman torture the prisoners were subjected to. A wonderful 30 minute light and sound show is played each evening both in English and Hindi. Generally, the first show is in Hindi (5.30 onward) and the later one is in English. Though as far as I know these timings differ widely. The jail museum is open on all days except national holidays from 09:00 am to 12:30 pm and 1.30 pm to 4.45 pm.
• Chatham Saw Mill: Established in 1883 it is one of the oldest in the world.
• Sagarika Emporium, Anthropological Museum, Samudrika Marine Museum, etc. etc.

2. Baratang:

Baratang island is about 100km from Port Blair. The road to this island goes through dense forests populated by the Jarwa Tribespeople. The island boasts the only limestone cave in these parts and the only mud volcano in India.

Limestone cave, Baratang

Mud volcano, Baratang

3. Rangat/ Middle Andaman:
Spending a night at Rangat, a small town in Middle Andaman is a good idea because it lets you enjoy gorgeous sunrises on the beaches like Amkunj, Morice Dera. On your way to North Andaman, you can also enjoy a walk through dense mangroves at Dhanninallah Mangrove Creek. And the lush forest can be enjoyed much better during day-time.

Amkunj Beach, Middle Andaman

4. Mayabunder:
Mayabunder is a scenic port in Middle Andaman.
5. Diglipur/North Andaman:
Diglipur is the main town of North Andaman. You would find pristine beaches like the Kalipur Beach, known as a breeding ground for sea-turtles. Twin islands Ross & Smith, connected by a sand bridge is a sight to remember.

Kalipur Beach, Diglipur, North Andaman

6. Havelock Island:
This island is probably most popular after Port Blair. Famous for great white beaches and emerald blue waters, Havelock is a magnet for tourists all over the world. Radhanagar beach is by far the most popular. Elephant beach is known for water activities like scuba diving, snorkeling and other joy rides. One of the most beautiful beaches, which will give Radhanagar a run for its money is the Kalapathar beach.

Kalapathar Beach, Havelock Island

7. Neil Island:
A small neighbour of Havelock, this island is by no means any less attractive. Sitapur beach offers probably the best sunrise in all of Andaman. Lakshmanpur beach houses the iconic coral arch. Bharatpur beach is adjacent to the jetty and a popular destination for glass-bottom boat ride and swimming.

Sunrise from Sitapur Beach, Neil Island

8. Ross Island:
An island where you can see the remnants of the lavish life British Army officers. The island is full of destroyed structures like a church, some houses and most of them are reclaimed by nature. It is definitely a must-see place.
There are other islands to explore if you want to explore the islands even more (as you should) add the following
1. Parrot Island
2. Long Island
3. Visit  Ross Island, North bay island & Jolly boy-Redskin islands in two days
4. Hike to Mount Harriet

Deer in Ross island

Nature reclaimed structure: Ross Island

9. Little Andaman:
All of the tourism agencies will tell you "There is NOTHING to see or do in Little Andaman" and they are dead wrong.
It is a paradise island far (80 nautical miles away) from the "madding crowd". If you want to live a few days in peace, have some privacy in the lap of nature then this is the place to visit.
Only government-run ships go from Port-Blair to Little Andaman and that too not daily. So you have to plan ahead and keep a day or two as a buffer. The tickets are very cheap and the journey takes about 6 to 8 hours depending on the weather condition and speed of the ship.
This island has the only waterfall in the entire Andamans. The pristine beaches are a treat for eyes and the perfect blue water is amazingly relaxing.

This was just a brief introduction to the wonder that is the Emerald islands. Do not fall for the statements like 'there is not much to see', '5 days are enough'. Decide on your own, ask yourself what you want out of this vacation.
Leave comments on how you liked my post. For more information, stay tuned or ask me questions.

Zwischenahner Meer: A lake which comes alive every spring

The Zwischenahner Meer is a lake situated in Ammerland , Lower Saxony, Germany (Near Bad-Zwischenahn). It is a popular place for the locals to feast their eyes on the deep blue still water of the lake and walk along the banks of the Meer.

How to Reach: 

From Bremen: RE4430 train (Get off at Bad Zwischenahn)
From Oldenburg: Bus 350 

The place is full of restaurants and cafes offering delicious food of various cuisines. You could enjoy a day in the sun, walking through the flower garden with ice-cream in your hand (and preferably the hand of a special person in the other).

There is a ferry service which runs between a few peers of different sides of the lake. The lake is not that deep, according to Wikipedia the deepest part is just 6 meters.

Key Monastery, the Spiritual El Dorado of the Himalaya

If you have read my Hampta Pass blog you will know that unlike most people we did not conclude our trek at Chhatru and ride back to Manali but instead, we ventured further into the cold desert named Spiti Valley.

Key Monastery

Here is a map to visualize the route.

Stranded at Chhatru:

On 1st July, we reached Chhatru at about noon after finishing the last day of our Hampta Pass trek. Just as we reached the camp we were made privy to a really bad news. Due to incessant rain for the last few days, the only motorable road to Manali via Rohtang Pass was cut off and the cars which were supposed to take us to Chandratal had not arrived. This setback poured cold-water on hundreds of people's plans as they were all stranded at Chhatru without any cell network. The only land-line was available after a 1 km hike to a private farm owned by some retired colonel.

Chhatru

After standing in line for nearly an hour we managed to call our travel agent and he assured that a car will come the next day as planned and pick us up. Unfortunately, we had to spend the day at Chhatru instead of seeing the fabled Chandrataal (the moon-lake).
After almost a week we were lucky enough to see a brilliant starlit sky together with a dazzling moonlit landscape. The sight was surreal and my photographs, taken with a mere kit lens; let alone my words can do justice to it.

After a good night's rest, we went out for a stroll and realised the situation was far worse than we thought. The queue of stranded cars now extended for more than a kilometer and at least a thousand people are now stranded. The situation was made much worse because of lack of communication. People were panicking and out of nowhere came this rumour that we are going to be stranded for at-least 3 days more. This rumour spread like wildfire and sent people into a frenzy, some started buying large quantities of biscuits and other dry food, some suddenly decided to cross the Hampta Pass on foot, it was utter pandemonium.

Sole Telephone booth near Chhatru

In order to try and establish contact with our travel agent again, I and my brother went to the phone-booth and found a much longer queue than the last day. After 1.5 hours I thought I heard someone calling my name in a distorted way "Protu Das !! Protu Das !!". Turning back I saw a small fellow with obvious Mongolian features and asked him who he was. He told me that he was the driver who would take us to Kaza. We came to know that the Rohtang Pass had just been opened and he himself came from Manali. Elated, we headed back to the camp and without much delay packed up our things and started our journey shortly after noon.

A Different World

Just after a few minutes, we realised what a visual treat we were in for. My team-mates had previously criticised me for planning such a trip where the journey was more time demanding than the stays. Now they realised that the landscapes of Spiti Valley are of unmatched beauty and the contrast to the lush green hills we are so used to see was very stark.

The hills were of no particular colour, every hill had its own hue, its own texture and strong wind eroded away the softer sedimentary rocks for millions of years and created spectacular gravity-defying abstract sculptures.

The path is barely motorable, it is full of small boulders and sometimes we had to roll up the windows to prevent dust from getting in. After one and a half hour, we reached Batal. It is about 31 km from Chhatru and from here the road to Chandrataal splits off from the (so-called) Highway. Batal it is only 15km from the beautiful Chandrataal. We sighed collectively as we went past the road leading to Chandrataal. That road was also closed due to heavy landslides and even if it were open we could not afford a night there. For now, it remains in our bucket-list.

Losar and eroded mountains in the background

 At about 3.30 pm we reached Losar, a small village on the way to Kaza. It is about 65 km from Chhatu and 5 hours of continuous roller coaster of a car ride caused a severe hunger attack. We entered a small roadside restaurant and ate like we survived an apocalypse.
Rejuvenated by toast, omelette, noodles and cups of coffee once again we hit the dusty road. Every turn looked more beautiful than the last and we would often irritate the driver by asking him to stop frequently. Seeing that the daylight is fading fast we refrained from these unscheduled photo ops and at about 7.30 pm we reached the Kaza bus Stand. The office of the agency (Spiti Valley Tour: 9418537689) had already been closed and hence we boarded a nearby homestay owned by a local elderly woman. The strict business-woman refused to budge from her price even when we called her 'Didi' affectionately, tough bird !
After a sumptuous dinner, we surrendered our tired bodies and dreamy minds to the fluffy (but heavy) blankets. the oxygen depleted air did not let us sleep peacefully though.

  KEY MONASTERY

After a really heavy breakfast, which raised a few eyebrows in a small sweet-shop we reserved a car which took us to the Key Monastery. The Key Village is about 15-16 km from Kaza and the majestic key monastery looks over the village. A single glance at the magnificent structure is enough to instill a sense of mystery and awe into the hearts of the beholders. At the base of the monastery, there is a small cafe cum hotel with well-decorated rooms but we marched on towards the upper reaches of the Gompa.

The office was on the same floor as the main worshiping hall. I hesitatingly approached an elderly Lama and asked him whether we are allowed to stay inside the monastery. With a polite smile, he pointed upwards and said: "talk to the guy upstairs."
As we climbed up the entire valley opened up to us and the 'guy' explained that only a dormitory is available and the toilets were outside the dorm in the corridor. At that point we could not care less, the dorm had a ROOF. The roof probably had one of the best views imaginable and we stood there, spellbound. We could see the Key Village, the green pastures and the Spiti river meandering through the valley like a great serpent. The sky was unbelievably blue and the slight cold breeze made everything PERFECT.
Just look at the pictures, my feeble attempts to describe the scenery by using just words will be blasphemous.

After freshening up, we went for a stroll to soak in the view from every viewpoint. We were happy as larks, we could not believe our luck; we were staying at the place made of fairy tales and that too for only 250/- per person including food and lodging. We had missed our lunch by half an hour because the monks follow a strict routine, which the guests also must abide by.

In the evening we were served milk tea and barley or some other brown millet flour. seeing that we were expecting something more he explained that we should pour the tea into the bowl of flour and mix them and then eat the mixture. With 2 spoonfuls of sugar, it tasted quite good. But frankly, it was not enough to satiate our hunger, so we smuggled in veg  pakora into the monastery (not sure if it was against the rules or not, Lord Buddha forgive us). Sitting on chairs and spare mattresses on the roof, chatting over hot cups of tea and pakoras, breathing in the cold mountain air, enjoying the scenic beauty as the sun began its journey behind the rocky peaks; I asked myself: "Can life get any better ?"
The depleted levels of Oxygen in the air took a toll on one of our team-mates.  After a simple dinner, we turned in for the night.
The next morning we scrapped our plan to trek 6.6 km uphill to Kibber, arguably the highest altitude village in India. We were served a heavy breakfast of a lentil soup and a type of oily bread. As we entered the sanctum sanctorum of the monastery to pray for our safe return something beautiful caught our eyes. The little monks were sitting in queues waiting for their share of the breakfast and almost everyone was beaming ear to ear. Life and happiness is probably not as complicated as we think. We make it complicated by introducing desire, competition and ego, here amidst the towering mountains, those seems quite irrelevant.

With a strange sense of contentment we boarded the sole bus to Kaza. The next day we would retrace our path through Losar, Kunjum Pass, Chhatru and reach Manali. Only this time we would go through Rohtang pass by bus unlike how we came, crossing the Hampta Pass on foot.

Even after all these months as I am writing this down, just the memories of that place is enough to give me goosebumps allover.