Lakshadweep-The Land of Coral Reef

Haven't you ever dreamt of drifting on the sea!!!! Like everyone else,it was my dream too. But now it is an experience for me.I fulfilled this dream on April 15 2016 by a trip to Lakshadweep.

While we were planning for a trip we thought either ice or water should be our next destination.After so many jumbles and tangles we came to a conclusion of opting water as our destination .Hence we started to dream about the LAND OF CORALS, Lakshadweep. For shortening our bucket list we choose cruise for our backpack and all our enquiries ended up in a 5 day package offered by SPORTS.....

ABOUT THE LAND OF CORALS

Before going to details of trip there are lots to know about this union territory which is situated 440 km away from Kerala in the Arabian sea.During post independence time Lakshadweep was a part of Madras province.In 1956 it was declared as an union territory.There are around 10 inhabited islands in this coral reef. Lakshadweep comes under the jurisdiction of high court of Eranakulam.

Thus the most awaited day had come .On April 15 we reached Lakshadweep wharf in Willingdon island which was informed as our starting point.After bit paper works we went to boarding section where we had our security clearance.No kind of liquor is allowed within the island.Once the security clearance is completed then we were shifted to port.By noon we were in ship. M V Kavarthi was the ship for our voyage.It was my first experience being on a ships deck. It is often told that the wonderful view from deck is a psychological medicine for seasickness.Initially we felt a lot giddy because all the objects in the ship was wavering along the wave's movement,then we felt quite relieved or may we got used to the sway made by the sea .After we were over the sickness,a part of Christopher Columbus in me decided to explore the ship from one end to another.The cruise workers were always ready for any help which made us even more comfortable. The rooms were very cosy and comfortable.

Our first destination was Kavaratti,the capital city of Lakshadweep. During all the island visit,our ship was allowed only till the starting of lagoons from there we were taken in small boats to main land.It is a different experience to be in a drift boat for those like me who have rarely been in mid sea. We were hosted with welcome drinks and we were also given the schedules of the days.In each island one kind of water sports is provided as a part of the package.At Kavaratti, glass boat trips was provided were we can see sea turtle,corals and other stuffs,and this facility was provided in free. Later we were off for scuba diving.

Over night ,our ship sailed towards Kalpenni. The place that we visited each day made me feel that 'this is the best place ever' .I still don't know which place is more beautiful but all I know is Kalpenni too is portrayed by the best artist.The most amazing thing I felt there was tides resketching the frame.We visited a shore once we reached Kalpenni. After doing our snorkeling while we were returning to the ship,the shore wasn't as same as before,it was all covered with water.

Since my hubby wanted to do scuba for long time,I got an additional privilege of doing my snorkeling in the scuba area.As part of the package snorkeling was free for us within Kalpenni. There you can see sea turtles ,corals and many other amazing sea life. The next part of the agenda was to visit the coconut factory which will remind us the cottage industries in our state. After our hectic day we came back to the ship.

I guess these kind of journey will help you to make more friends since you won't be interrupted by calls,Facebook,Twitter and so on. BSNL is the only dependable mobile network available these islands. All these days my hubby and me made the visits to ship deck as a daily routine.All those days we hope for seeing the sunrise from the deck,but our laziness and tiredness was more than our desire hence we could be only satisfied with the morning sky.

On last day ,we visited the Minicoy Island that i felt that had the most captivating beauty among all other islands .The spellbound beauty even made us to forget of taking the photographs.You can find 2-3 km of lagoon around the island. Don't doubt that I am exaggerating the digits.Instead of getting bothered by the sun, we decided to have fun with sun by drifting in the sea.We also had a wonderful experience doing kayaking. Minicoy is supposed to be the corner-most boundary of India. Comparing with other two islands the beauty of this island is outstanding.Since being close to Maldives they have adopted many things from them.When Malayalam is the common language across all other islands Minicoy holds there own language Mahal which seems to be a customized version of Malayalam.