Pleasurable days at Port Blair- Day 1- A travel experience to Andaman

Ok I just finished writing the Port Blair experience and it became lengthier than I expected. So, I am gonna save you from a really long blog and split Port Blair into two. It's all for for you guys.

The last before stop on our trip was Port Blair. It was supposed to be Neil Island as per our initial itinerary but as I said at the beginning, we didn't follow it. Typical on a trip, I know. We didn't skip it entirely too. Just some interchange of places.

(If the beginning seems random, you missed my previous two blogs. Go and read it!)

I was desolate on the ferry ride from Neil Island to Port Blair. We travelled on Sea Link, which was the third ferry. But compared to Mark Ruzz, it felt inferior. But I was extremely sad for the whole ride as I...(Be in suspense until my next blog😛). Barely talked to anyone. Barely felt excited.



As we stepped onto Port Blair, we felt the intensity of the blazing sun piercing through our skin. We left early morning from Neil island and sat comfortably in the AC for almost two hours. Though we knew the sun was going to scorch us, it was sudden.

We boarded two cabs, got squeezed inside like we always did and going through with their recommendation we reached a lodge. It was close to the airport, the rooms were decent but the major reason we okayed it was because the host said they would cook us their signature d**r dish for dinner. ( Yay! I had never tried it before.)

9 out of 11 were scheduled for the next day's flight. Me and Gold pearl decided to stay 3 extra days to explore more. (This was pre-planned and not a spur of the moment thing and all.) We didn't know at the time it was gonna be Ross and Smith island. It existed only as a possibility.

Port Blair is famous for its Cellular Jail and the Light&Sound show amongst other things. So in the half-day we had, we threw these places along with shopping (Obvious) in our itinerary bag.

Cellular Jail


Buying our entry tickets along with the light and sound show scheduled at 8:30 p.m, we were all set. Once inside the jail, I was stunned by its architecture. I had never seen pictures of the jail before so it was an architectural mastery.



Imagine an octopus or the extruding spokes in a cycle, whichever you find easy to visualise. Such was the design. It had 7 wings when it was built but we were left with only 3. It was built for the activists and the protestors and they were exiled for life. The chambers contained the jail's history and historical relics.


Each wing was filled with prison cells in which we posed as a convict (well, obviously!). But we could never even begin to understand the torment and the torture they suffered in their lifetime. The jail portrayed depictions of the various slavery activities they were forced to perform. We also saw the place where they hung the rebellions. I couldn't express what I felt. A mix of feelings but I wasn't able to articulate them.




They started throwing us out as the time approached closer to 6 p.m. The intensity increased with every passing minute. We then moved on to the next item in our itinerary. Shopping, yay!. We saw some of the most exquisite hand-made coral necklaces, wooden architects, natural products. Everyone bought gifts for their family and friends. But not me. I will tell you why in my next blog.😛

Boost


You haven't seen the true beauty of Port Blair unless you've spent the night taking a leisure stroll along the roads. Especially the area around Cellular Jail. From the outside, it would be glowing with the colours of our national flag. The area around it too. The fairy lights which are placed all around Cellular Jail would illuminate the whole place. It would feel absolutely magical.


So after we said 'check' to shopping, we started strolling the roads to pass the time. We incidentally came across a cafe named 'Boost'. I am insisting you guys if you have a plan to Port Blair DON'T MISS THIS PLACE! They have the tastiest fresh juices, floods available in the entire Andaman. AT NORMAL RATES! 

After tasting one, we ordered juices for everyone. Just 20 minutes before, we had our fill of ice cream in another shop. That's how tasty they were. And another great thing was that the owners were from Chennai! So we engaged in a conversation until the time came to leave that place.

The light and the sound show

This was supposed to be a goosebumps stimulating experience so we were really looking forward to it. We booked the first two rows so that we didn't miss even a small element in the show. 

And it started. A voice, which was thunderous occasionally, started narrating about the story of the Cellular Jail. How the activists rebelled, how the British punished them and made them suffer. And the lights illuminated the whole experience. The sound and the lights were so dramatic that we were glued to the story until the end.


I wish I could say that. But the reality was far worse. Yes, the sound and the lights were amazing but after 15-20 minutes I started feeling droopy. My eyelids were desperately trying to shut themselves. Sometimes I gave in to the temptation and I would wake up with a jerk when my head hit the chair. 

I looked at others to see how they fared. They were in worse conditions. Apart from 2 people who were taking photos and recording the show the rest started sleeping. We were hoping for a live narration but as we only got a voice narration our eyes became a rebel.

After coming back to the lodge, we again got excited and my mouth started filling with saliva just by thinking about the dinner. And it didn't disappoint. Not one bit.

Roti, egg masala, d**r curry! What else did we want!? After enjoying a sumptuous dinner we went to sleep. And the 9 had just had come to the end of the trip.

Wait for my next blog which would cover the day-2 experience. Trust me you have lots of things to look forward to.

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