Maldives 2019
Sunday 29th - Monday 30th September
We drove to Gatwick Airport, parked the car and then headed to our terminal do a last few errands. Our credit card gave us access to the Business Lounges so we headed off for a peaceful drink and meal before we had to board our plane. Despite paying a monthly fee for this access all 3 of the lounges refused us access because people had paid to use them on the day and they were all full. A sandwich in the departure lounge it was then! Our first flight was around 45 mins late, but the service on board was great. In fact the only negative was the man in the seat in front of Angela throwing himself around making the tray table lurch. At one point he reclined so much that the tv was 30cm from her face.
We changed flights in Doha, Qatar where it was 33c at 1am andwhere Angela insisted (with around 20 other people) on having photo taken with an enormous bright yellow teddy bear.
It’s a small island with white sand that varies between the texture of talcum powder and sharp grit as it’s the remnants of coral reef crushed by the sea. The sea itself is clear and calm turning vivid blue as the reef drops away.
We were greeted at reception with cold towels and iced tea. After a short wait we were shown our room which is up a flight of stairs and around 4m from the sea. If it wasn’t for the trees outside, which offer some welcome shade, we would have a fantastic sea view.
After lunch in the open sided and very lofty restaurant we laid on the sunbeds outside our room under the grey sky ( but still 27c) to try to catch up on some sleep. Apparently there are two monsoon seasons here - May to Nov and Dec to April :)
The evening was spent in the bar listening to a Guitar/Keyboard duo and enjoying some of the complimentary cocktails.
As a side note we noticed that the 20somethings were all chatting and laughing, while the older people were all glued to their mobile phones!!
Tuesday 1st October
After such a long overnight journey and a time difference between home and here, it was no surprise that we slept in and missed breakfast. This was a day for relaxing.
Angela has a fear of the water, or to be more explicit being out of her depth and not being able to see what’s in the water. She is also NOT a strong swimmer. Credit where it’s due - she got into the water, put on a snorkel mask and she loved it!
The island has a defined shelf of land around it where the sea suddenly changes from pale aquamarine to dark cobalt blue. You switch from paddling in warm waist deep water to swimming in 20 metres depth within inches. As soon as you put your face in the water there are fish everywhere and swimming with them feels such a privilege.
After an early dinner we enjoyed a nightcap in the bar along with a glorious sunset.
Wednesday 2nd October
Courtesy of many alarms we managed to get up this morning for breakfast. It’s only a 4 hour time difference but at 7am our bodies believe it’s 3am so it’s a struggle. Like dinner, breakfast is a buffet with lots of options.
We had a reflexology session booked today. Angela was surprised with how the painful parts of her feet did correlate with the health problems she’s been having (reflexology uses a map that matches parts of your feet to various parts of your body). Alan thought it was a nice foot rub. Angela went for a nap afterwards while Alan went for a run. Not easy on an island you can walk around in 10 minutes!
This evenings entertainment was a DJ who we thought must be on a price per track as he changed each one after approx 30 seconds, scratching badly to mix them. It was in a strange way, very entertaining.
Thursday 3rd October
Angela woke at about 530-ish or sign that her body must be switching over to Maldivian time.
At 6 am just as the sun was starting to come up the heavens opened.
Alan woke just before 8 o’clock by which time the rain stopped. As we ate breakfast it started again but this time didn’t stop for a few hours. We were grateful, as we saw another group of tourists arrive, that our first impression of this island had been beautiful with blue water and white sands, not a rain soaked misty lump in the middle of the sea.
At 11:30 we went to the taster scuba session. There were lots of people there, probably too many, and almost certainly because it was free. Being afraid of the water, we weren’t sure how Angela would get on but, apart from one brief moment where she thought she couldn’t breathe, she enjoyed it and signed up for a proper lesson later that day.
The first 10 minutes of the lesson were learning basic theory and then it was into the depths. She saw so many amazing fish, coral, shellfish etc she felt it was like swimming in a giant aquarium. She’s so confident in her instructor who is very patient, funny and encouraging that she’s actually signed up for a boat dive with him tomorrow!
At dinner there were six members of staff decorating a table adjacent to us. Six people to decorate a table for two! Apparently the couple on this table have a birthday today.
After dinner we went to the bar as usual where classic rock songs were being murdered by a live duo. We can’t speak a second language let alone singing one so all credit to them. We also treated to traditional Maldivian music and dance by some of the hotel staff. Some of those boys can really move and sing.
Friday 4th October
Despite setting an alarm we woke up late. Our room is ridiculously dark with the curtains closed. Neither of us were feeling particularly well and, had it not been for the fact that we booked the boat dive (Angela diving/Alan waiting on the boat), we would simply spend the day lying down.
Angela was feeling particularly nervous. Had she really booked to jump off a boat into the Laccadive sea?!
The dive boat was a hive of activity. We would be taken around 10 minutes away to dive in a coral reef. We were a mix of experienced divers and novices who were being guided by the instructors. When we got to the dive site Angela was told how to jump off the boat into the water. Her instructor got into the sea to wait for her to jump. It did take a few seconds, and a member of staff almost had to push her, but she did it. There were quite literally thousands of fish there including triggerfish, four-legged starfish, clownfish, sea cucumbers and giant clams but the highlight for her was swimming with a turtle. It was truly amazing - so much so that she kept forgetting to breathe.
Saturday 5th of October
Today we had nothing at all planned so we decided it would be a beach day. We went to the main beach where Angela snorkelled and Alan read a book. How times have changed! It used to be Angela reading while Alan was being off being active.
Sunday 6th of October
Last night our waiter gave us a couple of brainteasers to do over dinner. Angela made him promise that if we solve them he would fold her napkin a different way every day until we leave. He agreed and we solved the puzzle. When we went to breakfast this morning our napkins had been folded in the normal way but our waiter had made a necklace from a palm frond and left it for us. He showed Angela how to make it. At lunchtime the napkin was in the shape of a rose.
Sunday 6th of October
Last night our waiter gave us a couple of brainteasers to do over dinner. Angela made him promise that if we solve them he would fold her napkin a different way every day until we leave. He agreed and we solved the puzzle. When we went to breakfast this morning our napkins had been folded in the normal way but our waiter had made a necklace from a palm frond and left it for us. He showed Angela how to make it. At lunchtime the napkin was in the shape of a rose.
Monday 7th of October
We got up early today as we were catching a boat to a ‘Local’ island (an island where the locals live rather than a resort). It was a real mix bag of people on this trip. Once we arrived at the island we were met by Guide who initially seemed quite sullen. He perked up later whenwe met his family and Angela told him his wife was beautiful (she is) and his seven month old is gorgeous. He had a look of Romesh Ranganathan about him. He told us about the buildings on the island which included the only home for the mentally handicapped in the Maldives and later he spoke a little to us about the 2004 tsunami which he had present for and aged only 10 - we didn’t press him on the subject. Being on a guided tour we were obviously taken to places to spend money. The Maldives is a poor country and the difference between the Resorts and the 'Local’ islands is stark. 15 years after the tsunami this island is still rebuilding.
The first stop was for coconut drinks. A local man harvests them from his yard and sells them for $5 dollars /£3.80 We bought one. £3.80 is not a lot to spend to help someone rebuild their house . We’d easily spend it on a coffee at home.
In the afternoon we snorkelled in the rain. On our way back to our room we stopped by the jetty to see the Nurse sharks that visit every day and there was one around 4 m long. Tomorrow we hope to swim with them.
Tonight‘s napkin was a rabbit.
Tuesday 8th October
Today’s entertainment was sitting by the water bungalows, sipping cocktails, and watching a succession of women having photo shoots for social media, including one woman who had four clothing changes. No wonder at this point we only have 700 followers on Instagram. We’re clearly not putting enough effort in.
Angela’s lunchtime napkin was a doll with a spoon for the head.
Around 4 pm we went to the jetty where the nurse sharks would be. We got into the water but there was so many people there that the visibility was really poor. The sheer number of people was off-putting and eventually Alan got out. Angela wanted one last look so stayed in the water. We can’t believe that a week ago she would barely get in to the sea yet here she was seven days later trying to swim with sharks.
Two large sharks appeared and she was within metres of them.
Wednesday 9th October
