After three days on Havelock Island we took a ferry ride to Neil Island. Neil Island is even more slow paced and hassle free than Havelock. We found a bungalow by the beach and got right to enjoying the ocean. Here are some photos of the walk way from our bungalow to the beach:
The tide fluctuates drastically during the day, changing the water level maybe as much as 10 feet. In the morning we were able to swim and there were large waves, but by the afternoon the rocks were exposed.
In the evening we walked along the short path to the tip of Neil Island to watch the sunset. The Andaman Islands are almost paradise, except for the sand flies. George got bit starting on the first day on Havelock Island, but at first he didn’t realize that the swarms of little sand flies were biting him. You don’t feel much at first, but later extremely itchy, pussy welts form. I was getting bitten when we sat to watch this sunset, so we didn’t stay long. George’s bites lasted a couple weeks and we had to buy multiple medicines to try to ease the itching. The Andaman Islands look gorgeous, but they don’t rank too high on our list because of the sand flies and the difficulty swimming due to the drastic tide.
Another day of fun in the sun on Neil Island:
We rented snorkeling gear from our hotel and tried to snorkel one morning, but the rough waves made it a bit difficult. We did get to see some fish and coral and g took some photos with my underwater camera.
The Andaman Islands were hit by the tsunami back in December of 2004 and the beaches are still covered in broken coral. At least we saw some new coral forming when we snorkeled.
We enjoyed our time in the Andaman Islands, and from there we headed back to southern India, to wrap up our journey through India.