WOX Travel Contest | Week 14- Lakshadweep

It was in 2008 when I was asked to report to our Bangalore office, now Bengaluru, for a meeting, but when I reached, I was handed a ticket to Cocchi, where our technical director wanted to meet all the regional managers. Actually, he was there in Cocchi Dockyard for a demonstration purpose, and he wanted all the regional managers to learn about the new technology that had just been introduced specifically for shipbuilding.

The meeting in Cocchi was over in a day, so I asked my GM to sanction leave for two days because I wanted to visit Alpuzah (Allepy) which is not too far from there. If you are aware of this beautiful place in Kerala state in the far southern part of India at the Lakshadweep Sea, which is part of the Arabian Ocean, I didn't want to miss this opportunity to visit Alappuzha, ‘the Venice of the East’.

I have been to Kerala a number of times for official and unofficial purposes and understand the feelings of Keralites when they call their state "God's Own Country". And they are right—almost every place in Kerala has something to offer visitors. If you ever get a chance to see Alpuzah you would love it for its backwaters and a huge network of backwaters. I have lived in this beautiful place in hotels and on houseboats several times.

I have stayed in houseboats in Dal Lake in Kasmir, but the houseboats in Alappuzha are different because the houseboats here are different, because the houseboats in Kasmir are stationary. There was another couple in the next houseboat where I was staying, and we were on talking terms. They were also going to Lakshadweep, the same as I had planned for myself, and they were booked on the same ship and on the same date.

Watching the couple reminded me of my own visits to various places with my wife, but I can tell you that Kerala is the best place for a romantic trip that offers some of the best destinations in backwaters, beaches, and so much more. I stayed there overnight and went back to Cocchi, where I was scheduled to board a ship the next morning.

MV AMINDIVI LAKSHADWEEP SHIP

Kavaratti is around 220 kilometers from Cochchi in Kerala, and the ship I was traveling in took 14 hours to cover this distance. But that was back in 2008 when I had gone to Kerala on an official trip and requested my GM for a 2-day leave. That way, I had 5 days at my disposal because I always got a day off after every official trip, and then I had Saturday and Sunday.

It's a nice ship to the Lakshadweep Islands, the MV Amindiv.

MV AMINDIVI Fare
INR 2,000 per person, one way, which is approximately 110 Steem at today's rate. The ship operator provides fixed restaurant service, but if you want to eat something extra, it's available for payment. I must add here that one must take prior permission before entering this island and that is applicable to even Indian citizens.

The ship operator provides fixed restaurant service, but if you want to eat something extra, it's available on payment.

Let me introduce you to Lakshadweep. This is a Union Territory with 36 islands, but only ten of them are inhabited. So I was heading to its capital and the major city, Kavaratti, located in the Arabian Sea. Kavaratti is the Lakshadweep Union territory's capital city.

Lakshadweep in local language means one hundred thousand islands but there are only 30+ and most of them have no population. However, the visitors find them breathtakingly beautiful.

Most newly married couples want to spend and visit this place because it's beautiful and has a peaceful lifestyle, which means nothing disturbs the lovebirds, but then what was I doing there?

I was with the couple but maintaining a proper distance, or you can say I was concentrating on the local lifestyle, when I saw this guy on a coconut tree, which is supposed to be the main profession of the locals, and they supply them to various countries.

  
The people of Lakshadweep depend on tourism, fishing, and coconut, among other small businesses.

I wanted to go to Pitti Island, which is a bird sanctuary, but unfortunately, there was no transport available that day, and if I booked a motorboat for that trip, that would be too costly for a single visitor, so I gave up the idea.

  
I loved watching turtles and took a few photos because the trip I did was way back in November 2008, and I had a phone with a basic camera, but the lack of internet or even a network made it useless. However, my Sony Cybershot was with me, but I had not taken its charger, so I could take a very limited number of photos.

I tried other options including a pedal boat, kayaks, and walking on the beach. I am a vegetarian, so the option of deepsea fishing was of no use to me.

The calmness of that place was breathtaking, so I spent most of my two days on the beaches watching turtles and waves, and of course, on a boat journey to see corals through the glass bottom of the boat and the fish that swim near our boat.

I wanted to try scuba diving and snorkeling, but the equipment provider company was asking for an included trip, and I didn't have that much time.

  
By the way, visitors that come to Lakshadweep have unlimited opportunities to visit the old lighthouse, museum, and mosques. Visitors can also enjoy underwater ridges, wreck sites, and banks that will captivate them.

I wanted to visit this place but didn't get a chance earlier. I stayed here for two days and took a flight back to Delhi via Cocchi because I wanted to reach home before Sunday night.

Let me add here that famous tourist places like Mauritius and Sri Lanka are not far from Lakshadweep.

(Images my work)

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