I could see blobs of lights as we were coming into land. It reminded me of seeing the lights of small country towns when flying at night. Blobs of bright lights separated by vast expanses of dark, only here the dark is water not land.
I'm sure my pack has gained weight on the flight over too...it took some serious huffing and puffing to pick it up!
The people in the Maldives are so friendly. This was apparent as soon as I walked out of the customs hall. The guides greeting people were all lined up - same as in any airport, but I'm sure the were twice as many guides as there were people on the plane.
Ali, my guide, appeared from around a corner. This young, tall, lanky guy with a huge grin on his face. I found him instantly likeable - especially when he took the lump of lead off my back and offered to carry it!
The airport island was bigger than I expected, complete with golf carts and buggies to whisk tourists off to their speed boats and secluded islands quickly.
The dhoni (ferry boat) I took from the airport to Male was a long, narrow, wooden boat with a low roof, open sides and enough seating to make sardines feel cramped! A short 10 minute trip was all it took before I was back on dry land again. The dhonis simply nose into the concrete wharf and you step off the front onto dry land, no ramps, no hand rails, no worries! I did notice that the men often helped the women - taking bags or holding their hand for balance. |
| Local ferries |
MALE is an island of motorbikes and tall buildings. The roads are paved and uneven although in pretty good nick. Most roads are one way with bikes, cars and people all competing for space. There are no lanes as such, instead bikes swerve along looking for the best way through the crowds.
Homes and shops have no front yards - the brightly coloured, flaking, concrete buildings start right from the footpath. Most shops were still open too with clothes and coffee as popular here as back home.
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| Front door of a local home |
A park next to my hotel was a coral-covered square. A climbing frame, some trees and deck chairs were all that was there. The deck chairs are these metal frames with woven rope nets strung around them. Simple but really effective.
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| The park next to my hotel...complete with budgies in a cage |
The welcome I received at my hotel made me feel more like a guest in their home rather than being in a hotel. My room was small and basic yet had more character than any hotel room I am accustomed to back home. It felt more like a bedroom and less like a shop display stand and I felt at home instantly.
I crashed! After about 4 hours of broken sleep over 3 days, it's understandable. I was woken at 430am with what I assumed was the morning call to prayer being played over loud speakers. While I could clearly hear it, it wasn't as loud as the volunteer fire sirens you hear in small NZ towns like Coromandel! Then a rooster started up about 515am as the first streaks of daylight appeared.
My first full day in the Maldives was beginning, and what a day it would be!
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| I did trust them enough to walk under the scaffolding |
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| Speed boats and local ferries |
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