Have you ever considered going to a tropical paradise where blue waters, lush greenery, and a rich history converge simultaneously? Think again, as you might get confused with other beaches in India or abroad. Yes, you are right that we will be taking you all on a fantastic landing in the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Port Blair.
In case you don’t know who we are……
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……
In this blog series, we will take you to the various key attractions of the Andaman Islands. Till then, hold on to your seats as we take you all on another exciting ride to this part of India.
Now, before starting with our experience, our readers might be curious about……
1. What is the best possible way to reach Port Blair?
Our answer would be straightforward, “by air”. You read it right: flight is the best way to reach Port Blair. The Port Blair Airport is known as Veer Savarkar International Airport. It is well connected with most Indian cities such as Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi. Most of the domestic airlines operate on this route. Depending on your city, the flight duration can vary between 2 to 5 hours maximum.
Apart from flights, travellers also opt to reach Port Blair by sea. Directorate of Shipping Services, Andaman and Nicobar Administration operate those ships. It’s evident that the ships take more time than flights. However, many travellers opt for this mode as they want to have a different experience. The ships mainly operate from Kolkata, Chennai and Vishakapatnam. For ships, the duration can range between 50 to 70 hours.
Tip: Book the ship tickets well in advance to avoid last-minute rush.
For us, we chose to travel by air. It was the month of February when we planned this trip to the Andaman Islands. It was the first time that we would be experiencing something new. When we say new, it means sea beach on one side, forest on the other, and you are sitting with your loved ones, a heavenly feeling.
Returning to our story, the next question…….
2. How did we reach Port Blair?
It was an early morning flight to Port Blair from Kolkata. The flight was around 5:30 AM. So, we reached the airport by the previous midnight. We tried to doze off in the middle of the night; out of excitement, we remained awake the whole night. Finally, we boarded our flight at 5:10 AM, and as it took off, we could see the sunrise on the horizon.
In the middle, we dozed off. After a short while, we could see the landscape changing from the Bay of Bengal to some green islands; we realized that the flight would land in a short while. When we landed, it was close to 8 o’clock.
After picking up our luggage from the baggage belt, we headed towards the exit to hire a car for our stay.
Now, seeing the word “stay”, you might be thinking……..
3. Where was our stay at Port Blair?
Our stay was hardly 2 km from the airport. It was on the Jungli Ghat, MG Road. Thankfully, we pre-booked a cab before landing, and by the time we landed, driver was waiting outside the airport with his cab. Our stay was in a serene location. There was a garage nearby. There were little or no grocery stores nearby. The reason for choosing the stay was the deal we got on an online portal. It was a super cool deal.
The hotel has its restaurant, and this made us super happy. As soon as we checked in, they served us welcome drinks and then we went back to our room and took a shower. We were awake the previous night and rested after breakfast for a few hours before starting our journey in Port Blair.
Any guess where we would head to first????
Yes, many might have understood. It was the Iconic Cellular Jail of Port Blair.
Now, we know what you might be thinking…….
4. How was the experience of visiting the Cellular Jail of Port Blair?
As we were about to depart in the afternoon, our hotel manager insisted on having lunch and then depart for the Cellular Jail. He told us that the Jail museum operates from 9 AM to 10 PM and again from 1:30 PM to 4:45 PM. It was around 2 o’clock when we departed for the first destination after a heavy lunch. We had already pre-booked our cab.
It was nearly half an hour’s ride from our stay to the Cellular Jail. Another 300-meter walk from the drop-off point, we were in front of the Cellular Jail. There was a small entry fee of 30 INR for Indians and 100 INR for non-Indians.
We noticed a small miniature model of the complete Jail with seven wings as we entered. It took us a bit of time to digest the fact that the jail complex had been a witness to innumerable pain among the captured political prisoners during India’s Independence.
Before we started exploring the wings where the prisoners were kept, we saw the places where the prisoners were tortured and hanged.
Even though the jail was built in the early 1900s and transformed into a museum, we could still feel the bricks and stones of the jail trying to say something to us. Indeed, we could feel why this place is called “Kaala Paani” or the “Black Water“.
After exploring a few cells, we observed that the cells were built so that none of the prisoners could communicate with each other.
We even visited the cell where Mr. Veer Savarkar, one of the most renowned political prisoners, was kept. It simply reflected how the prisoners fought the mighty British Colonial rule. It gave us goosebumps after imagining their sacrifices.
Finally, after exploring for over two hours, we went to the top of the central tower. We already mentioned that the jail complex consisted of seven towers.
The fascinating thing was that all seven towers seemed to be generated from the central tower. Such planning made it quite easy for the Britishers to monitor the prisoners. We even witnessed a beautiful sunset from the terrace. An amazing dusk.
This place is no joke, and we understand, why this place is so renowned across India. It was close to 4:45 PM and was about to close. Remember that the Cellular Jail Museum is closed every Monday. Plan your itinerary keeping this in mind.
We wanted to stay there and witness the light and sound show. The light and sound show starts at 5:50 PM. We then headed to the Fisheries Museum near the Cellular Jail.
As we went downhill from the Cellular Jail Complex, the fisheries museum near Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex was about to close. We heard from one of the locals that the museum had corals, fish and other marine organisms exclusive to that region. We sat in a resting place at the water sports complex. A cool breeze blew while we soaked in the beauty of the place.
In the meantime, we were having a constant look at our watch. When it was 5:30 PM, we hurried to the Cellular Jail complex to buy the light and sound tickets.
Now, the obvious question…..
5. How was the Light and Sound Show of Cellular Jail?
The ticket counter for the Light and Sound Show was just opposite the entrance of the Cellular Jail Museum. There was already a huge queue, to be honest. We stood there for over 20 minutes, and then we could get our tickets. The ticket price was 300 INR per person. We got the tickets for the Hindi Show that starts from 6 PM to 7:15 PM. There was also an English show that starts at 7:15 PM. The light and sound show occurs on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Thankfully, we happened to visit on Sunday.
Soon, we took our best possible seat in the gallery. We could see the seven wings with the central tower. The show started sharp at 6:15 PM. Suddenly, we could hear the voice of the legendary Bollywood actor Mr Amitabh Bachhan narrating how the jail was built and how the Britishers brought numerous Indians from across the country to suppress them.
In the middle there were voiceovers from other artists as well. They were also brilliant on their part. As they were narrating the jail’s history, the lights were turning on and off, and the colours were changing based on the tune of the narration—a fantastic and mesmerizing light and sound we had ever witnessed.
After 7:15 PM, we slowly moved out of the jail complex, returned to the parking and headed to our stay. Despite being a tiring day, we were over the moon after visiting the Cellular Jail. We ordered our dinner by 8:30 PM and ended our perfect landing in Port Blair. The next awaits another adventure that we will share in the next blog of this Andaman Blog Series.
We hope you can also plan a perfect landing to this amazing Island.
Till then, do follow us for the next blog of this series.
Wait! We are not going anywhere without this last question……
6. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of a new place. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau
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