Alone in the deep blue sea (Part
2)
Action Asia
Text by: Rosie Johnson
Photos by: John S. Callahan
Portly paradise
Shiny black Ambassador taxis, modeled on
1930s Morris Minors, escort arrivals from the shabby Port Blair terminal to the town
center, which is more like an Indian village than a city. This is India at its most
laid-back – but it’s still India. The main street is really just a rambling
assortment of concrete blocks and sagging tin-roofed shops selling chai (sweet milk tea),
samosas and saris. Above the street hang signs with peeling advertising "Computerized
Opticians" , "Speed Toothpaste" and other
misnomers. Below them, car, moped and truck horns bleat and blare, and diesel fumes hang
in the humid air, covering everything in a thin layer of grit and grime.
The local Andamans, mostly immigrants and
their descendants from southern India, are friendly and speak good, though often
unintelligible, "Inglish". They’re happy to help tourists… if it is
not too much effort. If it is, they’ll shake their heads (this can mean yes, no and
everything in between) and ignore you. This tolerant and carefree attitude to tourists is
endearing – until you need something urgently. …
New Delhi hopes to develop tourism as the
major industry in the Andamans as the major industry in the Andamans as an alternative to
logging and fishing. There has been talk to modeling it on the Maldives, balancing
environmental concerns and conservation with economic rationalization. Fortunately,
tourism development will be slow. At the moment, the airstrip at Port Blair is not long
enough to land a fully loaded 747. The government has been talking of extending the runway
and opening an international airport with air routes to and from Bangkok, but there’s
been little progress due to "red tape". The Andamans are simply to hard to get
to, and the facilities and services too basic for mass tourism – it’s an ideal
destination for adventurers.
  
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