So I've just come back from holidays. (ha ha) It was pretty damn awesome to be honest. My cameras memory card has a load of viruses so I'm trying to get it fixed so I can upload pics of my amazing tan.
I arrived in Port Blair on the 10th Dec. The views of the islands from the plane were immense. The sea was turquoise! TURQUOISE! And you could see white stretches of beaches along several islands. (I regretted leaving my camera in the overhead locker...) The plane turned left and then right then left then right quite a few times - so I worried that I was going to die as a result of the plane driver clearly being drunk... but at least I'd die happy I thought... The town itself was fairly standard, although cleaner than the mainland. But nothing of particular interest there. Joined forces with a lady called Tanya for the day to get a taxi find a hotel and a place to eat yadda yadda yadda.
The next day I left early to get off South Andaman and go to Neil Island (especially for Neil Wilson.) It was all a fair bit more hassly than expected. I went at 5:30am to catch the 6:00am ferry, which had left at 4:00am. So I had to go off and return at 1:00. Chilled out by the other port that looked over Ross Island. Had an awesome breakfast for 30 Rupees. Went to the Aquarium which was AWESOME 5 Rupees and there were loads of dead animals in jars!!! SO cool. I particularly liked all the funny names of fish (goatfish indeed!) and the jar that had clownfish in and it was just stuffed with loads of them rather than one and they were all upside down and dead. It was amusing. (Poor fishies,,,,)
I hopped in Boris' autorickshaw to his hotel- the Emerald Gecko -it's not really a hotel so much as a series of cute little beach huts. The cheapest were very expensive (Rs1200) - but it was dark and I didnt fancy walking around lost in the dark trying to find accomodation so I took their last hut. It was SO quintessentially islandy. Little beach huts, made of bamboo with a compact bathroom (no toilet), bed upstairs with mosquito net. Then just about 20 steps away was a little beach. The moon was out reflecting on the ocean the waves lapping against the palm trees. It was just AMAZING. Boris and I stood staring and smiling a long time. Then we had a delicious dinner at the hotel (aubergine fritters and veg coconut curry in my case followed by caramel bananas with nutella on!) and watched and petted the little puppies that were living in an upturned boat outside the bamboo restaurant that was playing chill out music and had a sand floor. Oh! It was just wonderful.
Every so often my head would just sort of scream with excitement : "I'm on a tropical island!!! A Tropical Island!!!!!! So exciting. " And I'd just walk around smiling to myself.
Woke up with those thoughts and then bikinied myself and went to make the most of the beach. No one else was on it. (to be fair I think it was about 7:30) It was basically paradise. Little hermit crabs crawled about - I tried to befriend them but they just sort of tried to crawl out of their shells away from me. :-( Or they'd try to pinch me with their little pathetic claws that I couldn't even feel. Awwww. SO CUTE!
Diary Entry: I read Terry Pratchett and loved life.
I felt safe, and relaxed, and extatically happy all at the same time. I noticed the island continued along it's stereotypicallness - a few fisherman on a boat in the distance, a brightly coloured kingfisher eating a crab, a little washed up bottle on the shore.
Anyway, later that day I decided to go eat and then go for a little walk to the market - about 2km away. Once I got there there were signs to the 'beach' which was strange as there are like 9 beaches on the island or something and they all had numbers. I presumed it was beach number 3 as thats what was nearest - so I followed the signs. 2 hours later I was becoming a little concerned that maybe there was no beach. There was however a lot of forest and quite a few local settlements. I hopped in the next richshaw that came along and he took me to the beach, it was only 15 mins away and was beach number 7. I think I walked about 13km. Therre really are no words for beach number 7. It looks like a postcard. Long, with soft white sand, turquoise and dark blue sea, with waves, and surrounded by vibrant green trees. I found a spot, left my bag and what not there and went for the sea. It turned out to be a tad more energetic than I had anticipated and after being beaten up by 2 waves I decided that was probably enough swimming/almost drowning. Built a sandcastle. Got a rickshaw back to my hotel after beaching myself for the day. 
The next day I planned to go to Neil Island. I'd found myself a Markus from Austria who was also going - so I just invited myself along. He was cool with it. He had dreadlocks. People with dreadlocks are always cool. It was more of a hassle lining up in queues to be told that the boat was full today. We booked tickets for the next day so as not to be disappointed again. We stayed a different resort - which had more colourful, and importantly, cheaper beach huts. The place was called the Coconut Grove and was run by a guy called Hari or Ari - not sure - from Nepal. I like Nepalese people. He was nice and smiley. Markus and I wanted to do something with our day and I'd been told by the rickshaw driver who took me back from beach 7 yesterday that I could rent a moped without having a license... Markus had a license just not with him. So we walked down the road asking ever moped place on route for a moped but they wouldn't let us! Eventually after almost giving up we found a place where a guy was covereing the moped shop for a friend... he suggested I try riding the moped up the road and back as I'd never driven one before... So I drove off in the moped in a veryy staccato fashion with the man calling out "Slowly! Slowly!" behind me. I thought I was going slowly. Then I tried to turn the bike around in the road but instead I drove it into a ditch, which I couldnt get out of. Markus and the man came and pulled it out. I suggested that Markus drive the moped. Off we went - beach number 7 again where we met another couple that Markus knew. Got battered by more waves before deciding not to go in the sea again and started to tan. Slobbed out on beach number 5 before hopping on the ferry to Neil Island. Woo! Markus and I were quite excited. I went off to a different hotel from his as his was a little prices, I found a place that did little huts for 200Rs, so I stayed there that first night along with this girl called Alinka from Slovenia. We also met a French boy and an Italian boy. I went with them to the beach when it was dark to watch the moon and stars while they got stoned. We saw giant toads and giant bats and also shooting stars. It was pleasant in the bright light of the moon and watching to see if the sea would break through Matteo's sand wall. I wasn't happy with the rocky beach though so I moved from beach one to beach 4 the next morning. Checkout was at 7:30. I found a much more satisfactory place : A.N.D. Rs400 for a hut with bathroom. And a beach where I could swim because the waves wouldn't kill me. (Markus joked I could only be in the water if it was like a paddling pool. There is only a certain degree of truth in that.) Matteo and Louis joined me later that day when I was playing the beached whale game. I was also hassled by a whole group of Indian men on that first day... they asked to take my picture - and then took it anyway even after I said no. Then persisted to talk to me and pose next to me- encroaching on my personal space! Whilst their wives also took pictures from a distance. Sigh. They told me to visit them when I returned to Kolkata - I buried their business card in the sand.
Markus and Ben (a German guy that was also on beach 7 in Havelock) popped round the next day after I saw Ben the day before in the market and told him to visit. We rented bicycles and cycled to the natural bridge. It was just one of those arch things you learn about in Geography. I went to beach 1 to watch the sunset - but missed it. Went back to my hut to sit in the hammock I bought the day before, I had arranged to meet Markus and Ben at a restaurant for dinner after they'd been night fishing. They were 2 hours late and had many interesting fish. I watched the guy prepare them while the others went to freshen up. Some fish were definned and descaled and disemboweled whilst still alive. The restaurant guy and I talked about religion and afterlife and fish. I stayed and chatted with the boys as they ate their catch, I'd already eaten, we drank and they got stoned, then as it was like 12:30 we decided to go our separate ways home. I was chased by vicious dogs on my way home. It was incredibly scary. One started barking at me then started chasing and about 4 or 5 others joined in. It was dark and they were loud and sounded very angry. I pedaled fast.
I ended up getting the earlier ferry, so I didnt see the boys until I met Ben at the airport. I never got to say bye to Markus - I'll e mail him a goodbye message. It was very nice hanging out with these other beach people. I thoroughly enjoyed myself tanning, reading Terry Pratchett, pretending to swim and not doing a lot generally. I think I'd be incredibly happy living in the Andamans and I would defo go back. I would recommend them to anyone who wants to slob out big time. There is also a lot of stuff you can do there - boat trips/diving/snorkelling/animal watching etc. I didn't do a lot. But I enjoyed myself and that was the main thing. :-)
I didn't want to come back to Kolkata to be honest. And especially not to a room with no natural light after living in idyllic little beach huts where natural light comes through the bamboo every morning waking one in a most desirable fashion. I hunted for an acceptable room, but they were all pretty grungy and most didnt have any natural light coming through... I realise this is very important for me - not entirely sure why, maybe something to do with my pineal gland. Anyway, I ended up in an incredibly fancy and expensive hotel (Rs1800! - like 25quid?) I stayed there for one night and have now found another slightly dingy room but it is a lone room on a rooftop of this hotel with hot water and air con (possibly not working...) for Rs600 (7 pounds) I really like it -it smells a bit like English granny's house used to smell, a little bit of damp and a little bit of smoking. And I'll get some exercise going up and down the 6 or so flights of stairs. Today I have been busy trying to find places which can fix my camera memory card, buying Terry Pratchett books, eating cake and finding a hotel. It's been active. Sort of. Tomorrow I have to wake early (4 or 5am) to go to mass with the nuns and start my volunteer work. Blog in a week or so to let you know how it goes.
Have a great Christmas everyone. I shall endeavor to be on skype at that time - if any internet places are open....
 |
| New abode |
No comments:
Post a Comment