zanskar
Apr 10, 12, 2:14 pm
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/andamanmap1.png
I have recently returned from an excellent trip to the Andaman Islands and thought I would post my experiences as it is a relatively unusual location for a holiday- though I suspect this is rapidly changing. You may want to get there while you can!
Background
I have already been to the Andaman islands as part of a longer trip involving a land journey from Beijing to Kathmandu (see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1317404-tibet-trip-overland-beijing-kathmandu.html). I was much taken by the primeval jungle feel to the islands and also seriously impressed by the quality of the fishing in the rich seas. As long-haul travel and fishing are my great passions in life, a return visit for a 12 day trip seemed like a perfect break from work.
The Andaman Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have for a long time been politically part of India, although geographically they lie closer to Thailand, Burma and Indonesia than to the Indian mainland. Travel to the islands is very restrictive with tourists only allowed to visit a limited number of the Andaman Islands, with the Nicobar Islands completely off limits even to Indians who do not have a good reason to be there. The Nicobar Islands in particular were devastated by the 2004 tsunami.
Part of the reason for the restrictive nature of tourism is that there still exist a number of tribal groups on various islands who have no contact with the outside world, and these peoples are protected as best as possible from any contact by the Indian Government. Previous attempts to make contact with some of these tribes have been met with showers of spears and arrows, so I for one was in no hurry to attempt to break this rule! Those islands allowing tourists have largely been colonised by Bengalis and Tamils, many of whom have been there for a number of generations.
It would be wrong to say that you are trailblazing when making a trip to the Andamans. Tourism on Havelock Island in particular is well established, but there is a wonderful laid back atmosphere compared with the Indian mainland and a pervading sense of tropical languor which makes a visit extremely worthwhile. The tortuous nature of getting to the islands also maintains a sense of exclusiveness. I for one would mourn the day that direct charter flights fire up from Gatwick!
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/Andaman_Islands.jpg
Getting there
Getting to the Andamans is only via the Indian mainland. The best city to connect from is Chennai, although there are other links via Kolkata, and indirectly via Delhi. All flights go to the capital, Port Blair, and most tourists then make a bee line to Havelock Island, a 2 and a half hour ferry trip away.
BA to Chennai
I chose to make use of BA’s extensive Indian network by flying direct to Chennai. Grabbing the best value for miles, I bought WT+ in a sale and used miles to upgrade to J, although unfortunately there was only outbound availability for the upgrade.
I had decided to drive to Heathrow and had splashed out on business parking with the express intention of trying out the small pods which deliver you to the terminal. Imagine my disappointment when I was told that the car park was full and I had been ‘upgraded’ to the short stay one instead! Once in the terminal I checked in and made my way up to the south lounge. The flight was leaving from the C terminal which I had not used before, and I sidled over about 45 minutes before departure.
T5
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000840.jpg
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/IMG_0256.jpg
My 3-class 777
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/IMG_0260.jpg
Boarding was swift and I found my seat, 2K, on a 3-class 777. Not travelling for work, Club World is a rare pleasure for me and I really make the most of the experience. I had a couple of glasses of champers and settled back to enjoy the flight.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/IMG_0263.jpg
The flight was aided by a good-going tailwind and was only going to be a shade over 9 hours. The crew was polite and friendly and the service generally very good. The food wasn’t too bad either- I noticed the use of flavours which were quite robust such as lots of sun dried tomatoes in the salad, and the curry main course was surprisingly spicy, although it was rather dry and desiccated by the oven.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000852.jpg
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000853.jpg
Menu
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000847.jpg
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000848.jpg
Starter
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000854.jpg
Main
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000855.jpg
Dessert
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000856.jpg
I was a bit surprised then to be served a full breakfast at about 2 in the morning Indian time prior to landing. I do like full English breakfasts on planes, but does anyone else agree that it could really do without eggs with the consistency of vulcanised rubber? We made it into Chennai at an unsociable 3:30am.
Immigration and Customs was rapid leaving me milling around the decidedly down-at-heel airport. My flight to Port Blair wasn’t until 10am and it didn’t strike me as the best use of an expensive hotel room for a relatively short period of time. I tried to get one of the ‘retiring rooms’ in the airport but they were full so I used my priority pass to get into the BICA domestic lounge. Whilst a bit basic, there were leather sofas and it was empty of any other passengers, so the staff seemed happy to let me grab a bit of rest crashed out on the sofa for a few hours before my flight to Port Blair.
The flight to Port Blair was on a Jet Airways 737-800. I snagged an emergency exit seat and settled back for the 2 hour hop across the Indian Ocean. I had to pay for a rather miserable sandwich filled with unidentifiable gloop, but it was otherwise fine.
Waiting to depart MAA
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000857.jpg
Emergency exit seat legroom on Jet
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000858.jpg
I have recently returned from an excellent trip to the Andaman Islands and thought I would post my experiences as it is a relatively unusual location for a holiday- though I suspect this is rapidly changing. You may want to get there while you can!
Background
I have already been to the Andaman islands as part of a longer trip involving a land journey from Beijing to Kathmandu (see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1317404-tibet-trip-overland-beijing-kathmandu.html). I was much taken by the primeval jungle feel to the islands and also seriously impressed by the quality of the fishing in the rich seas. As long-haul travel and fishing are my great passions in life, a return visit for a 12 day trip seemed like a perfect break from work.
The Andaman Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have for a long time been politically part of India, although geographically they lie closer to Thailand, Burma and Indonesia than to the Indian mainland. Travel to the islands is very restrictive with tourists only allowed to visit a limited number of the Andaman Islands, with the Nicobar Islands completely off limits even to Indians who do not have a good reason to be there. The Nicobar Islands in particular were devastated by the 2004 tsunami.
Part of the reason for the restrictive nature of tourism is that there still exist a number of tribal groups on various islands who have no contact with the outside world, and these peoples are protected as best as possible from any contact by the Indian Government. Previous attempts to make contact with some of these tribes have been met with showers of spears and arrows, so I for one was in no hurry to attempt to break this rule! Those islands allowing tourists have largely been colonised by Bengalis and Tamils, many of whom have been there for a number of generations.
It would be wrong to say that you are trailblazing when making a trip to the Andamans. Tourism on Havelock Island in particular is well established, but there is a wonderful laid back atmosphere compared with the Indian mainland and a pervading sense of tropical languor which makes a visit extremely worthwhile. The tortuous nature of getting to the islands also maintains a sense of exclusiveness. I for one would mourn the day that direct charter flights fire up from Gatwick!
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/Andaman_Islands.jpg
Getting there
Getting to the Andamans is only via the Indian mainland. The best city to connect from is Chennai, although there are other links via Kolkata, and indirectly via Delhi. All flights go to the capital, Port Blair, and most tourists then make a bee line to Havelock Island, a 2 and a half hour ferry trip away.
BA to Chennai
I chose to make use of BA’s extensive Indian network by flying direct to Chennai. Grabbing the best value for miles, I bought WT+ in a sale and used miles to upgrade to J, although unfortunately there was only outbound availability for the upgrade.
I had decided to drive to Heathrow and had splashed out on business parking with the express intention of trying out the small pods which deliver you to the terminal. Imagine my disappointment when I was told that the car park was full and I had been ‘upgraded’ to the short stay one instead! Once in the terminal I checked in and made my way up to the south lounge. The flight was leaving from the C terminal which I had not used before, and I sidled over about 45 minutes before departure.
T5
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000840.jpg
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/IMG_0256.jpg
My 3-class 777
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/IMG_0260.jpg
Boarding was swift and I found my seat, 2K, on a 3-class 777. Not travelling for work, Club World is a rare pleasure for me and I really make the most of the experience. I had a couple of glasses of champers and settled back to enjoy the flight.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/IMG_0263.jpg
The flight was aided by a good-going tailwind and was only going to be a shade over 9 hours. The crew was polite and friendly and the service generally very good. The food wasn’t too bad either- I noticed the use of flavours which were quite robust such as lots of sun dried tomatoes in the salad, and the curry main course was surprisingly spicy, although it was rather dry and desiccated by the oven.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000852.jpg
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000853.jpg
Menu
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000847.jpg
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000848.jpg
Starter
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000854.jpg
Main
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000855.jpg
Dessert
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000856.jpg
I was a bit surprised then to be served a full breakfast at about 2 in the morning Indian time prior to landing. I do like full English breakfasts on planes, but does anyone else agree that it could really do without eggs with the consistency of vulcanised rubber? We made it into Chennai at an unsociable 3:30am.
Immigration and Customs was rapid leaving me milling around the decidedly down-at-heel airport. My flight to Port Blair wasn’t until 10am and it didn’t strike me as the best use of an expensive hotel room for a relatively short period of time. I tried to get one of the ‘retiring rooms’ in the airport but they were full so I used my priority pass to get into the BICA domestic lounge. Whilst a bit basic, there were leather sofas and it was empty of any other passengers, so the staff seemed happy to let me grab a bit of rest crashed out on the sofa for a few hours before my flight to Port Blair.
The flight to Port Blair was on a Jet Airways 737-800. I snagged an emergency exit seat and settled back for the 2 hour hop across the Indian Ocean. I had to pay for a rather miserable sandwich filled with unidentifiable gloop, but it was otherwise fine.
Waiting to depart MAA
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000857.jpg
Emergency exit seat legroom on Jet
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg565/zanskar1/P1000858.jpg