Surprised? It's the Maldives!

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At the end of our last entry, it was just before midnight when we arrived in Doha. We had gone to the transfer area and Penny had found out that we were not going camel treking in the desert near Doha. But, she did not know where we were going. When we found our gate, the first screen we saw for our destination was in arabic, so we just kept walking for a washroom, and our destination was still a mystery to her. After the bathroom break, we headed back to the screen area and saw that they had begun boarding the plane. As we got closer, Penny noticed the english part of the sign. A very priceless look, I did see a lot of happiness there. So on board we got and it was a four hour flight from Doha to Male, in Maldives. Maldives has always stood the test of time for Penny, as her favourite beach holiday, when we first visited here in 2004. Now we were returning, and coming from the west this time, so she was also completing her circle of the earth as these last few km's were all she was missing. We didn't manage to get any sleep on this plane ride as there was just too much excitement about what was about to come. We landed early in the morning, just before 8am, and were hit immediately with the heat in the air. We were still wearing the heavy clothes from Paris, so the heat was that much more. Once clearing customs, we got our bags and found the boat that would take us over to our island. Maldives is a country made up of literally 1000's of islands. The capital city Male is it's own island, as well, so is the airport. To get around, you either take a boat or sea plane. We opted for a resort island that could be reached by boat as the one's that are reached by seaplane can eat up a lot of time getting to and from the airport. The boat ride was fast, taking just under 1 hour to go the 40km or so from the airport to our resort. Not much as far as wildlife while we rode to the island, some birds and the odd flying fish that came out of the water after we passed it. They would fly about 5 or 10 metres before going back into the sea. Someone met us and our bags at the boat and escorted us to reception. A drink of fruit juice, some forms filled out, and we were in our room. Now we sit here, amazed we finally returned after 8 years, and really really bagged. We have some exploring and some eating on the itinerary, but then not much more, as the sandman is really screaming for us both at the moment. Finally..some heat!!!

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Comments

[Mary Irvine]

Finally....
Happy Birthday Penny, who has finally arrived at her destination! The suspense was killing me and my colleagues who have been following this with me. Enjoy.

[Tracy]

arrival
this has been better than watching Survival Man!! Well done Murray, and congrats Penny on achieving your final "mileage" !!!! Have a terrific holiday, I think of you both often!! cheers!!