Through the pleasant roads and wondrous destinations en route, we reached the land of illusion – Mayabunder. The tiny hamlet situated in the northern part of Middle Andaman. It is the administrative headquarters of North and Middle Andamans. The town was settled during the colonial period. The early settler were ex-convicts, immigrants from East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and the Keren Tribe from Myanmar who was brought here as cheap logging labour.

Mayabunder is an ideal spot for a layover on the trip to North and Middle Andaman we made our base here. The small town of Mayabunder also houses the headquarters of all the government offices in the district. Our stay in the government guest house was a destination in itself. So I decided to dedicate a whole post to this destination.

Our stay here was on the edge of a hillock protruding into the sea. There were waters on three sides of the protrusion. While the landmass resembling a small cliff overlooking the sea. Situated in the green surrounding it remains aloof from the hub of the town.

The sunrise

Some unknown island before the dawn

Within the sprawling courtyard, the guest house stands with small patches of garden and lawn on either side. There are thick shades of tall trees all around. The backyard leads to the grilled railing facing the sea below the rocky slope descending down.

On one side just in front of the restaurant building, there is round shaded deck or a seating tower. This is a perfect place with all arrangements for spending time leisurely with the accompaniment of some hot beverage watching the sun on its way to work and back.

The balcony of every room faces the sea. The soft rays of the new sun peeking through the gaps of the curtains work as an alarm clock. Softly poking the eyelids to open up and start their journey of the day. We were long awake waiting on the deck for the Sun to come out of the horizon.

Down below on the rocky shores, there was another watch tower coloured bright. How I wish to enjoy a hot sip of morning tea every day, watching the sun slowly moving on its daily path to light up the world. The soft rays gradually turn dow harsh with the passing of time so do we move on for the rest of our day trips.

The calm stay here away from the hustle and bustle of the city is also a peaceful habitat for many wildlife species. Many Avian species has found their niche here. Thus we were fortunate enough to spot many birds and some were even new to us.

I repent for a missed opportunity. Opportunity knocks at the door but once. And I lost the one. Mesmerised by the view of the silky blue waters and the scattered green patches of small and big islands, I was soaking myself in the heavy humid evening air. The sun already went down the horizon. The red less sky was casting its shadow on everything below.

In this blue light, I was gazing at the ripples of water splashing on the rocky shores. The tiny fishes were playing hide and seek within these rocks. Medium to large-sized crabs was resting within the crevices. Lost in this beautiful world I went far from the reality.

I was awakened by my husband’s mellowed call. He was asking me to come up fast. Immediately I ran up the stairs to see a giant monitor lizard crossing the stairway to move on the other side. I was panting heavily to take a quick still shot of this beautiful creature from such a close range. The light too was low. Hence a hazy shot. And a golden opportunity missed forever. The lizard ran fast to its hidden enclosure.

We stood sad, disheartened and sorry, blaming each other for no reason but the missed opportunity. A long search within the bushes in the way it vanished yielded no result. Sadly we sat by our regular spot and enjoyed our evening tea along with the mosquito bites. Universal hot beverage time. 🙂

Taking a leisurely stroll down the hill to the market area we experienced the city life of the residents. Some were returning from the day’s work while some busy in their purchase of daily grocery and vegetable stocks. The fishy smell outside a large building was the indication of the fish storage and the market. The small market comes into life in the evening with all the activities.

We returned back to our peaceful abode of a couple of days. Then again waiting for the morning show and watching various birds clinging to all branches of a particular tree. It has shed all its leaves to stand as a dry and wretched entity. But nature has gifted it with one of it’s best creation – the birds. Surprisingly this was probably their favourite tree and none of the branches remained empty.

The melodious chirping of the birds in this magical surrounding filled our soul with the utmost pleasure. With our eagerness to get a close view of the birds we trespassed into the neighbouring property. With a closer view, we recognised many birds like Vernal Hanging Parrot, White Headed Starling, Sunbird, Andaman Bulbul and many more. The day was even more beautified by our later trip to the twin island of Ross and Smith.

And we had one more evening and a morning left, to be in our favourite spot and soak in the beauty for the last time before we leave. We made another search for the monitor lizard but with no result. So with our repentance for the missed opportunity we bid farewell to our blissful stay here, with a hope to return again.

Andaman at a glance, with travel information.