Port Blair

I have been looking forward to The Andaman Islands for a while.  From what I hear and read we should be in for some beautiful scenery and beaches with crystal blue clear waters.  I was hoping for that in Goa but it didn't quite deliver on that.  We arrived in the airport in Port Blair and filled  out our entry slips and got our permits and off we went.



We booked a place in Aberdeen Bazaar which is apparently where the cheapo backpacker accommodation is.  When I read about the Andamans I was expecting to be blown away from the moment I arrived but it wasn't to be.  The mistake we made was not going straight to the Islands.  Port Blair has the feel of an Indian city in that it's really beepy, a bit smelly and not very islandy in feel...  Rickshaw drivers will keep pulling up in your path every 30 seconds which is so annoying because I keep almost walking into them.  It's like they want you to fall in so they can charge you for it.

Our hotels alright though but it does have a building site in front of it (pictured above) and trucks keep blocking the road which causes traffic jams and a lot of beeping.  Apparently if you get into a traffic jam the best thing to do is beep relentlessly until someone gives in and reverses.  Not fun to listen to but quite amusing to watch.  It's a different world I tell you!

We ventured into a bar in the evening to get away from the rain and beeping.  Bars in India are interesting as a woman because you wont find any other women in them.  Indian women are not really expected to venture in - men on the other hand can get trollied all day if they so please. I walked in and immediately felt like a complete alien.  No one said anything but it was  strange - I felt like an intruder on sacred man only territory.  I made Andy order my drink because I was too scared.  I was the only person drinking a spirit and mixer which really perplexed the barman.  Everyone else was on Kingfisher strong. Andy got spoken to by the barman and I just tried to not look self conscious.  It was a good/terrifying experience.  Suffice to say I left after one drink dragging Andy along with me wondering what the big deal was.

Anyway we're going to head to Havelock which is one of the islands.  It is probably the most touristy but because it's off season it shouldn't be crowded.