My Island Paradise
on Jen's Indian Adventure (India), 01/May/2010 12:17, 34 days ago
Sunday 18th– Saturday 24thApril 2010So what about the Andaman andNicobar Islands? What aboutHavelockIsland? What about paradise in general? Well, all I can say is‘it was fabulous’ and ‘I want to go back and just live there forever…’.After a 7 hour train journey , followed by a four hour wait at Kolkata airport, 2 hours on an aeroplane, 2.5 hours on a boat, my friend Sheila and I finally arrived at our home for the next week.(Sheila started with a 21 hour train journey, Rayagada to Chennai). And boy, was it worth the journey? Definitely - yes !HavelockIslandis part of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago at the south east ofIndialying between the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and theAndamanSea.We arrived on Sunday evening just in time to see the beach and the sea that would become our home for the next week before the sun set for the evening. We had booked ourselves into Island Vinnie’s on the recommendation of other VSO volunteers who had stayed there in February. (Thanks guys – good choice). The accommodation was a tented cabana (including a western toilet, shower and a fan) as well as fabulous food – lots of fish and chicken. Being the end of season it was very quite, but just what we were hoping for. Wasn’t it nice of the clouds to give me an Irish welcome?The resort is typically geared towards scuba divers and snorkelers so we were a bit out of place but that didn’t seem to matter as everyone shared their experiences with everyone else anyway. We spent our time between lying on the beach, enjoying the warmIndian Ocean, (yes Mam, I did spend time in the sea– photos available as evidence) lying on hammocks, reading lots, eating lots and yes generally relaxing. We spent some time exploring the main market square on the island, but that was so small it didn’t take very long. Many of the market traders are Kashmiri so the shops were not very well stocked as they were also at the end of their season and mostly closing down that same week. I managed to find a few beach dresses – nice when you’ve been wearing trousers continually for six months.It was also nice to feel a bit girly for a few days.Having moaned about not being able to find a hairdresser who will cut western hair since I arrived inBhubaneswar, I met Uma, theHavelockhairdresser on Tuesday evening. Now to say this was an experience is an understatement. I only wish I had a video camera with me to record it. The last time I had a dry cut was as a child. She had two hair clips and told me she would‘step’ my hair. It quickly became apparent that what I wanted was not relevant. So for the next 15 minutes or so I was told to hold clumps of hair while she cut and then drop it. Hold it and drop it. I was a bit worried throughout the process that I was either going to end up with a Mohican or entirely bald. But by the end all was well. Not the tidiest cut I’ve ever had but the result was fine (for now). And it cost me a whole €1.50.On Tuesday evening I may have set the world record for mosquito bites on the backs of my legs. I never feel a mosquito biting me and the first hint I get is usuallythe next day when I have to scratch. I have taken pictures (not for public viewing) but in total I must have been bitten 100 times. I applaud myself for my willingness not to scratch for the next few days. But thankfully by the time of writing this there is little evidence of that eventful evening.We spent Wednesday morning on Beach no 7 (yes, they put a lot of thought into naming the beaches onHavelock). It was so beautiful. Just having the place to ourselves was amazing. Sheila went off to find a lagoon that had been recommended for snorkelling while I sat on the beach all by myself and contemplated life, love and generally just about everything else! It did make me wonder what’s next in life. Do I want to return to the hotel industry? HR?Ireland? Quick answer is I don’t know, but I guess I still have plenty of time to work it all out. It’s very easy to think when you are all alone surrounded by natural beauty.AndHavelockisa beautiful island. The locals are clearly very aware of tourism being their main revenue generator. The island was not over-crowded. Permits are limited, although I don’t know to how many and many of theAndaman Islandsare off-limits to foreigners or a specific permit is required due to their protected natural status. TheNicobar Islandsare completely off limits to all foreigners. The immigration office onHavelockis a straw hut. Now that I write this I wish I had taken a picture of it– but I didn’t.All over the island you see signs about being clean and green. Plastic bags are banned and so when I went clothes shopping I was given a bag made from old newspaper and some string. (A can of diet coke is in this picture as it’s something that’s hard to get in Bhuba, so while onHavelockI made sure I had my fillWe decided to go see the elephant training camp on Thursday morning, but unfortunately there were no elephants there at the time. We had been advised that timing there is hit and miss. The elephants must come first and depending on the temperature they may be in the sea or being brought for a walk through the jungle. So I still have to achieve my goal of sitting on an elephant. Some other time– hopefully.It was a shame our week finally came to a close. It was actually very difficult facing back into a boat and two planes (no train this time thankfully) to get back toBhubaneswar. Due to the timings of the boat and airport schedule we had to spend the final night in Port Blair. It’s a typical island main town. Not very attractive, but it does what is says on the tin. We even managed to find a beer in the darkest, dingiest pub I’ve ever been in. But the beer was cold and the crowd of men didn’t seem to mind two foreign women joining them in their space.We had a great time in Havelock thanks to Adil, Niamh, Evelyn, Priti, Binu (never got to meet Vinnie himself as he was on the mainland doing his other job) with Sam, Frodo and Teabag (the dogs)I can highly recommendHavelockto anyone who is looking for a quiet, relaxing break. I’d like to return before leavingIndia, so watch this space.P.S. I wonder if the A&N tourist board are hiring tourism professionals at the moment?