Surely, there are no clocks in paradise. There were none at the tiny resort in Havelock, a cluster of bamboo huts, I had checked into. Time, of course, was the last thing on my mind in the Andaman Islands. I was there to laze on the silver sands with the emerald sea lapping my feet gently. No deadlines to meet, no appointments to keep. Time flew like a river, and I was more than happy to watch from the shore.

As I hauled my bags into the office of Emerald Gecko, what hit me was the silence. It was like rediscovering a lost sense. But you get used to it, learn to be a part of the hush, often whispering so that the guys in the next hut, a few metres away, don’t hear you. My years in Delhi had taught me to respect this little luxury that the budget resort offered, free of cost.

Though Havelock Island is wired to the rest of the world, the Gecko–named after a green lizard found across the Andamans—has slashed connectivity to a solitary phone in the office; its faint ring the only thing that breaks the deafening silence of this “eco-resort”. By eco-resort, I think, Benny and Lynda, who set up the place about five years ago, had in mind a place which was as close to nature as possible. And I think they’ve been on the dot, as all the sand that follows you into the bedroom will testify.

... contd.