This morning we sadly said goodbye to the Maldives and flew to Colombo and then to Singapore where we will spend the next four days before heading home – our aim in Singapore is to wait until the snow and cold weather leaves Canberra.
So our trip to the Maldives has been both an interesting and extremely enjoyable one.
First the interesting – a couple of weeks into our trip, I received an email saying that the Hilton resort where we were booked would not open in time and they would be happy to transfer our booking to another time – Ian not very happy and I may have politely told them so!
To their credit, the local operator offered to relocate us to another resort at no extra cost and gave us a room upgrade (and I mean a room upgrade – from beach bungalow to over the water bungalow) and free dinners – score, Ian and more importantly Trish very very happy. Then Hilton came over the top and transferred our reservation to another Hilton, which would have had us take an additional flight at our cost to get there. Hmmm, no thanks. So that solved, what else could go, wrong??
Well apparently the people of Hong Kong are not a happy bunch and I spent the week before we left Africa looking at all the alternatives of not flying via Hong Kong. On our ticket, there weren’t many. So sit and wait and we were blessed as we managed to fly into and out of Hong Kong before the airport was closed in the last few days – someone was looking after us
So we landed in the Maldives and disembarked onto the tarmac and walked to the terminal. A British couple with two young girls were sitting behind us on the plane and somehow got separated on disembarkation – exiting via different aisles. Mum and one daughter was in front of us in the immigration queue and Dad and the other daughter were nowhere to be seen. The immigration hall was packed (multiple fights and hundreds of people) and Mum was getting a tad concerned/anxious. So being the loving travellers that we are, we offered to hold her place in the queue and let Mum go looking for her husband. Soon after she returned with husband and both daughters – family reunited. Apparently Dad and daughter got on a bus to take them to board another aircraft, daughter noting to her father that Mum might be worried – she obviously understood her fathers navigation capabilities and wished she was with her mother!!
So after we had cleared immigration, the curse of Trish struck again. Trish was asked (directed) to take one of her bags through the naughty persons RED lane. I might have been thinking WTF now! Background, the Maldives is a Muslim country and the importation and consumption of alcohol is prohibited, except that you can purchase it and consume it on tourist resort islands.
So, on our Chobe River Cruise, Trish received a complimentary bottle of champagne which we packed for consumption later, eg the Maldives. Apparently not. We had two choices, ditch it, or go through a process to check it in and collect it as we left the Maldives. Ditching it was quicker and easier and was therefore the chosen option🤣🤣
A forty minute speedboat ride at 9pm and we were at the resort. Interesting airport experience – collect bags and walk to waiting boat 200 metres away…..
So to the Maldives. Best described as heaven on earth. Trish tried to convince everyone that we were staying for 60 nights and not the 6 that we had booked for – she did not succeed, although illegally importing alcohol may have given her a 60 night free stay on a different island in very different accommodation.
Swimming was devine, food fantastic (Thai, Italian, Grill, Maldivian, and an unreal tropical pizza), weather great – a truly amazing experience.
I would have loved to have been in the water when these happened – from our balcony we saw a stingray swim under our bungalow (have photos) and then a small shark like fish swam past (have video). I saw the shark like fish (between 1 and 2 foot long) when I was swimming on the first morning, but it swam away before I could hit record on the Go Pro. That said, lots of GoPro videos. Another highlight was looking out from an over-water restaurant and seeing hundreds of fish (each up to a foot long) being caught in a tidal pool and trying to swim out against an incoming tide – they had no hope, but kept on trying. All they had to do was wait until high tide and then swim, but they just kept trying!
Whilst near perfect, people need to realise that whilst the marketing photos are real, the Maldives are in the tropics and storms happen and they can be sudden or you can see them coming from miles away. Apparently the locals can predict them with precision – eg yesterday, we opted to eat breakfast at an outside table, the waiter advising that it would rain in about five minutes, but I may have decided to risk it. About four minutes and thirty seconds later, Ian & Trish with plates in hand were moving swiftly inside – my omelette was being drowned.
Another highlight was snorkelling between two islands, timing our swim legs to avoid the shuttle pontoon boats that transfer people between the islands the easy way🤪🤪. Great fun.
So the fun continued this morning with a 40 minute 6:30am speedboat ride back to reality.
Sitting on the plane waiting for boarding to finish, a few guys in suits boarded the plane, and checked out the seats in front of us and then a few more guys in suits boarded and then an older guy boarded, with the guys in suits and the crew falling all over him – interesting!
As we came into land at Colombo, I had the front camera on my screen and could see a motorcade lined up near the aerobridge. As we disembarked, the older guy and the guys in suits waited on the plane whilst Trish & Ian and others apparently disappointed the waiting dignitaries, cameras, people bowing/greeting , etc etc etc. Based on a reliable google search, the older guy appears to be the President of Maldives. At least both he and his minders were better behaved than my 2011 experience with Miley Cyrus.
And finally, in preparation for our return, can someone please turn up the heat in Canberra – 21 degrees would be fine – thanks.