“Kihineh? Haalu kihineh?” First expressions of welcome from our sweet hostess Grace as we alight from our inter island boat ferrying the spouse and I to the tiny island of Veli, South Malè Atoll, Maldives. I am already reduced to a relaxed, open-mouthed Westerner the instant my feet hit sand. We are here to save our sanity and to experience what I have, till now, only dreamt of: a vacation in the Maldives.
First impressions are so so positive. The Maldivian people are extremely tolerant and very forgiving when visitors come to town. Being soft spoken and deferential- kind of humble – earns the visitor great respect. Raising one’s voice or losing one’s temper gets the cranky visitor nowhere in the Maldives, and causes the locals great distress. It’s a chilled out place, after all.
Considered extremely offensive is pointing one’s foot toward another. Two reasons: The foot is the lowest part of the body and the act of pointing is odious for Maldivians at any rate.
And the Maldivians have every reason to stay true to their convictions, for these strings of pearls scattered over the blue Indian Ocean Maldivians call home are a destination for those who wish to catch glimpse of tropical paradise. Paradise floating just six feet above seawater in the magnificent form of 26 atolls: coral formations in the shape of rings guarding safely 1190 islands.
Azure blue lagoons of placid water and teeming with colourful sea creatures are a step from shore, the ring-like coral atolls separating choppy waves and turbulent ocean from sleepy island life.
What a miracle these natural barriers are! 99% of the Maldives’ 90,000 square kilometers is covered by sea. Any one island does not exceed the length of 4.5 miles or an altitude of 6 feet above sea level. And the whole damn lot are situated smack in the middle of a wild ocean known to generate the power of tsunamis.
But this is not the time to write on such things as tsunamis. The greatest of decisions the sleepy spouse and I must now contemplate is whether we swim in this our private lagoon with flippers and snorkel or pop over to the bar for a cheeky cocktail before our seafood dinner…
2 Responses to Maldives Island Life: Part I