Ross Island, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

(Nature eating buildings : photo courtesy – www.galenfrysinger.com)

The setting is the Asian theatre of war where the Allies are pushed up against the Axis powers and against Japan in particular. The time is the second world war. The British war HQ in Asia is set in a little island among the Andaman group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, halfway between the Indian mainland and Thailand. The hectic social life of the British army officers garrisoned there is under threat. The Japanese are close.

Ross Island finally falls to the Japanese and once the Japanese too leave, is left to mother nature. And what a takeover she has done. Massive trees grow across every building built by the armies. Huge vines strangulate erstwhile offices and churches in a brutal, slow-motion tableau. It is one of the most vivid testimonies to the power of nature that we so often under-estimate.

The day I visited Ross Island, mother nature was at her ferocious best.

Tarkarli beach on the Konkan coast

Sindhudurg is the southernmost district of Maharashtra, just north of Goa. Sindhudurg is supposed to have some of the best beaches in India and Tarkarli beach in particular is mentioned by many as a particularly lovely beach to go to. Tarkarli’s reputation is one of clear waters that allow one to snorkel and scuba dive, which is interesting because to the best of my knowledge there is no other mainland beach in India that is good for watching the world underwater.

Goa does offer Scuba, but even the operators themselves agree that Goa’s murky waters are not the place for it. The best snorkelling & diving in India is in Lakshadweep, where Mitali & Prahlad Kakkar run Lacadives (the other option is to dive with Goa diving in Agatti Island; I have come across some vague rumours of safety here, so do check well before you go) . After that is the Andaman Islands, particularly Havelock Island. I haven’t been there and so do not have first hand experience – but many members of HolidayIQ swear by Havelock which is very reassuring.

Anyway, to come back to Tarkarli beach. I do know that a few years ago, a couple of well known boutique cruise operators (Seabourn, I am almost certain was one of them) had an interesting halt offshore at Tarkarli beach from where they brought guests by boat to the beach and then took them on a cycle tour of the local Konkan region. My impression is that this is not done anymore – certainly not at Tarkarli beach. Not sure why.

MTDC has a resort at Tarkarli beach, which has been reviewed and rated by many members of HolidayIQ. Everyone is unanimous in their opinion of Tarkarli beach. Tarkarli is an awesome beach and

Best Beaches of Asia

(Havelock beach : photo from HolidayIQ)

Conde Nast Traveller has ranked Beach No. 7 (Radhanagar Beach) in Havelock Island, Andamans as one of the top beaches of Asia. I have not been to Havelock although I have done other parts of the Andamans. While the place is astonishing and almost indescribable in its sheer natural beauty, I still think Lakshadweep is a shade – just a shade – better. CN Traveller have also suggested Barefoot at Havelock as the place to stay while there. HolidayIQ members who visited Havelock Island have been ecstatic about the place. They also have pretty interesting reviews and cool pictures for Barefoot At Havelock. Check out both by clicking here.

The Top 5 in the Conde Nast Traveller list of the best Asian beaches are :

1. Palawan, Philippines
2. Beach No. 7, Havelock Island, India
3. Nihiwatu beach, Indonesia
4. Baa, Maldives
5. Laem Tong Bay, Phi Phi, Thailand

Click here for all my posts on Beach Vacations.

Click here for all accommodation options in Havelock.

Click here to know all about going on a holiday to the Andamans.

Click here for the Conde Nast article.

Experience Himachal Pradesh

Over the last few months, we have been trying to figure out a good way to present info that allows travellers to plan a visit to each Indian state. The problem is how do you plan a visit to a ‘multi-terrain’ state like Himachal (where all do you go, what do you look for etc) or a state like Kerala where there are very distinct aspects (backwaters, ayurveda, beaches..). Looks like we have cracked it. The new ‘Experience’ section that HolidayIQ has introduced for each state should help.

I am particularly smitten by the Experience Himachal Pradesh section, which the folks at HIQ Edit have decided to break-up into Hill-station experience, Trekking, Skiing, Buddhist Gompas in Lahaul Spiti, Camping & Wildlife. The ‘real-life’ intros are a nice touch. Check it out.

To find Experiences for any Indian state, select any state from here and then click on the ‘Experiences’ tab on top of the state page that loads up.