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32Tffiffi ALLOUIET Oillildtfis Ffiffiffiffiffiw Ffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 32tffiffi ALLOUIET oillilDtfis ffiffiffiffiffiW ffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ' J.ll ::i :i:i ]1.r- :i '.,1: ,1111#,;.,, .:,.i: 4)l :. : Partof the gamemarine mountain range .: il1| :: asthe Maldives,the little{<nown : ..- ";.1.i.4-;1.J Lakshadweep tt' $-; archipelagooffers idvllic 0..:3:i"l',.:^ .=,: scenery- mihusthe^ crofrzds. By Jo-Caird !::'" rriving at atropical island can never with a lowenvironmental impact. The infrastruc- licence wins out over numerical accuracv. as in be considered a hardship. But after a ture is almostentirelygovefnment-run, with a reality there are just 36 islands in Lakshadweep. 16-hour ferry journey blighted by sea- focus on ship-based tourism to relieve pressure Only 1Oof them are inhabited. Most of teardrop- sickness, pulling ashore at l(admat on the islands'limited resources. Visitor num- shapedKadmat's 5,OOOinhabitants areemployed seemed all the sweeter. In fact, as I sat bers on the islands are kept deliberatelylow. Kad- by the fishing or coconut trade. Outside the re- in the shade of a palm gazebo - a catm, matis the only island opento non-Indianvisitors, sort, thereare no restaurants;barsorotherameni- bright blue sea iust metres away - td with Kadmat Island Beach Resort (again, govem- ties for tourists, although you can visit the coir never in my life been so pleased to be ment-run) the only available accommodation. and desiccated-coconut factories in Kadmat Vil- handed a coconut with a straw in it. Getting there isn t easy,either. Your options are lage, the island's only settlement. The adminis- Kadmat is the centremost island in the the ovemight ferry from Kerala's main ciry Cochin trative centre ofthe archipelago is Kavaratti Is- Lakshadweep archipelago, a lciw{ying chain of - which requires a ship-to-shore transfer in a land, where the capital, also called Kavaratti, is islands, atolls and reefs off the coast of Kerala. Be- diesel-chugging converted fishing boat - or fly- Iocated. Kadmat does not concern itself with the longing to India, the Lakshadweep islands are ing to the Lakshadweeps' only airport on Agatti hustle and bustle of the outside world. part of the same vast marine mountain range as Island (also from Cochin) before completingyour I d been lured here by the promise of extraor- theMaldives. Butunlike ontheirsoutherlyneigh- joumey with a two-and:half-hour higlr-speed boat dinary diving and snorkelling - as well as the bours, which are being developed almost to sat- ride. Eitherway, it's hardlyconvenient. This, pre- intrigue ofgoing to a place no one had heard of. uration point, the natural side oflakshadweep sumably, is how the Maldives used to be. Instead, I found myself captiv€ited by the quiet remains intact. The islands are protected by a The archipelago's name comes from the San- dignity of life on the island. No one attemptedto local administration keen to promote tourism skrit word for the number 10O,OOO - " lakh". P oetic sell me touristtat, askedme for money ortriedto b{ ITIIEII\IDEPENDENT *'ffi.BlP',BBoffi""jl3I X aF' WEDNESDAYIFEBRUARY2OT2 . ff :a: i 'l r: :::.::r - '. - ., '., l.j ':.::::."; ,::ilir::iilti'i# : ::.'r::i* :::::i:jij ,$Isi, \\tlillil!.::Y d,]ftNf,e :::::::::i .a$f$ i=- -iri:=ri?$Il.€ i=, ;,,..'-t, - d. *g*l: , M r','i1Prril + ::: r- ,J"iti; ! i'*'ii1t. :t- 1 i--: .. ""{ L ,t"","b.,. rip me off - a state of affairs that compared is no more of a challenge than running into anoisy favourably to the Indian mainland. Travelling traffic iam on the Indian mainland. A handful of along the island's only road, either inthe resort's auto-rickshaws, a few motorbikes, legions of bi- tiny shuttle bus, by rickety bicycle or on foot, I cycles and one tiny bus make up the sum total of caught sight of children walking in immaculate transport on Kadmat, so even outside the resort school uniforms, head-scarfedwomen sweeping I luxuriated.in the quiet. patterns intothe dustoftheirunpavedftontyards Accommodation is comfortable: simple air- and young men playing football on a comically conditioned huts with porches and - in some - uneven beach football pitch. hammocks. Guestsonlycongregate for optional Kadmat is onlys50 metreswide atitsbroadest activities - including kayaking, snorkelling and point - and far narrower at the endwhere the re- excursionsinaglass-bottomedboat- anda! meal sort is located - so I could seethe sea sparkling times. These are all servedbuffet-style in aroom betweenthe palmtrees atall times, only needing reminiscent of a village hall at the centre of the to turn my head to catch a glimpse of the coast. resort. Anticipating the rich, coconut-based cur- To saythat Kadmat is peacefuI would beacon- ries of Kerala and the succulent fresh fish of Goa, siderable understatement. The Kadmat Island I wasdisappointedbythe rather bland offerings Beach Resort has a nuximum capacity of 5Oguests, of mixed vegetable or chicken curry and daal (very but on myvisit it was about two-thirds fu ll. Find- little produce is grown on I(admat). With alcohol ing aprivate patch of flawless,white sandybeach prohibited on this Muslim island and no nightlife ffiffiffilss ':,i ii.; iiiiir:1#:i:lii,li"xllilri:i.i'i'i.1iii :rl +l Gettingthere Sun,seaandsilence: Ampersand(O2O-7289 61OO; (clockwisefrommain) ampersandtravel.com)offers a oneofKadmat'swhite seven-nightstay at Kadmat' sandbeaches;thedive lslandBeach Resort from boatthelow-keyresort e1,96Oper person.This JO CAIRD/STEVEPFETTY includesinternational flights fromHeathrow, return domesticflights from Cochin to Agatti,return boat transfer from Agattito Kadmatano f ull-boardaccommodation tn a standardAC hut. Cochinin Keralais the gateway to the islands,where Kingfisher(0800 O47O81O; flykingfisher.com) has six flightsa weekto the airstripOn Agatti lsland.Boats also depart from hereto Lakshadweep. Stayingthere Fromwithin India, visitors wishingto dive may book travel and accommodationdirecily via Lacadives,one of the LakshadweepTourist Board'sapproved agents (lacadives.com). Moreinformation Britishpassport-holders requirea visato visitIndia, obtainedfrom the IndiaVisa ApplicationCentre, by post or In personat centresin London. Birmingham,Edinburgh, Cardiff,Hayes, Manchester andGlasgow t. (in.vfsglobal.co.uk). ,-' lndiaTourist Board: O2O-7437 ' 3671 incredibleindia.org l. LakshadweepTourism: . .:.4"_.ai,..: . lakshadweeptourism.com other than after-dinner chitchatwith mv fellow by a charmingDanish couple guests calledMarieke and the 8km length ofthe island to the onlyvillage, and occasional starlit walks, bed ii-e a.- Torben.Day and night dives afforded breathtak- withits jetty,small shopsandmodesthomes. On rived early on Kadmat. The main benefit of this inglycloseencounters with reefsharks, eagle rays, the way,I stoppedat the incongruouslylarge and was that I could get up early to explore the sur- greenturtles,boxfish, lionfishanddozensofother brightlypaintedJumaMosque,oneofTb mosques roundingLaccadive seacreatures. Snorkelling trips in the shallowla_ servingthe island'sSunni Muslim communitv. Sea.Lakshadweep is goonopenedupasun-dappledworldofhardcoral j' "tii'l$ Closeby, a beautiful loo-year-old banvantree the only destination andpiscine visitors, with turtlesmaking the odd lurchedprecariously towards the sea,its roots T inlndia'swestemwa- appearance.Back ffi up atthe water'ssurfacg I caught feelingtheir waydown into the sand. ffi ters populated with sight of fishermenstanding ffi in the shallows,grid_ Sittingatthesouthern tip ofKadmatonthe last coral. Goamayhave ually closingup huge circlesofnetting before eveningof mystay,the chaosofthe mainlandwas beautiful beaches, haulingin theircatch. far from my mind. The five other guestsat the re- butifit'sunspoiltma- Oneeveningbefore dinner I visited alocal fi sh_ sort werenowhere to be seen.Apart from a hen rine wildlife you're ermen'shut, wheretunawas beingsmoked over andherchicks cluckingto each otherfu rtherdown after, Kadmat reigns smou-lderingcoconut husks. My host explained the beach,I wasalone with the sunset,the sea supreme. that during the monsoon, when fishingbutside stretchingaway in all directionsfrom the narrow Diving is organ- thelagoonis dangerous andboatsfromthemain- peninsula.There may not really be IOO,OOO isedbyLacadives, a land arrive is_ infrequently,smoked tuna is the is_ landsin the Lakshadweepand private companyat landers'main foreign tourists sourceofprotein. The next dav.a may only be allowedto visit one theresort, managed tourinarickshawtookmedownthe of them. but roadrunnine Kadmatisgood enough for me. ,irl'rir.liir:r Sun,seaandsilence: (clockwisefrommain) oneofKadmat'swhite sandbeaches;thedive boat; the low-key resort JOCAIFD/STEVEPRETIY r.rtll., :q + .'l *.,i :-1::: a"f6l r: 'l r?,)l?i$r) ,. ; I :, fi; .i: TlFs s.: - ." : iaa i; 1 i:L t,l :- .:;;, : 1.L:ir_ +sttse; -'. l:r -. I +"#* :i"1.'' .4Se .;;;ii si,u i;, ;. ;'l -"-A"++ : :.. :: :-;,;;,; il t:: ii::i.iii6$ ; n:6 n:l (.$)I^G'LF.IFr" 5r ,+t ;s+ t t . *T i1i; ;;*ii: u-" :: : rt.
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