Next stop on my vacation was Lakshadweep.
Lakshadweep is the smallest union territory of India. It's a group of islands about 300 / 400 km off of the coast of Kerala in the Indian Ocean. There are 36 islands -- only 10 of them are inhabited.
Non-Indians are only allowed to visit 3 of the islands (Kavaratti, Agatti, Bangaram) and foreigners can only fly into Lakshadweep if they have a confirmed place to stay (the hotel takes care of the entry visa).
Most of the population is Muslim and consumption of alcohol is not permitted except on Bangaram Island (which is where we stayed).
Lakshadweep has one airport located on Agatti Island. Agatti is small (about 7 km long with a population of around 6,000 people). There is one flight a day between Agatti & Kochi.
During non-monsoon season, the only way to get to Bangaram is on a boat from Agatti (about a 1.5 hour trip). During the monsoons, the seas are too choppy -- so have to go by helicopter.
It was a very windy day when we arrived on Agatti -- and the seas were extremely choppy -- so instead of traveling in the regular boat, we were brought over in the boat that they use for daily delivery of supplies. Of course, no one actually told us this --- we discovered it when we started going through huge waves on the open sea --- the boat was pitching all over the place --- for about 5 minutes we were sure the boat was going to go down --- I had my backpack on, my escape route planned -- we could still see Agatti, so figured we could swim ashore. Fortunately nothing happened --- the captain changed course a bit (after much discussion amongst the crew -- really wish I could have understood what they were saying!) and while the sea remained rough we weren't broadsiding huge waves that were as high as the boat.
Oh -- forgot to mention how beautiful the water was, crystal clear - gorgeous color -- and lots of turtles (I learned that it's very difficult to take pictures of turtles -- by the time you spot one, they are quickly moving to another spot -- sorry for the blurry pictures).
Click here to see my pictures of Agatti Island and the boat trip to Bangaram Island.
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