Day 2 – The workday is here in Andaman!
Saurav Chauhan
Andaman, 17 April 2021: I am sure after our superb intro to the series , you all must be eagerly waiting to see how our first workday went. If not, then at least pretend that you are, it gives a much-needed boost to my writer ego, Please.
Now, I know if I reveal it at the end, you impatient souls will just be scrolling to that part as that’s truly what you want. So to calm your horses, here’s a one-line summary, ‘Yes it worked, we were able to do full day work without any issues from Port Blair’.
I hope you can now calmly enjoy the rest of the article. I will share important details related to Internet speed and some tips for enjoying your workday to the fullest. So let’s begin.
The Morning
An ideal morning in Andamans should start with our lazy eyes staring at the cocktail of lights produced by the sunlight entering different layers of our atmosphere and its reflection on the endless mirror called the Andaman Sea, or simply the Sunrise!. The only catch, sunrise in Andaman is a little earlier than most parts of our country. Currently, it’s around 5 AM. Luckily for us, we are staying at a sea-facing property in south point so we don’t have to run or drive to find the sweet spot, we just have to open our window to see the mesmerising sunrise, and that we did! At least I did, Mrs was still exhausted by the tiring journey yesterday. Yet, I still managed to answer the alarm for 4:30 AM and it was worth it, have a look at this pic and tell us what you think.
Once the sun had no more shades to throw at me I quickly freshened up and put on my running shoes. don’t get me wrong I just walked, but for an IT professional that’s no less than a sprint. The Corbyn cove road near our stay runs next to the sea for miles and the cool morning sea breeze while running (I mean walking) energies us for the rest of the day.
So after accumulating enough energy by walking, it was time to release some. And what better to release it than by sleeping! Yes as I came back at around 7 AM I directly went back to bed only to get up at 9 AM once the breakfast bell rang.
The Work
Just after breakfast, I started the much-awaited workday. So to explain to you the Internet connectivity, we have two options in Port Blair. BSNL and Airtel, so the property we are staying at has BSNL broadband. We also bought an Airtel sim before coming here as I read in articles that Airtel is providing proper 4G in here since the new optic fibre cable hit the shores of Andaman in August 2020.
Let’s quickly show you the test results to know our survival options. First, we will go with BSNL. So as you can see in the screenshot below we got around 5 Mbps download and approx 0.5 Mbps upload speed.
Considering in 2017 there wasn’t even proper 2G this is a surprisingly happy upgrade. Moreover, as it’s a shared network and still we are getting 5 Mbps then we are on to a good start. Now let’s check what Airtel has to offer. Almost 39 Mbps! Wow, 39 Mbps download and 4 Mbps upload speed, this will work like a breeze if it is consistent throughout the day. The real test would be around 3 PM when I have to take an interview that requires a video call.
We are at 3 PM now, and just for fun I will continue using the BSNL wifi by the property to see if that can do the job but will keep Airtel ready as a backup.
Yay! The interview went smooth without any lag in the video and I didn’t have to use my Airtel data at all. We are ecstatic about this triumph. The internet was stable for the whole day and at no point, I or Mrs felt any issues. Now we have to plan an excuse to go to the nearby beach before sunset to end our day on a high. Keep in mind just like the sunrise the sunset also is very early, Sunset these days is at around 5:30 PM and by 6 it goes all dark.
Sunset and Dinner
So our excuse mails were sent and we headed to Corbyn Cove Beach at around 4:30 PM. What excuses? We have a very small but effective list of excuses so can’t shrink it by sharing, make your own. Anyway, few details about the Beach: Corbin Cove Beach (CCB) is secluded, unspoilt and especially famous for the water sports like Para-Sailing, Speedboat and an activity that is available only at three places around the world, Seakart!.
However, we just wanted to chill today on the beach, so until it went all dark we stayed there sitting on parked boats. The calm sky and the symphony created by sea waves had us hooked until the Police announced on the loudspeaker to please vacate the beach at around 6 PM. Alright, I added the ‘Please’ don’t laugh. We quickly hopped back on our Scooty and started riding in the other direction and reached Marina Park. In 2017 it was just a little seaside park. At present, Marina Park is transformed into a tourist spot with lights, eateries and of course, the sea. We asked a few people about any recommendations for dinner and were suggested ‘New Light House’. It’s just a normal open sitting restaurant for us but from a locals perspective, it’s no less than a Michelin star diner. The food was okay though and sitting next to, and gazing at the sea anyways made things feel and taste better. Just keep in mind the Restaurant is a little costly and they do not accept any other mode of payment except cash, I had to ride back to our stay for the cash.
After dinner, we took a little walk on the same Corbin Cove road, Holding hands like the newlywed couple we were the last time we were here a few years back. Uhhh What is life? If not memories, especially the beautiful ones.
On that sweet note, we close our workday 1 from the Andamans. Now tomorrow is a very interesting day as it’s Gudi Padwa and I and Mrs both have a holiday tomorrow. So do come back to see the fun side of Port Blair in our next article.
