Islands in the sun. Review on Port Blair

Too far and too expensive. But, sometimes I get lucky. The company I worked for, decided to take us to Andamans for a conference.

I took off from Chennai Airport, at 6 am, and the journey time was 2 hrs. I was flying over the Bay of Bengal, which was reflecting sun light like a huge mirror. As we approached the islands, the colour of the water changed from light blue to aquamarine to turquoise to topaz, then, it became a copper sulphate blue. Andaman and Nicobar Islands are mountaineous and they just protrude out of the sea. In some places, they look like they are floating on the water surface. It is possible to see the coral reefs under the water surface, from the sky, the view is breath taking.

I will leave the official bit, and talk about the sun and fun part of the trip.

Bunch of islands, coral reefs and pristine beaches - is Andaman Islands in short. But, as Port Blair is a important naval base, tourism is not promoted here. These islands are India's best- kept secret. These islands are so far away from the mainland that they tend to be ignored by most visitors to the country. But if you took the effort to get to the islands, you are rewarded with spectacular beaches, pristine coral reefs, and best of all, a degree of isolation that most visitors think doesn't exist in India.

We were accommodated at the Bay Island in Port Blair. It is a ITC Welcome group property and one of the best there. The entire hotel is made of wood and is right on the beach. Not a surprising thing on a island, isn't it. Their restaurant is on a huge balcony that juts into the sea. Their bar is called Nico Bar. The food is great, they serve a wide range of sea food.

What is there to see in Andamans ? Cellular Jail, some National Parks and all the beautiful beaches. Did you know that the Andaman islands have tropical rain forests. Hard to believe na ? Most of the islands are Marine National parks that come under the Forest Department of India. You need to get perm from them to visit any island. So, please be prepared. But, its not all that difficult, it's a part of the game on the islands.

Port Blair - Capital of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, it sprawls around a harbour on the east coast of South Andaman, which is now the most heavily populated of all the islands. Parts of the island, like the tribal reserve are off-limits to foreigners.

Cellular Jail - Known as Kala Pani, it was worst punishment that any Indian could get during the days of the British Raj. It was a place from where there was no return. It is the most popular attraction and a grim reminder of the islands' past. It overlooks the sea at the north-east end of the town. It was built between 1896 and 1910 and included solitary cells for prisoners.

The jail complex is in the shape of star with 5 fingers coming out of its center. After a earth quake in 1941, 3 wings out of 5 got destroyed. 2 are intact. The two ground floor galleries of the Jail chart the history and the inhumane conditions of the prison. One room upstairs is dedicated to the memory of Subash Chandra Bose, who was imprisoned here. A small museum by the entrance gate exhibits lists of prisoners, photographs and torture devices. Take your handkerchief, just in case you break down, you might need it.

Vir Sarvarkar was also imprisoned here. After Independence, Kala Pani was no longer used as a jail. The prisoners returned back to Indian Mainland. Many decided to stay back and are now the people of Andamans.

Chatham Sawmill - The sawmill is on Chatham island at the north of the island. It is the oldest and largest wood processing plant in Asia. Established in 1836 by the British, the mill employs 1,000 people around the clock in three shifts.

Zoo & Forest Museum - This has some of the 200 animal species that are unique to the islands. The zoo's saltwater crocodile breeding programme has been successful in returning them to the wild.

Apart from these places, there are a whole lot of islands. As I told you, you need permission to visit these islands, and you have to take a ferry. I can’t say that all islands look they same, they are different. I had visited the Cinque island along with my colleagues, and we stayed there for about 3 hrs. It took about 4 hrs to reach the place by Ferry from Port Blair.