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Published: March 2nd 2008
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We arrive in Colombo after a great flight with Jet Airways. Unfortunately we discover later that someone has tried to get into the bag - nothing missing though!
As we have 8 hours to kill we negotiate an afternoon out in Colombo with Sanath a local Sinhalese cabbie. Unfortunately we hit Colombo along with a downpour so he drives us around to see the main highlights. Go into the Galle Face Hotel - very colonial, very touristy - for some tea which was fun & drive back to the airport to catch our Emirates flight to Male¢. Security is understandably tight. The flight is unimpressive but only lasts just over an hour. We get picked up at the airport to go to our sumptuous & over priced hotel - Hulhule.
Spent the first day recovering by the pool, and then to Male¢ for the evening to see the sights; fish market, harbour, the produce market, King’s Palace, Grand Friday Mosque, the Mulee Aage (Sultan’s Palace). Male¢ seems to be very clean and most shops and homes are in good condition. Security is pretty tight though. We take photo’s of the Mosque and a soldier asks to review all
our pics in case we have taken any we shouldn’t. Thank God for digital; with a conventional film we would have lost the lot! Chocolate week was being celebrated too - so good to enjoy chocolate during lent says C (she’s decided to give up giving up this year!). Had dinner at a local bistro - seafood - C’s tuna was good. She also had a Jade Breeze “mocktail” - lime and mint combined with ice. Like a mojito without the rum! (Maldives is a Muslim country and no alcohol is sold except on the resorts).
Next morning, eventually found the GAP Adventures rep for our Dhoni & met the rest of our co-travellers (a pretty eclectic mix with a common interest in travel) - Paul from the US, Felix from Switzerland, Hanna from Finland, Vimal from India, and our crew: Hussain (captain), Rasika (chef), Dagandey (waiter) and Dadoo (room boy). The trip has to be renegotiated as we have the boat for only 5 not six days (will take this up with GAP Adventures when we get back to shore) with the last day on a Resort Island.
After a wasted morning (though a good lunch) hanging
around we set “sail” (motorised), stopping just before sunset at Guraidhoo in South Male¢ Atoll for some good snorkelling & more vast quantities of food. Rasika turns out some great fish, chicken, veg curries and rice and salads - and all from a galley kitchen!
We berth at Anbaraa - a small uninhabited island in Felidhoo Atoll on the second day about mid morning. We were accompanied by dolphins and flying fish as we cruised. Great snorkelling at midday & early evening. Hussain takes us fishing but his rod malfunctions but he’s caught an enormous Jack fish already. The crew surprise us with an amazingly laid out BBQ dinner on the beach which was fun. They carved a whale shark in the sand and lit up the area with candles set in the sand and put candles and flower arrangements on the table.
Next stop is Fenboa Finolhu in Meemu Atoll; absolutely Paradise Lost (or should that be Found)! Crystal clear waters of various hues of blue and talcum powder sand around the island. And the most amazing snorkelling we’ve ever had - even better than the Great Barrier Reef. It’s like swimming in an giant aquarium! Angelfish,
butterfly fish, perch, snapper, parrotfish, banner fish, oriental sweetlips (C’s favourite), triggerfish, wrasse, idols and clownfish etc. Two highlights: lion fish (which C thinks looks more like a porcupine) and a starfish that Hussain shows us that is like a magenta coloured cushion. Oh for an underwater camera!
Success on the fishing front this time from simple lines off the back of the boat. We catch 2 bonitas’, a rainbow runner and a needle fish (looks like a small barracuda). C almost caught a really big one but it fought back nearly shredding her fingers on the line which then broke; a true “one that got away” story. Anyhow, at least we’ll eat tomorrow! Enthused, we go fishing every morning with increasing success and a stronger line; dogtooth tuna, skipjack tuna and green jubb. Hanna gets the prize for the biggest catch - must be about 40lbs.
Day 4 is a two stop day back in Felidhoo Atoll - the morning on Hulhidhoo island (more paradise) where we see a huge lobster and yet more new fish, and the afternoon in Fulidhoo village. This is an inhabited island (pop’n 400) so we go ashore for a wander and
to hear a Maldavian classical music concert in the evening - drums (similar to an Indian dholuk according to M) and singing, and lots of energetic dancing by the men.
Our final day on board takes us to South Male¢ Atoll; a sandbank at Biyadhoo Veli and Embodhu Village. The snorkelling isn’t so good - the waters are a bit cloudy but still have beautiful corals when you get in close. And maybe we’ve just been spoilt by what we’ve already had! We do see a manta ray and a turtle though (from the boat).
We seriously consider a Mutiny to kidnap the boat and crew so that we don’t have to leave but reality prevails and we are delivered to Full Moon Resort where we get to see more manta rays and a moray eel in the lagoon and also choke on the prices they charge. $650 for a days fishing!!!! We do have fantastic water bungalows - very sumptuous (writing this whilst sunbathing on our private deck!) - but all agree the boat was better; the opportunity to see so much more than just one or two nearby islands and excellent snorkelling, food and crew (at
a fraction of the cost) made this a real jewel in our adventure.
Unfortunately it rained in paradise on our last day - plenty of internet time! We meet Hanna & Paul at Male and end up at Seagull’s, a great ice cream place.
Early flight to Colombo with Emirates - but lucky to fly over the Full Moon resort to get an aerial view.
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Hanna
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Great trip!!
You have written really nicely about the trip and great that you wrote down all the names of the islands, now I had a chance to update my notes as well=) I had a great time on the trip and you two were really fun co-travellers!! Take Care!