Aaaand we’re back with another travel post.
Drops of water splash onto my sunscreen-layered skin, the wind brushing against my cheeks. We are on a small boat. It’s just me, my family and three boatmen. We’re speeding away along the waves. The water is deep blue, turquoise and jade green. Shades of blue and green as far as the eye can see. It was a warm and wonderful welcome. Welcome to the Maldives!
It was our first international vacation post-COVID, I was ecstatic! But then again, of course I was the most excited, I planned the entire trip myself within a month or so. Being raised as an independent eldest daughter, I was taught to plan our family vacations since a young age. Planning this one-week trip to the Maldives was nothing compared to the Japan trip I had to plan which involved covering five cities in two weeks.
Its good management training actually. Knowing what airline to choose, and on what dates. Surveying hotels by area, proximity to attractions and train stations, the prices and whether to take an all-inclusive package or just breakfast. Having to order the SIMs beforehand or rent a pocket wifi. Managing the airport transfers and also booking train passes. It’s no wonder I love planning school events and programs.
On a rainy Friday night, our airplane took off. It was a tad disappointing to not be able to see the view from above as we were landing because it was too dark outside. Hotel staff picked us up and brought us to our little beachfront hotel where we would be staying the night, before going to our resort island the next day. This little island located north of the airport is named, Hulhumale. This island was soooo interesting, its actually fully artificial! It was built to reduce the overpopulation of the main capital island, Male, and also to fight sea levels rising, as the entire Maldives is flat. Like, flat. No mountains, just about one metre above sea level. So it’s a big target of climate change as the water levels rise.
Hulhumale is so calm and tranquil. I took a walk across the island’s streets. It was a lovely town with cute buildings, mostly blocks of colourful residential apartments. There were a ton of playgrounds which we stopped by to take a break at. I absolutely loved seeing the schools, mosques and shops and supermarkets. I am an absolute geek for learning about other cultures and how people in other countries live their lives, seeing humans being humans. That reminds me I need to find a friend who shares the same nerdyness for learning about other lifestyles and cultures so I can go travelling with them.
The next day, we boarded the daily ferry to Guraidhoo, an island where we will be staying for the next five nights. Now starting here was the real deal, what Maldives is all about. Soft, powdery white beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters and abundant sea life which can be hard to see anywhere else. Guraidhoo is a local island, that means its mainly a residential island, but also hosts some tourist resorts, unlike the other resort islands. We chose to stay at a local island as I wanted to see what life there is like. Living on a sandy bank less than 1km long and wide, I wondered how the civilization there is. How do they generate electricity? Do they have a fresh water source?
The highlights of our trip were the excursions that the resort provided! We got to experience so much! My favourite day trip was going to swim with sharks! Like, live, real, actual sharks. I would never have imagined that I would one day go swimming side by side with sharks. It was HELLA scary at first. I lowkey panicked every time they bumped into me. Like there was no cage or anything, just me and the 30 sharks swimming around me as the boatman fed the sharks with cut-up fish. The sharks were harmless of course, they were the kind that had blunt teeth.
We also got to meet adorable non-stinging rays! The boat took us to another small island where they are commonly found. Locals would feed the rays so they now would come up to the beach often to be fed. Honestly, these rays are like cats! They would brush up against your feet and circle around you, super cute!
And of course, what would a Maldives vacation be without visiting a powder-white sand bank. Our boat guide dropped us off at this patch of sand in the middle of the beautiful turquoise sea so we can relax and take pictures there for a few minutes. Snorkelling in the Maldives was very special too! I’ve been snorkelling in multiple places and nothing can compare to the coral we was here in the Maldives. The coral was colourful! Usually we see yellow, brown or white coral, but here we saw shades of pink and maroon! It was beautiful.
We also spotted a sea turtle which swam right underneath us! And sped past a dolphin while on the boat to another destination. It was amazing to see all these creatures that God put on this Earth. Oh, but there is one thing we didn’t get to see though, manta rays. My favourite animal in the whole entire world. They look so magnificent and grand. Maybe I’ll see them on my next trip to the Maldives.
To top it all off, a one-in-a-million experience happened before our eyes. The most beautiful bioluminescent plankton washed up on our beach T_T SubhanAllah it was mesmerizing! We were at lost of words as we walked along the glowing sandy beach. It was also impossible to capture on camera T_T We even tried using the dark mode settings and everything, but the pictures cannot compare to what was before our eyes. The locals on the island told us that the plankton does not usually wash up here at that time of year, so it was a miracle that we got to see it! MasyaAllah.
We went back to the main island a day before our flight, and toured the island a little bit more. Going home seemed like a burden. I absolutely loved staying in the Maldives. It was a peaceful developing country, food was easy to find, and we could perform prayers comfortably. Would definitely come back here InsyaAllah. Until next time.
(This was written in a rush because I’m afraid I’ll forget some details, the trip was last December T_T)
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