-by Bipasha
Andaman Islands (it’s an archipelago of around 325
islands) was a surprise holiday destination for me and a good one too! It was a
holiday long pending and my spouse and I wanted to visit a destination which is
not overtly ‘touristy’! You know what I mean - did not want to go to
overcrowded hill stations (we Delhiites rush to Shimla or Kulu at the drop of
the hat) or beaches where we knew it had to be again a mad rush for ‘holiday
resources’!
Anyway, we reached Port Blair on day 1 (flights ply
from Delhi to Port Blair via Kolkata or Chennai) and checked into a picturesque
guest room (of the Indian Air Force).
Surprisingly, Andaman has a tri-force
command and my suggestion is if you have strings to pull, put up in a guest room
of Army, navy or Air Force because they enjoy the best locations! We started
our tour of the capital city of Port Blair in the evening - it was a beautiful
drive along meandering roads (going suddenly up and then sloping down just to
catch the glimpse of the sea!) dotted with British-era houses, few restaurants
and small shops.
The Port Blair beach is secluded and lonesome - we
took a casual walk and stumbled upon a little romantic eat-and-stay place right
on the beach.
Day 2 : We visited the Cellular Jail (it is called so
because of the concept of solitary confinement) or the Kaala Pani - one of the
most dreaded seclusions that a person in those times could ask for.
However, the architecture really amazed me - it was
L-shaped so that each cell could be visible to the warden from his position.
Great freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar (the Port Blair airport is named
after him) and Bukteshwar Dutt were inmates there. There is a list of more than
200 freedom fighters on the board there! You can also visit the museum adjacent
to the jail where it gives you an idea of the kind of lives the freedom
fighters led.
There are several other places to visit in Port
Blair such as the Fisheries Museum or you can simply laze around on the beach......
(to be continued next week )
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