You Can't Love Every Destination--It Just Isn't Possible
If a destination has been built up too much, it often leads to disappointment. Sometimes the build-up is in our head, and other times it is information from others.
Maldives, aah the Indian Ocean, land of blue waters, the coolest fish ever, posh resorts, and tough reef break surfing. There is more to the island than just that. Yes, if you want to break the bank on an overpriced western-type resort with beautiful blue around your hut you can do that with no problem. You will feel like you are in the first world.
I can usually find the good in every place. If I don't find a lot of good, it isn't that others won't. This is one location the PMA was ready to get out of, but are grateful for the journey we experienced.
There are two types of stays in the Maldives and we did them both. Our first week was on a private island owned by rich westerners who dredge the reef, (which is pretty much dead) and adapted the island to western standards. Only men are allowed to work even in Western settings, so all our local housekeepers, hosts, waiters, etc were men. The resort was very nice where an evening meal only sets you back 230 USD without Booze.
The Maldives population is 100% Muslim. Islam is the state of religion of the country and the citizens are legally required to follow it. Alcohol is not allowed in the Maldives (unless you are on a private resort island)
Rising Sea levels are seriously impacting the future of the islands. It is anticipated that by 2050 more than 80% of the islands could be gone. Click to watch a quick YouTube video about the rising sea levels of this entire country that lives only 1m above it.
We went hand-line fishing with guides from the resort. It was a fishing line on a plastic ring, quite efficient. There are SO many fish and we caught quite a few. Pretty lucrative deal, you pay them $100 to catch the fish and they take and prepare them and charge you $125 each for all-you-can-eat fish and fixings. You can opt for a $ 12 Lion Beer imported from Sir Lanka while at the resort. We decided to wait until we got to Sri Lanka (our next stop) and paid only $1.50 for the same crappy beer.
All food is imported for the resorts, so it is going to be expensive for sure. Local fare consists of typical rice, beans, chicken, and a lot of Indian spices.
The second part of our stay was on a local island that Maldivian folks call home. We stayed at a small surf camp on the beach which allowed us to act somewhat like Westerners only in our very tiny area. It was our first visit to a Muslim country which made for a learning experience. Part of travel is respecting the culture you are visiting even if it is so different from what is normal to you. No swimwear for me, shoulders and legs covered. No booze, affection in public, or walking without a man present.
We spent a transfer day in the capital city of Male
There are hardly any women to be seen on the street. When we were on Thlasadoo, the local island we were able to encounter and get to know many folks who call the Maldives their home. Tourists are kind of a novelty on the local islands, and they are still figuring out how to balance tourism without disrupting their traditional ways of living.
City of Male. (Pronounced Molly) Not the friendliest of towns that is for sure.
We came here to surf but soon found out it is all reef break waves, not so great for beginners. We did get up on the baby waves and Brett got into it, so we did accomplish our mission. After the baby waves, they took us out on a boat to a reef break that was way above our pay grade, but we did it with trepidation. Ok, trepidation maybe an understatement. We were f_ _ _ _ _ _ frightened out of our minds. We felt way more of a comfort stretch than we did when we learned to scuba dive.
Yes, it was expensive, and quite honestly, you can get the same beauty in the southern Bahamas for way less cost to your pocketbook. There is no denying the beauty of the crystal clear water and white sand beaches. Enjoying the journey---but sometimes we are just darn glad to move on. Next stop, friendly Sri Lanka.
Comentarios