Andamanes.
We were the only forigners who arrived to Port Blair. So, procedure of receiving special permission to this restricting area was not long.
Prepaid taxi was cheap. Our ferry Makruz at 2pm. But  it was tiny hope change the ticket and catch the ferry at 8am.
In vain. To do qiickly something in india or to change something you need to born a God.
No one even look at our papers. Your feryy is at 2pm. Go away.
Taxi from port was 3 time more expensive.
We found big car and get to clothes beach.
Water was not blue, sand wasnt white. There were old dirty wooden banches, awful toilet and one closed restaurant. Oldfashion, dirty, soviet stile place. I fill myself poor. It wasnot place of my dream.
After two hours indian tourists appears. We were like monkeys in the zoo, they asked to photo us, to photo with us.

It was time to take a ferry.
Port is impossible dirty and secret place. Old, broken ships, swamp of rubish around, bad smell. And this is main island in Andamanes?

Procedure of departure was complecate, with numerous stuff, wih tickets, laggage stickets,check points  ext.

Strange, but Markuz ferry really more or less clean, A/C and fast. And with cocroaches, as usuall.

In two  hours we arrived at Havelock.
Our eco friendly hotel is Emerald Gekko. This is simple bungalow tipe hotel with bamboo houses. Its not a lit of bungaloow here and yhey make something loke a circle. So, the main huge area is with coco palms only. We felt alone ourselfs here.

 

Servicese are basic, but we liked them . And every hotel, motel, house in Havelock has its awn restaurant. So Gekko also has. With brilliant delitious cuisine, prepared by english girl.
Ocean was close. Just 10 m from bungaloow

And 500 m if it was tide out.

Morning was fresh, daytime hot, ocean rought with wind, yoda master on vacanses.
So, first we rented old awfull bycicles. To make our trip more activ.

Then we start take breakfast before sunrise. I asked in kitchen at the evening some fruits and eggs. Once i received dry porrige. We made coffee, salads, hot porrige and took the breakfast on the sand with ocean view.
Diving was challenge. Andaman Bubbles said that all possible but took money and drop divers between islands. Good diving on Andamanes is only in ocean. From Dec to Feb strong North East wind brings waves and choppy ocean. Divers boats are small.
We dived with Dive India. This is expensive but good trained and honest ( more or less) center.
First day was near Havelock. The Wreck and the Wall. Visibility at first point was max 7 m. Boat on the bottom. Uninteresting. Not a lot of fish. Sand around.
The Wall was niear Lighthouse. Strong current which tried to take my madk from the face and swept me away, bad visibility, possibility to move only with the help of hands, keeping stones and holes by fingers. But big fish, napoleon, traveyee ext. Drop off and on only with line. Rope is short. Waves are big. Boat all time want to kill you, chopping near the head. And current.
Two next days we had been in ocean. Beautiful, vivid, ful of fish and life places. Long way to rich them. Rough ocean. Getting to line with full mouth of salt water. Waves, big waves. Again boat, crashing near the head when we stop together near buoyo. If release it, current swept you away.
Three days of struggle with ocean and waves was enought for me. Actually, it was not very hot underwater. I was in full 3mm suit, hood, socks, glowes. I was cold, my teeth chattered. Guides dived without suites. Not because the wrre not cold. Because the had no suits….
Our next pleasure was ride to beach 7 by bycicle. One hour one way. Up and dawn. 11,5 km. Early in the morning.
We were the only three persons who used bycicles. Only!!!
We visited all beaches – Kalapathar (5 km from Gekko), Elephant (9km by bycicle+2 km by foot one way).
They all different.
Kalapathar is small. We ride by path 1km more and found dead trees on white beach. Beautiful!

Elephant is strange. We passed jungles and get into mangrow swamp. Dozens of crabs run away. Locals made fishing with net. No elephants. Famoust old Rajah dead 3 month before. Waves cannot allow do snorkling.

And beach 7. Real paradise. No umbrellas, no foodsellers, no merchandisers, no rubbish, no hotels, nothing. Virgin. Empty. 4km of white sand. 50 m width. 50 hindu near the entrance. All population cannot swim. So they are all together in their dresses near the beach. And another 3,5 km of beach to forigners. And its not more then 20 of us….
Take out people and  it will be wild.

 

And food. Fresh juices and seafood. We tried many places. The best we like are Anju Coco Rest and small restairant from the left side of the market.

In Red Snapper it was delitious but too long.
Anju Coco propose a book with different dishes. Very testy and quick. Normal ptices.
But the best was market restaurant. Fresh juces, homemade yogurts , snappers in banana leaf, deserts(!), and grilled tuna. By the way to Beach7 we stopped to drink juice and ordered take away tina. It was something unreall to it near the ocean!

8 days passed like one day. Now it was time to visit ancient temples in Kanchipuram and Mamalapuram.