Konni & Matt - Perpetual Travellers: 02 Mar

South Asia
Republic of Incredible India, the world's biggest democrazy
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
South Andaman Island
Port Blair
Hotel Shah-N-Shah +913192233696

Comfortable double room (no. 111) with a great private terrace, for only INR 500.- or US$ 11.10 per night.

Click below for an interactive road map of the Hotel Shah-N-Shah in Port Blair, which we would recommend, and for directions:

N 11° 40.27' E 092° 44.34'

Exploring Port Blair’s Aberdeen Bazaar, a bustling commercial hub and melting pot of people and cultures with many food stalls which sell everything from spicy samosas and hot chapattis to lekker thalis and delicious sweets, and noticing the odd time-table for sun rises (05:30 a.m. local time) and sun sets (05:30 p.m. local time) since all the 572 Andaman & Nicobar islands, islets and rocks belong to the same time zone as the Indian motherland (Indian Standard Time) and all the A & N clocks tick accordingly.

“India is not, as people keep calling it, an underdeveloped country, but rather, in the context of its history and cultural heritage, a highly developed one in an advanced state of decay.”

(Shashi Tharoor)

Embarking on a rusty piece of scrap metal with a still powerful enough diesel engine, the proud MV “Wandoor” (fare for non-islanders: INR 195.- or US$ 4.30 per person in seat class, one way), and enjoying tremendously the 3-hr long trip through the aquamarine waters of the Bay of Bengal from Port Blair’s Phoenix Jetty via a short stopover at Neil Island (the vegetable bowl of the Andamans) to Havelock Island and thereafter negotiating a short ride with a Bajaj three-wheeler rickshaw (INR 50.- or US$ 1.10) to Vijaynagar Beach aka "Beach No. 5" on Havelock's east coast, just opposite John Lawrence Island.