“Crystal clear waters, under which resides shoal of fishes, rays and sharks, for the warmth of the sun, sand beneath the feat and a plethora of activities, Maldives should be on every traveler’s bucket list”.
Initially, Many of our friends, relatives poured in their suggestions and we were really in a fix as to where we should go. Then, as it finally lead to, we kept all those suggestions aside and introspected as to how we want our trip to be. Finally, we decided that our trip should involve adventures, No monumental site tour and it should be away from cities hustle!!
After exploring various places on google, we finalized "Maldives" as it was most trending and is surrounded with impeccable beauty. Initially, we thought we will plan the trip entirely on our own and explore. But, we caught up so much in our wedding preparations that we had very little time left to do so. So, as suggested by our friend, we approached to a trip planner and sought his help in planning our trip.Finally,we booked an all-inclusive trip to Maldives from Bengaluru.
So, the day arrived and excitement gushed in our minds to explore one of the most beautiful island nation. We started from Bengaluru at 03.00AM and Srilankan Airlines carried us to Maldives with a brief layover at Colombo.
As we peeped through our windows while landing, I must admit, it was one such heavenly feeling to witness crystal-clear blue waters 360 degrees around us. Upon landing, we had representative of our resort waiting at exit of the airport to pick us. In Maldives, as there is very limited land connection, we were taken in a speed-boat with all the hospitality to our resort and it was a wonderful experience indeed.
On arrival, we received a very warm welcome at Eriyadu Island resorts. Upon completing the formalities, as per our choice, we were given beach-front deluxe room and view from our room was something like this during sunset,
Our plans in Maldives were simple;energetic breakfast, each day one new activity , sumptuous lunch, unlimited aquatic sightseeing and a gala dinner to end the day.
Firstly, we did scuba diving as we had it written in our checklist and were eager to explore deep sea life. Basically, most of the people come here to become certified divers but because we traveled for leisure, we were offered “Discover Scuba” programme as it only introduces us to professional diving. As we were naive in diving, a trainer assisted us throughout. We were given basic training, right from breathing to handling equipment and we were taken deep in the sea. God!! What a moment it was… From colorful fishes to myriad fauna to sharks… It was lifetime adventure for both of us. I must admit it was the most peaceful and tranquilizing moment to us. Any adjective in vocabulary would not justify the experience we had under-water.
Our heart skipped a beat when shark appeared before us, luckily we were briefed at the beginning that, there is no need to panic if we sight a shark. For initial half an hour we did face little difficulty in handling equipment but later on we were used to it.
The day ended with Karaoke night wherein we sang old Bollywood songs which none of the foreigners understood there and we got to hear some French and Russian numbers.
Next day we had to do snorkeling as discussed on previous day with Euro divers, unlike scuba diving , here we float on water with with the snorkel. This time we went really a long distance in the sea along with guide who took us to turtle point and shark point. The Thrill and adrenaline rush, every time a wave hit us, was another level. The aquatic life from surface appeared like 4K resolution movie beneath us and no camera would have captured them better than our own eyes and mind.
Following day, we had fun activities like Banana boat, peddled boat around our island and had a lengthy photography session as we did not want to miss the abundant scenery and photoholic locations.
It was the most satisfying trip so far and we carried with us memories of lifetime and baggage of happiness. After our experience at Maldives, here are few things that we can suggest to prospective travelers who are planning their vacation at Maldives,.
1.Plan vacation to Maldives only if you are sea-lover OR you are willing to do water adventures; Else, high chances are that you will be bored over there as it is secluded away from rest of the world.
2. Carry your luggage as light as possible; If you are willing to do adventures underwater, its better to carry a pair of swimming dress along with Snorkel. Otherwise you will have to buy them on rent which is little expensive provided you can buy your own ones within that cost
3. The currency accepted there is USD. If you are holding a international credit card then there is no need to convert INR to USD,as unnecessarily you will pay commission to middle agent. So, keeping very little USD in form of cash is enough.
4. Try booking a resort inclusive of airport transfer as speedboat transfers will cost you huge
5. Food available is very diverse so, its a win-win for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians
Happy exploring..!!!
