My hands have been itching to write this entry since we
arrived from Maldives but I got too busy making the most out of my summer so here it is, more than two months late.
I wanted to do something big for myself for my 31st birthday so I thought why not travel to one of my dream destinations? Incidentally, two of my friends wanted to go there too so we started planning. Two (one being me) from our group of three share the same birth month so we decided to pick the dates between our birthdates so it was like a pre and a post celebration. We were able to book our flights as early as July of last year (and yet we were not able to achieve the beach body that we’ve envisioned). Boooo! We knew that this one’s gonna cut a big chunk of our savings account hence the long preparation. By October, accommodation has also been taken cared of.
Come January, we’ve been worrying how we can get our vacation leaves approved since three of us will be gone for three days all at the same time. But I’m not gonna bore you to the deets of how we were able to convince our manager. In the end, we we’re all able to go with stiff neck, backaches and so much cramming in between. Kidding! Who cares about a few hours layover and sleeping in the airport amidst loud chattering of other travelers? Nah! No biggie.
Our flight landed in Velana International Airport at around 8:30am. (Note: I’m only referring to the time stamp in the pictures on my phone because I already forgot some of the information). It took a few minutes for our transport to arrive but it was a short drive to Hulhulmalรฉ so it was not an issue. We were all too tired when we arrived at the hotel room so we decided to catch some sleep before going on a city tour. That was also a last minute decision since our flight was rescheduled at an earlier time which was a good thing. We were supposed to arrive late in the evening but thanks to FlyDubai and Emirates for the upgraded travel experience. We had a whole day to spend in the city.
The afternoon was spent touring the capital of Maldives — Malรฉ. We rode a ferry to get there. It was a short tour as it is a very small island which you can go around by merely walking. We visited a few swimming spots, yes, swimming spots in the city. Isn’t it amazing? Beaches, whether natural or man-made, are so accessible to its residents. And like the Philippines, Maldives is a tropical country which only have the summer and the rainy season. It is also prone to tsunami. In fact, one struck the city back in 2004 which killed a few of the locals and some tourists and it is where they built the Tsunami Tower which we also got the chance to visit.
Another highlight of our tour was when our guide asked us to try their food. I think it was grated dried coconut inside a folded betel leaf (ikmo in Filipino). I didn’t want to eat it because I grew up seeing old folks chew, spit, apply to different body parts to heal various medical conditions. But I didn’t want to be rude either so I had to do it. One of the worst lies was when he asked me how was it and I had to tell him that it was okay. Because it wasn’t okay. It was disgusting! Until now, I still couldn’t accept the fact that I did eat a betel leaf.
The next day, March 14th, was the start of our "real" Maldives adventure. The driver took us back to the airport where a commercial airplane will take us to another island called Maamigili. From there we will ride a coaster to take us to the port where a ferry will take us to our ultimate destination, the Sun Island Resort and Spa. Upon arrival at the resort, we were welcomed by the staff with drinks and some papers to sign. We were supposed to stay in one of their water bungalows for one night just to experience it but the staff offered it to us for two more nights at an affordable rate so we went ahead and giddily accepted it.
