Port Blair, Andaman Islands (India)

Arrived in Port Blair this morning. We were originally scheduled to leave here at 7 pm but that’s been moved up because there’s a cyclone - Mocha - that’s headed this way and the captain wants to get outta here by 5 pm. It’s one of the ports that replaced those that had been originally scheduled for Myanmar. We’ve never been here but didn’t believe we needed a formal excursion here. We decided the shuttle from the port into the city would be a good starting point for our explorations.

The most important site in Port Blair is the Cellular Jail, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was built by the British from 1893 to 1906 using only prisoners as labour. It was known as the jail to which political activists from mainland India who protested against British rule were sent. It was designed to isolate prisoners and make it next to impossible for them to communicate with each other. That’s where we headed once we reached town.

It was a hot, humid day with a “feels like” temperature of 37 degrees so we took our time walking there. It was worth the exertion. The site has been beautifully restored and maintained.

We then walked back into town and wandered around for a while until we just couldn’t take the heat any longer and caught the shuttle back to the ship.Read more