Day 7 (March 15, 2023): On the move
It was an early rise this morning, in order to get an early-prepared breakfast at 7:20AM and then a drive via golf-cart to the Seashine boat to Male at 8AM.
The restaurant at the Pearl Sands has a sand floor. This is where we ate all our meals. Breakfast starts at 8AM, but they prepared an early continental breakfast for us, to accommodate our 8AM boat departure.
Enroute from Huraa to Male, we passed the slow public ferry, which takes 90 minutes (@ $2 USD), compared to Seashine’s 25 minutes (@ $10 USD).
Upon arrival at the busy passenger port of Male.
After a brief stopover, the Seashine boat continued on to the airport, with just Pam and I as passengers.
Nearing the airport, we saw the morning arrival of Aeroflot from Moscow. (The sight of an Aeroflot aircraft in the West has become as elusive as spotting Sasquatch, since the embargo began.) Every morning, an Aeroflot Boeing 777 carrying over 300 Russians arrives in Male. Russians can also get to the Maldives easily via airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, etc., which did not cease flying to Russia as part of the embargo after the war began. All in all, the resorts in the Maldives are filled with Russians. While we know that not all Russians support Putin and the war, one really does find oneself biting one’s tongue when in their company in a restaurant line up, at a hotel reception area, etc.
Sign at Male Airport.
When we arrived at Male Airport, this traditional honour guard was preparing to welcome a visiting dignitary. It was the guy in the beige blazer below - we have no idea who it was! But it was an interesting thing to see.
The first seven rows were completely empty!
This is Phase 2.
And, still under development, is Phase 3. This man-made island could eventually be one of the last vestiges of the Maldives, 50+ years from now.
Sorry for the faded resolution, but this was taken across the aisle of the plane, looking out the window towards Nalaguraidhoo Island, where our resort is located. You can see the resort’s overwater bungalows.
The small airport at Maamigili serves a large section of the southwest of the country. Despite being the size of a shoebox, it does have ‘international airport’ status.
Pulling up to the pier at Sun Island Resort.
Beach units at Sun Island Resort.
The snorkelling off the steps at this restaurant at the resort was mind-blowing!
Lunch at a cafe on the island’s north side.
Pam was super relaxed!
The Coffee Shop, where we ate our first meal at the resort. An idyllic setting.
As part of our mid-afternoon exploration of the resort, we went to see the overwater bungalows.
The lizard or gecko-like critter was sporting many colours.
Our late afternoon coffee break in front of our unit, looking towards the reef.
An immaculate sunset.
At 6:30PM every night, like clockwork, the stingrays show up in huge numbers, right at the water’s edge.
Also at 6:30PM every night, the sharks arrive in huge numbers! Maybe they have a contract with the resort?
Rays and sharks in perfect harmony.
We took one last walk to the lovely Pearl Sands beach, gobbled down a continental breakfast of cereal, pastries, fruit salad and cappuccinos, then we were off.
The packed Seashine boat, filled with locals heading into medical appointments and the like in Male, took exactly 25 minutes to get to the centre of the city. Everyone disembarked except us, as we were heading to the airport after a brief Male stop.
Arriving at the airport, we were told that we had been moved to an earlier flight (10:05 vs. 12:05), which was great news, as it meant two hours less in a hot, humid airport and two hours more at our next resort!
The flight was a quick 30 minutes, and was only about half full. What a wonderful flight it was, as it afforded another set of views upon this stunning island nation, to complement the scenes we saw last Saturday upon arrival from Qatar.
We landed at 10:40AM and were bused directly to a pier, where our resort whisked us off to nearby Nalaguraidhoo, an island that is comprised only of the Sun Island Resort. Our room was ready for early occupancy, so our Indian hostess and a golf cart driver took us there immediately. Our unit is located directly on the beach, on the south side of the island.
The afternoon was comprised of lunch, a swim in the lagoon in front of our unit, and a snorkeling experience on the north side of the island. Enroute to dinner, we stopped at the overwater bungalows, where stingrays show up on the water’s edge in droves every evening at 6:30PM, as does a shiver (also called a frenzy, herd, gam or school) of sharks. We were completely awestruck by the sight of both.
Halfway through dinner, the heavens opened up like we have never seen before. After 15 minutes of an utterly torrential downpour, a massive flash of lightening was accompanied by an immediate clap of thunder. Something in the resort’s infrastructure must have been hit by a strike, as the restaurant went dark. The waiters, however, simply pulled out their mini flashlights and guided everyone around the various buffet stations, as if nothing had even happened.
The power was restored before long, and we called it an early evening. Tomorrow we have to rise at 5AM to address a big item on our bucket lists: swimming with whale sharks!
Farewell to the Pearl Sands Resort! It was a wonderful stay, we would highly recommended it!
Evidence of the previous night’s hard work by the crabs living on the beach!
The restaurant at the Pearl Sands has a sand floor. This is where we ate all our meals. Breakfast starts at 8AM, but they prepared an early continental breakfast for us, to accommodate our 8AM boat departure.
Enroute from Huraa to Male, we passed the slow public ferry, which takes 90 minutes (@ $2 USD), compared to Seashine’s 25 minutes (@ $10 USD).
Upon arrival at the busy passenger port of Male.
After a brief stopover, the Seashine boat continued on to the airport, with just Pam and I as passengers.
Nearing the airport, we saw the morning arrival of Aeroflot from Moscow. (The sight of an Aeroflot aircraft in the West has become as elusive as spotting Sasquatch, since the embargo began.) Every morning, an Aeroflot Boeing 777 carrying over 300 Russians arrives in Male. Russians can also get to the Maldives easily via airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, etc., which did not cease flying to Russia as part of the embargo after the war began. All in all, the resorts in the Maldives are filled with Russians. While we know that not all Russians support Putin and the war, one really does find oneself biting one’s tongue when in their company in a restaurant line up, at a hotel reception area, etc.
Sign at Male Airport.
When we arrived at Male Airport, this traditional honour guard was preparing to welcome a visiting dignitary. It was the guy in the beige blazer below - we have no idea who it was! But it was an interesting thing to see.
FlyMe is domestic airline in the Maldives that flies among the seven regional airports using very modern ATR-42 and ATR-72 aircraft. Our flight from Male to Maamigili was on an ATR-72-600.
The first seven rows were completely empty!
Despite it being a 30-minute flight, they still served a drink box and a packaged pastry, which was surprising.
An earlier blog entry mentioned the development of Hulhumale, which was built up 2 meters above sea level to accommodate rising sea levels. Hulhumale is being developed in three phases, which can best be appreciated from the air. Above you have Hulhumale Phase 1.
This is Phase 2.
And, still under development, is Phase 3. This man-made island could eventually be one of the last vestiges of the Maldives, 50+ years from now.
The following photos show some islands enroute from Male to Maamigili in South Ari Atoll. If you see green forest or white sand, it indicates dry land. Anything that is a shade of turquoise is under water.
Sorry for the faded resolution, but this was taken across the aisle of the plane, looking out the window towards Nalaguraidhoo Island, where our resort is located. You can see the resort’s overwater bungalows.
The small airport at Maamigili serves a large section of the southwest of the country. Despite being the size of a shoebox, it does have ‘international airport’ status.
Pulling up to the pier at Sun Island Resort.
Beach units at Sun Island Resort.
The snorkelling off the steps at this restaurant at the resort was mind-blowing!
Lunch at a cafe on the island’s north side.
Pam was super relaxed!
The Coffee Shop, where we ate our first meal at the resort. An idyllic setting.
As part of our mid-afternoon exploration of the resort, we went to see the overwater bungalows.
The lizard or gecko-like critter was sporting many colours.
Our late afternoon coffee break in front of our unit, looking towards the reef.
An immaculate sunset.
At 6:30PM every night, like clockwork, the stingrays show up in huge numbers, right at the water’s edge.
Also at 6:30PM every night, the sharks arrive in huge numbers! Maybe they have a contract with the resort?
Rays and sharks in perfect harmony.
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