There are two different ferries (I love riding on ferries anyway so this was a motivator in itself) The fast ferry is privately operated and cruises at 24 knots and the journey takes about 90 minutes. It costs 650 Rupees or about $14 for the one-way trip. For reference I returned on the Government run ferry that is slower, but is only 250 Rupees or about $5.50
The fast ferry was very smooth and comfortable, with video entertainment which was a little overwhelming for me as it was noisy and there did not seem to be any escape. I met and talked to a couple from Edinburgh (maybe late 30s early 40s) who had quit their jobs to travel and said that they though by the time they were done that the economy may have picked up again and they could go back to work. A ballsy approach but they said they had talked about it for years and just decided to go for it.
Havelock is a good size island and well known for it’s diving and seems to be a haven for the backpacker / budget traveler and there are lots of small resort type hotels on several beaches. Not quite my scene as I am not a huge beach person but uncrowded and mostly unspoiled, except for the inevitable trash laying around. I will post some photos with comments to give you a feel for the place.
The outbound ferry arrived around 10 and the return was about 4.30 so I was able to take a Tuk-Tuk (auto rickshaw) down to the exotically named “Beach 7” conveniently located just by… you got it “Village 7”
It was about 10km from where I had walked (Village 3) and had been told that the ride from the ferry terminal was about 200 Rupees one way. I figured that as it was closer from Village 3 the rate would be lower and surprise surprise it was!!. The driver wanted me to commit to hiring him for the return and that was OK excep he was talking 250. Now we are not talking mega dollars here but we agreed to 350 for the whole trip. On arrival we agreed that I would pay heim when we got back to the ferry. He had a good fare and I knew he would be back on time, as he wanted the money for the first fare. A good deal for all.
I came back around 3 and looked around the community by the ferry terminal and found a nice little bar with some cold beer, and a couple of young guys from Guilford (UK) who were just bumming around for a couple of months in the sun
The return ferry (the cheaper Government one) was adequate but passengers were mostly on the open deck although there was seating, not no entertainment.
The return took about 30 minutes longer. I talked to one of the crewmen who was an assistant engineer or similar.
He has two kids 8 and 11 and very much understands the competitive nature of them being able to go to college. I suspect he was one of the first in his family to work outside the village, and he was very keen that his kids take that next step. He was a very pleasant man to talk with and I learned a lot. We got back around 6.30 and I had an early night as my flight departs at 7.20
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