The Pristine Andamans

Andaman Islands is a group of about 500 islands in the Indian Ocean, closer to Burma than to India. And for some reason they are part of the Indian Union, don't really know why:)! Anyways the islands are not on too many tourist itineraries, maybe because of their difficult accessibility or because these islands have not really
been developed for tourists. The islands, the beaches, the national parks, all are in some way as they would be without human interference. And that may be what appeals to some of the people who do end up going there, but definitely not to all. Its too raw, too uncouth, too wild for some tastes. I loved it though, it felt like a different realm altogether!

We had a long ten day vacation there, and so got a lot of time to actually explore a lot. There was still a lot more that we would have liked to see but could not get a chance to explore, more so because of the difficult accessibility to some of the farther islands.
Anyways to start with, to get to Andamans you need to take flights either from Chennai or Calcutta or ferries from these two ports. The ships take about 2-3 days to reach, so can be a bit too much. The capital city of the Andamans is Port Blair and you will be
surprised when you land there. Its quite a usual bustling little town, at least bigger than what I expected. Its as any other town you would see on the mainland, similar buildings, similar roads, similar cars and similar people! There are lot of Bengalis and Tamils settled in these islands, so you wont really see any 'locals' in the towns (which I was expecting). The locals are anyways few in number most of which are still tribals living in the jungles away from human contact.
We spent a couple of days in and around Port Blair, visiting the
sights nearby. The local marina is a nice lighted road next to the sea with nice parks to sit and enjoy. At night with the twinkling lights, this part of the town looks very pretty. (An advice to anyone going to Andamans would be to not stay in Port Blair for long, to go on to the other islands which have a lot more to do plus are less city-like.)
One place which all Indians would definitely visit is the Cellular
Jail, located in Port Blair itself, very near the Marina. Its a national memorial now, with a couple of exhibitions inside showing the freedom struggle.

The cells in the jail are hair-raising scary and the stories even more gruesome. They also have a sound and light show held at the jail in the evening, which though not great, does give an idea to how life in the jail used to be like in those years.





The other place to visit near Port Blair is Ross Island, an island
just across a small stretch of sea from Port Blair where the British had first set up their establishment. Its just a couple of minutes ride from the Marina, and has ruins of the old British buildings, with the expected church and the rest.


The beach at Ross island is also very pretty even though its very small. Also, the same ferry which takes you to Ross Island also goes to two other islands, Viper Island and North Bay where you can apparently do some snorkelling.



Another place which is not on most tourist itineraries but I loved was the Harriet National Park, which is about an hour or so away
from Port Blair. You can also take a ferry to go till there part of the way. Thats an advantage on most of the ferries in Andaman, you can take your cars also on the ferries and cross over. There is also a trekking trail which goes to a beach and a lighthouse from the park itself. We did just part of the trek though, but should be good fun I am sure!
Harriet National Park is located on the the highest mountain of
the South Andaman islands, and gives a high level view of the places around.





Its a national park, with a winding jungle drive leading up to it and nice view points when you reach there.
Also nearby is a place called 20-Rupee point, where you can take a look at the image thatis imprinted on the 20 Rupee Note. See for yourself:)


One of the days, we also went to the Mahatma Gandhi Marine Park, also called the Wandoor national park. It is a national park comprising of a couple of islands which have corals and other
marine life. The two famous islands in this park on which tourists are allowed are Jollybuoy and Redskin Islands. Only one of these islands are open at a time. Jollybuoy is apparently supposed to be out of this world. Sadly, it was closed when we went there. So we went to Red Skin island instead.
You can take a ferry from Mahatma Gandhi Marine Park itself,
which takes you through the mangrove islands and then drops you at Red Skin island. Its a nice beach, with clean and still water where you can snorkel. There are pretty fishes and even prettier coral all along the beach.


We also went and saw some of the corals and fishes around the Grub island which is just nearby.



The Wandoor national park also has its own beach,
same isolated beaches away from all population as is there for most of the Andaman beaches.



Another must visit is the Havelock Island located nearby which is actually a bigger tourist hub than Port Blair. Its the most popular island among tourists with popular and pretty beaches like Radhanagar, Elephant Island and Vijaynagar. (Another advise would be to stay at Havelock for a couple
of days rather than doing just a day trip there.) We stayed at Havelock for four days and quite a wise decision it was.



There are regular ferries from Port Blair which take you till
Havelock, called the Havercruz. If you are feeling more adventurous, you can also take the helicopter rides that are available for tourists. You will be there in 15 mins, plus get quite a complete over view of the islands. Its at Havelock that you can do scuba diving at a couple of good sites. I did scuba diving at South button island, the Wall and the Aquarium. The sea life is breathtaking, the visibility great and the variety of fishes unbelievable!
Also around Havelock, there are tons of very nice resorts to stay,
right next to the beaches! Its the perfect place for people to relax, do a couple of water sports and generally have a good time. The beaches next to the resorts are mostly average though. Not too deep, with green blue water which during low tides recedes a lot.
Our next stop was to Baratang, which is an island on the middle
Andamans. The drive till Baratang is again very pretty, through fields and villages and hills and jungles! Its during this drive that you notice that Andamans is a lot more developed and richer than most of the Indian mainland. Most of the villages have pucca houses, light, electricity, cars and excess employment. It was quite surprising actually, I always imagined Andamans to be very backward and underdeveloped.
Also another thing you notice while driving through the islands was that at a lot of places, there were inland water bodies. Its all the remnant from the tsunami times, when water came inland and was not able to get back to the sea. Now all the trees in these areas have withered and these places are no longer suitable for cultivation.
While going to Baratang, you will have to pass through the Jarawa Reserve, which is essentially a reserve where the Jarawa tribes still stay. The government tries to minimise the interaction between the tribes and the outside world, and so there are rules regarding the the passage of people through this area. The tourists are not supposed to stop their vehicles or give the Jarawas anything or take their photographs. Of course all these rules are flouted by all!!
Till a couple of years back, the Jarawas did not interact with the outside world and used to kill the passerbys with poisoned arrows. Now that has stopped though!! Tourists passing through the reserve have been giving the Jarawas food, clothes, money etc, and now they are no more hostile! In fact the Jarawas come and meet the tourists who pass by on the roads, asking them for food and 'paan'! As the guards in the area say now, they have been corrupted by humans, as they have been introduced to money!
Anyways we came across lots of Jarawas on the way, sitting next to the road, eating, collecting fruits, or just basking in the sun. They have negroid features and live very wild lives still. Was quite interesting to see people still live like this in our own country!!
In Baratang, we visited a limestone cave, to see the stalactities and
stalacmites as well as a mud volcano. The ferry till the caves goes through mangrove forests, like the photo here.
The highlight of the trip however was the visit to the Parrot Island. Its an island slightly away from the mainland, where you can only go by ferry. Its a very small island, not even 500 mts wide I guess, and full of the mangrove forest. Thousands of parrots stay on this island and everyday at sunrise they all fly off, and during sunset all of them come back to this island.
It is a sight to behold when at sunset, hundreds of these birds fly back from all directions, chirping loudly and creating a ruckus, all of them getting together and then landing at the island! Its a sight I cannot describe, but can just be experienced. Also, the island is fully trimmed, the leaves on the top are fully cut by the parrots who live there.
I also saw the best sunset ever while going to the island. Here are some photos of this ride.

The last of what we saw in Andamans was Chidiya Tapu, a beach where apparently hundreds of birds used to come before the tsunami. Now there is just a beach, and of course a stunning sunset to see.

On the whole, Andaman offers a complete vacation with activity, fun, relaxation, beauty and history. And not too much of it man-made.

Fort of Chittorgarh

It was a short flying visit we had at the fort of Chittor, 'Chittorgarh' while on our way from Mumbai to Delhi. And what a magnificient fort it was, rightly called the greatest of all forts in Rajasthan as well as of India. Wish we had more time to explore it, but guess thats for another time...

Anyways the first look that you get of the fort if from the town

below.. And what a grand majestic view it is...Seated on top of a hill in the middle of the plains, its a sight of splendour. Its a huge fort, with an entire township settled inside, and the fort walls run all around the hill..

Chittorgarh is an epitome of the valour which the Rajputs are so famous for. The fort has been seiged and won over thrice, and each time the women of the fort committed jauhar, while the men went out to their deaths.

The road to the fort is winding and goes through multiple gates, or 'pol' as they were called. Apparently it was quite an impregnable fort, very difficult to conquer.

Once inside the fort, you can get a view of the town below, and the view extends till far away...

There are a couple of good places to visit inside the fort.

The Vijay stambh and the Kirti Stambh built to the valour of Rajputs. The Jain temples and the Meera temple (where Meera was supposed to have vanished and become one with Krishna)

and the Padmavati Mahal.

We just had a fleeting view of all these places, and read up on the fort later on. The fort has quite a long and interesting history. Wish I had more time to spend at the fort and hear of all these stories...Anyways till next time!

First Impressions : The big apple, New York

My first visit to what some people say, is the best city in the world. And my first impression? Well, I'll reserve my judgement till I give the city more time, have heard it grows on you:). As of now, I liked the city, and could feel there is a lot to do there. But that will be confirmed only later on:).

Anyways, since this visit was quite touristy as I had a lot of free time with myself, let me just talk about what all there is to see and do on a short trip to NY. The standard places which any tourist would go to would be Times Square, Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. I did a walk from 33rd Street onwards on Broadway till Times Square and found it one of the most liveliest streets I have ever been on.
 There were so many people everywhere, quite fashionably dressed and generally having a good day outside. Its a nice walk, with lot of shops and coffee places to spend time at. And of course the skyscrapers all around you, wherever you go.. quite a trademark of New York, isn't it?

Times Square is fully lighted up as you may have already seen it
on TV and movies, countless number of times! Its surprising to see this place always full of people irrespective of the time of the day! And its too crowded! But I guess anyone will give this place a visit, it being the tourist centre literally. You may go there once to visit but never again!!

You can take a ferry to the Statue of Liberty island if you are very
keen,but I would actually suggest to take the free Staten Island ferry which goes from New York to the Island and then back. It gives a good view of the statue, which I think is quite nice.



Plus its a nice ferry ride too especially when the weather is good! You get to see a different view of the famed Mahattan skyline too! As for the Empire State Building, I did not go up but supposedly its a must-do.

In downtown, you can go to the Southstreet seaport, Pier 17, a happening place with lots of eating places and with a view of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Its a nice place to sit and have a coffee while observing
whats happening around. There is the famous 'Bodies' exhibition also here, which is apparently quite interesting. Did not get a chance to see it though.




Ground Zero in downtown, the site of the WTC is another place visited by many. As of now, its fully under construction and you can get a look at the kind of building that will come up there.

Also, there are couple of parks here and there nearby, two of them
where I went being Washington Park and Union Park. Its nice to sit there and just chill and relax, I just loved spending time there. With students all around just relaxing and having a nice time. There might be some village markets there too, with people selling foodstuff and fresh produces. You may also see some people sitting there with chess boards inviting people to play with them for money. Don't go by their lacklustre dressing, they will play with you, beat you and take your money too!

Central Park is another must visit. Its huge, splendid and an
oasis in the city. You can even boat there, or just laze around sipping a drink next to the lake, or just attend a festival going on around it. There are couple of museums also nearby which are apparently good. Did not get a chance to visit them, or the Broadway shows either, but both are something I am really looking forward to!

Eating places abound in New York. Every few paces you will come across another eating joint, and most of them serve very tasty food. From the roadside cheaper options to the high end ones, they are all there.

I don't think I can even begin to write about the food New York has to offer. I tried a couple of places at the Village which were good. And of course, Little Italy. The Italian food there is just as it is in Italy, looks simple and tastes heavenly, just like home cooked food. Bars are in plenty too, and generally lively till late and very chill. But beware, the bartenders serve alcohol with generosity!

Transport is good and easy, with the convenient subway and the Path and of course the cheap cabs. And cabs can be even more fun if the driver is a South Asian, you can be sure of a long and interesting chat all the way:).

New Port in New Jersey is a popular place for all the desis to stay. With a view of the Manhattan skyline, living close to New York but with the comforts of a small town US city, quite an interesting place I wud say!! The go-to place for anything Indian, whether food stuff or movies:)

New York can get pretty hot in summer, I never knew that. Was quite a revelation. And of course the winters will be baddd! Lets see how it goes...

Shopping seems quite good in the city, whatever little I saw of it. One shop I was really impressed with was Macys. What a store!!! Its huge, with multiple floors and selling anything and everything at great prices. And if you land up on a sale day, a very good deal too! Would love to shop there!!

Anyways these are my first impressions about the city. On the whole, a nice experience, a lively city, very buzzed. Lets see how the real experience is like!!

Non Bohemian Goa : Leela

This would be the first post about a luxury resort, but the Leela in Goa does deserve one:).. Twas my first stay at the non-bohemian Goa, away from the Bagas and the Calangutes.. The world of private beaches and saunas and casinos:) and quite a pampering experience it was...It was a little too short, just two days, as it always is in Goa but we made full use of the time we had!

The Leela in Goa is spread over a huge area.. The rooms all have

a lagoon view, with the lagoons built artificially within the resort. The landscaping at the resort is quite elaborate, with stones and waterfalls etc. The facilities for different activities within the resort are ample: you can cycle within the resort, dip in the pool with its own waterfall and caves:),

lose money at the casino, pamper yourself at the spa, try your skill at golf, party at aqua, take part in activities conducted by the resort (especially for kids), browse through their CD collection if you in the mood for indoor recreation, play tennis! And so on..

The biggest plus of course is the huge stretch of private beach

just next to the resort. With very few people and very turbulent waters, just the perfect way to relax in the sea, isn't it?

Also the casino is something which you don't really get in other towns of india. One negative though, the tables are all machine operated which isn't the same as being in a people operated casino, but what the hell! You lose money anyways!!

The resort has a couple of good eating options. The Italian

restaurant at riverside has the perfect location with the ferries and the village on the opposite side of the river. At night with the twinkling lights, it was a sight to behold. Food was nothing much to write home about there though.

There is an Indian restaurant too, jamavar, a coffee shop, a seaside seafood grill next to the sea (its closed during monsoons though) and the poolside bar. The poolside bar has happy hours at really cheap prices and a view of the golf course and the sea beyond. A great place to just sip and relax!

All in all, a good resort, allowing you to pamper yourself, relax and have a good fun filled time...

The lost cause of Calcutta..

Or Kolkata to be correct. But frankly, no one cares. Either about the name (thankfully!! unlike Mumbai!!) or about the city either (sadly!), or actually I think Calcuttans do care about the city.. Its the authorities which lack that feeling! A renowned city of old, and look at what it has become now? Surely no one cares about what its called since there are much more and bigger problems in the city to worry about.

Anyways, I had a short stay in Calcutta and am just writing about what i saw and felt about the city during this stay. Of what all the city could have had to offer, if.. Calcutta was a grand city built by the British long ago and in the typical British style. You can see the remnants of the grandeur still, wide roads, huge stone buildings, built to beauty, parks and open spaces left for leisure... Yes, that is how the British had built the Calcutta of old.

Of the places to visit in the city, the main attraction is the Victoria

Memorial of the same British times, a grand building celebrating the British empire. It sure is grand and charming, with attractive gardens all around. In the evenings, lot of people gather around eating the roadside stuff and generally strolling in the gardens nearby.

In stark contrast is the Calcutta of today, a city of chaos (yes, its an exaggeration, but it is so ironic, given how the city was originally built !!). The traffic is terrible, there is a general lack of driving sense, cars are parked on roads blocking the traffic, people drive wherever they want to with no respect for rules, what else can you call it but chaos? The time it takes to reach from one place to another is always at least 1.5 hours, irrespective of the distance and the time of the day!! Crazy!!

The hand pulled rickshaws still abound in the city and that sight will hit you whenever you see them. How can something like this still exist? Well in Calcutta it can.

Another sight native to Calcutta (I have never seen it before, or

thought it possible) is of the traffic police holding people with a rope to prevent them from crossing the road! I was shocked to see but apparently this is usual!! If the police does not hold the crowd, they will continue to cross the road and the cars will not be able to pass!!! This was very funny actually:). The traffic police is present everywhere in the city though, they are essential to the working of the city. Wonder what would happen without them managing the traffic!!

The government for one does not really seem interested in the development of the city (or the state for that matter!). This is evident from the time you enter the city: at the airport itself. I would rate Calcutta airport as one of the worst in India. The toilets actually stink!! I did not know that this can happen at airports also! Its actually a shock, that this is what the state of Bengal is coming to. With Bengalis being one of the most educated people in India and since a long time, its a shame how little development happens in their own state!

Enough of the cribs now though:), time for some positives for the city! Shopping being the major one and puchke being the other one:). The puchke of Kolkata are sooo tasty, their huge size which is difficult to eat in one go, the yummy spicy water, its just heavenly!! A must-have for anyone in Calcutta even if for a short time!

Also the shopping for embroidered stuff in Calcutta is one of the best in the country. The designs, the quality of embroidery and the variety is something you may not get in other cities of the country. We did most of our shopping at Burra Bazaar which is the Chandni Chowk of Calcutta. Its tough to get there with the traffic, but once there you will be pleasantly surprised with the amount of stuff available in the market.

Shop after shop with tons of stuff, your mind will reel with what all is available there. Sarees, lehengas, suits, all kinds of work and countless designs. If you are fond of value-for-money shopping, this is the place for you.

Jewellery in Calcutta is also good, with countless designs available. And lastly, if ever in Calcutta, definitely visit Sree Leather, you can get whatever you want in leather, shoes, bags, purses, belts, jackets and so on, all at throwaway prices. For someone buying such stuff for much more in branded shops, the shop will make you go crazy. Its a must visit again.

P.S. I know a lot of people who love the city and am sure Calcutta has a lot to offer. This article is just based on my short stay in the city, and just on my experiences. I am sure its not the full picture, but its at least my picture of the city, just my view that there is so much more that the city can become, which right now it isn't. Hope I dont offend anyone:)

Dilli Darshan : Red Fort

Even though we passed the Red Fort multiple times when in Delhi, we never really went in because it was just there, we could visit it whenever we wanted, isn't it? Anyways finally when I got in a Dilli Darshan mode, we made a trip to the Chandni Chowk area and the Red Fort: places we had seen and heard of in movies countless times, but never really seen in reality.

The Delhi metro has made this a lot more comfortable and feasible though, thank god for that! You sit in the metro and there you are!! Right in the middle of the dilli of old, with narrow gallis, famous shops, crowds everywhere and a lot of history hidden at every turn..

We walked on to the Red Fort through long queues and through the covered market selling touristy stuff at throwaway prices; and on towards diwan-e-am and diwan-e-khas inside the fort. The Red Fort from the outside is a sight to behold: grand, majestic and royal; from the inside though, it barely retains its original grandeur. It still has pretty structures, and artistic paintings but a lot of it has already been lost to years. The gardens are green, the buildings have colourful paintings and the whole place has a spacy and airy feeling about it.. Very pretty.. As for the history, we didn't really bother for a guide, so not much time was spent on that. Just admiring the works done so long ago, a lot of which we've already managed to lose.

After that we did a short trip around chandni chowk. You can buy any kind of stuff, clothes, toys, accessories etc etc at unbeleivable prices there. You bargain hard but still feel cheated as the shopkeeper still sells u stuff at that price! We also ate at the famous jalebi wala there, was a let down though.

A must visit when here would be the Gurudwara. An oasis of calmness in the chaos outside. Its a nice big structure, revered by many. One thing you would definitely notice about the place would be the cleanliness there given its in the heart of the crowdiest part of the city!

Hidden beaches of Madh and Aksa

Mumbai weekend getaways - 1

Mumbai weekend getaways - 2

I was pleasantly surprised to see that such nice places exist in Bombay itself which I had never explored before... (Well you can debate whether Madh and Aksa are really within Bombay or not but at least they are quite close!!)
I went to Aksa beach more on a driving test on a nice monsoon day, rather than for the place, but it turned out to be quite a pleasant and enjoyable day-out in itself:).


The weather surely helped: intermittent not so heavy rains and breezy cool interludes in between. What more can you ask for, for a day spent in town?

We first went to Aksa beach (the drive from the western express to the beach being a bit of a downer though!). The beach was surprisingly clean (compared to bombay standards that is!), not too many people around, cool, wet, windy, with rocks to sit on just next to the sea, some small waves coming in once in a while,

the palm trees on the shore swaying to and fro in the wind, clean and fresh air, no buildings (save one) in sight, the open sea, roaring waves.. Just visualising it all makes me smile and feel happy and relaxed.. Imagine what being there after just an hour's ride from your home would make one feel.. ?!! Just beautiful, calming, relaxing, elevating...

There on we drove on the road that goes towards Madh Island.. Narrow winding road, with vibrant green trees covering the road, and again the fresh and cool air and the pleasant breeze..
And the road goes on and on, with some bungalows once in a while on the sides, fishing villages on the way, fishing boats moored next to it.. Is it really in Bombay? Felt more like Kerala backwaters or the goan roads. Was it for real? I felt I was in another isolated world, in a small town in the rains, in the ghats.
Was just fun to drive there, up and down and left and right on the winding road, just taking in the sights of rural (?) life.. We stopped at a beach on the way too.. Just difficult to describe the experience in words or even pictures.. Relaxing, far away..
Perfect for some good quality time within the city borders...