NH 4 Road Trip Andaman-Part 1

Location: Diglipur, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744202, India

NH4 road drive one road, which connects entire Andaman. It is 340 km from south to north. Chiriyatapu is southern most of Port Blair that’s where NH4 Starts and end at bottom saddle peak, which is Lamiya bay. Out of 340 kms we have covered 311 km. The remaining 29 km is from port Blair to Chiriyatapu. Every one knows about other national highways except NH4.

Day 1: 25/04/2017

Flight trip from Hyderabad was short and sweet we managed to catch up with sleep, as past few days were busy and tired.

Ramesh driver picked us from airport. He got his own can service named as Ashwin cab service. He is very nice and welcoming. He gave us a local BSNL sim, as there will not much network.

Then we started to drive to Diglipur.

People here are so welcoming and nature is so beautiful and no pollution. So greenery and very less crime rate. Every one follows traffic rules. People in cities have to learn a lot of things from here. There are no cameras but everyone wears helmets and seat belts.

There are 2 airports one main for domestic and other for air force and navy.

People here live with a principle which local says " we are like birds who get out of nest in the morning to find food for that day and return to nest in evening and share with family and tomorrow is for tomorrow". Even if you work at office desk and other jobs they still live with same principles.

While on our way we passed through Tsunami affected area, where we can still see some ruins. It was so devastating how nature can be. People have regained from that tragedy and got on their feet and raised the ground level and some engineering work was put in so that all high and low tides go under the roads instead what it was in the past.

The driver is from Tamilnadu we had brief chat in Tamil. He understands Telugu but he can't speak much. Here we have two theatres and people here are waiting for BHABUBALI as well. 

After Tsunami in 2004 December the plantation parts of Andaman was destroyed as the entire land is turned in to salty land and they cannot grow any normal plants. We can see the ruins of coconut plantations. Now the government is trying to turn them into mangroves, as they are the only plantations in Andaman can grow in salty conditions. Mangroves are so big and they help in reducing the water flow and reduces the water damage.

Port Blair-Ferrargunj-Jirkatung-Baratang. The two Tung’s are tribal areas.

These are restricted areas for tribal people. Gates open 4 times a day, 6 am, 9 am, 12:00 pm and 14:30 pm. If we miss the last convoy we have to wait until next day. On way back it is 6:30, 9:30 am and 12:30 and 15:00 pm

After that we have to take boat transfer twice to reach north Andaman.

In jungle areas people who live have to travel to town to get food or to bamboo flat to get all the groceries. From here people go to mount Herriot. Second highest in Andaman. It is 383 meters it is around conic hills height in Scotland.

Main food for tribal people is by hunting wild gooses, wild pigs etc and by roots. They only come to town with ngo volunteers for health facilities. We cannot speak to tribal and take any pictures if we do we get fined of 10,000 rupees and 10 years of jail sentence. Tribal speak language called Jira there is no written version of it.

Main living for people comes from tourism, fishing, sailing and bee hiving and banana and coconut plantations.

We can buy a good amount of land and build a house and garden under 10 lakh rupees.

Later we stopped at Jirkatung check post waited for 14:30. We filled the forms for records, to allow the car inside. This is called convoy. They check the car details against forms. They allow only cars, which submitted the form before 14:30. From this point we cannot over take any body. No photography, if we caught 10,000 rupees fine and 7 years jail sentence. We will meet the traffic from other side after 1 hour. It is total of 48 Km. So dense forests it takes around 1.5 hour drive. There will be police in the first and last car. And some times in middle cars. We cannot stop anywhere and if car troubles they will help us. This entire area is JARVA tribe land.

We have come across some Jarva tribal people they were going to there crab hunting. We cannot take any photos or talk to them. They hunt wild boars, snakes and crabs. But they don't hunt deer’s. They consider it bad. They are nomadic's keep moving in hunt of food all the time. No settled houses.

Had idly and coffee (120 rupees). Met tea stall guy Siva, 80 old man laxman. He told his story; he got an older brother ram. He died in saving a girl in river. He is so fit I asked his diet. He says he eats so early at 6 am lunch at 11 am and 1 liter milk for dinner. He smokes many cigarettes a day. But still fit to live 80 years.

There are different tribes in Andaman. Jarvas  are ok, they only talk to NGO's and government. Jarvas like red color, NGOs bring thread and color stuff. Jarva ladies love making garlands and thread work with red color and love dressing their men in red color.

Centinalies very dangerous they kill anybody who enters their land. Even if they are navy planes they shoot arrows.

Oongies are people from tribe who are educated and do jobs.

Nicobaries are more civilised of all tribes.

There was an Aberdeen war between Britishers and great Andamnies who live in State Island. Shampanes they live on Shampan Island.

We saw a Jarva man passing us with his food. He hunted a wild boar. We saw their shelter as well. Just a 4 branches and some leaves on top and down as bed. Such a simple life.

They have a saying here "jungle heals" means it dies and re grows by it self and everything in jungle is for some sort of use. Some old folk can make use of this herbal knowledge and treat patients for snakebites, fever and bone fractures.

You mostly see only Maruti and Mahindra manufactured cars. As they have showrooms here and easy and cheap maintenance. If you other cars they are expensive as parts have to come from India.

Local wood called padak, this is red wood and doesn't destroy. You just varnish and polish and re use it. There is big sawmill called CHADAR sawmill, Asia’s second biggest mill.

We reached the ferry point. We got on to second run and had a chance to get into cockpit manage to take some pictures. Lovely views.

Later en route to Baratang. Met a policeman on our route. We made BSNL top up. Nice small shop for everything.

In middle strait there is lot of farming for rice.

Gandhi ghat jetty, Kadamtala. We took another ferry. The other town on the other side of shore is Uttara. Later we dropped the policeman.

Then we stopped at checkpoint to inform we are entering Jarva territory. We saw some Jarva tribe then we informed the end check post that we left the region. Once the last vehicle from convoy leaves everything closed down and reopens in morning around 4:30 am. We passed several small towns.

It is so good to see how isolated this place is. It is a part of India and most people don't know about it. There folk here who have lived all there life who haven't seen the Port Blair capital of Andaman.

Stopped in Rangat for dinner after this it is 3 hours more drive to Diglipur.

We had dinner at small but very nice place. People here are really friendly.

Then on route to Diglipur we come across Bay of Bengal shore once again. Though it's night we could still feel the sea breeze and sea smell and can hear the waves.

Austin Bridge is the biggest bridge in Andaman. They are planning to construct bridges like this in the other 2 ferry transfers.
Later we reached Diglipur after so many hair pin bends. Bus service is so good here that they have couple of night services so it will reach first convoy and reach Port Blair in first hour. They have 3-5 buses from Diglipur to Port Blair and likewise.

Reached Pristine Beach Resort at around 23.00 and hit bed.

My journey still continues in Part 2 and Part 3