Tuesday, July 17, 2007
[Statutory Warning: This is an impossibly long account of our trip to maldives. All those who are looking for a shorter, crispier version- you may just know that maldives can be fun for vacationing and it is one heaven of a place! For those who still wish to read can go along!]
Ever been on a second honeymoon?
it is fun... i think better than the first one because you are accustomed to each other's daily routines, you dont fake around about not being hungry or dont feel shy about claiming at the top of your voice that you want to use the loo first!
well we just went to maldives for a week and proudly renamed our vacation as our second honeymoon... [nandita dear dont be jealous i know you have not had one either but with a husband like sanjay its a honeymoon everyday...]
Yeah talking of maldives it was BEAUTIFUL
Nature has showered it with abundant beauty and maldivians definitely know how to make dollars out of it.
We took an ahmedabad-mumbai-bangalore-male flight a LOOOOONG connection i would say and were definitely exhausted by the time we reached male [the capital of maldives] but once we were there it was refreshing.
we were taken to our resort by a speed boat and the feel of fresh air zoooming into face and hair was a welcome change because we had spent the past 12 hours in the stale airconditioned air of airports and flights.
The start was pretty good but i was skeptical about the holiday turning out really well. u see i dont know how to swim [and neither does abhi though he has certificate that says he can save lives of people who r in danger but i would be happy if he could save his own] and here i was in maldives where all you can do is swim. So i was just keeping my spirits low so as not to get disappointed if it actually doesnt turn out good
We reached Meeru in about an hour and it was a pleasant experience welcome and with all the sand in the reception we were just enjoying our wait. Then they announced that they are upgrading us to jacuzzi water villa for a day and of course i could help but blush. you see we had paid for land villas that is like two steps below the jacuzzi water villa and SURPRISE SURPRISE we were being upgraded!
We reached the longgggg path that led to our room and our room was right at the other end. the jacuzzi villas are all built in water and a straight path with rooms on both sides leads you right to your room. there are a total of 50 rooms or so and ours was the 42nd so like we had to walk more than half a km to our room. but it was simply fabulous- the walk and the room as well.
the room had a HUGE bathroom and an open to air jacuzzi and the best part was that it had stairs that led down to the sea. so it was kinda private sea!! and what beautiful sea. i mean the water was crystal clear you could actually count the number of pebbles below if you had the patience to do so and an amazing variety of fish right there. you dont have to go deep in the sea to have a look at the fish and other marine creatures they are right there below your room and i could spend hours and hours just sitting there!!
but bcoz we were in jacuzzi villa only for a day so chose to use the jacuzzi more than the sea- u see the sea was going to be with us for the rest 6 days but not the jacuzzi. So thoroughly pampered myself with all the goodies of the villa and finally we rode off to have some food.
We were told taht drinks are included in our package by someone at the airport and so abhi smartly ordered a coke and some bitter lemon and a fanta and all that then came the 9$ bill which said that food is included drinks are not!! abhi carried that fanta bottle with him for the next three days saying he had paid 12-13 times its price in india!
Then in the evening we went over to the restaurant which served the buffet and it was so calm and soothing. The food was all european and non vegetarian- we had to scout for vegetarian food but we managed. Mostly concentrated on the deserts! they were by far the best part of the trip
The next day-Monday we just lazed around trying to explore the resort and see the goras and goris. It was an all european resort- there were absolutely no indian tourists. however there were a lot of indians in the staff. most of them from south india, some from bangladesh, etc. one bangladeshi steward asked us in hindi ke kaisa lag raha hai yahan? (how r u finding it here?) and myself and abhi we were like all praise about it ohhhhhhh its beautiful and all that- and he smirked and said "What do you like here? There is nothing here!!" and i couldnt believe it. i mean he had been working there for 8 years adn was hence sooooooo tired of the place he could not believe that anyone can ever like this place! but believe me it was beautiful!
And yeah today we were supposed to vacate our jacuzzi villa and shift to our original room at 9 but we were not informed clearly and hence we never cared to move rather we put Do Not Disturb coconut[they have coconuts which read do not disturb... so u put that coconut outside] outside and enjoyed our pampering till noon when they called up and asked us to move. finally our ultra honeymoon was over and we shifted to land villas!
Then we went to the reception where they have these bulletin boards where you can sign up for various activities like snorkelling, island trips, fishing, etc etc. there were a lot many of them. but earning in rupees and spending in dollars is quite a task so i was searching to maximize my value for money when i read something about a one day boat trip to an uninhabited island called kagi which included snorkelling and other activities with all meals with drinks for freee!!! and i couldnt believe it. asked that fellow at the reception that why would you do it for free and he said that they were so packed at the resort that this way they could get a few rooms emptied and they could rent it out to others. the reception fellow vouched for the trip being actually GOOD and not some trap and my money-minded mind bought into it!! Saw Meet the Fockers that night laughed our hearts out and slept well.
The next day-Tuesday we again packed up our luggage and went over for the boat trip. We started at around 10 in the morning and the trip manager introduced himself and the crew adn showed us our rooms, etc. the room was a cubbyhole actually and abhi wanted to just leave because he is a severe claustrophobic. but aboard the deck the ship/boat was good. it was only with the rooms. on the boat were a british couple, a spanish couple, a french-moroccan couple and a british family with father, daughter and a son. Forty minutes into the sea and we logged our boat midsea and the captain said this a beautiful place for snorkelling and that we should get down here. And my heart wen DHUP! i mean he didnt expect me to get into the deep sea, mid sea and go snorkeling with no shoreline visible eitehr!! there was no way i was doing that! but then i thought if i dont do it today- i dont do it ever. so i found a midway out. i said i will go but only with the life jacket! and you should have seen their faces- they couldnt believe i said so. they were shocked because they had grown up in the sea almost and they couldnt believe that someone in the world might not know to swim. but they finally relented. and i got all decked up with snorkeling fins and the mask and of course the jacket! and yeah my dear husband with his certificate was also in the sea with the jacket wound around tighter than mine!
and oh oh oh.... it was some expererience getting into the sea- first i tested the life jacket- does it actually work what if i go in there and it can't hold me. but science knew better- it actually worked and so i followed the captain where he took me along to show the marine life. and becaue you just float while snorkeling and not get down into the water i was not as scared as a few minutes before. abhi was being guided by the trip manager- we were only two who required assisstance baki sab to already paani mein the.
but what i saw down there was THE MOST AMAZING THING. i couldnt believe that marine life could be soooooooooooo beautiful. i mean we all see it on discovery and NatGeo but seeing it in person- touching the corals and all that is an experience in itself. the various of the fish were something i can never forget- i mean i have not seen such vivid and extrordinary colors anywhere above the water!!! they were a five star treat to the eyes. i soon overcame my fears and started enjoying whatever i was seeing. for the first time i did not fear water. and of course it is thanks to the captain who specially led me around and showed me what i could have never possibly seen by myself.
abhi however was not so lucky- he could not manage to breathe through the vent and hence he returned to the boat long before i came. but he enjoyed it too. hte snorkelling mask covers your eyes and nose completely so thta you can look into the water and not have sore eyes. and it has a vertical pipe- one end of which you put into the mouth and hte otehr is in the air so taht you can breathe through it with your mouth. but abhi felt suffocated and could not breathe- it takes some getting used to but it is manageable.
Then we got back on the boat to go to Kagi but suddenly the weather turned truant and there were clouds and gusts of wind and we were caught up in a-not-so-heavy-storm according to maldivians but HEAVY according to me. However managed to keep my cool throughout and after an hour and a half of scary winds we reached Kagi. We had our lunch on the way there and i poured a laddle of fish sauce on my spaghetti assuming it to be vegetarian. but then had to let go of it.
At Kagi we first went around exploring the place. There wasn't much to explore- it was owned by Meeru- the resort we were living in. they used it as industrial island for fishing and other stuff. But as of now it was deserted and there were only TWO people living there. How i pity them!
Then we went snorkeling again this time me abhi and the captain all three of us. I forcefully got abhi along and finally we snorkeled it together. The marine life wasnt as beautiful as the one in hte mid sea but the island was far more beautiful under the water than over it!
Then we got on to what you can say is the terrace of the boat and read our respective books till it got too dark to read further. And when we came down we saw the boat crew had made this small dining area for us on the beach side with luminiscent lights and candles. And the view was breathtaking. i had only seen such things in movies so far. being there and having one made out for me was new to me. but i very soon got accustomed to the newness and was reveling in its beauty before i could guess. The chef had prepared a spicy rice variety on my special demand because the fish curry in my plate in the afternoon had left me pretty hungry. It was actually spicy and British fellow didnt know of it and he had hardly put a spoonful of it in his mouth and he screamed on the table HAAAHHH! he couldnt believe we have something so spicy day in and day out! but all in all we had nice dinner and i relished every moment of it because i knew it will be quite sometime before i am subjected to something so exotic as this!
After dinner i discussed Britain and its political issues and how indians take few vacations and all that Brits do is vacation over the table with the Brits [they had been on a skiing vacation to Canada this February and were in maldives in july and had the plans to some other place already for New Years!!!- i envied them] The crew then started with some folk songs on a dholak and all the goras were all praise about it. I wasnt very surprised because i have witnessed such things pretty often in my own village. I mean it made me introspect quite a bit because i was living two worlds simultaneously and that moment was the glaring example of it. The reason why goras found it entertaining was because they have never ever seen something similar in their real life. While i have virtually grown up with it. But the fact is that people whom i have grown up with do not get to see that the customs are same everywhere- that the maldivians also do the same thing!!! sing in crass voice and dance over the dholak!! However i enjoyed my split personality. It gives me a peek in both the worlds and reminds me that i have advanced with the modern world but i still carry my own 'antique' 'desi' 'rustic' world with me!
Abhi and i both took turns at the dholak and after my maldivian partner at dholak realized that i could play it in only one pattern and there was no point asking me to change it, he finally shifted to my rhythm. And i was applauded by everyone around for the most pathetic beats one could play! [my family would have definitely asked me to move out midway if they had heard me play it]
Then it was sleeptime and it was trouble time. Because Abhi was so claustrophobic he didnt even want to go downstairs to change. So we finally slept on the deck and i was excited because i thought i would get to sleep under the stars but noooooo the clouds hovered around from nowhere and we had to move inside- into the shaded deck. But we slept there properly and it was definitely better than crouching into the cubbyhole!
The next morning-Wednesday we were the first ones to be up of course and after a proper breakfast we took to the sea. Others too joined us later and we went snorkeling again (Well we didnt know what else to do either!) This time we went to the other side of the island and it was better than the last evening. But after going deep waters for a while myself and abhi spotted a private pool in the sea. It was the size of an average swimming pool with waters only 4 feet deep. It had no rocks or coral or whatever you call it. just crystal clear water with enchanting white sand below. And all around that little pool of ours were rocks and other marine creatures with such a huge variety of fish that it was just not possible to see it all. In spite of spending two hours in that pool we had not had enough of it. And the french guy Reda tried teaching us how to swim and both of us finally managed to swim almost 20 meters in 4 ft deep water!! And nonetheless we see that as an achievement!
From there we boarded the ship and headed back to meeru. Thankfully there were no storms to greet us this time and reached there safely and in time. We had our lunch on the boat and when we reached meeru we were once again upgraded to land jacuzzi villas where we stayed for the rest of our stay. But but but before we could move to our room we decided to empty the locker in which we had kept our valuables. The locker was at the reception area and we were given a key to the locker when we put our things in it. Because we were carrying only a carry bag full of things to the boat we the smart people decided to keep the keys in the camera case. And Murrays law came handy exactly when it was supposed to- they key was lost!
Meeru did not have an extra key and they had no other choice but cut open the locker if the key was not found at the beach either. So they asked us to wait one day. And with all the guilt and heavy heart I left for the room because he had just informed us that they would charge $100 for the ripping of the locker. I could not believe it $100!! i mean that was more than my total spending during the trip. Damn I had taken the free trip because I didnt want to spend! And here he was asking for a $100.
Anyways we headed to our new room and it was exactly what it should be- a step ahead of land villas and a step below water jacuzzi villas. But once again we had the jacuzzi and we simply jumped into it!
For the entire day after returning we did nothing in particular. Just took a stroll around the beach holding hands and enjoying the wind and the sand. Just had a feel that life couldn't be better. Felt ecstatic and filled with joy as if there was nothing that needs to be worried about.
Then that evening abhi got online to send message back home that we were fine and he even wanted to check his mails and all that. It was nice to meet everyone online and find that entire world except us is working! :) gives a superior feeling and knowing that they envy us is even better!
That evening meeru had some program in the kakuni bar and we definitely wanted to attend it but i took a nap for half an hour which somehow lasted for the entire night and then realized in the morning that i had slept through the entire program and more! But then that is what holidays are for- to live without a timetable, to sleep anytime and wake up anytime, right??
That night there were strong winds and they created such a lot of din I actually woke up in the middle of the night feeling scared. And what the first thing I saw was a cat (how scary) right in front of our room staring inside at us. And eeehhhhh I woke up abhi and the wise fellow tells me its rain and that the sea has already reached our room (Our room was more than 30 meters inside the island). And that he can SEE the water! Great! I kept looking for the water but could only find the cat. In the meantime of course Abhi had slept off! And I decided not to worry about whatever it was till our roof opened up to the sky. But thankfully it was just wind and no water as my dear husband saw it and the next morning was as lovely as always.
The next morning-Thursday, I had one point program- SAVE $100. So called up the people at reception to find out if they could locate the key at the beach, which i knew stood a one in million chance. And they proved me so much right. They could not find it. I was SAD. Trying to rationalize myself that its ok, its only a $100 and I should not spoil my vacation for it etc. etc. But none of it made sense till abhi finally went there to have the locker opened. They had called in someone from Male to break it open and he started doing his job till abhi waited. When he was done abhi went to collect the stuff BUT it was EMPTY! And he couldn't believe it till he saw the locker number- the technician had broken 147 instead of 148! GREAT! So they had one more locker to break! Once the true locker was opened abhi collected the stuff and asked about the payment but SURPRISE SURPRISE, abhi had not signed any document which said that in case of loss etc. we would be eligible to pay. So the very HONEST Yoropeans (Europeans as it is pronounced by gujjus!) did not charge us a penny for it though we would have paid had they asked. But next time remember this- when dealing with Yoropeans always ask for signed stuff- if its not signed its not there!
And so went by the Thursday with a photography session in the evening to show some pics back home. Till then I was dressed in clothes which if seen by family they would either die out of a stroke or simply disown me. So finally decided to wear something acceptable and clicked around. Yeah Yeah its the yellow skirt and pink top in which there are a dozen pics. Oh yeah, that evening when we were playing Table Tennis there was this another Yoropean couple too. The girl was really pretty and the guy was ok. And abhi could not help but sympathize with the girl. And you know it is great fun to talk of someone right under their nose becuase you are assured that there is no way they are going to know your language! So both of us coolly dissected their relationship in their presence abhi trying to justify why she deserves a better man and me trying to say keep out of their relationship (actually saying "you would better notice me than that dame!")
That night there was Crab Race at Kakuni Bar and it sounded quite novel to us so we went over to find out more. But it was PATHETIC. There were small tiny crabs with more 100 people watching over to see how fast (actually even the fastest was SSLLLOOOOWWWWW)the crab could run. But it was all pointless.
Anyways the next and final day-Friday we rented snorkeling equipment from the dive center and went snorkeling. Strange I can taste the salty water that would enter my mouth even as I write this. We went snorkeling near the water villas but there wasn't much to be found. However we liked to swim and to our amazement both of us could swim actually well. Well only until we turned around and tried to swim back to from where we had started. It was a disaster! We could not move an inch from where we would start swimming because the current was against us this time! And that is what explained how come we swam sooooooo swiftly before! BAD!
But from that morning I had started nagging abhi "abhi, mare pachu nathi javu! chalo kyank jata rahiye" (Abhi, I don't want to go back- lets elope somewhere")And poor man tried to reason it out with me but to no avail. I just wouldn't understand till I HAD to move out the next day. That day we went over to the Uthuru Bar and abhi had some non-alcoholic cocktail and abhi JUST won the Chess game which I destined to win but somehow lost! We dined at the Uthuru as well and had the water of the bottle I had refilled that morning at the breakfast. Meeru charged for water during lunch and dinner but provided it free during breakfast. So once again me the miser took the bottle we had bought yesterday to the breakfast table and refilled it at the counter with all the pride so that we could reuse it later and we did. With abhi of course shying away and trying not to know me!
The next morning was our last one at Maldives and we packed our bags by 8. Left Meeru with a HEAVY heart by 9. Never wanted to leave but all good things must end and so did it. We had our breakfast on the beachside that day and it was ultimate.
Aboard our boat to Male was the same Yoropean couple we had met at the Table Tennis room. And once again abhi started with his hopeless analysis saying "see they don't even hug each other" (on the boat, come on man, what did you expect.) "see he just keeps reading the magazine" "it is not going to last long- i am telling u" it was as if he PRAYED it would not. But I pray she finds happiness with her partner or without. By the time we reached Male abhi had bought me into the fact that they WEREN'T a happy couple!
When we reached Male at 10 we learnt that our flight which was at 12:50 was delayed further and hence we took the ferry to Male. Got down the ferry, strolled around for half an hour, saw the President's house, Military Headquarters, Police Headquarters, everything in one single stroll, got blisters in the feet and came back to the ferry. All diplomatic buildings were soooooo near by it seemed they could communicate even by shouting out of their own buildings to the other one. Hard to imagine it considering the fact that in Inidia's President House itself is almost as big as Male.
Came back to the airport, abhi had a $12 burger (can you believe it? and it was pathetic) at the airport and we boarded the as-always-late Indian Airlines flight to Banagalore. And we were packed back in the same stale air of airports till we reached Ahmedabad the next morning with a truckload of memories to live by!
Huh!!! Finally done with it! Can't believe I wrote such a LONG affair. I think I will be the only one to read it. But no problem. It is time well invested.
Years later when we grow old and Abhi will have white hair all over (he has 70% white even right now, just keeps coloring it) and so would I- we will sit together and read this. It will remind us of the lovely time we spent together. Something not every couple is blessed with.
We will read it when our work and kids and family keep us too busy to relish our past.
We will read it when we want to remind ourselves of what life can be.
We, WILL read it!
Ever been on a second honeymoon?
it is fun... i think better than the first one because you are accustomed to each other's daily routines, you dont fake around about not being hungry or dont feel shy about claiming at the top of your voice that you want to use the loo first!
well we just went to maldives for a week and proudly renamed our vacation as our second honeymoon... [nandita dear dont be jealous i know you have not had one either but with a husband like sanjay its a honeymoon everyday...]
Yeah talking of maldives it was BEAUTIFUL
Nature has showered it with abundant beauty and maldivians definitely know how to make dollars out of it.
We took an ahmedabad-mumbai-bangalore-male flight a LOOOOONG connection i would say and were definitely exhausted by the time we reached male [the capital of maldives] but once we were there it was refreshing.
we were taken to our resort by a speed boat and the feel of fresh air zoooming into face and hair was a welcome change because we had spent the past 12 hours in the stale airconditioned air of airports and flights.
The start was pretty good but i was skeptical about the holiday turning out really well. u see i dont know how to swim [and neither does abhi though he has certificate that says he can save lives of people who r in danger but i would be happy if he could save his own] and here i was in maldives where all you can do is swim. So i was just keeping my spirits low so as not to get disappointed if it actually doesnt turn out good
We reached Meeru in about an hour and it was a pleasant experience welcome and with all the sand in the reception we were just enjoying our wait. Then they announced that they are upgrading us to jacuzzi water villa for a day and of course i could help but blush. you see we had paid for land villas that is like two steps below the jacuzzi water villa and SURPRISE SURPRISE we were being upgraded!
We reached the longgggg path that led to our room and our room was right at the other end. the jacuzzi villas are all built in water and a straight path with rooms on both sides leads you right to your room. there are a total of 50 rooms or so and ours was the 42nd so like we had to walk more than half a km to our room. but it was simply fabulous- the walk and the room as well.
the room had a HUGE bathroom and an open to air jacuzzi and the best part was that it had stairs that led down to the sea. so it was kinda private sea!! and what beautiful sea. i mean the water was crystal clear you could actually count the number of pebbles below if you had the patience to do so and an amazing variety of fish right there. you dont have to go deep in the sea to have a look at the fish and other marine creatures they are right there below your room and i could spend hours and hours just sitting there!!
but bcoz we were in jacuzzi villa only for a day so chose to use the jacuzzi more than the sea- u see the sea was going to be with us for the rest 6 days but not the jacuzzi. So thoroughly pampered myself with all the goodies of the villa and finally we rode off to have some food.
We were told taht drinks are included in our package by someone at the airport and so abhi smartly ordered a coke and some bitter lemon and a fanta and all that then came the 9$ bill which said that food is included drinks are not!! abhi carried that fanta bottle with him for the next three days saying he had paid 12-13 times its price in india!
Then in the evening we went over to the restaurant which served the buffet and it was so calm and soothing. The food was all european and non vegetarian- we had to scout for vegetarian food but we managed. Mostly concentrated on the deserts! they were by far the best part of the trip
The next day-Monday we just lazed around trying to explore the resort and see the goras and goris. It was an all european resort- there were absolutely no indian tourists. however there were a lot of indians in the staff. most of them from south india, some from bangladesh, etc. one bangladeshi steward asked us in hindi ke kaisa lag raha hai yahan? (how r u finding it here?) and myself and abhi we were like all praise about it ohhhhhhh its beautiful and all that- and he smirked and said "What do you like here? There is nothing here!!" and i couldnt believe it. i mean he had been working there for 8 years adn was hence sooooooo tired of the place he could not believe that anyone can ever like this place! but believe me it was beautiful!
And yeah today we were supposed to vacate our jacuzzi villa and shift to our original room at 9 but we were not informed clearly and hence we never cared to move rather we put Do Not Disturb coconut[they have coconuts which read do not disturb... so u put that coconut outside] outside and enjoyed our pampering till noon when they called up and asked us to move. finally our ultra honeymoon was over and we shifted to land villas!
Then we went to the reception where they have these bulletin boards where you can sign up for various activities like snorkelling, island trips, fishing, etc etc. there were a lot many of them. but earning in rupees and spending in dollars is quite a task so i was searching to maximize my value for money when i read something about a one day boat trip to an uninhabited island called kagi which included snorkelling and other activities with all meals with drinks for freee!!! and i couldnt believe it. asked that fellow at the reception that why would you do it for free and he said that they were so packed at the resort that this way they could get a few rooms emptied and they could rent it out to others. the reception fellow vouched for the trip being actually GOOD and not some trap and my money-minded mind bought into it!! Saw Meet the Fockers that night laughed our hearts out and slept well.
The next day-Tuesday we again packed up our luggage and went over for the boat trip. We started at around 10 in the morning and the trip manager introduced himself and the crew adn showed us our rooms, etc. the room was a cubbyhole actually and abhi wanted to just leave because he is a severe claustrophobic. but aboard the deck the ship/boat was good. it was only with the rooms. on the boat were a british couple, a spanish couple, a french-moroccan couple and a british family with father, daughter and a son. Forty minutes into the sea and we logged our boat midsea and the captain said this a beautiful place for snorkelling and that we should get down here. And my heart wen DHUP! i mean he didnt expect me to get into the deep sea, mid sea and go snorkeling with no shoreline visible eitehr!! there was no way i was doing that! but then i thought if i dont do it today- i dont do it ever. so i found a midway out. i said i will go but only with the life jacket! and you should have seen their faces- they couldnt believe i said so. they were shocked because they had grown up in the sea almost and they couldnt believe that someone in the world might not know to swim. but they finally relented. and i got all decked up with snorkeling fins and the mask and of course the jacket! and yeah my dear husband with his certificate was also in the sea with the jacket wound around tighter than mine!
and oh oh oh.... it was some expererience getting into the sea- first i tested the life jacket- does it actually work what if i go in there and it can't hold me. but science knew better- it actually worked and so i followed the captain where he took me along to show the marine life. and becaue you just float while snorkeling and not get down into the water i was not as scared as a few minutes before. abhi was being guided by the trip manager- we were only two who required assisstance baki sab to already paani mein the.
but what i saw down there was THE MOST AMAZING THING. i couldnt believe that marine life could be soooooooooooo beautiful. i mean we all see it on discovery and NatGeo but seeing it in person- touching the corals and all that is an experience in itself. the various of the fish were something i can never forget- i mean i have not seen such vivid and extrordinary colors anywhere above the water!!! they were a five star treat to the eyes. i soon overcame my fears and started enjoying whatever i was seeing. for the first time i did not fear water. and of course it is thanks to the captain who specially led me around and showed me what i could have never possibly seen by myself.
abhi however was not so lucky- he could not manage to breathe through the vent and hence he returned to the boat long before i came. but he enjoyed it too. hte snorkelling mask covers your eyes and nose completely so thta you can look into the water and not have sore eyes. and it has a vertical pipe- one end of which you put into the mouth and hte otehr is in the air so taht you can breathe through it with your mouth. but abhi felt suffocated and could not breathe- it takes some getting used to but it is manageable.
Then we got back on the boat to go to Kagi but suddenly the weather turned truant and there were clouds and gusts of wind and we were caught up in a-not-so-heavy-storm according to maldivians but HEAVY according to me. However managed to keep my cool throughout and after an hour and a half of scary winds we reached Kagi. We had our lunch on the way there and i poured a laddle of fish sauce on my spaghetti assuming it to be vegetarian. but then had to let go of it.
At Kagi we first went around exploring the place. There wasn't much to explore- it was owned by Meeru- the resort we were living in. they used it as industrial island for fishing and other stuff. But as of now it was deserted and there were only TWO people living there. How i pity them!
Then we went snorkeling again this time me abhi and the captain all three of us. I forcefully got abhi along and finally we snorkeled it together. The marine life wasnt as beautiful as the one in hte mid sea but the island was far more beautiful under the water than over it!
Then we got on to what you can say is the terrace of the boat and read our respective books till it got too dark to read further. And when we came down we saw the boat crew had made this small dining area for us on the beach side with luminiscent lights and candles. And the view was breathtaking. i had only seen such things in movies so far. being there and having one made out for me was new to me. but i very soon got accustomed to the newness and was reveling in its beauty before i could guess. The chef had prepared a spicy rice variety on my special demand because the fish curry in my plate in the afternoon had left me pretty hungry. It was actually spicy and British fellow didnt know of it and he had hardly put a spoonful of it in his mouth and he screamed on the table HAAAHHH! he couldnt believe we have something so spicy day in and day out! but all in all we had nice dinner and i relished every moment of it because i knew it will be quite sometime before i am subjected to something so exotic as this!
After dinner i discussed Britain and its political issues and how indians take few vacations and all that Brits do is vacation over the table with the Brits [they had been on a skiing vacation to Canada this February and were in maldives in july and had the plans to some other place already for New Years!!!- i envied them] The crew then started with some folk songs on a dholak and all the goras were all praise about it. I wasnt very surprised because i have witnessed such things pretty often in my own village. I mean it made me introspect quite a bit because i was living two worlds simultaneously and that moment was the glaring example of it. The reason why goras found it entertaining was because they have never ever seen something similar in their real life. While i have virtually grown up with it. But the fact is that people whom i have grown up with do not get to see that the customs are same everywhere- that the maldivians also do the same thing!!! sing in crass voice and dance over the dholak!! However i enjoyed my split personality. It gives me a peek in both the worlds and reminds me that i have advanced with the modern world but i still carry my own 'antique' 'desi' 'rustic' world with me!
Abhi and i both took turns at the dholak and after my maldivian partner at dholak realized that i could play it in only one pattern and there was no point asking me to change it, he finally shifted to my rhythm. And i was applauded by everyone around for the most pathetic beats one could play! [my family would have definitely asked me to move out midway if they had heard me play it]
Then it was sleeptime and it was trouble time. Because Abhi was so claustrophobic he didnt even want to go downstairs to change. So we finally slept on the deck and i was excited because i thought i would get to sleep under the stars but noooooo the clouds hovered around from nowhere and we had to move inside- into the shaded deck. But we slept there properly and it was definitely better than crouching into the cubbyhole!
The next morning-Wednesday we were the first ones to be up of course and after a proper breakfast we took to the sea. Others too joined us later and we went snorkeling again (Well we didnt know what else to do either!) This time we went to the other side of the island and it was better than the last evening. But after going deep waters for a while myself and abhi spotted a private pool in the sea. It was the size of an average swimming pool with waters only 4 feet deep. It had no rocks or coral or whatever you call it. just crystal clear water with enchanting white sand below. And all around that little pool of ours were rocks and other marine creatures with such a huge variety of fish that it was just not possible to see it all. In spite of spending two hours in that pool we had not had enough of it. And the french guy Reda tried teaching us how to swim and both of us finally managed to swim almost 20 meters in 4 ft deep water!! And nonetheless we see that as an achievement!
From there we boarded the ship and headed back to meeru. Thankfully there were no storms to greet us this time and reached there safely and in time. We had our lunch on the boat and when we reached meeru we were once again upgraded to land jacuzzi villas where we stayed for the rest of our stay. But but but before we could move to our room we decided to empty the locker in which we had kept our valuables. The locker was at the reception area and we were given a key to the locker when we put our things in it. Because we were carrying only a carry bag full of things to the boat we the smart people decided to keep the keys in the camera case. And Murrays law came handy exactly when it was supposed to- they key was lost!
Meeru did not have an extra key and they had no other choice but cut open the locker if the key was not found at the beach either. So they asked us to wait one day. And with all the guilt and heavy heart I left for the room because he had just informed us that they would charge $100 for the ripping of the locker. I could not believe it $100!! i mean that was more than my total spending during the trip. Damn I had taken the free trip because I didnt want to spend! And here he was asking for a $100.
Anyways we headed to our new room and it was exactly what it should be- a step ahead of land villas and a step below water jacuzzi villas. But once again we had the jacuzzi and we simply jumped into it!
For the entire day after returning we did nothing in particular. Just took a stroll around the beach holding hands and enjoying the wind and the sand. Just had a feel that life couldn't be better. Felt ecstatic and filled with joy as if there was nothing that needs to be worried about.
Then that evening abhi got online to send message back home that we were fine and he even wanted to check his mails and all that. It was nice to meet everyone online and find that entire world except us is working! :) gives a superior feeling and knowing that they envy us is even better!
That evening meeru had some program in the kakuni bar and we definitely wanted to attend it but i took a nap for half an hour which somehow lasted for the entire night and then realized in the morning that i had slept through the entire program and more! But then that is what holidays are for- to live without a timetable, to sleep anytime and wake up anytime, right??
That night there were strong winds and they created such a lot of din I actually woke up in the middle of the night feeling scared. And what the first thing I saw was a cat (how scary) right in front of our room staring inside at us. And eeehhhhh I woke up abhi and the wise fellow tells me its rain and that the sea has already reached our room (Our room was more than 30 meters inside the island). And that he can SEE the water! Great! I kept looking for the water but could only find the cat. In the meantime of course Abhi had slept off! And I decided not to worry about whatever it was till our roof opened up to the sky. But thankfully it was just wind and no water as my dear husband saw it and the next morning was as lovely as always.
The next morning-Thursday, I had one point program- SAVE $100. So called up the people at reception to find out if they could locate the key at the beach, which i knew stood a one in million chance. And they proved me so much right. They could not find it. I was SAD. Trying to rationalize myself that its ok, its only a $100 and I should not spoil my vacation for it etc. etc. But none of it made sense till abhi finally went there to have the locker opened. They had called in someone from Male to break it open and he started doing his job till abhi waited. When he was done abhi went to collect the stuff BUT it was EMPTY! And he couldn't believe it till he saw the locker number- the technician had broken 147 instead of 148! GREAT! So they had one more locker to break! Once the true locker was opened abhi collected the stuff and asked about the payment but SURPRISE SURPRISE, abhi had not signed any document which said that in case of loss etc. we would be eligible to pay. So the very HONEST Yoropeans (Europeans as it is pronounced by gujjus!) did not charge us a penny for it though we would have paid had they asked. But next time remember this- when dealing with Yoropeans always ask for signed stuff- if its not signed its not there!
And so went by the Thursday with a photography session in the evening to show some pics back home. Till then I was dressed in clothes which if seen by family they would either die out of a stroke or simply disown me. So finally decided to wear something acceptable and clicked around. Yeah Yeah its the yellow skirt and pink top in which there are a dozen pics. Oh yeah, that evening when we were playing Table Tennis there was this another Yoropean couple too. The girl was really pretty and the guy was ok. And abhi could not help but sympathize with the girl. And you know it is great fun to talk of someone right under their nose becuase you are assured that there is no way they are going to know your language! So both of us coolly dissected their relationship in their presence abhi trying to justify why she deserves a better man and me trying to say keep out of their relationship (actually saying "you would better notice me than that dame!")
That night there was Crab Race at Kakuni Bar and it sounded quite novel to us so we went over to find out more. But it was PATHETIC. There were small tiny crabs with more 100 people watching over to see how fast (actually even the fastest was SSLLLOOOOWWWWW)the crab could run. But it was all pointless.
Anyways the next and final day-Friday we rented snorkeling equipment from the dive center and went snorkeling. Strange I can taste the salty water that would enter my mouth even as I write this. We went snorkeling near the water villas but there wasn't much to be found. However we liked to swim and to our amazement both of us could swim actually well. Well only until we turned around and tried to swim back to from where we had started. It was a disaster! We could not move an inch from where we would start swimming because the current was against us this time! And that is what explained how come we swam sooooooo swiftly before! BAD!
But from that morning I had started nagging abhi "abhi, mare pachu nathi javu! chalo kyank jata rahiye" (Abhi, I don't want to go back- lets elope somewhere")And poor man tried to reason it out with me but to no avail. I just wouldn't understand till I HAD to move out the next day. That day we went over to the Uthuru Bar and abhi had some non-alcoholic cocktail and abhi JUST won the Chess game which I destined to win but somehow lost! We dined at the Uthuru as well and had the water of the bottle I had refilled that morning at the breakfast. Meeru charged for water during lunch and dinner but provided it free during breakfast. So once again me the miser took the bottle we had bought yesterday to the breakfast table and refilled it at the counter with all the pride so that we could reuse it later and we did. With abhi of course shying away and trying not to know me!
The next morning was our last one at Maldives and we packed our bags by 8. Left Meeru with a HEAVY heart by 9. Never wanted to leave but all good things must end and so did it. We had our breakfast on the beachside that day and it was ultimate.
Aboard our boat to Male was the same Yoropean couple we had met at the Table Tennis room. And once again abhi started with his hopeless analysis saying "see they don't even hug each other" (on the boat, come on man, what did you expect.) "see he just keeps reading the magazine" "it is not going to last long- i am telling u" it was as if he PRAYED it would not. But I pray she finds happiness with her partner or without. By the time we reached Male abhi had bought me into the fact that they WEREN'T a happy couple!
When we reached Male at 10 we learnt that our flight which was at 12:50 was delayed further and hence we took the ferry to Male. Got down the ferry, strolled around for half an hour, saw the President's house, Military Headquarters, Police Headquarters, everything in one single stroll, got blisters in the feet and came back to the ferry. All diplomatic buildings were soooooo near by it seemed they could communicate even by shouting out of their own buildings to the other one. Hard to imagine it considering the fact that in Inidia's President House itself is almost as big as Male.
Came back to the airport, abhi had a $12 burger (can you believe it? and it was pathetic) at the airport and we boarded the as-always-late Indian Airlines flight to Banagalore. And we were packed back in the same stale air of airports till we reached Ahmedabad the next morning with a truckload of memories to live by!
Huh!!! Finally done with it! Can't believe I wrote such a LONG affair. I think I will be the only one to read it. But no problem. It is time well invested.
Years later when we grow old and Abhi will have white hair all over (he has 70% white even right now, just keeps coloring it) and so would I- we will sit together and read this. It will remind us of the lovely time we spent together. Something not every couple is blessed with.
We will read it when our work and kids and family keep us too busy to relish our past.
We will read it when we want to remind ourselves of what life can be.
We, WILL read it!
Labels: beach, maldives, romance, snorkeling, vacation
