HAVELOCK IT IS! – ANDAMAN – IV
ANDAMAN – Nov 10th through 12th
Winding up from Port Blair suddenly is no longer easy. The simple flow of the city and the warmth of its people almost say “stay longer”. But then Thiru, Pugal’s boss arrives. He drives to the International Port and promises to pick up 4 days later. The ship docks and passengers on seats no 1 E,F, and G are off to Havelock Island ( Swaraj Deep). 90 min later the fast-moving ship arrives at its destination.
A taxi gets arranged and it’s off to be one with nature, to reside for the next few days in tents, where all close down at 9:30 pm, where pathways are dark for lack of lighting of any sort, where there is no electronics available, and where in the dead of the night, if one listens carefully, the sound of waves breaking on the beach can be distinctly heard.
The beautiful white sand beach welcomes, and the green aquamarine water entices. Long walks on the beach with the gentle waves floating on land and washing the feet are only seconded by the faster ones which rush to land and take back with them the loose sands and pebbles. A sweetened kahwa break also provides an opportunity to witness a young beach guard knitting a fishing net for his elder brother. The two ends of the ropes are tied to branches of the tree and the nimble fingers move in a uniform pattern, almost without a conscious effort.
The nearby idyllic Radhanagar Beach, a public beach is all set for visitors. Beach chairs, adequate lighting, shower rooms, machaans, and kids’ play area. 700 metres from the beach, tin-shed restaurants offer all that is the best. Fun music, loud chatter, and contented bellies.
Darkness envelops everywhere, by the time dinner is over. It’s either the walk back on the unlit road or a turn back to the beach. The latter is decided, purportedly to save time. But the dark beach is only lit with the waves turning into white foam as they reach the land as if a string of pearls over several kilometers. With the sound of the water acting as a bulwark, the accompanying stars lighting the night sky and a couple of friendly canines showing the way the beach gets crossed and over crossed. It’s the end of the beach. The right turn has got missed.
It’s a U-turn and a walk back, now a little anxious one. This is after all the land of the crocodiles too. The 2 furry friends walk back as if determined to point in the correct direction. And then all a sudden the 2 neighbouring trees stand tall, appearing as silhouettes against the night sky. Perhaps the first time they had gone for a walk of their own. The canines sit at the junction and silently bid goodbye. Angels sent from heaven.
The next morning, the magic spell is already crumbled. Dawn has just broken. A morning walk on the beach is due. To the end of the beach on the same enchanting sands of the night. Only now, they seem so innocent, as if unaware of the mystery of the night. Bypassing youngsters playing beach ball, jumping over rocks made from sedimentations probably millions of years ago, avoiding hard-working crabs coming out of their sandy habitats, by the side of mangroves which have borne witness to many vagaries of nature, the walk continues.
A lone fisherman is catching fish by the dozen. His torn shirt compliments the string bag which keeps getting heavier with every catch. He walks away on the horizon, one moment visible, the next vanished.
Later in the morning, it is Kala Pathar Beach. Unique in that the water zone allowed for swimming looks more like a natural swimming pool. Unique also that the colours of the water in their varied shades of blue can never get seen as such anywhere else in the world.
Chef Gautam Rana, who hails from Uttarakhand, cooks up a delicious meal at the Something Different Café. “My kids get bored here”, says he woefully. “So I live alone.” He offers a complimentary triplicate dessert, the highlight of a day of highlights.
The next morning, another long beach walk, this time in the right-hand direction of the neighbouring trees gets followed by adventurous scuba diving. The body-hugging scuba gear gets worn and zipped up. The underwater guide and instructor, Shyamalan originally from Hyderabad introduces himself. The scuba diving school offers a fast-track orientation and then a surrender to the unravelling beauty and mysteriousness of the deep sea. Corals of all hues and colours, schools of fish swimming, unmindful of human company, even a mysterious statue of a soldier holding a sword, as if protecting the underwater to eternity. Overwhelming to say the least.
The enjoyments of the day are still not over. A birthday dinner at a place much fancy, a chocolate pastry acting as a cake, and good wishes abound. A walk around the premises. In the background, the waves continue their exotic music, the one they have sung since the beginning of time, since the Big Bang. Only now they sing a birthday song.
Charming, exotic, bountiful, incredible Havelock. One ain’t travelled much, if not a visit here.
