Thanks Dhinakar

Me and my wife Roshni went to Andamans in December 2006 on our honeymoon. I had a hard time selecting the destination as I really wanted to make it special. Andamans came to my mind as I always wanted to go there. That was strange as I hardly knew about the place. I wanted to see the jail but thats not typically the kind of place you go on your honeymoon. All the research I did suggested that Andamans is a peaceful place and lots of elderly people visit the islands. I personally like such places but I was apprehensive as I did not know whether Roshni would like it. I was confused and started considering other options like Lakshadweep and Colombo. Then one day, I gave Roshni the options but told her that I wanted to go to Andamans. She did not say no but she did not say "YESSSS" either. That added to my dilemma. Then the next day, Roshni told me that she has done some research on the place and she would like to go there as even she likes peaceful places. So thats how I got rid of the confusion but there was still a lot to be planned and taken care of.

Andaman is a small place and that too away from the mainland. When you are going for a trip to such a place then you have to be very sure about the arrangements. You can not just reach a place like that and expect to make arrangements over there. I checked for hotels and package tours on the internet but did not find any good one. There is no 5 Star hotel at Andamans and only one 4 star hotel. Through the various sites and blogs, I came to know that there are several good guest houses over there and they are much better than the hotels, at least in terms of location and value of money. Through my dad, I got an accomodation at one of the Ministry of Defence guest house (Believe me, it was a real good one). I got air tickets from Kolkata to Port Blair and back. But still there was lot to be arranged for. Then I recalled Sanjay Upendram (the head of the my team at Deloitte) telling us about his visit to Andamans and a guy who can be a great help in making arrangements over there. I asked sanjay and he gave me the number of Dhinakaran (Extreme left in the pic). I talked to Dhinakar and explained him my requirements. I asked for a trip to a couple of islands and to arrange a bike. Dhinakar told me about Havelock island and made arrangements for a two day trip over there. Before that I had never heard of the place and later I came to know that the beach at Havelock was rated as the best beach in Asia in 2004, by Time Magazine. Dhinakar was very responsive and he assured me that he will make all arrangements. I was still skeptical.

When we reached Port Blair, I was surprised to see Dhinakar in his big car waiting for us on the Airport (that was not the part of the deal)!!! He dropped us to our guest house, told me about the place, dos and donts, places I shall visit etc., and left. The next day he sent a brand new bike for us!!!! On the third day of the trip, when we were leaving for Havelock Island, he picked us up early in the morning and dropped us to the jetty. He had taken tickets for us for the 2 hrs 15 minutes boat ride to Havelock Island. He talked to the captain of the boat and got us the VIP cabin, something one can not book!!!! He had made all the arrangements at Havelock too. We had a booking at a resort and a car with a driver.

On returning back from Havelock, one day we decided to go for a ride. It was pretty late in the night (by Port Blair standards). Port Blair is a very peaceful and clean place and there is hardly any traffic on the road so driving.riding is a very enjoyable experience. We did not have the clue about the directions, yet we were roaming around in the town checking out all the roads. Then, in one lonely part of the town, the tyre of the bike got punctured and we were stranded at least 15 kms away from our guest house at around 11 pm!!!! I was cursing myself for being so adventurous. The nearest place where I could get the tyre repaired was around 7-8 kms away and in all probability, that too would have been closed at that hour. When I could think of nothing else, I gave Dhinakaran a call. In 20 mins, two guys came with a tyre. They replaced the punctured tyre and took it with them. We were surprised and delighted!!!!

Then the next day I came to know that the Dhinakaran, whom I was considering just a tour operator, has a few supermarkets at Port Blair, a travel agency, a cable network, his family owned a restaurant, a hotel and a TVS bike showroom!!!! He is a huge name at Port Blair but more than being a top businessman he is a very nice and helpful person. He helped in making our trip a memorable one. We owe it to you Dhinakar. Thanks a lot!!!!

(I suggest anyone planning a visit to Andamans to contact Dhinakaran (09434281417). He can be of immense help and he does not charge much too.)