The Andamans!!!!!!

Peace in an otherwise busy life..beauty of nature untouched in an otherwise polluted environment and co-existence of land and water in a blended and harmonious way is how i would like to define the mystic Andaman and Nicobar Islands!!!

Far away from the mainstream world situated in the absolute south of India, the Andamans are a world of their own.The closest connection by land is Port Blair after which you either take the sea or air route to reach the Islands.The water borne jetties like Makruz are easier to book and give you a real feel of the life an island. in the journey for quite a time there is just the vast ocean for as far as one can look.The horizon is  a blend between the calm ocean and the gracious
and accepting sky.The feeling of not seeing land for a long time makes one understand the safety it gives us and the feeling of being completely surrounded by water is a revelation of sorts.

For our trip we selected to be on the Havelock Islands for the major time and on reaching the island you realize that you have come far from the hustle bustle of city life.the feeling of " Welcome to the Andamans" hits you at that very moment.For lodging there are numerous options available for the tourists but it is always advisable to pre-book. The government run Doplhin Niwas which was our humble abode for 2 days requires proper followup  :). The lodge opens into the Vijaynagar Beach or better known as the Beach no.5 where mostly all the lodges are stationed . For the second half of our trip we settled into the much youth friendly Emerald Gecko which had huts and villas made of bamboo.While the Dolphin Niwas is a brick and mortar structure and has great rooms Gecko is filled with hammocks, beach tables and the likes.

The most popular beach of the area is the Radhanagar Beach and rightfully so . The beach is a vision to the eye with the wide expanse of ocean and the flora and fauna covering it in a brilliant way .Before you enter the beach make sure to eat the mango slices dipped in spices and mustard....slurrp!!! Also do make a point to have the divine coconut water ..it really different from the one we get in our cities.

We started walking on the beach and the touch of the water on ones feet makes you realize the still yet vibrant nature of the ocean .We had our share of fun with swimming in the waves and then moving to the other side of the beach where we reached by mistake a divine place for snorkeling. Snorkeling is one of the few adventure sports in the Islands. People generally use and they should take coaches for this activity if they dont know how to swim. But we did it anyhow on our own as we know well enough to swim ...we saw the fishes living in peace as we swam over them...the feeling was surreal to say the least.

Next up was the major adventure sport of the island...Scuba Diving ...there are many providers who give this experience along with trained divers ...We chose to go with Andaman Bubbles whose main guy looks like a carbon copy of Raghu Ram of roadies fame....take my word on it :) . They provided us each with a trained diver and they gave us the required training before going in with the equipment.We went in till 10 meters inside water as we took the beginners course ..they also provide the training for other levels.

To say that it was once in a lifetime experience would be an understatement..at one point deep inside all you can hear is your own breath...you can see a life so peaceful that it makes you feel wonderful and understand peace in a new way altogether.

Andamans is not Goa.there are no late night parties , no parties ..it shuts down at 8.30 but this is the USP of Andamans ..its a world of its own and has its own beauty to be discovered.It gives you the chance o enjoy solace and be with yourself like never before.

This was our journey in the Andamans..It was beauty beyond words ,peace beyond limits and love with no boundaries.Hope you have a great one too!!