And.a.man and his wife are now at Andamans, the northern group of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Our Home is on the way to Chdiyatapu (Translated, Chidiya meaning Birds and Tapu meaning Island). Drive 4 kms from the Airport in the opposite direction from the Aberdeen Bazar or simply Bazaar (as known here) to Bhatubasti, an Aberdeen Bazar clone of a market. Take a left towards Prothrapur junction, from where you take a right again, drive on the road, at about 2.5 km from Prothrapur, you come to a Y, take the left road, on the way you will come across Kamrajnagar, then Brichgunj Military Range (an anti aircraft gun put on a pedestal as a sculpture stares at you without meaning any harm), and on to Beodnabad village at about 6 km from Prothrapur.
The road is not straight till Beodnabad and little ahead. It snakes beautifully through dense trees, coconut farms, dotted with a house or two for company once in a while, peeping out of the woods. Beodnabad is a tiny village of about 20 houses, most along the road with satellite medical centre, a Village Panchayat hall, a temple, few shops and a small bridge over water passing through to join the sea.
After 1 km along mangroves from here you reach chilled out fisherman Manglu and his wife Kusum’s house atop a hillock and their tiny tea, cigarette, goodies shop with a WELL visible to the road. The sea emerges suddenly and takes you by surprise, then gets friendly and hand in hand along your drive. It is here in the shade of the mangroves Manglu parks his boat named RONOJIT after his younger 11 year old son. After another 1 km along the sea, one comes across Park Hotel on the right. Leave the main road, take the narrow road on the left to a bus shelter, towards the hotel, cross the hotel gate, you reach No.4 Rangachang. You see houses and orchards scattered at distances. Look for one red-brown rectangular house with white windows and tin roof or ask Loknath Babu who owns a large piece of land and runs a teeny weeny provision shop along the narrow road after we have crossed the Hotel Gate in a black arch and large steel letters , HOTEL PARK.
You have reached our home—No. 4 Rangachang, Survey No158/1/6, Beodnabad Village, Andamans. Wasn’t it a pleasant journey?
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