wish you were here...
27 april
ok, have i mentioned how frikkin perfect it is here yet? ridiculously perfect. astonishinlgy perfect. picture postcard perfect.
the only flaw that i can find - and it's probably only a flaw with this particular resort - is the lack of more people like me. solo travellers. everyone here seems to be with family or significant others. and everyone seems to be content with keeping to themselves and the people they're here with. not a big surprise. i came here knowing that so it doesn't bug me much. to be honest, i'm completely enjoying the alone time. if there wasn't so much to do here or if it wasn't so beautiful i'd probably be singing a different song but then again maybe not. this is the first time i've been truly on my own in a strange environment so all this is completely new to me. nice to know that when left up to my own devices i can still have a good time regardless of the social situation. first-born child syndrome, perhaps?
i got a chance to walk around the island today. it's big enough that walking from resort to resort takes about 20 minutes or so but small enough that it doesn't seem impersonal. the thing that keeps striking me is how lush everything is. there huge plumeria trees everywhere - not the sickly little plants that we have in california. massive trees covered in the most fragrant, sweetest smelling blossoms you've ever smelled. i'm sitting underneath one right now. i swear i could be happy for the rest of my life just burying my face in the floral clusters. huge elephant ear plants (philodendrons maybe?), plants i've never seen before... all of them breathtaking.
the fauna on this island is equally astounding. massive flying foxes, cranes (or are they egrets?), a few species of lizards, and then, of course the marine life. seriously just like my friend max's spectacular reef tank except that i can get in it and swim around.
a little factoid... apparently every resort in the maldives is fully autonomous - generating its own power (a lot of it solar though i'm sure there has to be a diesel generator somewhere), dealing with its own waste, growing and cultivating it's own landscaping... all in the most ecologically friendly manner possible. this is something that the entire counrty prides itself in. so refreshing to see.
i spent some time this morning under my bungalow testing out the underwater housing for my camera. gonna need to practice a bit. getting the lighting and focus right underwater is a challenge. a curious flutemouth was kind enough to be my subject. followed me everywhere i went. if i made any sudden motion toward it it would change color to camouflage itself. awesome. more puffers and triggers and a huge group of moorish idols came by this morning. if it wasn't for the fact that i had dive class at 9am i would have sat on my deck all day watching the fish.
the dive classes are going well. there are 2 other people taking the class with me. a german guy named mattias and an english girl named claire. both very nice. we've been covering the basics - gearing up in and out of the water, using a compass to navigate in low viz conditions, breathing with the apparatus and how to deal with the unlikely event that you run out of air. on our way back to shore after the second dive we saw a 6 foot moray eel that was more afraid of us than we were if it. it took off in the opposite direction so fast that if you blinked you'd have completely missed it. tomorrow we start the first of our actual open water dives. the real thing... jump on a boat, drop anchor at a dive site and go. can't frikkin wait.
our instructor, dana, is awesome. an austrian woman who just seems to be in love with her life. from the outsider's perspective, what's not to love? diving all day everyday. sharing it with others. she's been here at kuramathi for a year and a half but has been in the maldives for 10 years total. she says gets a vacation every 6 months where she goes back home to italy. otherwise she does what she does 7 days a week. just like everyone else here. 7 days a week. small price to pay, it seems, to be able to work in paradise. at least from my perspective. though dana says that there are things she misses like going to the movies. things that i take for granted.
so i have another day and a half of dive classes - maybe 2 days - and then i'll be certified i guess. then i guess i'll start really checking things out. dana told me that no mantas or whale sharks have been seen around here for a while. bummer but it gives me a reason (like i really need one) to come back. there's a dive site called hammerhead point that's known for - what else - hammerhead sharks. gotta do that if at all possible. could take an afternoon excursion to a neighboring island to see how maldivians live... rent an ocean kayak... learn how to sail... whatever i do i'll probably hit the spa a few times to try out their signature ayurvedic massage and aromatherapy treatments. apparently for some of the treatments, they take you out on to the beach on a massage table and pamper you there. um.... ok. sign me up!
i'm beginning to wish i'd booked a full 2 weeks here though i have a feeling that come may 2 i might be ready to see some familiar places and faces. we'll see.
p.s. finally caught a sunset that i didn't nap through. spectacular!
ok, have i mentioned how frikkin perfect it is here yet? ridiculously perfect. astonishinlgy perfect. picture postcard perfect.
the only flaw that i can find - and it's probably only a flaw with this particular resort - is the lack of more people like me. solo travellers. everyone here seems to be with family or significant others. and everyone seems to be content with keeping to themselves and the people they're here with. not a big surprise. i came here knowing that so it doesn't bug me much. to be honest, i'm completely enjoying the alone time. if there wasn't so much to do here or if it wasn't so beautiful i'd probably be singing a different song but then again maybe not. this is the first time i've been truly on my own in a strange environment so all this is completely new to me. nice to know that when left up to my own devices i can still have a good time regardless of the social situation. first-born child syndrome, perhaps?
i got a chance to walk around the island today. it's big enough that walking from resort to resort takes about 20 minutes or so but small enough that it doesn't seem impersonal. the thing that keeps striking me is how lush everything is. there huge plumeria trees everywhere - not the sickly little plants that we have in california. massive trees covered in the most fragrant, sweetest smelling blossoms you've ever smelled. i'm sitting underneath one right now. i swear i could be happy for the rest of my life just burying my face in the floral clusters. huge elephant ear plants (philodendrons maybe?), plants i've never seen before... all of them breathtaking.
the fauna on this island is equally astounding. massive flying foxes, cranes (or are they egrets?), a few species of lizards, and then, of course the marine life. seriously just like my friend max's spectacular reef tank except that i can get in it and swim around.
a little factoid... apparently every resort in the maldives is fully autonomous - generating its own power (a lot of it solar though i'm sure there has to be a diesel generator somewhere), dealing with its own waste, growing and cultivating it's own landscaping... all in the most ecologically friendly manner possible. this is something that the entire counrty prides itself in. so refreshing to see.
i spent some time this morning under my bungalow testing out the underwater housing for my camera. gonna need to practice a bit. getting the lighting and focus right underwater is a challenge. a curious flutemouth was kind enough to be my subject. followed me everywhere i went. if i made any sudden motion toward it it would change color to camouflage itself. awesome. more puffers and triggers and a huge group of moorish idols came by this morning. if it wasn't for the fact that i had dive class at 9am i would have sat on my deck all day watching the fish.
the dive classes are going well. there are 2 other people taking the class with me. a german guy named mattias and an english girl named claire. both very nice. we've been covering the basics - gearing up in and out of the water, using a compass to navigate in low viz conditions, breathing with the apparatus and how to deal with the unlikely event that you run out of air. on our way back to shore after the second dive we saw a 6 foot moray eel that was more afraid of us than we were if it. it took off in the opposite direction so fast that if you blinked you'd have completely missed it. tomorrow we start the first of our actual open water dives. the real thing... jump on a boat, drop anchor at a dive site and go. can't frikkin wait.
our instructor, dana, is awesome. an austrian woman who just seems to be in love with her life. from the outsider's perspective, what's not to love? diving all day everyday. sharing it with others. she's been here at kuramathi for a year and a half but has been in the maldives for 10 years total. she says gets a vacation every 6 months where she goes back home to italy. otherwise she does what she does 7 days a week. just like everyone else here. 7 days a week. small price to pay, it seems, to be able to work in paradise. at least from my perspective. though dana says that there are things she misses like going to the movies. things that i take for granted.
so i have another day and a half of dive classes - maybe 2 days - and then i'll be certified i guess. then i guess i'll start really checking things out. dana told me that no mantas or whale sharks have been seen around here for a while. bummer but it gives me a reason (like i really need one) to come back. there's a dive site called hammerhead point that's known for - what else - hammerhead sharks. gotta do that if at all possible. could take an afternoon excursion to a neighboring island to see how maldivians live... rent an ocean kayak... learn how to sail... whatever i do i'll probably hit the spa a few times to try out their signature ayurvedic massage and aromatherapy treatments. apparently for some of the treatments, they take you out on to the beach on a massage table and pamper you there. um.... ok. sign me up!
i'm beginning to wish i'd booked a full 2 weeks here though i have a feeling that come may 2 i might be ready to see some familiar places and faces. we'll see.
p.s. finally caught a sunset that i didn't nap through. spectacular!
posted by michael | 4:55 AM
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