There are few places left on earth with no internet access. One of those is in India, but not on the continent:

The Anadaman and Nicobar islands are a cluster of 500+ small islands closer to Thailand and Indonesia than from mainland India. Most of the islands are inaccessible to foreigners because of local tribes, and some islands are still completely untouched by human being. Anadamans are pure tropical paradise, only few foreigners make it here, and those who make it are awarded with one of the wildest and purest part of this planet.

That was enough to convince me to buy a flight to Port Blair, Andamans main city and only gateway to the rest of the world.
Of course the only way to leave Port Blair towards the rest of the archipelago is boat, and buying a ferry ticket in Port Blair requires, patience (a lot), tolerance (more than a lot) and time.
Right after landing and getting my 3 weeks local permit, I headed to the harbor and lined in the queue. Thousands of Indians were pushing, screaming, throwing money to the clerk in front of something that seemed to be the ticket office. In such conditions I was not competitive with my big luggage, so I dropped my pack and joined the mess till I made my way to the small window to be told that today's ferry to my wished destination was either full, had already left of didn't existed at all.

As I felt it would have been useless to push the harbor guys, I gave up for the day, and looked for a room in town.

Next day: early wake up and back to the harbor with my full gear, I was confident and ready to use my elbows to reach the desk as soon as possible, get a ticket and jump on a ferry!
Few hours later I was on board a 1970's boat to Neil Island, a very small and quiet island, 2 hours sail from Port Blair.

As Indians say: All is well!

During the cruise we were joined by some dolphins and minutes before reaching the Harbor I stared to see the first reefs, at almost 10 meters depth, highlighted by crystal transparent water, white beaches, coconut trees and so on...Nothing was missing.
On Neil Island there are not many accommodation opportunities, so it was not hard to find a nice small bamboo hut meters from the water for less than 5$.

Best way to move around is to walk or cycle, sun goes down by 5.30pm and rises 12 hours later and there is no public illumination on the only paved road. As introduced above, there is no phone nor internet coverage. There are only a few restaurants, a small vegetable and fish market, a small shop, a mechanic, a school and a barber.

Time takes another dimension here: both locals and foreigners lives in a really different way: maybe because of the no access to the outside world, life seems to pass by slower and more quietly without all the usual worries. Things are simple here: fishermen comes back around 3 in the afternoon, that's the meeting time for all the locals. Everybody bears at the market, look at the catch, talks about it, have tea and fruit juices, laugh, jokes then go back home for dinner!

As a tourist thing are not much different: early wake up, morning swim in the sea, snorkeling and breakfast. Then lay down under some coconut tree in a hammock with a book to avoid day's hottest hours, walk on the virgin beaches, meet people from other countries and share travel stories, dinner and bedtime!

One day I bought a few nice fishes from the market, some garlic, lemon and ginger, found a nice beach with awesome natural pool and cooked my fish for lunch: delicious!

Andamans are special place, it doesn't feel like being in India at all...and because it's so special I choose this specific destination as last destination for my Indian trip.

As all the good things have a start, they also have an end.

So here comes the end of my 2 and a half months travel across India, at this point I could only be subjective if I had to do a feedback about the subcontinent.
So let's be subjective!

Being in India was like swimming in an big ocean of feelings, landscapes, smells and tastes, colors, sounds, with strong currents made by people, trains and buses pushing and pulling you in all directions. From tropical beaches of Kerala to snowy paths of Himachal Pradesh and from Gujarat's salt desert to Delhi's crowded bazaars I met beautiful people, saw unforgettable things and learned a lot of things not only about the country and its inhabitants, but also about myself.

Therefore I would like to give my biggest THANK YOU, coming straight from my hearth, to India and Indians.
See you again!


Travel facts:

Total stay: 80 days
Total distance covered: 12000km by land (excluding flights to the Andamans)
Places where I slept: 23
Longest stay: 1 week, Manali
Highest point: Darjeeling, 2500m
Lowest point: Goa, Kerlala, Andamans, 0m
Hottest point: Goa, Kerlala, Andamans: around 35 degrees
Coldest point: Manali, Darjeeling: -5 degrees