26 Mar - 30 Mar 2011 Port Blair






South Asia
Republic of Incredible India, the world's biggest democrazy
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
South Andaman Island
Port Blair
Hotel Shah-N-Shah +913192233696
Comfortable and clean enough double room (no. 111) with a great private terrace, overlooking the motley roofs of the noisy covered market, for INR 500.- or US$ 11.10 per night. Friendly and honest staff.
From the family-run hotel’s written rules and regulations: “The guests are requested to keep the doors of room open when any visitor is inside; visitors are not allowed at odd hours.”


Click below for an interactive road map of the Hotel Shah-N-Shah in Port Blair, which we would recommend, and for directions:









Catching up on long overdue online admin work (at our favourite internet joint: Nirman’s reliable e-Cafe near the clock tower ecafeandaman@gmail.com +913192230551), enjoying cheap and genuine South Indian and Bengali food (our favourite place for excellent breakfast, lunch and dinner: the ACC [Andaman Cooperative Cafeteria] near the local market; beer: fortified ice-cold Cannon Ten Thousand Strong Beer for INR 80.- per large bottle) and planning/preparing our upcoming trip through exotic Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Kanyakumari, Tiruchendur, Rameshwaram, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Thanjavur, Chidambaram, Mamallapuram), famous for its colossal wedge-shaped pyramids aka gopuram, often covered with garishly painted gods, goddesses and mythological creatures.



Laundering for INR 10.- per piece (washed, dried and frayed) in the hotel's efficient in-house dhobi where our dirty laundry was shown some old-fashioned discipline: separated, soaped and given a very good thrashing to beat the Andamans’ dirt out of it.



Crossing the Bay of Bengal again and flying uneventfully with Jet Airways (“India's Finest International Airline - Giving the World a Better Choice in the Skies”) in a brand-new Boeing 737-800 from the Andaman Islands to Madras aka Chennai (Kamaraj Terminal of Chennai International Airport) for INR 4,263.- or US$ 96.- per person, all inclusive, and taking the rugged but cheap suburban train for only INR 6.- per person from the airport's convenient Tirusulam Train Station to Chennai’s crowded and mucky Egmore suburb, one the city's busiest neighbourhoods.


Click below for more blog posts about the Andamans

Click below for a summary of this year's travels


Facing Andamans
© Konni & Matt


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