Ticketing frustrations

Naughty Ticketing Tricks

After a leisurely breakfast I teamed up with Merja from Finland who was my dive buddy yesterday.  We thought we’d go to Radha Nagar beach near Village No 7, which is supposedly the best beach around.

I opted for a detour into town to buy my ferry ticket back to Port Blair one day in advance.  Even though I was fourth in the queue, it took me nearly 1h30 minutes.

A couple of young men (in their twenties, I saw their paperwork) were ahead of me.  They combed the growing queue for their fellow countrymen.  So when it came to their turn, the two of them had ticket orders for about twenty people … which took forever to process as it each passenger’s details had to be recorded.

This didn’t go down well with many in the queue … I think people are more racist than ageist or anything else.  These two will be remembered as Israelis rather than inconsiderate obnoxious youths … which is really sad for their fellow countrymen who are better behaved.  They’re probably having the time of their lives after their military service but all travellers must remember to always be the best possible ambassador for their country.

I’d be extremely wary about offending any of the lovely locals here … the Andamans is in the middle of nowhere and it is a close-knit community.  If things get out of hand, someone could easily get killed and matters could get swept under the carpet.

Beach No 7

We finally made it to Village 7 where we had a vegetarian thali for INR50 (NZD1.50).  After lunch, we walked along the white sand to Beach No 7 and swam in the beautiful clear waters. There were occasional big surfs coming in which made it quite fun to bob up and down in the water.

The sky had been overcast during my entire stay … great for not getting burnt but not so good for photo-memories.  To make matters worse, the sun sets very early as it is at the beginning of the Indian timezone.

Korean and Finnish

Merja is on a sabbatical and is staying in India for about 4 months … with most of it in Havelock.  Since she’s on a budget, I suggested that she move to a cheaper place … even though our huts (identical) are lovely.

I’ve heard of people renting the cheapest and filthiest rooms for long stays.  The trick is to go to the supermarket and buy all the necessary cleaners and embellishments to make it perfect for your entire stay!  Not a silly idea, is it?

When she speaks English, it seems to have a Korean accent.  I close my eyes and I can imagine that I’m hearing a Korean woman talking in English.  Apparently Korean and Finnish (and Turkish?) are related … in the Ural-Altaic family of languages … go figure!?!?!