getting drenched getting there

May 3 -- 7:20pm

After not getting much (any) sleep last night, I take a late morning flight to Chennai (formerly Madras), an hour away from Bangalore. I get off the plane. The sky is dark and dingy gray. I’d heard Chennai was smoggy, but this much? A moment later, I realize my mistake upon hearing a giant thunderclap. It starts pouring. Following the man from the prepaid taxi stand with a plastic bag on his head, I run through six inches of water to beat the crowd and catch my pre-paid taxi. Five minutes into my ride, it stops raining.

I crash at the obviously named Hotel Shelter for a few hours, then walk the neighborhood in my still-sloshy shoes. Not a bad city, at least the small sliver of it I explore. I see a couple temples and am mildly hounded by peddlers and beggars. Typical. I’ve grown used to these things by now. My ignoring and saying “no” skills are top notch.

Back at the hotel, I hang my shoes and socks under a light in the bathroom. I hope they dry out completely.


May 4 -- 8:44pm

I wake up god-awful early to catch the 5:45am flight to Port Blair, Andaman Islands, a couple hours east of the Indian mainland. While preparing to land at Port Blair, I am loving the scenery below -- lush green islands with very few buildings. Reminds me a bit of the aerial shots in Survivor, though without the zippy camera zooms.

My ferry to Havelock Island doesn’t leave for a few hours so I have some time to kill, which is fine because I want to explore Port Blair. Shouldn’t take much time. Even though it’s the largest city in the Andamans, it’s still rather small.

The city is noticeably peaceful and quiet, especially contrasted with the crowded busyness of Bangalore. I walk along a tiled path by the water, not seeing any humans for minutes at a time. Nice. In my entire time in Port Blair, only three rickshaw drivers ask if they can give me a ride. Very nice. And of course I don’t take a ride. My feet work fine.

After a little while and a lengthy walk, it starts to rain. Just a drizzle at first, then a downpour, then drizzle, then downpour again. I jump a small gate and stay dry under the sheet metal roof of an unopened outdoor restaurant. The raindrops make thousands of simultaneous metallic pings over my head. The rain holding back slightly, I dash to a nearby aquarium and explore that for a little while. Nothing much to see, but then, I wasn’t expecting much.

The sky clears and I make my way up the hill to the Cellular Jail. I knew nothing about this place beforehand but I find it to be fascinating. This is where the British government sent (and tortured) the Indian freedom fighters who dared to want control of their own country. Interesting story and cool buildings. The nooses and torture racks are neat too.

I’m in the third story balcony hall of a jail cell wing when it starts pouring again. Not in the mood to get re-drenched, I duck into an open jail cell. Might as well take some pictures. Not much else to do as I ride out the weather. I set the auto timer on my camera and get some interesting shots of myself in jail. Because I am just that vain.

Wandering downtown Port Blair in the rain, I get nice and soggy. I stop by a grubby little restaurant with no front wall. There is no menu. The waiter/owner just gives me a plate of rice, then comes by with veggies and chicken and other such tasty Indian staples. It’s very good.

At two o’clock I catch the ferry to Havelock. The seats are uncomfortable and they face each other. Why do they do that? Who really wants to stare at some stranger’s face for a 2 ½ hour sweltering boat ride? I suspect the ferry also has a special discount -- get half off your fare if you’re accompanied by a screaming child. I did not know this ahead of time or else I would have borrowed a screaming child in Port Blair and saved a few rupees.

I have a large bottle of water tied to my bag, which sits just in front of me. I bought the water, frozen, just prior to the boat ride. Since it’s now melting, it’s sweating on the outside of the bottle. The mischievous little girl sitting opposite me reaches out and touches it. She waits for my reaction. I’m fine with it so I give her a small smile. She then encourages her brother to touch it. They are quite amused at their little game. Their mother sees them “bothering me” and tells them to stop. Havelock Island. I reach Café Del Mar, Barefoot Scuba’s “resort.” I immediately go and lie down in my sea-facing duplex hut.

I go down to the scuba “office” and meet the male British hippie and the female American hippie on staff. I have paperwork to fill out -- emergency contact information, papers saying it isn’t the company’s fault if I die. I decline to fill out the email section for my emergency contact. If I am to be devoured by a school of barracuda, I’d prefer for my mother to not find out via email.

As I try on flippers, a beach dog walks in and pukes on the floor.

I eat dinner at the outdoor restaurant. The world’s smallest kitten jumps on my lap, spooking me. She eats her entire bodyweight in the pieces of cut-up shrimp I give her from my plate. I wasn't going to eat them anyway.

pictures from Chennai: CLICK HERE

pictures from Port Blair: CLICK HERE