Visiting Maldives was a dream come true. We couldn’t have chosen a better place to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. I will be writing about my travel itinerary and experience soon, but before that let me list the 5 amazing things I did in Maldives.
Star Gazing
Our island was about an hour away from Male Velena International Airport (Maldives). It really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. So you can imagine how incredibly clear the night sky looked. After dinner when my son had slept, I would make myself comfortable on the floor of our balcony and watch the stars. We were staying in an overwater bungalow, so I had the privacy and convenience to leisurely lie down on the wooden boards.
Initially, I wasn’t sure if I would spot meteors, but Oh My god! I think I almost cried. It had been my dream to watch shooting stars all through the night and that’s exactly what I did. The meteors kept falling at regular intervals. I missed watching many as I would be searching in one part of the sky and would catch just a tiny movement in my peripheral vision.
I spotted constellations that I had only seen in pictures.
My husband joined me at first but he was too tired after a day of activities, so it was just me, listening to the sound of waves crashing on the rocks, a reef shark under my bungalow, and the silence of the sky. I was up for three nights, soaking in every moment as I knew I wouldn’t get this chance for a long time.
Snorkeling
I am not a great swimmer. It is a skill I have learned in recent years. But I didn’t wish to miss the opportunity of swimming in the perfect water of Maldives. So, for a few weekends before my trip, I would go swimming for over an hour in our local swimming pool. This helped me to become comfortable in deep water.
Thankfully, the lagoon in Ellaidhoo was perfect for a beginner like me who wanted to snorkel. It was the first time I went snorkeling. I spent 2 days snorkeling in the turquoise water of Maldives, admiring the sea life, spotting so many beautiful fish, and even experienced swimming with a reef shark.
Scuba Diving
Couldn’t have missed the opportunity to go scuba diving in the Maldives. My husband had a better experience than me as his instructor took him into the deeper side of the lagoon. I was more like a beginner so we stayed at a shallow end. But still, I got to see beautiful sea life and coral reef.
I had an amazing instructor who was patient and did his best to make me confident about our dive.
Rainbow over the Ocean
I saw a rainbow pretty much every single day of my stay in Ellaidhoo, Maldives. The weather would often change dramatically. I saw the above rainbow on the second day of our stay. I was watching the stormy western horizon when the eastern side suddenly lit up and a lovely rainbow started forming over the ocean.
I saw another stunning rainbow on our last day in Maldives, while we were sailing towards the seaplane. This rainbow appeared out of nowhere. We then sailed through a patch of blue-green water that looked almost cyan. Omg, I wanted to just sit there and watch this sight. It felt so incredibly peaceful and satisfying to witness the beauty of nature.
The color of the water in the Maldives is blue and crystal clear due to Coral reefs and phytoplanktons, which absorb the blue and green colors from the sunlight. You can easily see the spots with coral reefs due to the difference in water color.
FUN FACT – The sand in the Maldives doesn’t get hot because they are formed from coral reefs, instead of quartz. Less than 5% of the beaches in the world have coralline sand.
Seaplane
Blame Instagram, but it had been on my bucket list to see a group of islands from the sky. So when I got the chance to pick a seaplane or ferry, I picked a seaplane to transport us back to the airport.
And I wasn’t disappointed. Probably the most I have ever spent on a view. Well, you live only once. π
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Wow, Raj, those pictures are awe-inspiring! I was most happy on reading how you lay under the night sky, stargazing. That is one of my and my mother’s all-time-fav activities. She tells me all about the stars and the various constellations and I love to listen. And as viewing a star-studded sky is a dream for most of us, you did the right thing of staying up to watch the show!
The water looks splendid and so do those pics with the rainbows! π
Oh, and wishing you and your husband a very happy 10th anniversary! God bless you!