We're actually in Bangkok...but uptating all previous places...its taking ages.....the speed is really slow and absolute torture to do photos...so I'm not doing any more till later ..but hopefully I'll manage to update till here.
Ive added to the GAP trip and now will add the others
Thank you to everybody for sending us messages ..its really good to know that people are reading this and thinking about us....I will try to get back to everyone...( when I get a better connection!) We are having a fabulous time as I hope you will gather from the blog...lots of love....
Andaman Islands
We walked down the steps of the aircraft onto Port Blair Andaman Islands and the heat and humidity hit us immediatly....It had been a wee bit chilly in the evenings in Delhi...3 hours South makes a huge difference....if I hadn't made the same mistake once before (Greece) I would have said we were feeling the heat from the jet engines! Port Blair is a mini 'anywhere in India' town...the same chaos, filth, litter, rubble, shack shops, tailors, material shops, food stalls...we were thinking 'just like at home ..the anywhere high street with all the same shops'. We booked into an expensive hotel...2,000 r ( £28) per night for the room...but it was a grand setting overlooking the bay with gardens a bar and a resturant, but still the same , not really clean room..it would only take two hours of proper cleaning then the place could easily be kept at that standard with half an hour going over between guests...but this seems to be the way here. The hotel 'megapode' would have been quite a grand place a few years ago, but again as with all places ..no maintenance. We were staying at the cheap to mid range places though, so maybe more expensive places would be maintained. However for us this place was just perfect, sitting in the garden with a cold beer, then some massala chan ( curried chick peas) and chilly chicken and popadoms.
We had two nights in Port Blair and during this time we did quite a lot including having another Indian punjabi style shirt and trousers made for me..in cotton this time ( sent others home)...combination of Bobsfavorite colour ..orange and my favorite colour turquoise.....with gold threads...very nice, visiting two other islands..British HQ for administering the islands pre independence...amazing..so ordered, organised and neat...Germanic almost...and another which served as a prison. ..at last to a snorkling spot for two hours. We have been so looking forward to snorkling...we've been in the sea but not snorklable....the Andamans are known for good snorkling and diving.... But not to be ....the site was very poor...poor visability and all the coral was dead...very dissappointing...I think the water was polluted..very near an industrial dockyard...we did see some fishes including amazingly in about 4ft of water a lion fish ( for diving enthusiasts amongst you)....so had to wait for fishes till we moved on to Havelock ...and day one there...straight into the water with our gear....and again dissappointed!...couldn't believe it ...but we're on Havelock ..must be good.....it turns out that quite a bit off shore ..long swim..there was a reef but again not great visability...this shore not great for snorkling...but there was no accomodation or development at all off the beaches that were good for snorkling ....they were generally accessed by boat. However our Christmas day was just amazing and included some absolutely fantastic snorkling...lots of fishes, lots of coral. We left our beach hut at 7.00... then headed off on our hired motorbike to the other side of the island to trek through the jungle for 45mins on a track to elephant beach where there was good snorkling. The walk was very nice but a bit 'anxious making'...as for us it seemed quite 'snakey', and there was constant rustling in the undergrowth, lizards scurring around...but they make snakey type rustlings...and you may know that Bob and I are alergic to snakes, and crocodiles and all sorts of scary things....well our anxiety was not misplaced!...I was in the lead ( brave Bob!) ... at the side of the path only about two feet away from me ..absolutely clasic drapred around some thin branches head up, in full view a bigish brown snake ...I sh*t, and ran quickly back " what is it what is it"..."bloody great snake"..and it didn't move ..but by the time Bob tried to compose the camera shot it decided to move quietly off. So continued to be anxious the rest of the way ( and worrying about the walk back!). The jungle opened out into a sandy mangrove area...tidal ..we were at low tide..we watched crabs and mud skippers...first time we'd seen them, apart from on David Attenburgh films.....they incredibly just hop on top of the water. .....then onto a beautiful beach...us not the mud skippers. Not many people walked out here so we had the place to ourselves....there were some boats further round the coast ..as it is a diving site too. What a fantastic Christmas present ..the water was crystal clear, turquoise blue and the corals and fish magnificent. No eventualities on the way back. Wee rest then opened our Christmas presents on the beach....thank you to everybody who gave us a wee something..it made it feel a bit Christmassy having a couple of cards to put up..then stuck the christmas paper on the wall as decoration. We had put up the Christmas tree the day before and decorated it with lights which we'd brought with us, and decorations from Fenella and Roger and David. The tree was a branch of a rubber plant ( tree out here). One of our pressies was new 'christmas parcel' pillow cases...from Alison...absolutely fantastic...and now Bob has a cover again which he stuffs with towel/fleece for his pillow. ( remember he had to throw his pillow out after the train journey). Thanks to Roger and Fenella for painting stuff and change purse, Oma and Jiti for Kashmiri box, and to Caroline for 8" measuring papers!!!..havn't a clue what to do with them!..and Angel calender from Morag. Bob had carried with him all this way Thai flying lanterns......10 of them!...pretty big.....in a flat cardboard box measuring about 2.5 ft square!....for those of you who know Pittenweem festival...they are the ones they set off with the fireworks. Keeping them for New Year cellebration. So a Christmas day to remember....no turkey 'though...didn't have much to eat that day...we had a lovely lunch the next day though.
We had 12 days on Havelock..lots of time to relax, and do almost nothing...its amazing ..the less you do, the less you want to do and more content you are to sit in a hammock in the shade and watch the sea, occasional dip/float ( certainly not swim...too energetic) in the sea then back to the hammock, play with the dogs..the place is a bit overrun with dogs..mostly they are all lovely natured dogs...a pack..6/7 dogs .. has its own bit of beach territory and they all go mental when another dog passes through or strays onto 'their beach'...they were fine with people though..very friendly...covered in fleas, lice and ticks (saw them all, squashed a few!) and mange...but generaly happy doggies...didn't belong to anybody...I think they must have got scraps from the various kitchens 'on their patch'..but they were delighted if you gave them a biscuit, or banana, or spicy crisp..or anything. Our bit of beach also had 5 puppies...absolutely gorgeous..as puppies are, including ' scabby heid' a wee black thing with a mange scab patch on his head. They also were very friendly and wanted to play and be petted...so fleas and all, many an hour was spent swinging in the hammock chair with one or two puppies sleeping in my lap. We also had our 'own dog'..we called her Kayla and for most of our stay she followed us around and gave us incredible greetings when we returned...she wouldn't go a walk with you though beyond 'her patch'...just stopped and went back........she actually ended up sleeping on our veranda outside our hut.....we miss her and she'll miss us...till shes adopted by the next accomodating tourist. These dogs seemed fine but we did wonder what happens when they become ill...certainly no vets, and they don't belong to anyone, we also saw some poor wee things, really skinny and victimised by other dogs..and dogs who'd had broken legs which had just mended in whatever position they'd been broken.....heartbreaking.
So on Havelock we stayed in two different places, but next door to each other and both much of a muchness.....beach huts ...concrete floors, woven bamboo sides, open or no window!...open between wall and roof, with basic bathroom...shower, toilet wash hand basin...we now have it sussed...what we did was get a pile of soap powder, a scrubbing brush, scubbing pads and cloths..and give the whole place, walls and all a thorough clean...it still didn't look great..but we know it was cleanish. Also asked for extra sheets for the bed ...they had been washed ...but never looked 'clean'..also always multi coloured, not your crisp, white cotton in these £6 -11 a day establishments.
The island is about 40 miles around..but no road goes around...basically one road from ferry down one side of the island where most of the accomodation is...again all very similar ..beachhuts of varying poshness...very basic...just a bed on the floor in a raised hut ..the same size as the bed, some a wee bit bigger but still no bathroom ( toilet ..squat style block), then ours , then ours with upstairs bit, then glass fronted concrete 'huts' and some concrete covered in bamboo posher still...From glass fronted up prices were from £16 - 50/night. Beaches and mangroves around the outside of the island, much forest/jungle, and some cultivated areas...individual small holdings....with one main village which had all kinds of different shops...all wooden shack type...and lots of other general purpose shack shops all over the place.
You could hire motor bikes/scooters relatively easily...but it was difficult to get one at New Year ( bike story)...all being used..they cost £3 for 24hrs. Every place organised snorkle trips ..around £7-15 per head depending on how many people were going and how far away.....it all just kind of happened ..there was no 'sign up for particular date system'...so if 6 of you could get together yourself and hire the boat it could be quite cheap but if just Bob and I wanted to go, and nobody else knew about it ..it would be quite dear. One place also rented out kyaks.
So we rented motorbikes 3 days ( kind of 5/6 days as 24hrs usually was pm one day am the other, kayaked two days...through mangroves and to snorkle sites, jungle trek and snorkle one day, snorkle boat trip one day.... and the rest of the time just just dossing about at the beach...and lots of sleeping...the climate is very energy sapping..so when we did any of the activites we were pretty knackered....its dark at 5.30 here and light at 5.30 ...so I was generally awake between 5.30 - 6.30...read a bit, did Yoga/Pilates on the veranda , then woke Bob to go for a swim together, then a walk on the beach, something to eat, sit around the beach, have another smim, sit and watch the sun go down...go to bed...generally between 7 or 8 ...one day I was in bed at 5.30!
Took us a wee while to find good places to eat..but we did and spent a bit more in these places than we might have in others..but still all pretty cheap. Food included fish curry, chicken curry, full breakfast with bacon! and porridge and fruit salad for me..(German/American outfit),great Naans chapaties and popadoms, masala ( cardomon) tea, fantastic grilled fish...with coconut and lime sauce!, samosas, pakora, puri watie - bite size puff balls of thin crispy batter, broken to insert a finger full ( hand dipped in pot of cold very spicy hot curried poatoes/lentils/veg 'mush 'and shoved into puff ball) of spicy 'mush' then whole thing, held in hand dipped into very spicy clear 'soup' then handed to customer.....and we tried this!....couldn't belive it ...we'd generally avoided the 'street food' to protect our constitutions..then we broke it with this!...too hot for me ..but Bob had 4!..and apart from 'hot bottie' ..no ill effects. We've really had almost no problems with food and tummies..and now we are ready to get adventurous and try all these amazing looking things being cooked at the side of the road in really dodgy looking places....but we're leaving..so..we'd need another induction of a month again to work up to it if we come back.
New Year
Generally you didn't book anything here just turn up ask and go.....but when we tried this for motorbikes for New Year..we couldn't get one anywhere. We had two reasons for wanting a motor bike....there was going to be a very loud 'Indian House music type' party right where we were staying...and all night till sunrise..they 'warmed up the night before and it was excrutiating!..this was next door to our place and our place said they were planning a party with load music too....not sure how this would have been possible as so load anyway ...so reason number one to try to find a quiet spot ..perhaps on the beach where we could sleep...I had booked a dive for the 1st! ( as it turned out I cancelled as I was concerned about lack of sleep..but also I developed a cold on the 30th!)....we wouldn't have minded a bit of a celebration till say 1.00 ish but al night...and Bobs not exactly a party animal.
Reason no. 2 was we wanted to let off our flying lanterns.....I'd painted some of them...one with 'Happy New Year' ...and all our friends and families names on it....we wanted to set it off at New Year with all our good wishes to everyone.......which we did and it was so special...fantastic photo...I'll download eventually

might not quite have finished this entry as I thought I had ..anyway magificent relaxing time in the Andamans.