I know you are just dying to hear from me so I will try and hurry and get this post out so you will stop worrying about me.
I left Mysore and took an overnight train to Bangalore. In Bangalore I took the bus directly from the train station to the airport.
Oh well, the speed boat does get us there in about 40 minutes and we show up at the guesthouse early and then our concierge Jowel says that he wasn't expecting us for another hour. Oh, well. We deek into our room get on bathing suits and head down to what they call bikini beach. They have put a palm tree fence around the place so that the locals aren't inundated with images of half naked people. Just us.... There are a few foreigners here and so into the turquoise water I go. It is quite beautiful. And then I think what would it have been like during the tsunami....hmmm...I'll have to think on that.
Barbara has not ever taken a vacation like this and there is a perma smile on her face I have brought two sets of snorkels and masks with me and am happy to be using them instead of carrying them around.
So on Friday I decided to take out another dive with Maafushi Passions and went down for the first dive. I had made the decision that if it was too rough I would only do one dive.
So it was a little wavey but I was diving with a dive master from Switzerland, Rene.
Down we go and the current is very strong. The best way to describe it and what was running through my head is this is like being in outerspace...weightless. We are moving along and have to hang on with our fingertips not to be taken too quickly. It was absolutely amazing and then we see them...the turtles very close. I am laughing and Rene is hanging onto me ( I should have had another kilo weight on) but I squeeze her hand and I'm laughing. It's so cool. So we get really close to the turtle and she keeps looking over her shoulder to me but not in a hurry to get away. Yes, I'm just another fish...it was so cool as I wanted to get up close and personal to a turtle and here I was!
So we continue on the dive and Rene taps me and points behind me... and all I say in my mind is: How did you get this big? This Napoleon was at least 4 feet long...seriously. He is watching me quite closely....I guess that's how he got this big.
I left Mysore and took an overnight train to Bangalore. In Bangalore I took the bus directly from the train station to the airport.
Just an aside...I was food poisoned two days before leaving Mysore. I was so sick it was brutal. I broke one of my absolute rules about watching the food being made. I had returned from Ooty and it was evening. By the time I settled into my place I went looking for food. I should have stuck with fruit and coconut....well that will teach me! Lesson learned.
My flight to the Maldives left at 11:15 am on Jan 15th and it was very exciting to take a break. I was so wiped out I really did need a vacation. Planning your trip along the way and putting up the with ever persistent Indian male...I have to say I needed peace and quiet. We really don't know how lucky we have it in Canada.
 |
| Airport bus Hulhumale |
So I arrived in Hulhumale and relax. This is a little man made island (reclaimed) that holds the airport for the Maldives. I decided to stay here in a nice hotel and wait for Barbara to meet me here two days from now. It is interesting because they have the signs on the beach don't wear bikini's on the beach and there are women in full hijab in the water. I just go down in my shorts and t shirt and sit in the ocean. I don't want to offend, as the islands are all strictly Muslim and there is no alcohol or pork or dogs on these islands.
 |
| This is the view across the street from the airport |
Two days later I go to the airport and meet Barbara coming off her flight that routed her through Moscow. She looked a little tired and I took her back to my hotel to shower and change (it's a little hot - about 30C. )
We then have to go back to the airport in order to find the ferry to Male. We arrive at the ferry and head on over to Male. We decide to head over to the market to pick up some fruit. The ferry we require isn't leaving until 3pm. So we purchase a few things and spend a little time conversing with the men shopkeepers. It isn't mango season :( but they have some to sell and holy cow they cost so much. The mangos are very small so I figure that the stone will be the same as the mango...I decline, but darn I like mangos!
 |
| Okay a little crooked but it is a picture of Male across from Huhulmale |
We take a taxi over to where the ferry is and low an behold as we approach the ticket counter we ask if we can purchase tickets to Maafushi. The woman behind the counter says that the ferry is out of service. She has a very smug look on her face. I ask again (I thought I had misheard) she says that they have to service the ferry and so there is no ferry. I say to her isn't that convenient given that it must be a very busy day to the islands. I ask what should we do. She shrugs.
As it turns out I do know there are speed boats that are for hire, but they come at $150 US. I would prefer the ferry at $2 US.
The tourists are collaborating as happens and as a result we find out that is in fact what has happened.
I go to the boat which says Maafushi Ferry and speak to Ardel. He says that the ferry that he is loading is only for goods not people. However, he has arranged for a speed boat to come to the harbor for only $20US/person. Well what is our choice? I agree to secure a ticket for Barbara and me and onto the ferry we get to get out of the sun and await the speed boat. Barbara then tells me that when she went to ask the woman at the ticket counter she was rude and held up a sign saying Cancelled.
As we start to collaborate on the boat (it is about 2 pm) something doesn't seem right...hmmm what could that be???
I start to see locals load onto this 'ferry'? Huh? You bet. The tourists can afford to pay for a speed boat but the locals cannot. I didn't figure out what happened until our departure from Maafushi. It would turn out that when they leave Maafushi to do their shopping the ticket collector from Maafushi will offer them a return ticket. So he knows exactly how many seats are available on the return. However, it is more about commerce than anything, as they all know each other and they can make their brother some money by selling seats on the speed boat.
Oh well, the speed boat does get us there in about 40 minutes and we show up at the guesthouse early and then our concierge Jowel says that he wasn't expecting us for another hour. Oh, well. We deek into our room get on bathing suits and head down to what they call bikini beach. They have put a palm tree fence around the place so that the locals aren't inundated with images of half naked people. Just us.... There are a few foreigners here and so into the turquoise water I go. It is quite beautiful. And then I think what would it have been like during the tsunami....hmmm...I'll have to think on that.
Barbara has not ever taken a vacation like this and there is a perma smile on her face I have brought two sets of snorkels and masks with me and am happy to be using them instead of carrying them around.
There is no music or discos or bars to drink in on the island. Nor can you bring this to the island. So it is time to chill. Perfect for divers as you can't drink before diving anyways..
The winds change in Maafushi in the high season....go figure. So what happens is that the manta rays go away but the water is exceptionally choppy. FYI I don't do choppy water very well.
So we go the next day we go to the opposite beach...I fondly call wrecked beach as there are two abandoned fishing boats on this beach. Barbara and I head into the water with the snorkels.
Nothing much to see at the tip of wreck beach. Until that evening. I go in at about 4 pm and I'm snorkeling around for about an hour and decide that the visibility is getting poor because the sun is low. I am heading in when I have an eagle ray glide right by me. It was surreal as I was only in about 3 feet of water.
The winds change in Maafushi in the high season....go figure. So what happens is that the manta rays go away but the water is exceptionally choppy. FYI I don't do choppy water very well.
So we go the next day we go to the opposite beach...I fondly call wrecked beach as there are two abandoned fishing boats on this beach. Barbara and I head into the water with the snorkels.
Nothing much to see at the tip of wreck beach. Until that evening. I go in at about 4 pm and I'm snorkeling around for about an hour and decide that the visibility is getting poor because the sun is low. I am heading in when I have an eagle ray glide right by me. It was surreal as I was only in about 3 feet of water.
I jump up am saying to Barbara who is on the beach YES! YES! YES!....and so it begins.
Every day we would get up and there is a reef approximately a half kilometer from the beach that the waves crash down on. Both Barbara and I found that you could almost snorkel out to this point and there were a number of corals that were pretty sweet. You could snorkel for hours and at points it was sandy so you could stand up. Rest, clear your mask and continue....over and over again!
So I had investigated the diving in Maafushi before coming and had a response by one diving outfit called Maldives Passion. I went to a couple of places when arriving but because they were the only one that responded and corresponded with me I decided to finally head out with them.
The water as choppy and I do have issues with that so by the time we stop and ready for the dive you hear me shout, Let's get off this boat!
Down we go and the first dive is amazing. I've never dived with so much sea life and large fish all around you feel like you belong in the school of fish. There are white and black tip shark and all different sizes and sorts of fish. I am handed off from one dive master and a new diver - to another group - as the other group is advanced, but I am good with my air. So I am handed off to the other group to use more of my air. There were only 5 people all together. Add three dive masters and it was a pretty private dive.
This is when I hear dolphin. They are singing to me. I am looking all around trying to spot one but can't. The dive master is making the sign of a dolphin and I'm nodding but the other advanced divers don't know what he is trying to tell them. Alas we have to surface and there are no dolphins!
We all get up on the boat and are taking off our gear when there is a visit by 6 schools of dolphins they are around the boat and there is a boat next to us and they are playing with us and it is amazing. We sing and beat the boat and the other boat next to us does the same. It was pretty sweet! They stay with us for about 5 minutes and then head off pretty quickly.
The second dive wasn't as good and I came up from what I call the washing machine pretty sick...bleck! The divemasters didn't want to disclose the strength of the currents. I guess the reason is that they don't want me to know before the dive...or is it because all the dives have pretty strong currents....
So I needed a day off between dives. But time was getting short so we decided to take a snorkel to turtle reef the next day which was pretty rough for me too, but it was rewarding we did see two turtles but because we were snorkeling not too close. I was hoping for something more Disney...(yeah I did say that)
Every day we would get up and there is a reef approximately a half kilometer from the beach that the waves crash down on. Both Barbara and I found that you could almost snorkel out to this point and there were a number of corals that were pretty sweet. You could snorkel for hours and at points it was sandy so you could stand up. Rest, clear your mask and continue....over and over again!
So I had investigated the diving in Maafushi before coming and had a response by one diving outfit called Maldives Passion. I went to a couple of places when arriving but because they were the only one that responded and corresponded with me I decided to finally head out with them.
The water as choppy and I do have issues with that so by the time we stop and ready for the dive you hear me shout, Let's get off this boat!
Down we go and the first dive is amazing. I've never dived with so much sea life and large fish all around you feel like you belong in the school of fish. There are white and black tip shark and all different sizes and sorts of fish. I am handed off from one dive master and a new diver - to another group - as the other group is advanced, but I am good with my air. So I am handed off to the other group to use more of my air. There were only 5 people all together. Add three dive masters and it was a pretty private dive.
This is when I hear dolphin. They are singing to me. I am looking all around trying to spot one but can't. The dive master is making the sign of a dolphin and I'm nodding but the other advanced divers don't know what he is trying to tell them. Alas we have to surface and there are no dolphins!
We all get up on the boat and are taking off our gear when there is a visit by 6 schools of dolphins they are around the boat and there is a boat next to us and they are playing with us and it is amazing. We sing and beat the boat and the other boat next to us does the same. It was pretty sweet! They stay with us for about 5 minutes and then head off pretty quickly.
The second dive wasn't as good and I came up from what I call the washing machine pretty sick...bleck! The divemasters didn't want to disclose the strength of the currents. I guess the reason is that they don't want me to know before the dive...or is it because all the dives have pretty strong currents....
So I needed a day off between dives. But time was getting short so we decided to take a snorkel to turtle reef the next day which was pretty rough for me too, but it was rewarding we did see two turtles but because we were snorkeling not too close. I was hoping for something more Disney...(yeah I did say that)
So on Friday I decided to take out another dive with Maafushi Passions and went down for the first dive. I had made the decision that if it was too rough I would only do one dive.
So it was a little wavey but I was diving with a dive master from Switzerland, Rene.
Down we go and the current is very strong. The best way to describe it and what was running through my head is this is like being in outerspace...weightless. We are moving along and have to hang on with our fingertips not to be taken too quickly. It was absolutely amazing and then we see them...the turtles very close. I am laughing and Rene is hanging onto me ( I should have had another kilo weight on) but I squeeze her hand and I'm laughing. It's so cool. So we get really close to the turtle and she keeps looking over her shoulder to me but not in a hurry to get away. Yes, I'm just another fish...it was so cool as I wanted to get up close and personal to a turtle and here I was!
 |
| Turtle |
So we continue on the dive and Rene taps me and points behind me... and all I say in my mind is: How did you get this big? This Napoleon was at least 4 feet long...seriously. He is watching me quite closely....I guess that's how he got this big.
 |
| Napoleon...he was this big!!!! |
Saturday we took the morning ferry back to Male and over to Hulhumale and settle into our last night in the Maldives.
I had chosen my flight so that Barbara and I could leave at about the same time. It was time to remember the good memories made and head back to India.
No comments:
Post a Comment