Mumbai to Port Blair

Nothing was heard from the nearby main road, which is understandable, even in India the eternal line of cars, rickshaws, motorcycles, buses and trucks is sometimes interrupted. Already experienced on my first trip to India, the destination was Aurangabad, which was rather unknown to me at the time, it turned out to be a city of millions, deserted at night, absolute energy of madness during the day, people and metal dueling and crossing the street, eerie madness.

Wake up

In Mumbai - Borivali 5.30 a.m. there is the possibility of playing there, i.e. crossing the street. The destination here, the nearby metro and I was already internally hoping to get another quarter of a square meter of space. But to my surprise it was almost deserted. So I could enjoy the journey to the final station in Gundavali. The view out of the window on the right and left is an ever-changing picture of concrete, only interrupted by one or two slums.

Chai at Chaiwala

In Gundavali we had the first Massala Chai in the morning and then a short rickshaw ride to Terminal 1 of the airport. Which of course you don't just enter, no, you stand in one of the rows to check your flight ticket and passport, without which you won't even be allowed in.

The flight

On the plane I took a comfortable seat by the window in the last row. Suddenly the stewardess stood in front of me and offered me the even more comfortable one, at the emergency exit, with plenty of legroom. I was immediately instructed how to open it in an emergency and only when called upon after a possible crash landing. Of course everything went well, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this anymore. At least not so fast, the distance from the mainland to the Andaman Islands is around 2200 km, so I would definitely have swam for a while.

Port Blair - Andaman Islands

In Port Blair, the capital of these islands, I immediately passed through a brand new and ultra-modern airport. And after 15 minutes of walking and 3 wrong turns, I found myself at my accommodation.

One thing should be made clear here: anyone who comes here should not expect much in the way of culture. Port Blair is an ever-growing city of shops and how could it be otherwise, a rapid increase in traffic. Two thirds of the main island is still covered with forest, which can certainly be beautified with beautiful gray concrete in the near future, irony!

From 1857 onwards, the British founded a penal colony here and built their "Cellular Jail", which can be visited today. Another sightseeing destination is Viper Island, where a predecessor prison to the one here was located. And Ross Island should also be mentioned , an offshore island that was created for the British officers, including a clubhouse and a church. Today, more than 70 years after the Second World War, the island is uninhabited and nature is taking everything back. It is impressive to see how the roots are breaking through all the walls and hug. Otherwise, normal life takes place here, as it mainly serves as a springboard to the islands of Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) and Neil (Shaheed Dweep)

Namaste