travelogue - Maldives

We were still savouring the natural beauty of God’s own Land- Kerala as our flight took off on our maiden visit to the Maldives. The ever so green coconut and palm trees lined the beaches with a fluffy white border to the sea created by the waves hitting against the land. A few boats dotting the blue waters of the Arabian Sea and the thick expanse of emerald land beside it made a spectacular scene.

While munching into the Indian Airlines lunch, we felt the slight turbulence on the flight. Seeing the clouds outside we desperately prayed that our trip would not turn into a “damp squib” due to incessant heavy rains as was predicted by friends and folks - quite a natural occurrence during this part of the year from ‘hulhangu” south west monsoons. However, the clouds thinned away miraculously, as if God had indeed heard our prayers and soon we could see the world outside.

But nothing we had read so far or even seen in travel books had prepared us for what we saw next. As the plane’s engines were turned off and its decent began, the clouds receding to the background, the vast expanse of the water came to sight more clearly and there we saw the breathtaking view. The dark blue waters of the ocean below were dotted with tiny green islands skirted by white beaches and laced with turquoise lagoons. It seemed as though all shades of blue existed here in its very natural surroundings.

The islands grew bigger, ever more beautiful as we cruised in. We got a glimpse of some resorts on islands close to the airport, as well as that of speedboats racing over the waves and some of the yachters happily sailing through clear waters, while we landed smoothly on the narrow runway. But the landing of the huge aircraft on this tiny bit of land surrounded by water on all sides was in itself an awesome experience. I had never really bothered to listen to the safety instructions, which is religiously repeated on every flight about eventualities. As the aircraft turned around and aligned for landing, we couldn’t see anything but water. I sat there motionless, till I felt the tyres touch down.

The skyline of Capital City of Male could also be seen from the air even though the airport itself is on a different island. Male International Airport is situated on a small piece of island, whose length almost, equals the runway, 2kms across the capital city. The visa for tourists is given on arrival. The moment we walked out of the arrival terminal, we saw resorts’ representatives in make shift kiosks. After we registered our arrival with our resort rep, we strolled out and perched ourselves under an umbrella. Since some of the flights from the Asian region and from Europe land at about the same time we had to hang around for the resort personnel to collect all their guests, especially if the resort is far from the airport.

Sitting there under a canopy of palm trees and looking into the clear blue waters of Indian Ocean – hot tropical sun blazing over head, the strong sea breeze blowing across the island, sounds of speedboat motors roaring to life and sailing away, the sight of aircrafts landing on a small strip of land and taking off, and the sea planes humming above; this rare and almost dream like setting convinced me that we had, after all, made the right choice for a perfect short holiday.

The Taj Coral Reef Resort, which is about 38kms from the International airport, was our destination. It is located on the island that is part of the North Male Atoll (Kaafu). Atoll comes from the Maldivian word ‘atolu’ meaning a cluster of islands. The country itself consists of 1192 small coral islands grouped in 26 atolls. Only about 202 are inhabited. The resorts are usually built on a small island with no other development. Natives are not usually encouraged to mix with the tourists. There are only a few islands where the natives and tourists live together.

Nearly three decades earlier, it was an Italian tour operator who felt that a clear market existed for the untampered natural beauty – “for the Sun, sand and sea, a thousand ‘Robinson Crusoe’ islands “ as the official site describes it. Abdul Gayoom, the President of the Republic who was saved by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from an attack from the mercenaries in 1988, developed tourism to benefit the country. Today, tourism is one of the major contributors to the GDP and hence is strictly regulated by the Government. Every resort has its own desalination plant, power plant and an incinerator for waste disposal. In addition, the non-biodegradable wastes are collected and airlifted to Germany for treatment. No wastes are allowed to be dumped into the sea surrounding the resorts. Commercial fishing is banned on the resorts. With only 70 resorts operating spread over a vast expanse of the water body, the environment doesn’t really get affected by the large number of speedboats plying round the clock transporting people as well as supplies, since its exhausts get dispersed by the winds.

These tropical islands in the Indian Ocean are a paradise for the water sport enthusiasts. From wind surfing and sailing to snorkeling, canoeing and scuba diving, facilities are available for beginners as well as the experienced. Many come from Europe and Japan to just log in more hours in newer waters. If on the other hand you are an adventurous person looking for some sort of rib tickling engagements on an otherwise safe holiday, how about some couple of hours of night fishing. Every resort organises these outing for those night birds who wish to feel the sea in the dark by Dhonis- which are motorised local boats.

Island hopping is another of the favourite activities of the guests here. It may include a visit to a fishing village, an uninhabited island for snorkeling and barbecue lunch if the weather permits and a visit to other resort islands for tea and use of facilities. They also organise sorties by the seaplanes wherein these amphibian planes show around the Atoll.

Snorkeling is something, which can be done by even non-swimmers in shallow waters of the lagoons. The underwater life is a treat for any eyes. The waters are so clear that one has to just look into the water to see schools of fish in its various natural colours and shapes. The breathing apparatus and the waterproof glasses used in the snorkeling exercise allow one to stay under water for a longer duration and thus appreciate the Lord’s creation in its entirety.

The coral reefs or coral garden which form the bed of the ocean is a living colony of polyps – an invertebrate species of living forms belong to Coelenterates which include the likes of sea anemones and jelly fish. These animal forms secrete lime skeletons. The new coral grows on old dead coral and the reef gradually builds up. They reproduce by splitting to form genetically identical colonies. They take many forms and the most common form is one of the staghorn.
Charles Darwin was the first to suggest that atolls develop from coral growth around the edges of an underwater volcanic peak. It has been proven by extensive research by the geologists elsewhere in the world. The sight of the gradual evolution of the islands in various phases of formation from the coral reef below and the vegetation growing on these sand banks in differing stages of development is, at first, almost an incomprehensible experience. It makes one feel as though we are witnessing some sort of an experiment in the nature’s laboratory.

Maldives, with its virgin beaches, huge underwater life system and its natural sandbanks under various states of formation, is considered a perfect combination for the ideal tropical holiday destination. As interdependent elements in an ecology, in a food chain where birds, fish and other marine life co-exist, and for once the humans acting as caretakers rather than the prime destroyers, Maldivian archipelago, seems like an endless marvel.