Trip to Andaman-Day 2
12:08 AM
Day 2 had a tad more garnish of the local flavour served to
us in a wholesome platter of green. Hogging a free breakfast at the hotel, we
started a little early to the Rajiv Gandhi Sports complex where a short shower
greeted us. Drenching everything around as we cosily sat in our Scorpio, it
gave way to sunshine in a few minutes. On reaching there we found three bridges
that stretched to greet the sea, each in its own direction that served as the
point for boarding the local ferries. Rajiv Gandhi stood boldly in black
flinging a flower garland off his right hand. Morning seagulls flew haphazardly
like the wavering wind. There were two islands on our list for now, the North
Bay Island and Ross Island. The North Bay offered many water sports and had a
brilliant coral reef. The latter was mainly a park that had a British
encampment destroyed by the Japanese.
If you care to flick your 20 rupee note and look at the side
without Gandhi on it, you will notice a beach with a tiny lighthouse in the
distance. That was where we were headed now. North Bay Island, famous for its
coral reefs. On reaching the beach, we had to leave our ferry at a distance and
the crew shifted us to a smaller boat as the shore was shallow. And we were
shown why. The dinghy had a glass bottom that stretched the length of the boat.
The glass could magnify too. As the small boat glided across the beach the
corals beneath the boat were visible. There were of many imaginable shapes
thwarting visibility and attention from coloured fish and other sea creatures
that swam across. After reaching the island, we went for the combo water sports
pack that we had signed up earlier. I really couldn’t stop gaping at the many
uninhabited islands that were scattered around us far into the sea each
towering with arms of trees, thick with indigenous trees at the top and thin with
coconut trees at the bottom.
We jet skied, took a motor boat far into the sea,
took another ride called sofa boat ride, where you sat on a air boat that
bounced its way while being dragged by a motor boat. And finally the fun part
came when they pulled out a long yellow boat called the banana boat. Sitting on
it, and being tugged by the motor boat we were pulled into the sea and a few
minutes later with no particular warning whatsoever, the boat took a hard left
toppling us off and sending us into the sea. It was fun max. Laughing and
shouting out we swam back to the shore. Unluckily only my brother and me took
this ride. The rest watched us from a distance.
Now came the event of our lives. Fitting us with snorkel
masks, two guides took the five of us as we held on to each other like a
floating human chain in to the sea. As we reached a certain distance, quite far
from the shore, we could put our heads down and observe the beauty that lay beneath
the liquid barriers. Brain corals lined most of the floor spreading out on all
sides, and then came a couple of mushroom corals on top. Like the name
suggests, they looked exactly how they were named. The mushroom corals gave of
a light ink blue color. Parrot fish, zebra fish, and many other shoals of fish
swam past carelessly. The space was set in green with a light brown sea bed
with millions of colours that swam past beautifully. The guide also let my
brother and me dive deeper and touch the fish, corals and sea bed. Except for
the salty water that went up our nostrils, everything was brilliantly
magnificent.
After a few more dips we waded back to the shore were
they took us out for a glass bottom boat ride. Now we could see what we already
saw earlier more vividly and without the fear of water going up our noses. The
guide also pointed out to a few fish he knew and named them. We awed, gaped,
pointed and behaved like an excited kid at a toy fair.
Our next destination was Ross Island. It was primarily
an island where the British had their navy stationed. It was later captured by
the Japanese for three years. It was a complete Island with bazaars, cementary,
bakery ballrooms and whatnot. But an earthquake in 1941 demolished the
buildings leaving it in the present state of worn bricks and buildings like an
incomplete jigsaw puzzle. The Indian Naval Service’ Flag was seen fluttering on
the right of the dock and a Japanese bunker on the left. t was a park now, more
of a picnic spot what with freely raoming herds of spotted deer and peacock.
Shy animals, they skirted unquestioned. I also managed to spot woodpeckers, with
the peculiar smart black crown atop its head. We managed to spot ruins of a
church, officer’s quarters, mess, and we hiked to the top of the hill and found
a Chief Commisioner’s bungalow, complete with a ballroom and cannons at the
entrance.
There was a also a small park where we sat for some
time. There were many tender coconut vendors. Each of the coconuts were big and
had copious amounts of water in it. Filled us to the brim one.
The sun was on the other side of the sky, greeting the
magnificent sea. It was forenoon and we started from the Island and reached our
hotel for yet another early end to a day.
With the little light that still remained in the sky,
we planned to visit another beach closeby, Carbyn Cove. It was more of a
regular mainland beach and had a row of palm trees sheltering beach chairs
along the shore. People played volleyball on one end, and there was a few short
waves.
We had come via an auto, which a Bengali drove. He
gave us his version of the island. He claimed the climate to be same throughout
the year, some sunshine, some rain and it grew up once again. Equidistant from
Chennai and Kolkata, the island enjoys the inhabitation of these two fish
loving societies. And, the island had NO theatre.
CD, TV hain na. Sab log kaam mein busy ho jaathe he
said. He was friendly and spoke warmly too. Women took care fo the traffic till
7 in the evening. He also prided in the road system. Clean and neat and free of
potholes. He also spoke about an Island far away, Baratang. Sadly it wasn’t in
our list. We could meet with the local tribes there.
The beach was nice. We dint get to spend a good long
time as both rain and sun set down. We left to the local market and shopped for
corals and stones, the local notoriety there.
So far, so good.
0 repercussions