I can never forget the trip to Andaman and Nicobar Islands last year that I took with my parents. It was one of the most enjoyable vacations I have ever had. I had always wanted to visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands at least once in my life time and my wish finally came true when last year Papa took us there. We had a splendid time there. I badly needed a break from the stressful routine that I was following. That I was accompanied by my parents added to the charm of the vacation. This vacation proved to be really special because we made some very fond memories for life. Years later I am sure, we would all love to relive those wonderful moments of the trip and cherish them when we would open our family album and look at the pictures we clicked there or while watching the videos we shot there.
I love travelling and have taken quite a few solo trips as well to some wonderful places but since the last few months, I had not travelled to any new place. In fact it had been a while since we went on a family vacation. We had all been busy with our own worlds. We hardly got time to sit down and have a good hearty conversation among ourselves. It was starting to feel like although we were living under the same roof, but we were living in different orbits. I would remain busy with my classes, my assignments and with friends while Papa would often go away on his official tours and mamma would be left back alone. She had proposed to both of us about taking a family vacation together but we would always come up with some excuse for not taking it. Either because we were too busy with our pending work or we couldn't agree on a place to visit.
But one day when I had a nervous breakdown owing to the work stress, the doctor advised me to take a break. He told me that I needed to get away from my daily routine because I was starting to feel both physically and mentally exhausted. Change of place would work wonders, he suggested. He was true, on papa's suggestion, we finally decided to go on a much needed week's vacation to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They were all correct, I felt so rejuvenated and stress free upon returning back.
All of us consulted among ourselves while choosing the place for the vacation and I couldn't have been happier when Papa suggested Andaman and Nicobar islands for the trip. We did all the planning together - the dates, the travel routes, the accommodation and the money that the trip would cost us. After carefully studying the options, we decided to catch a Jet Airways flight from New Delhi to Port Blair. It was an evening flight that left at around 8:30 pm and had a stopover at Kolkata. It took us took almost eleven hours to reach Port Blair. We reached there in the morning at around 7:45 am. Yes, the flight journey had made us all tired but as soon as we stepped out of the Veer Savarkar Airport, the natural beauty of the island refreshed us in no time.
One should visit the islands between the months of November and May as the weather and the climate during this period remains very pleasant. We checked into a government guest house and after having a filling breakfast, we thought of taking some rest till afternoon as we were tired after the long journey. After a good rest and lunch, we then went out to visit the cellular jail or "Kaala Pani" where the British used to keep the imprisoned Indian freedom fighters. We also visited the Navy Maritime Museum.
On the second day, we visited the Ross islands and the North Bay islands on a cruise. We were completely mesmerised by the the natural beauty and serene atmosphere of the islands. I was told that Ross Island used to be the headquarters of the British navy during second World War. We also visited Viper island and then North Bay where one would find plenty of coral reefs and mangroves. People visit the island primarily for snorkeling. It was an unforgettable experience. The food in the Andaman islands was also very good. One would find several eateries serving South indian food items as well as sea food. From there we returned back to Port blair to our guest house.
The next day we started early for Havelock Islands. It is known for its sandy beaches and corals. We also visited Elephant beach where we saw how the elephants were being trained. It was such an exciting view to see so many elephants swimming in the sea. From there we moved to Radhanagar beach and spent quite a lot of time just walking around the beach and enjoying in the lap of nature. We had a great time in the island. As evening neared, it was time for us to return back to Port Blair. We spent another day in port Blair lazying around the city and indulged in some shoping too. Then the next morning we returned back to Delhi by Jet Airways via Kolkata. It was truly an unforgettable trip. All of us had a great time. So we have now decided that from now on, we shall be going on a vacation at least once in a year.
I love travelling and have taken quite a few solo trips as well to some wonderful places but since the last few months, I had not travelled to any new place. In fact it had been a while since we went on a family vacation. We had all been busy with our own worlds. We hardly got time to sit down and have a good hearty conversation among ourselves. It was starting to feel like although we were living under the same roof, but we were living in different orbits. I would remain busy with my classes, my assignments and with friends while Papa would often go away on his official tours and mamma would be left back alone. She had proposed to both of us about taking a family vacation together but we would always come up with some excuse for not taking it. Either because we were too busy with our pending work or we couldn't agree on a place to visit.
But one day when I had a nervous breakdown owing to the work stress, the doctor advised me to take a break. He told me that I needed to get away from my daily routine because I was starting to feel both physically and mentally exhausted. Change of place would work wonders, he suggested. He was true, on papa's suggestion, we finally decided to go on a much needed week's vacation to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They were all correct, I felt so rejuvenated and stress free upon returning back.
All of us consulted among ourselves while choosing the place for the vacation and I couldn't have been happier when Papa suggested Andaman and Nicobar islands for the trip. We did all the planning together - the dates, the travel routes, the accommodation and the money that the trip would cost us. After carefully studying the options, we decided to catch a Jet Airways flight from New Delhi to Port Blair. It was an evening flight that left at around 8:30 pm and had a stopover at Kolkata. It took us took almost eleven hours to reach Port Blair. We reached there in the morning at around 7:45 am. Yes, the flight journey had made us all tired but as soon as we stepped out of the Veer Savarkar Airport, the natural beauty of the island refreshed us in no time.
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| Photo: http://ultimainfo.in |
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| Photo: www.wikipedia.org |
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| Photo: www.mouthshut.com |
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| Photo: www.travelguru.com |
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| Photo: www.tanayaholidays.com |
Vacations are indeed healthy and family vacations are even better for they pull a family together and the bonding between the members gets reinforced. Putting the daily routine aside for some time and just relaxing with your family - there can't be anything better than that. So one shouldn't let go of any opportunity to take a family vacation every now and then.
