The Maldives are about two hours South of Bengaluru by air - very close to the equator. Being close to the equator, it was quite warm, and we were very happy to learn that the A/C did not turn off when you left the cabin. Another point of interest is the big dipper, which is viewable from the Maldives. Seeing the dipper was completely unexpected as we have not been able to spot the it in India. Oddly enough, there is enough light pollution in the middle of the Indian Ocean to prevent visibility of the Milky Way.
The trip was our first experience with international travel from India, and the major learning was the volume of paperwork required to get out of and then back into India. The immigration processes flowed well, but each passport required copious paperwork to be completed. Also, for any expensive items, such as cameras, that you wish to bring back into the country you need to complete customs forms or risk paying import duties upon return. We have added a pen to our standard list of carry on stuff (our pens has been placed in the checked luggage). Indian immigration / customs did let us back into India without issue, and the cats were grateful to the authorities to have their playmates back. The picture album contains pictures from both the Thornes and the Heihns - thanks to Alex for sharing.
The trip was our first experience with international travel from India, and the major learning was the volume of paperwork required to get out of and then back into India. The immigration processes flowed well, but each passport required copious paperwork to be completed. Also, for any expensive items, such as cameras, that you wish to bring back into the country you need to complete customs forms or risk paying import duties upon return. We have added a pen to our standard list of carry on stuff (our pens has been placed in the checked luggage). Indian immigration / customs did let us back into India without issue, and the cats were grateful to the authorities to have their playmates back. The picture album contains pictures from both the Thornes and the Heihns - thanks to Alex for sharing.
We stayed at the Kurumba Maldives resort, which is about a 20 minute boat ride from the airport in Male'. We did not venture out from the resort once we got there due to the fact that the kids were having too much fun in the pools and the beaches; so, the parents chilled with a Corona or went snorkeling. The majority of the guests at the resort were European or Russian, which translated to not having to eat Indian food 3x / day - a welcome relief for our GI tracts. The food at the resort was quite good; although, a few sampled items made one wonder whose cookbook was used as the chef's reference. I mean, you see a Cesar salad on the menu, and you have certain expectations as to how it should taste, right? But no worries, there were lots of other tasty items to be sampled in any of the several themed restaurants.
The grounds of the resort were tropical, colorful, and well maintained. The groundskeepers did a great job of keeping the coconut trees trimmed back so you did not get beaned by a nut. [More than once we have witnessed shedding coconut palms in Palm Meadows. You do not want to park your car too close to a coconut palm- we've had our windshield replaced once due to an errant nut.] The resort had a very nice orchid garden, and female visitors were rewarded with a sprig of orchid to adorn their hair. Each day fresh flowers were put into the basin by the porch by the cabin steward. The resort operated a bit like a cruise ship in that the people who worked there, lived there.
One highlight of the trip was Jessie and Preson's crabs. I watched a piece of driftwood go by our cabin wondering 
where it came from as we were in the middle of the Indian ocean. The kids were about 100 meters to my left playing on the beach in front of Heihn's cabin. Apparently, there were rock crabs afloat on the driftwood, which requires one to ponder notions of island escape, or possibly crab teenager joy riding; although, there was no evidence of beer on the driftwood. The crabs were rescued from one fate only to fall into another as Jessie and Preston caught two of them.
where it came from as we were in the middle of the Indian ocean. The kids were about 100 meters to my left playing on the beach in front of Heihn's cabin. Apparently, there were rock crabs afloat on the driftwood, which requires one to ponder notions of island escape, or possibly crab teenager joy riding; although, there was no evidence of beer on the driftwood. The crabs were rescued from one fate only to fall into another as Jessie and Preston caught two of them.Jess and Preston were quite dutiful and happy to act as the proprietors of Crabby Daycare. To provide a caring and safe environment for their charges, they built sand castles to house them. The crabs were "walked" to assure the crabs got exercise and did not lose their ancestral identity, and the kids made sure there was fresh sea stuff for the crabs to eat. As you can imagine kids with crabs attract attention. Jess made friends with some folks from Israel who had not seen a young girl so happy to have a crab stuck to her chest. At the end of the day, the crabs were put to bed in sand buckets for the night. However, the next morning brought sadness when it was discovered that the crabs did not survive the night - tears were shed, services were held, memorials were placed, and then we moved on. That night Alex took the kids on a hermit crab hunt. Unlike snipe hunts, several rather traumatized little crabs were caught and released. The crabs scurried away only too glad to get back to doing whatever it is that hermit crabs do.
While I'm on the fauna, the island had two types of lizards. The common gecko that seems to be everywhere in Asia, and another sand based mini-iguana type lizard, who was quite shy at being photographed. In the photo album you'll find some pictures of a large heron like bird who cruised the waters edge each morning. The last morning he bagged two snakes - one in front of Heihn's cabin, and one in front of our cabin. In the evening there was a largish (think red tailed hawk largish) bat, which we assumed to be a fruit bat, cruising around the tops of the coconuts.
Another highlight was Jessie's first attempt at windsurfing. Our trip occurred during the two least windy weeks of the year, or so the instructor said, but there was sufficient wind to scud Jess gently across the water. Learning very quickly, Jess did a great job of balance on the board and turning. By the end of the second session, the instructor said she was ready for more wind, which turned out to be a bad omen as the wind totally died, and we had to cancel that last two sessions. Jess is now looking forward to our visit in Goa, India as they too offer windsurfing.
The Maldives are atolls, which require a lot of material (sand, clays, rocks, etc.) to be transported to the island to build it up. So, the resort is surrounded by a sea wall that had been built to protect the investment in imported island sand. We had tides of about six feet, and at high tide (about 11 a.m.) we could easily swim through the gaps in the sea will into the coral reef beyond. While there were sufficient and interesting fish to view inside the wall, outside the wall presented some of the best snorkeling we have ever encountered as the coral reef gave way to a wall dropping into a deep trench. So, within 100 meters from our cabin we encountered living coral and deep cold water, which makes for fantastic fish variety and density.
The cabin porches faced the water, which was about 15 meters away. So, each day we slipped into the water and donned our fins to see what we could sea. We spotted our first ever lion fish and sting rays, and Allison had a spiritual moment with several thousand of her closest finned buds over the deep water. I was acutely aware of the fact that with deep water comes big fish; so, I was diligent keeping an eye out for predators. None were discovered; although, there were some rather large and toothy fish lurking about. Other observations were a school of porpoise that went by beyond the wall, and Alli noticed something glowing on the wall and in the water in the still waters of the evening. Periodically, flying fish would skip across the water. Inside the wall were a group of small (.5 meter) black tipped reef sharks. As usual, the bearded one struggled a bit with mask fit, but that was finally mastered. My ENT should note that you don't need to inhale salt water to clear your sinus with a nose enema kit, you just need to go snorkeling with an ill fitting mask. Best I've been able to breath since coming to Asia.
One feature of our cabin, which was immensely enjoyed, was the outdoor shower. The entire back of the cabin was the bath area, which included an indoor shower, a tub, two sinks, and then there was the rain shower in the garden. [It was all walled in for privacy, of course.] We all enjoyed that shower, and Alli and I cannot wait to replicate that bathroom at the cabin on Superior; although, I don't think we'll do the garden shower as it would be too nipplely for the Superior climate. We may get another chance at that style of shower as it does appear that Jessie just might grow into being an island girl if the folks don't quit taking her on tropical island vacations.
In the evening we watched the setting sun waiting for the flash of green. We are still waiting, which is the reason we will keep going to beaches. (Thanks to Alex and Stacy for the sunset pictures. Alli and I were too enraptured by the moment to get a camera out.)The Thornes In India greatly enjoyed our mini vacation to the Maldives. The resort was great, the food was great, the snorkeling was great, and traveling with friends always makes the experience especially enjoyable.
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