KatchutravelsThis is part of a series, where I take my little son with me on my travels to help him understand responsible and sustainable tourism, so that he grows up to be a responsible citizen who can help inspire others to also understand the importance of respecting nature and nurturing it. In this series, we explore the Andaman Islands as part of #ResponsibleTravelForKids series. Can travel be made more meaningful and enjoyable for kids? Lets explore and find out. Part-0 and Part-1 have been passed and we are on Part-2 here.
Usually kids are used to an air-conditioned existence or an existence that doesn’t have them roaming out in a sunny day. My son was no exception. While he was playing with the cat [from Part-1], he got used used to the bliss of being in the shade of the long trees by the beach. I asked him to come out and join me in the sea where we would be at the fringes and feel the water. Nandu initially was grimacing at the thought of coming over to the beach, and then I told him he could go back if it was too hot. Nandu walked with me, and initially felt the water was too cold. I told him to trust nature and that the best swimming pool is indeed the sea. Kids take a while to listen in, but once they feel convinced, they literally take to the next activity like a fish takes to water. So off we went from the shade of the trees and benches to the new world of the sea!
Once he had crossed the chasm of the warm sand into the waters, a little more cajoling and coaxing was required to make him realize the bliss that the waters of the sea could be on a warm tropical day. He then sheepishly turned around and told me that the waters are beautiful to be spending time in. This part of the beach in Wandoor was chosen as there were very little waves and the water was more or less very calm. With kids, its important to pick the right beaches to travel and make them familiar about the sea, and experience nature by respecting it.
Nandu initially ignored one part of the beach, saying its rocky and dirty and was jumping near it. I went near that side of the beach and noticed that these were basically not dirt but sea weeds and some fishes. I told Nandu that these are homes of the fishes and we are visitors here. We must behave like visitors and not act like we own the place. He sheepishly smiled and went aside nearby and played a little more calmly.
Nandu’s Lesson-1 : Respect the natural environment of animals when travelling to their place. It’s their home and we are visitors.
In a while, Nandu had realised that the feeling of frolicking in the sea was bliss. The water was clear and he could see fishes in the water. Nandu could slowly start to feel what paradise looks like. First it was peaceful frolicking and then it turned to splashing water and jumping. The joy of being a child could never be truer.
Nandu’s Lesson-2 Trust Nature and learn that the best way to cool off is in a sea! No water getting wasted 🙂
Nandu also spotted a lot of sea-shells by the beach. He asked me how do these sea shells are formed? I told him that these shells are usually skeletal remains of sea animals, after the death of those animals. Nandu probed a bit further, asking me where was blood on the skeleton and whether this was the skeletal remains of an electric eel. Where do his questions come from, I wonder? Electric eel was the most random reference I have heard. But with my limited knowledge, I answered some questions and let him explore the sea, and go back to the trees to re-apply sun-screen lotion.
The beach hardly had any visitors. The few people who were out were changing their clothes under a bamboo rest and change place built by the beach. The ones who come to the beach, bring with them plastic waterbottles which they sometimes forget and throw it by the beach.
After playing for a long time in the waters, we were getting hungry. There is some thing about bathing, that creates and opens up pathways in your stomach to be all clear for food intake. We decided to cool off, dry ourselves under the cool confines of the majestic trees of the Loha Barrack Sanctuary. We heard that the sanctuary is otherwise famous for crocodile conservation and was set up in 1983. I heard from my driver that turtles share the space with crocodiles in the environment of the sanctuary. This beautiful place, I heard has camping facilities too, but that’s probably for a much longer trip. Wikitravel lists a camping place, if you are interested.
The beach had small strands of plastic even on the nets nearby. I showed Nandu that even that small plastic when it is blown away by wind can get into the sea, and a sea-animal could think of that as food and swallow it. The plastic goes inside the animal’s body and wreaks havoc. So for the next 10 minutes, Nandu went about collecting plastic along with his search for sea-shells and kept it in the bin at the beginning of the beach.
Lesson 3- Plastic does not work for the environment, nor for animals. We need to make sure that this is not there anywhere on a beach. If some one throws plastic on a beach, we should politely request them to use the dustbin.
Plastic-The-Killer is all around- Shot at Wandoor Beach (Andaman Islands-India)
Saying NO to plastics at Wandoor (Andaman Islands-India)
And so we started on our way back to the airport, to pick up my dad. I only wish I had booked my dad on an earlier flight, we all could have boarded the afternoon ferry to Havelock Island and we could get to paradise on Kalapathar Beach. I had anyway kept the folks at Flying Elephant Resort informed that I would mostly land only on the second day, as I knew I would have problems coordinating my dad’s flight timing and the ferry to Havelock. For now, I was driving back to Port Blair, from the Loha Barrack Sanctuary for the much anticipated lunch at ‘Annapurna’, [ I had been here 8 years back for a quiet dinner]
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