Beautiful Maldives

The moment I saw some good flight offers by Air India to Maldives, I quickly started googling about Maldives for its geography, current weather, accommodation, etc.,   I was fascinated by what I read & saw and, of course, wanted to be there.  

Initially I was shocked to see USD quoted price for every single thing from accommodation to different types of activities.  Cost of resort ranged from 2k+ USD/night to 350USD/night - my Sheraton points did not help me even for one night :-(. Speed boat/sea plane from Male airport to get to these resorts/islands can cost anywhere from 350USD/person. As a budget traveler felt it is anything but budget… however, did not give up.  I started digging out more information including from Raji, who lives in the south most Atoll, & found it is feasible for budget travelers.  

For 3 of its islands in North Male Atoll/Kaafu Atoll (Male, Hulhumale & Vilingile) there are Govt run Ferries which run frequently & no need of speed boat/sea plane.  (There are couple of other islands that you can get ferry but they are once a day only) Since we were planning just a 4 days trip, decided to stay in one of these easily accessible islands.

Next, did a quick check on the extended weather forecast and moved our travel dates by couple of days based on rain forecast . Whew!! Finally was ready to purchase the tickets and book hotel rooms. Got a RT fare from Bangalore to Hulhumale for Rs. 17.5K/head in AI via Goibobo.com (3K cheaper than AI website for these dates),  and got a good deal at a beach front Boutique Hotel (Loona Hotel) for 4.5K INR/night with breakfast via agoda.com.  Since this was in Hulhumale Island felt it would be better as airport is there as well, and we don’t have to worry about water transport. We knew this trip will have exact opposite sight, sound & feel to our Feb trip to Kashi/Varanasi.

Ariel view from flt

Ariel view from flt

Off we went on 19th March on our budget travel to expensive Maldives which is by the way 30min behind India time zone and  a 2hr flight from Bangalore.  Our excitement hit the roof as we flew closer to Maldives...the view of the islands from the plane was unbelievable & the water colors were just amazing!  Although one knows that Maldives is floating just above the surface of the Indian Ocean & consists of 1190 Islands, 26 natural Coral atolls with beautiful white sand beaches, turquoise lagoons and is a water paradise especially for folks who surf & scuba dive…when you actually see it, visual treat is beyond words!

First thing we did once we landed was to exchange some currency.  (Rates were 0.22 MVR/Rufiyaa for 1 INR and 15 MVR for 1USD) Hotel had arranged a taxi pickup for us for an 8 USD/person and had recommended this mode of transport.  Later, we realized this was a rip-off for less than 15min ride from the airport in Hulhumale to the Hotel. Luckily, I had booked the transport only for one way, although guy at the hotel reception tried to push me to pay for return as well when we arrived.

Viji -Room Balcony

Room was nicely done & clean. Although small, space was utilized well with a balcony facing the lovely beach which was just 10 steps away! Location was perfect! A good deal we thought. Since we had good lunch onboard, we just wanted to freshen up and get out to enjoy the outdoors. Walked around Hulhumale Island - This is a newer reclaimed island located in the south of North Male Atoll to establish a new land mass required to meet the existing and future demands of the Male region. There are lots of new constructions here. We were told in another 6 yrs, it will be fully established. We decided to visit Male city in the evening, the Ferry terminal was only 15min walk from our Hotel – Ferry goes between Hulhumale and Male at 15m frequency till midnight & the ferry ticket is 5.5MVR/head for a 20 minute ride to Male.

Ferry terminal 

Enjoyed the ride gazing at the beautiful blue water… Male is a typical ocean town & we saw most of its “places to see” (Mosque, Islamic center, Parliament building, Sultan park, and shopping street) in just couple of hrs. Went to a café for some coffee and was surprised to get bill in USD, although they take both MVR and USD, I guess given that it is a tourist country, everything is in USD which is stupid I think.

Shopping St - Male

Old Mosque

It was funny to see all the tourists in shorts and locals fully clothed especially women (in their typical Muslim head scarf and full gown). Bikini is not allowed in public beaches, while alcohol, pork, dogs and public observance of non-Muslim religions are banned on all the inhabited islands, the resort islands are allowed to exist in a bubble where anything goes…

Parliament building

Islamic Center

We decided to eat early dinner and started to hunt for Sala Thai restaurant which has top rating in lonely planet. After lot of walking around in circles as each person we asked would tell us to walk in exact opposite direction from where we were :-)(hmm…roots are Indian after all :-))- finally reached only to find they had no veggie dishes on menu. Somehow we did not trust when he said he can make any of the items on menu without meat, so we went to some pizza place at Nasandhura Palace Hotel – Don’t go or don’t try Pizza & pasta - not good at all. We were tired with all the walking and decided to head back to Hulhumale.

20th March: Got up early for a morning walk on the beach and watch the sun rise. There were some thick low clouds and hence not a perfect sun rise but still it was colorful especially when grey clouds got transformed with golden laces into different hues of orange & yellow.

Sunrise

First time observed how clouds can be so mesmerizing. It was a very beautiful morning with sea breeze, fresh air, pretty shades of blue & hardly anyone around (other than few tourists and local folks on their daily walk) - just the sound of the waves with no pollution of any kind is such a treat! Had a quick breakfast (choice for veggies was limited to cereal, bread and some fruits) was very pleased to get some good coffee here. Couple at the next table was from Slovania and based on what they said, looks like most of the tourists who visit Sri Lanka come here as it is such a short distance from Srilanka. Interestingly, there were lots of Chinese tourists.

We decided to see one more island in this North Male Atoll & headed to Vilingile which has Ferry from Male. After a 20min ride from Hulhumale to Male, we took a local bus for 4 MVR each to Vilingile Jetty (you can also take a taxi for 20 MVR) and hopped on to Vilingile ferry for 3 MVR and a 10min ride.

Vilingile St

Eco transport in island

This island is mostly occupied by locals with some very cool beaches & water sports. We strolled around the island which had cute little houses & narrow lanes. Really liked their eco friendly golf carts used as public transport within the island.

We saw many small plant nurseries around. Parked ourselves and spent most of our time on one of its pretty beaches. Such a visual delight!!! Given the pure white beaches, you have a clear view of everything under the water and a perfect sunny day giving the sea such fantastic shades of blue with its reflection. One never gets tired gazing this.

Vilingile Beach

We tried some local food for lunch called Kothu Roti (sort of parata cut to pieces and stir fried with spices & veggies) at a beach front small restaurant which was good . With this place being so beautiful, laidback & peaceful, I was thinking to myself, I need to find my next contract job here :-). May be I need to take up new profession of teaching as I noticed couple of schools on this island.
Evening we headed back to Hulhumale and back to the beach in front of our hotel. Later, had dinner at I-berry Café and had some delicious food, Maldivian style dhal curry & rice, veggie fried rice & some good ice cream. Tried to order Toddy (Maldives drink) which was on their menu but could not get it. Only thing really annoying here in Maldives is cigarette smoking :-( It seemed like every local man smokes like a chimney :-( - Hope they learn the lesson soon and stop smoking! Sad to see younger men smoke quite a bit!

While walking we saw some good offers/sale for Dolphin watch & sunset cruise for 50 USD. Although we were not keen as we have seen these so many times in US and NZ, just thought I will mention this here as a tip. If you like whale & dolphin watching – you look for good offers once you are on island and do not pre-book. 

Sunrise view from balcony

Me snorkeling

21st March: Day started with a good balcony view of the sunrise with no blocking clouds. It was one big orange ball coming up from the sea behind the silhouettes of palm trees making it spectacular! A perfect morning! After breakfast we took the snorkeling gear from the hotel (free rental) and headed straight to water to see the colorful pretty fishes. We spent rest of our day enjoying the water & fishes.

No matter how many times you look at the beautiful shades of blue water each day, you never get enough of this natural beauty! We took a lunch break at IL Cucciolo restaurant, this is such a cute place with great ambience and food – we tried Maldivian veggie curry (tasted more Malaysian), fried noodles and the desert was too good.

IL Cucciolo Resturant

Around 5:00, we finally got out of the water and decided to walk around and go to the west side of the island near the ferry terminal to watch sunset.  We saw lot of locals on street as friday is holiday for them. First time we saw some election campaign too - Yes, Saturday was Election Day in Maldives & it was total contrast to election here in India – only few banners and posters.

Sunset 

Sunset

Ahh! Time to watch the sunset. Nothing equals seeing a sunrise or set at sea especially the moments when everything seems to turn into shades orange & pink. Superb sunset! Wish I had a better camera to capture. I can say that my day truly belonged to the sun & water!

Sad!

We walked back or should I say strolled back after the dinner at Ravin’s – This place has lot of Indian dishes. By now my throat had started to talk (may be from drinking salt water while snorkeling :-)), so just had some soup. Talking about salt water: while chatting with the hotel guy, found that since there is no fresh water lake or river in Maldives, water for their daily use is from desalination of seawater & rainwater harvesting (every building has rainwater harvesting). Desalinated water is filtered for drinking purpose. Water bottle of 1.5lt cost about 1 USD. Wonder why they don't desalinate sea water in India…Understand even resorts have their own desalination plant/facility in Maldives. But unfortunately some of these water bottles end up in some beautiful places, why do we pollute nature like this :-( 

22^nd March: Last day in Maldives :-(  before our late afternoon flight back. Got up early to watch sunrise again – it was sort of cloudy, but when sun arrived, the colors of the clouds in the sky changed to shocking pink with an orange sparkling light rays in the blue water all the way. Truly felt like nature’s dancing light show. Like a typical artist Viji described it well – Seems like the sun behind the clouds is quietly painting them with shades of orange & pink. There is something new you would notice during sunrise/set everyday and each one is so different!

Sunrise

Viji headed to the water after breakfast & I decided to just sit on the beach as my sore throat was in the way. Time came for us to leave...being on the island for few days, we were more informed and had found out about the Airport Shuttle Bus & its timing… bus stop was just 3 min walk from our Hotel and it was 10 MVR each ( less than 1$/ person).

Viji refusing to come back

Ahh Moment!

Cannot believe for a cost of Rs 30,000 INR/person total, we had an excellent 3N/4D budget vacation in Maldives. It has been few days since I am back but I can still see the beautiful turquoise lagoon & different shades of blue water when I close my eyes… I agree with the description of Maldive "Postcard perfection of the islands is matched only by the staggering richness of coral reefs that lie between atolls" If you have not been to Maldives…it is a must see! I am definitely going back either for my next assignment or vacation. :-)
Viji did not get much time to sketch this time and only did one water color while we were there

Beach Water color by Viji

Hulhumale island's booming construction