Maldives, the blue paradise of the Indian ocean

October 29, 2017

"Unrivalled luxury, stunning white-sand beaches and an amazing underwater world make the Maldives an obvious choice for a true holiday of a lifetime".

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/maldives

We booked our tickets ιn January. And since then, we couldn't be more excited for this holidays. This was our first trip in another continent and we were not sure what to expect. We knew that Maldives is composed by many beautiful islands with white sand beaches and sunshine all year round. We bought the Lonely Planet's guide and after reading it, we've decided to stay in a resort. We were a bit concerned to live in a guest house since Maldives is a Muslim country and as a woman, I would have limited access to beaches and have to wear appropriate clothes.

Arriving to Velana International Airport, we passed throught the passport control and filled out the form for a 30 days tourist visa. After picking up our luggages, we walked out to the arrivals Area. The different resort's representatives were standing behing their stands, waiting for their guests to arrive. It almost felt like an exhibition. We found our resort's stand, Malahini Kunda Bandos, which they have organised our transportation with a ferry.

We stayed there for one week, the most relaxing week of our lives. We were wearing our swimsuit and flip flops every day, from the time we were up until late at night. The locals, the staff in our resort were very polite, happy and all day with a smile on their face. We tried to get closer to them, discuss with them, learn their habits, their culture and get involved in their everyday life.

In Maldives, the main source of income is through-out fishing and tourism. The locals living in Male are having office jobs, while the biggest part of the population works in the remaining 1189 islands, in resorts, hotels, restaurants and bars. We met people educated, talented and motivated to live. We had the opportunity to listen to their local music and watch them dance. "The customs and social behavior of the Maldivians have been greatly influenced by the Indians, Sri Lankans, Arabs and North Africans who visited the Maldives while traversing through the trading routes of the central Indian Ocean. The Maldivian culture is rich and vibrant due to the infusion of various other cultural elements. Though Maldives was culturally influenced by other traditions, Maldivians have built and preserved an exclusive cultural identity".

https://visitmaldives.com/culture/

Maldives are known for their amazing, rich underwater world. The main activity of tourists was diving and snorkelling. Since diving wasn't our cup of tea, we did snorkelling. It was my first time doing this but certainly not my last. The marine life was very beautiful and every time we would step into the water, we were amazed. Brightly coloured tropical fishes, manta rays, turtles, tuna fish, reef sharks and huge corals animated the spectacular underwater life. The best part though was the warm water of the indian ocean.

Large white sand beaches, cyan-blue crystal water, tall palm trees, tropical fruits, colourful sunsets, spicy food, deep fried snacks..Is this paradise?

After one week in this idyllic island, we traveled back to Zurich. Getting back to our routine is hard especially with post vacation blues and strong feelings of nostalgia. Can we just go back pleeeease?

Before finishing, I have to mention some of our new friends, Shan, Maisha, Shirin, Ali and say thank you for the beautiful memories we have shared and of course for teaching us a few words in your language, Dhivehi.

p.s Let's meet again to play table football. 😉