Trip to the Andamans - day 5 - 18th May

Last day of tours.. today, we were scheduled to see the rest of the city attractions. we started a bit late, coz the museums do not open till late in the morning. the first place we went to, was the Anthropological Museum. here we saw and read a lot about the different tribes in the world, their evolution, and current state of life. as expected, a lot of emphasis was given to the tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar islands. although most people might find it boring, i found it pretty nice, and interesting. especially, because, we missed out on the chance to see the tribals this trip.
Next we went to the mini zoo. compared to the zoos in chennai, or in the mainland.. it wasn't much to see.. plus, this zoo was being vacated and moved to a newly constructed main zoo. the only highlight, was that when we entered the zoo, a monkey seemed to have escaped from it's cage. so all the workers were tied up, trying to put it back in the cage. we saw India's largest python there.. the Reticulated Python. pretty gross, and i'm not a snake lover. we saw a lot of crocs there, not a croc lover either. then there were tiny turtles, which were so cute. and a lot of monkeys, and eagles... the place was very old, and since they were moving the animals, it wasn't much fun.
after the zoo, we went to the Chatham saw mill. this saw mill is supposed to be the largest in Asia. but it was closed, today being sunday. but then, i dont think it was much to see, and i'm not very comfortable with saw dust anyway. the most important thing about the Chatham saw mill is that there is a sea bridge connecting two islands; the main island of port blair, and the island hosting the saw mill.
Next we went to the Zoological Survey of India Museum, which is situated near the Andaman Teal House. this museums and research library exhibits a good variety of sponges , corals, butterflies, centipedes, and such. outside, is also kept the skeleton of a baby blue whale! if a baby is that big, how big is momma whale????
after that we went to the Samudrika fisheries museum. this place hosted some of the coral, and sea life species for us to see.. it was really interesting to see fishes, lobsters and star fishes, those that we get to see just on TV.
but then, i wasn't able to enjoy this place fully.. i was sunburnt completely, trying to dry out my jean in the sun.. so all this moving around today, all the walking, wore me out completely. and i could barely stand. only after i drank 2 tender coconuts, was i able to stand up, and see clearly.
right outside the samudrika, there was a canteen, where you can choose the sea food you want, fresh catch, and have it cooked for you, right in front of your eyes.. my dad and i were really intent on trying out a lobster. we don't find lobsters back at home.. so here atleast we thought we might try. and in this canteen, they had a single, beautiful lobster in display. we asked for the price of one, and the reply, was a whooping 1500 bucks.. that much for a single lobster.. we came back, and lost all interest in it..
after that, we had lunch, and then went to the New Science Centre, that we missed on the first day of tour.. it was superb fun.. all those interactive science learning.. honestly, enjoyed every minute in there..
next stop..the most famous, Cellular Jail. the last time we were here, was for the light and sound show on the first day of the trip. it was pretty dark, and we weren't allowed to look around. so we went this time to see what it looked like.
the front of the jail which used to be offices, have been transformed into museum and art galleries. so we walked through rows and rows of freedom fighters' life stories, and art depicting the sufferings of the prisoners at cellular jail.
after that, we entered the jail... it was so depressing.. i guess the cries and hues of the prisoners left a permanent mark on the ambiance of the place.. when you stand within the walls of this jail, it's not hard for you to imagine what it would have been like 60 years ago..
we went through each wing of the jail... initially, the jail had 7 wings, now it has only 3..
the image below is only a model of the jail, back in olden times..

we even went to the gallows.. unusually, they had 3 nooses for hanging the prisoners. which meant that 3 at a time were being killed. they had so many people who had to be executed, or should i say, slaughtered, that they couldn't make do with just one. they needed 3!!
it was so depressing... we heard life stories of some very strong freedom fighters..
how the inmates of one wing, never saw those of another wing.
how, they were treated like worse than animals..
we even saw the old oil-press... it is an olden day method of extracting oil from dry coconuts. usually, cows would be used to run the machine, but in this jail, prisoners were used.. per day, the amount of oil to be extracted was given, and if they don't extract that much, they were beaten up to a pulp...
then we went around to the roof of one of the wings.. the view of the sea from up there was breath-taking.. but it was also sad to think that despite all this beauty around this place, the prisoners were in no state to enjoy these views..

David Barry the most cruel jailer of those times.. the following is one of his quotes..

i couldn't wait to actually get out of that place.. it was like, all the joy was sucked out of me, and maybe this is how it feels to be kissed by a dementor...!
and it also set me thinking.. all those freedom fighters, who gave their lives, families, and everything they had, to free these country.. if they were to see how our leaders run the country today, i'm sure that they'd be extremely vexed to see that India was better off in the hands of the British. every politician except maybe a handful are only looking to see how much of the national treasury they can move into their bank accounts while in power. and to think that all the sweat and blood that every freedom fighter shed, for this country, is now going right down the drain, makes me so sad.. it is saddening to see all that work go to waste..
and for those who want to see how the first paper published on the 15th of August 1947 looks like.. this is it...

last stop, was to the Runway View point. from up a hill, we could see the airport runway. splendid view, and my bro, who is an airplane enthusiast, went completely bonkers.
it was also a joggers park, and what a nice place to jog in every evening.. the view was super cool! this place is a definite must-see!














well, I've come to the end of my trip... we went back home, had dinner... settled all the bills. next morning 19th May, we left for the 12:30 flight back to Chennai. this time we flew in Air Deccan.
this place is the most wonderful place i've ever been to. and i'm definetely going back there. these 5 days weren't enough for us to see all the tourist attractions. we still have to go to Baratang, India's only active mud volcano and Barren Island, where is India's only active volcano. and Mount Harriet, and a lots of other cool places i've been wanting to go to. i also wanted to go to Cinque island, where tw islands are connected by a single mud strait. when there's high tide, they are separate islands. when it's low tide, they are one island. cool na?!!
i am definitely going back, and it's a promise!
and for those who are planning a trip to the Andamans, make sure you plan a minimum of a 10 day trip. it costs a lot, but it is so worth it....
and for those of you who are wondering why i'm not in any of the pics i uploaded, thats because basking in the sun all day at Red Skin, has charred me beyond recognition. and i don't want anyone to see me like that....

Trip to the Andamans- day 4- 17th May

As i said, couldn't get up in the morning at all.. but today was one of the most important attractions, and i've been wanting to go there since we started planning this trip. Red Skin Island. it was part of the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park. and it was one of the best islands for coral sighting, and snorkeling. the weather was bright and sunny, making it perfect for snorkeling.so dragged myself out of bed, and got dressed. we reached the place just in time. we took a half hour's ferry ride to the island. and from the ferry, a fibre glass motor boat took us to the shore. and before we got to the shore, we got to see corals through the fibre bottom of the boat. it was awesome. we missed seeing this back at North Bay Island, but the sun was shining, and the view of the ocean floor was crystal clear.





the colour of the water was proof to the marine life underneath. it was a beautiful blue- green.
it took me a while to convince my dad, to let me go into the water. he was worried that my fever would go worse, and even yet, that i might go snorkeling. well, i intended to anyway. and my dad wasnt sure how safe it was. i don't even know how to swim. well, i still went into the water. it was icy cold, against my feverish body. still i went in. now reef walking was prohibited. so those who can't swim, were supposed to hold on to a rope that took us into the deep waters, for support. this way, we can remain suspended in the water, hold on to the rope for safety and support.
we went in, and a lot of people had already begun to snorkel. although i was very brave, when i first set foot in the water, now that i've actually come to it, i got a little scared. so i nudged my bro to try it first. he put on the snorkeling gear, and for try outs, the guide, immersed my bro's head slightly into the water, so that he might get used to breathing with his mouth. bro was a little taken aback, got scared, when the water pressure, started hurting his ears.. and being startled, he drank a little sea water, and was out of breath. so he panicked and backed out. ok. now i was scared. but there was this girl next to me, in the water, who was telling her mom, that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. and this gave me back my lost courage. and i went for it. the guide put the gear on my. and when i say 'gear' it isnt to complex or anything.. it's just a pair of eye goggles,so you can see without salt water irritating your eye.. a nose block, so even if instinctively you should breathe through the nose, no water will get in.. and a tube for breathing through the mouth. this tube will always be out on the surface, for air. plus, we weren't going deep under water. we were just swimming on the surface of the water, and just immersing our head in to see the corals.
and although i too panicked with the difference in pressure under water.. i soon got used to it..
the view under water was amazing.. i saw shoals of fishes swim beneath me, colours that i cant even find on the color chart.. it was simply amazing, and no words can actually describe the sight, and do justice to the feeling. so i'll just leave it to you to try it out for yourselves.
well, i got back triumphantly, and earned the title of being the only one in my entire family to have done that.
the rest of the afternoon was spent in trying to dry out my clothes.. you see, i wasn't prepared to get into the water today, because of the fever. but after getting here, i couldn't hold back the excitement. so the jean i was wearing was completely wet. low waist again.
TRAVELLER'S TIP # 3: ALWAYS CARRY EXTRA CLOTHING WHEN GOING TO BEACHES. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE MOOD, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE PREPARED.
so i had to stand out in the sun, hoping that my jean would dry out. and the wet clothes won't help my fever at all..
after that, we ate our packed lunch. the island was very small. and there was nothing,no shops, not even drinking water to be found there. so we had our lunches packed from the restaurant.
plus, it was a national reserve. so no plastics and no littering either.
we ate. and explored the place a bit. it was so nice..
let me show you..