Kurendhoo Island trip

Our day trip to Kurendhoo meant I have only about 1180 islands left to visit in the Maldives!
 

Chloe and I

 

Wandering the streets with everyone

Chloe and I tagged along with the Sharjah school students for a day of community service, general sightseeing and more yummy food.

It was one of those scorching days with no wind and crystal clear skies putting the temperature well into the high 30s (at a guess). The boat ride over was smooth and I was tempted many times to 'accidentally' fall over the side.



Local wildlife

The most obvious differences between Kurendhoo and Naifaru for me was that Kurendhoo is covered in trees and felt like it ran at an even slower pace than Naifaru. It was so relaxing and I felt at home immediately (not sure how I'm going to cope with the bustling madness of Auckland if I return...)
 

The piles of rubbish

Plastic, plastic, plastic

We started off with cleaning up a section of beach that was covered in rubbish. We split it up into plastics, metals, compost and everything else. Within about 45 minutes, we had some pretty impressive piles of rubbish and were all sweating profusely in the heat. 



Tuna drying

Chillies

Choco, Chloe and I took off for a look-see around the island. Much like Naifaru, there are a few main roads with heaps of narrow paths linking them. We wandered over most of the island, coming across chillies and fish drying in the sun, some super brightly painted homes, a handful of shops and a fantastic mural.


Brightly coloured home

The mural

Being Friday, all the shops were shut and we were craving a cold drink. A friend of a friend of a friend of Choco's took us to her friends place where we were spoiled with fresh mango juice and fruit. I do love how friendly and welcoming people are!

LUNCH!

Lunch was at a cafe and we were treated again with rice, curries, fish and sweet drinks. I'm really going to miss the traditional foods here...the flavours are a divine mix of spicy chilli, lime juice, coconut, fish and a few others I don't know. The best thing to do is just try everything!



Choco and Chloe

 I've really learned to make the most of every trip opportunity that comes up as I never know when or if I'll get another chance again. This was no exception and I have some more fab memories, pictures and experiences with friends.



Haven't seen one of these in a while!

Graffiti on the local football stadium