The Andaman and Nicobar Islands – Travel around the world, part 35

‘Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes’
(Walt Whitman)

could be a very good claim for our next expedition, because the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which belong to India, are a small, less touristically developed universe of their own, in the middle of the Bay of Bengal. On this trip we have often felt being part of the  world and the universe. Travelling without bounds but in reality, the entry into a new country has always required a lot of paperwork. Especially in this case as the islands are safeguarded by the Indian military and you have to work hard to enter them. Long before you come here, you have to submit a detailed itinerary, that has to be officially approved.

For Indian citizens they are relatively easy to reach, and they come and frolic on the main island of Havelock Island. For the rest of humanity, it´s a strenouos journey. Apart from Havelock, few other island have a tourist infrastructure.

The Nicobar Islands

The Nicobar Islands are a ‘no-go area’. Around 25.000 people still live there. These are people who do not want any contact with tourists. Once we arrive in Port Blair, the main town on the islands, we enter the country, which is quite a long procedure. The internet on the islands is erratic and we have to be patient. Then we stand in front of a pane of glass. The serious-looking, uniformed official behind it scrutinises our passport. There is a member of staff assigned to wipe the fingerprint scanner for each new tourist. The men work with great concentration. Apart from the cleaning ladies, there are no women present.

Quite different from Thailand and Malaysia, where many women work in the public sector. Finally, everything is done and we can set off. The next few days will be lonely and remote and we realise this when we anchor off an island that resembles a perfect Jurassic Park backdrop. Dense jungle stretches right up to the top of the mountain, the underwater world in the small bays is unspoilt and the water is of unparalleled clarity. Where else do you have a view of fifty meters? This is something very special and the corals and variety of fish clearly show that nature is left completely alone here. There is only one small military base. The officers are clearly delighted with our visit. Very rarely does a private boat come to this area. Actually, only Indian boats are allowed to organise commercial diving, but they have not been around since Covid. The islands were closed to tourism for six years and have only just been reopened. They come on board and ‘check’ our papers and gratefully accept our coffee. They tell us that the staff at this outpost are changed every thirty days. It can be a long month in this paradisaically beautiful but very wild and lonely place. The next day we see them fishing in their dinghy and then they come to us and give us their prey. Two magnificent wahoos end up in our freezer, the chef is all smiles.

Barren Rock

Barren Rock is an unspoilt island with an active volcano. On the west coast of the island there are lava fields that extend into the sea. The volcano steams and smoulders, we anchor peacefully at its feet and enjoy, once again, the infinite clarity of the water. While diving, we see fields of hard corals as far as the eye can see, schools of fish and even two small manta rays, which appear in our bay from
time to time.

Port Blair

Back in Port Blair, Amar looks after us. He makes sure that the two-hour wait for the exit stamp is not too tedious. A game of patience that you can only win if you keep your nerve. He then drives us to the market to do some shopping.

It is a festival of colours and smells. In between, we are stuck in traffic jams and strike up a conversation. He tells me that he has debts, that there are too few income opportunities on the Andaman Islands and that he really wants to immigrate to England, which is very difficult. I ask him how the process works, and he explains that the applicant needs a sponsor, who often charges a lot of money for this service.

He mentioned the sum of £4.000. He didn’t have that money and would first have to earn the money to pay it back. I see myself from an unusual angle and give a fiery speech against this. I tell him that I think it’s too volatile and whether he knows how long it would take for him to get a work and residence permit and how much he would earn and under what conditions. If you look at the British government’s website, Indian citizens are very welcome, but only if they can provide proof of an IELTS test and a Bachelor degree. Then they can quickly get a job and a residence permit.

For everyone else, there is a risk that they will have to make do with less favourable conditions. I don’t recognise myself and I think my reaction is wildly exaggerated. After all, many come back with savings that they use to build a life for themselves.  But I am angry. How was he going to survive with sub-zero temperatures and loneliness in an environment that is not easy to adjust to for foreigners? There are not only success stories. He has a good job, he is a driver for a renowned agency. How about thinking buying his own car and expanding his services, building up a good reputation and setting up a small business locally? He’s in a really bad mood now and I feel like I’ve gone too far. There it is, the European perspective, but I realise that he’s starting to think about it. We say goodbye peacefully and then we continue on our course towards Africa. The next stop is Sri Lanka and it will take us four days to arrive in the south of the island, in Galle.