
Like jewels appearing from the Indian Ocean the Maldives have been
described by many as being paradise on Earth, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Your
first experience of the islands is the Male International airport, which is
little more than a runway covering the whole length of a small island.
From here you take a Dhoni (traditional Maldivian boat) to your resort. My
first destination was the island of Kanifinolhu in the North Male Atoll where I
would spend the first week of my holiday.
Kanifinolhu is one of the larger
resorts about 500 meters in length set in a beautiful turquoise lagoon, this
palm fringed white sandy beached island really is something from a Robinson Crusoe
story.
The diving offered by the islands dive school "Eurodivers"
was something else, I dived twice a day for the whole of my stay and did not go
to the same dive site more than once. On a number of occasions I also fulfilled
one of my ambitions, which was to dive with sharks.
After the first week
we then took an air taxi (a small water plane) to our second resort, Lilly Beach
in the South Ari Atoll. This was a smaller resort than Kanifinolhu, about
100 meters in length and each bungalow had its own small private section of
beach.
Snorkeling around this island was great with a wealth of marine life
just a few feet from the shore, including baby reef sharks.
Another novelty
which I had not yet experienced before was the outside shower and bathroom
attached to our room, luckily thy have a big enough wall to stop pervs peering
in.
When it was time to come home we spend the last day in the capital Male
were we walked around sightseeing before our early flight the next morning back
to the UK (via Columbo, Dubai, Zurick, Heathrow and Manchester).
To
go to my Maldives photo album just click the link below.
Maldives Photo Album