Recently I went to Andaman and Nicobar islands and it was definitely worth visiting. It is like the Maldives of India. It was so hectic the day before we were leaving, first, we had to check whether we have packed everything or not, then at the end of the day, I forgot if I packed my charger or not, so again I opened my bag and after hours of searching I found it lying on the couch. We began our journey from New Delhi and hopped on to the next flight to Port Blair via Chennai and we reached Chennai at 11 am. The next flight to Andaman was in the next morning at 5 am. We had so much time to kill before our next flight so we decided to visit Chennai and eat some idlis. We were four North Indians standing in front of the airport in Chennai where no one knows Hindi and probably a little English. After showing some sign language, my father called a cab and he took us to the hotel in the evening. We went to a very famous South Indian restaurant and the idli we had was so good it was like what I was eating in Delhi was a joke. The next morning we woke up early and boarded the flight to Andaman and Nicobar islands. The view from above while landing at the Port Blair airport was mind-boggling. We arrived at the hotel and after resting that day we explored the coastal city the next morning.
The most famous attraction in Port Blair is the Cellular Jail or Kala Pani jail, one of the most dangerous and strict jails in the British era. I was shocked to see the jail cell so small that it was difficult to breathe in it and imagine a freedom fighter going and spending the rest of their life in that small cell. The city was very nice and the museum was one of the best I have ever visited. The next day we caught a ferry to the island town of Havelock. This island is one of the cleanest and most popular destinations in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. The town was very small so to commute here and there we hired an auto and the auto driver was so nice and sweet. We went to the world-famous elephant beach, one of the cleanest beaches in Asia! You would not believe that you are in India and the water is crystal clear. The sky was so clear we spent almost 3 hours on the beach playing in the water and even with the waves coming in we saw the sunset at the beach. After so many photo sessions for Instagram, we came back to the hotel. During dinner, for the first time, I had lobster and it was a very nice experience. Though I did not like it, it was worth the try. The next day we went scuba diving and I saw so many coral reefs filled with aquatic life and it was a mesmerising view.
The final day of our vacation had come and we were leaving for Port Blair for our flight from Havelock. While giving the tour rent to the auto driver we did not have a change of ₹200 so he said to us in a very sweet and kind manner that “sir don’t worry, next time when you come then pay me ” that line by him made me think that people who don’t have much are always satisfied with what they have and are very happy about it. People like us who have more than them still run after things that don’t matter in life just for the sake of respect and show off. This vacation did make me realise that our country is so diverse as well as it made me realise that we all should be happy in what we have.
Krrish is an avid reader and writer. He has been interested in writing a novel since the ripe age of 10.