The room in the Rosemary Boutique hotel is small but adequate for a solo traveler. It is quite proximate to the popular beaches, cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops and supermarket. In any case, the island is small, and one can walk around the entire island in less than an hour, from the bikini beach to the prison. Breakfast was done and dusted before 8 am. It consisted of toast, scrambled egg, baked beans, pancake and chicken sausage.
Plenty of action was scheduled for the day. The activities for the first half of the day were organized by the hotel. Snorkeling to admire fish, coral reef and coral garden, a swim in the Gulhi island beach, lunch on board the boat and dolphin watching. The tour group consisted of just four of us from the hotel. At the hotel reception we were given snorkeling gear, life jackets and beach towels. Nazir from Bangladesh was our instructor and guide. The hotel promised, as part of the package, underwater videos and photos of the snorkeling trips.
Before getting on to the boat at the Maafushi jetty, we were asked to place our footwear in a plastic bin, so that the boat remained clean. Besides Nazir, there was a boatman and his assistant who conducted matters on board and in water. Nazir gave us a short introduction on how to use snorkeling gear and how we should breathe under water.
The first stop was at the Biyadhoo Reef, which was told to us as a kaleidoscope of vibrant corals and exotic fish. The videos of this, apart from many others, were constantly played on a TV screen at the hotel reception to entice customers to 'take the bait'. When we arrived at the reef, Nazir told us that the most exotic part of it is part of a private beach and that we would be snorkeling away from there, in the deeper part of the waters.
I was the first to get into the water. I 'fluttered' around without any problem. I was constantly telling myself to breathe through the mouth and not through the nose. Nazir brought many fish around by feeding them soaked bread. I did see many types of fish, some with vibrant colors and others too. Later, Nazir told me that it was schools of angelfish and clownfish that had darted around me, their colors shimmering in the sunlight. I felt like I was part of a living painting, each stroke of the hands revealing new wonders.
As we were only four of us, it didn't take much time to move on from the Biyadhoo reef to the next location where we were to explore a Coral Garden, which is supposed to offer an extraordinary underwater spectacle that feels almost surreal teeming with diverse aquatic life. Being protected from strong currents, the site is suitable for all levels of experience.
I found the Coral Garden site deeper than the Biyadhoo reef. But the Coral Garden, by itself, was a sight to behold. I didn't see much of aquatic life, but plenty of corals. I was upset that I could not go closer to the Coral Garden to explore any further than I did. Water started filling up in my mask and not knowing how to swim was a major handicap too.
Onwards to what Nazir described as one of the best beaches in Maldives, the Gulhi island. Situated close to Maafushi, the island is home to less than a thousand inhabitants and is one third the size of Maafushi. A short walk from the jetty, about 250 meters through a shop fringed walkway, took me to the Gulhi beach.
The beach is among the longest in Maldives, with pristine waters and white coral sand. A few meters from the shore is a swing with 'I love Gulhi' written above it. There was a long queue of couples and friends to get to the swing. Once they got there, regardless of how many were waiting, they took their own sweet time to make way for another. Nazir had given us 45 minutes in Gulhi. I waded around and had fun for some time in the shallow water before I headed back to the boat.
Lunch was served on boat. A sparse offering of cold Tuna fried rice, salad and watermelon. After lunch was done with, we started back to Maafushi. Nazir told us that, if fortune favors us, we could sight dolphins. However, fortune was not on our side, and we got back to Maafushi.
I went to the iCom office and booked the airport transfer for the next day. Back in the hotel I was told that it was best to start the next set of water sport by 3 pm. I got back to the reception after a short rest in the room, in time for the next parcel of outdoor activity. It had been hot in the morning and that deflated the energies a bit.
There were three couples for the afternoon events. First on the list was parasailing. I had never done that before and my excitement peaked when I boarded the speedboat with a couple of crew members, who gave us instructions to enjoy the ride. The parasail is connected to the boat through a retractable 300-meter rope.
When I got strapped on for the ride I had rushes of adrenaline. It was a magnificent experience, especially considering the surroundings. The Watersports company's drone hung around for some time taking videos. Waters of different hues, calm winds, brilliant skylines, jet skis making vivid patterns and Funboats bumping along, all made for an unforgettable experience.
The Funboat ride is essentially an inflated four-seater sofa pulled by a Jet ski on waters made choppy by the zigzagging Jet ski. Nakul, who was riding the Jet ski, kept turning around to see if I was still on board, as the old man was bouncing around as if he would go overboard any time! I was transported back in age and time. I clung on to the straps of the Funboat for dear life, but it was great fun. I was completely drenched from head to toe by the time the ride ended.
Nakul was once again the Jet ski driver when I took the pillion for the next event. It was a most amazing experience. Though a bone shaker and a threat to the well-being of the lower extremity it was exceptional. Nakul took me along the entire length of the island and the prison fortification looked formidable from the waterside. The 15-minute thuddy ride ended the assisted watersports for the evening.
Last on the list for the day was kayaking. I have a problem sitting in a kayak. I had tried it in Philippines too. This time around also I gave up after a short time. My back ached and I started cramping. I handed over the kayak and walked back to the hotel to rest a while and look around for some place to sup. I took some time to pack the bags too, as the fun time in the Maldives was drawing to a close.
I walked round quite a bit looking for a suitable place and menu to have dinner. After almost walking around the entire island, I landed up at Caviar restaurant. I ordered chicken kothu roshi, which is basically a dish made of chicken pieces and shredded flatbread. It was served with a double fried egg.
I thoroughly enjoyed the large portion of the kothu. After the meal I went in search of the ice cream stall I had scouted in the morning. I wanted to have a portion of the screw pine ice cream. Unfortunately, I had to settle for coconut ice cream as the stall had run out of the screw pine ice cream.
On the way back to the hotel I collected videos and photos of the day's activities. I arranged with the hotel reception to drop me to the jetty for the 12-noon airport speedboat ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment