Experience like never before, Night Kayaking in Andaman

Looking at the title I know what you might be thinking. A travel blog in the midst of a pandemic? Really...? I get it. We are all on the same boat, yearning to be able to travel back again. But Hey! What better way to uplift our moods with a throwback memory. Coincidently, it's a Thursday today. And this calls for a #throwbackthursday blog. Cos this one is special for me. It is about that one moment when I witnessed 'Life of Pi' scene come alive! The bioluminescence.

My husband Krishna and I visited Andaman last December. Prior to our trip, an itinerary was made as per our own research and gathering a few inputs from a couple of friends who had visited earlier. But nobody mentioned about the Night Kayak. Although, it was meant to happen. That same day, during daytime we had been to the Elephant beach in Havelock. After completing our Sea walk activity we were waiting in the yacht for our boat to take us back to the shore. The wait was extended as the anchor was stuck between the rocks. Meanwhile we were having good conversation with the Sea walk coordinator. Exchanging talks ranging from marine life in Andaman, seasonal fluctuations, tourists, our itinerary, our wedding story, cultures, his journey from being an engineer to falling in love with the ocean when he visited Andaman and not returning back since then. Amidst of the convo he asks me have you heard of bioluminescence. I was like, "Ummm, I think I have heard about it back in my science class but I have seen it in the movie, Life of Pie!" He laughed. I asked, "Why?"He replied, "What if you can witness it for real, here today." In union we replied, "What?" It was he who arranged everything for us from there.

We hired a 2 wheeler and reached the jetty at 7.30 PM, the place from where everything would begin. Now you might be wondering what kind of night is 7.30 PM. Trust me this time in Andaman feels like almost midnight. Reason being, in Andaman the sun sets by 5PM and rises back again by 4 AM. As you reach the venue, A team of 6 will be made you will be including an instructor. Each pair will be given a kayak boat, paddles, a headlamp per boat and a fluorescent wrist band as safety precautions. The fluorescent wrist band will help the instructor identify you in case you get lost in the dark. The entire trip takes around 2.5 hours, with 30 minutes for instructions, demonstration and practice for safety measures during emergency conditions and roughly 2 hours in the sea for the ride. Using our paddles we rowed our boats through the rich mangrove trees. Krishna had to do all the paddling work, cos my skills were great. You know what I mean! Throughout the time he was cursing the decision to come here all the way. And then it happened to us. As we rowed further deep into dark waters, I brushed the paddle with water. It felt as if a few stars shone dimly in water. "Now try the backstroke", the instructor said. The water was instantly speckled with the magical blue-green bioluminescence of microscopic planktons. I was awestruck by the bioluminescent cosmos for the first time in my life while Krishna was leaving a sigh of relief that his money and efforts did not go waste.

It grew brighter and more magical as we moved into the thick, darker grove of tidal trees. We were paddling left, right, center now more swiftly to see more and more planktons. Just then, the instructor did something that blew our minds. He swiftly moved his paddle in water showing hundreds of planktons shining like diamonds all over. The group let out a squeal of joy in disbelief. "Now sleep with your legs stretched forward on the Kayak boat", he said. As we did so, we could witness a million stars smiling at us in the sky. The next 30minutes was magical. The stillness of the sea, mild breeze flowing through the mangroves, illuminated stars above and below us. Whats more blissful than a feeling where you are slowly floating towards infinity as though you are in a trace meditative state.

Mother nature has the best box of crayons. With just the basic black and white crayons she had created magic that day!