Smart Travels: March 2018

Saturday 31 March 2018

Andaman Islands

After spending a week in southern India we flew 1,000 km east from Chennai to the Andaman Islands. This archipelago in the Bay of Bengal is actually closer to Thailand and Burma/Myanmar than India, but nevertheless belongs to the latter. There are roughly 300 islands but indigenous Andaman Islanders inhabit some of the more remote ones, and so many are off limits to visitors. After arriving at Port Blair (the islands' capital) we then took a two-hour ferry ride north-east to Havelock Island, where we spent the first four nights. Our main interest was diving, so we dived in the mornings and explored or relaxed in the afternoon.

off Radhanagar Beach, Havelock

Located on the north-west of Havelock, Radhanagar is an attractive beach and a good place to swim and watch the sunset, but at dusk everyone has to get out of the sea because of the risk of a saltwater crocodile attack at that time of day!

at Havelock

We walked through forest to Elephant Beach, which used to be famous for Rajan, its swimming elephant. (Rajan died in 2016, aged sixty-six).

Rajan, the swimming elephant (source)

trekking through the forest to Elephant Beach, Havelock

lizard in the forest on the way to Elephant Beach

We then took another, shorter, ferry ride to neighbouring Neil Island, which is smaller than Havelock. We were also able to fit in some diving there, despite having been told it wouldn't be possible on the island.

Beach at Neil Island

Neil Island

Neil Island's beaches are numbered one to five, and the Natural Arch in the photos below, at Beach 2, is only accessible at low tide.

Natural Arch, Neil Island

sunset, Neil Island

After one night on Neil Island we then headed back to Port Blair, for our final night and some visiting. It's not a particularly attractive town, but there are a few things to see and visit. We started with the Cellular Jail, a former British prison that is now a shrine to the political dissidents it once gaoled. It was built 1896-1906 and used to have seven wings, containing 698 cells, which radiated from a central tower (some wings were later destroyed by the Japanese during WWII).

at Cellular Jail

Next we visited Chatham Saw Mill, set up by the British in 1836 and still operational. It provides an interesting insight into the island's history and economy, but would give any western Health & Safety authorities a heart attack. Visitors are free to wander everywhere, inches away from saws cutting through timber, no closed shoes or hardhats are required, workers are both barefoot and gloveless, and there are plenty of female workers and visitors in saris with long plaits of hair and flowing scarves!

shrine in the middle of Chatham Saw Mill

this Chatham Saw Mill worker was very unrepresentative of
most of the other workers as he had a hardhat and footwear!

Chatham Saw Mill

temple in Port Blair dedicated to Hanuman, the monkey god

Then it was time to return to Chennai, where we arrived late at night and set off early next morning to fly back to Reunion.

Andaman Islands diving

After spending a week in southern India we flew 1,000 km east from Chennai to the Andaman Islands. After arriving at Port Blair (the islands' capital) we then took a two-hour ferry ride north-east to Havelock Island, where we spent the first four nights. Our main interest there was diving, so we dived in the mornings and explored or relaxed in the afternoon. We dived with Barefoot Scuba, and altogether did six dives off Havelock: Red Lighthouse, The Wall, Dixon's Pinnacle (twice), Sebastien Hill and Parridge.

curious squid, Havelock

Frustratingly we forgot our camera the day we dived Dixon's Pinnacle, which was the day with the best visibility and most interesting underwater life spotted (Napoleon wrasses, school of barracudas, giant trevallies, barramundi, peacock mantis shrimp, pick-handle barracuda)!

one of many large barrel sponges, Havelock

Havelock

feather star, Havelock

Other things that we saw on Havelock but don't have (good enough) photos of are humpheaded parrotfish, blue-spotted stingrays, lobster and cleaner shrimp, pufferfish, boxfish, moray eels, octopus, bearded scorpionfish, ornate ghost pipefish, cuttlefish and tiger cowries.

Havelock dive sites.
The islands to the north (Peel, Wilson etc.) are uninhabited.

After four nights at Havelock we travelled to neighbouring Neil Island to spend a night. We were also able to fit in two dives there, with India Scuba Explorers, despite having been told it wouldn't be possible on the island.

Neil Island

Trevallies, Neil Island

Banded sea krait, Neil Island

Butterflyfish, Neil Island

Fan coral, Neil island

Then it was time to head back to Reunion via Port Blair and Chennai.

Saturday 24 March 2018

Southern India

My husband's Rotary club is twinned with a club in Pondicherry, and an exchange visit was the chance to visit the city as well as some other parts of southern India. I'm well aware that "southern India" is a vast area and neither my blog post nor visit can do anything other than scratch the surface of the region, but the title is my short way of referring to the cities and regions we visited (Pondicherry, Chennai and Kerala), and comes in opposition to our visit to northern India in 2012.

Pondicherry is well known to many French people as it was a French colonial settlement until 1954. Now officially known as Puducherry, it is often affectionately referred to as 'Pondy'.

tuk-tuks in the street, Pondicherry

Every Indian town or city seems to have its own Gandhi memorial, and Pondicherry is no exception.

Gandhi Memorial, seafront, Pondicherry

Ecole Française d'Extreme Orient, French quarter, Pondicherry

flower seller, Pondicherry

ceiling frieze at Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple

On our second day we visite nearby Auroville (literally 'City of Dawn'), a small international community of about 2200 people, founded as an experimental township in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, who was known reverentially as "the Mother". The focal point of Auroville is Matrimandir (a Sanskrit term for 'Temple of The Mother'), covered in 1400 gold discs.

the golf-ball shaped Matrimandir, Auroville

At Auroville. The lefthand stone reads "To the twelve petals surrounding
the golden sphere of Matrimandir, the Mother gave the name of twelve
qualities and assigned a specific colour to each of these qualities. She
also gave a name of spiritual significance to over 800 flowers.
Each quality is therefore also symbolised by a flower."

artwork by a South Korean artist, made with used CDs

We then flew across to the west coast to Kochi, formerly known as Cochin, a port city which has been drawing traders and explorers to its shores for over 600 years.

pink (i.e. ladies', to protect women) police van, Kochi

Kochi is famous for its Chinese fishing nets, which are a type of cantilevered stationary lift net that can be used to fish from the shore. They are a legacy of traders from the 14the century court of Kublai Khan. Each net needs 4 or 5 men to operate it.

Chinese fishing nets, Kochi

This iron weighs 8 kgs and is heated using burning coprah
(coconut husks).

these women are sorting root ginger by size

spices, Kochi

Famous Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama died in Cochin from malaria in 1524, and was buried in St Francis church for 14 years before his son took his remains back to Lisbon.

grave stone where Vasco da Gama used to be buried

The nearby Dutch cemetery was consecrated in 1724 and contains the graves of Dutch traders and soldiers.

old Dutch cemetery, Kochi

Santa Cruz Basilica was originally built in 1506, but the current building dates from 1902.

Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Kochi

inside Santa Cruz Basilica

St Peter & Paul's Syrian Orthodox church, Kochi

a stall selling vermillion (used for bindis), Kochi

Brahmin temple, Kochi (entrance forbidden to non-Hindus)

detail, Brahmin temple, Kochi

snake temple, Kochi

a shrine to the goddess Kali, with salt

After one night in Kochi we then drove down through central Kerala to the Alleppey backwaters for two nights.

Alleppey

Alleppey backwaters

We then flew back to Chennai for a final night before the rest of our group flew back to Reunion and we travelled onwards to the Andaman Islands. Our accommodation in Chennai was nearer the airport than the city centre, so we took a train to get to downtown.

Chennai train

Chennai used to be called Madras, and is one of the India's four biggest cities. Known as the 'capital of the south', it has a population of nearly 8 million and is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu.

in Chennai

Vivekananda House, Chennai

Gandhi monument, in Chennai

It's believed that 'Doubting Thomas' brought Christianity to India and was killed in Chennai in AD 72.

St Thomas Cathedral Basilica, Chennai

Incidentally south Indian food is fairly different from northern Indian food. It's often vegetarian and tends to be much spicier than northern cuisine.

thali in Pondicherry

thali in Kerala