After months of planning, daydreaming and anticipation for our island adventure, I can now say my feet are back on the ground in Germany. As I mentioned in the last post we were just about to surprise the kids with our holiday trip destination.....(although Hannah had figured it out months before). We were heading to the Maldives. Quite honestly I wasn't quite sure where they were when we first started looking into the trip.....and when you go to Google Earth it seems to spin and spin and zoom in and zoom in until finally it hones in on a group of islands off the Indian Ocean in South Asia. There are actually over 1000 islands but only 200 are inhabited....I had done my research! So we headed off to the Frankfurt airport on Christmas Eve with 5 small bags packed with flip flops, snorkels and fins! Many friends had gone to the Maldives for holidays in the past so we had an idea on what to expect.....but not quite sure what we were in for. I got 'the look' as I went through my suitcase one last time and everyone saw my bag of medicines. I think I cleared out the medicine cabinet trying to be prepared for everything...heck we were half way around the world on an island....who knows what could happen. And my little bag of tricks was like gold during the trip!
When we got to the airport it was amazingly quiet (although everyone that has visited us here in Germany always comments how quiet the airport is)......but when we got to the Condor Air line it was a different story.....I didn't realize that this many people would fly overnight on Christmas Eve to the Maldives. When we boarded the plane it was seriously like flying to Disneyworld...there were families everywhere! Families with kids much younger than ours, and there was not a seat available....booked solid! Whenever I read about the Maldives, or these crazy exotic places in travel magazines it always seemed so crazy romantic...and secluded. I was wondering what it would be like with our kids...but obviously these people had the same idea bringing the kids in tow.....so the adventure begins!
Once the flight was over (10 hours later) and a few hours (or should I say minutes of sleep accomplished) we began our descent over Male. There were a few moments of shock and awe as I looked out the window saw turquoise blue water....and a runway (if you can call it that) - it looked a bit like a 100 yard dash track to me. But it didn't seem to bother the passengers. People were shedding sweaters and boots were flying everywhere....people were stripping down to practically nothing! Once again...the adventure begins!
The plane touched down and comes to a screeching halt. A huge round of applause takes over the airplane as the Flight Attendants announce our arrival to paradise! Luckily wise friends told us to pack shorts and flip flops in the carry on bags....and the 90 degree salty island air felt so good! We were immediately met by our tour representative...and having booked the trip through a local travel agent in Germany, our guide assumed we were German (and with a name like Schmidt).....so we got about half of what she was saying and followed her to the sea plane! The kids expressions were priceless.....and I think they were pretty happy that Santa came a day early with snorkels and fins.....
The sea plane held our family of 5 and one other. There were two pilots - flying barefoot of course...and one flight attendant who spends a whole lot of time outside the aircraft tying us from place to place! The flight was about 20 minutes and the views were amazing....the air circulating in the aircraft.....not so amazing! Luckily we had disrobed to the last possible layer...but I could see in Caleb's face he was feeling a bit green......
But he rallied....and loved the landing as we glided across the water with flying fish outside our window. We made it! We got off the plane onto a floating pier. We were wondering what was next as we were right smack in the middle of the Indian Ocean....but within minutes a boat docks right to the floating pier, our luggage is put on the boat and we are off for a 10 minute boat ride to our resort......Caleb's face was a bit lighter green....he went from Elphaba in Wicked to Kermit the Frog color....so we were hoping the 10 minutes wouldn't seem like 10 hours!
We finally arrived.....Christmas day (about 11:00am) to Kuramathi Island. As we stepped off the boat, I was fairly certain I would see Tattoo and his sidekicks from Fantasy Island, but instead we were greeted by the local Maldivans. Maldivans are small in stature...but huge in smiles! I saw the kids reaction as they ran down the pier barefoot looking side to side at the marine life.....and my eyes just filled with tears... a combination of 'we made it'.......'relief'......and just overwhelmed with the beauty! It was incredible!
As a family of 5 we are used to booking two rooms......but two water villas, I was a bit worried. I had sent a request to the resort (actually numerous requests). I'm sure any e-mail they saw coming through from 'Schmidt' they immediately flagged....and classified me as a 'nut'. But I wanted to make sure the rooms were right next to each other.....adjoining would have been ideal....but that doesn't quite happen when you're in a little hut on stilts in the middle of the Indian Ocean. But I wasn't tagged as a 'nut' and we were placed in two great rooms next to each other overlooking the sunset every night. As we walked to the rooms the kids noticed the colorful fish and the crystal clear water. They also noticed something that resembled a shark......
Of course being the mom who over- prepared for this adventure with a 10 pound bag of medicines in my carry on, I was second guessing my preparedness...... maybe I should have Googled shark attacks in the Maldives. I also was rethinking the movies that are downloaded on the iPad. Soul Surfer and Shark Tales may not have been the best choices. Trying to distract the kids from the large shark-like looking fish to something more resembling Nemo....we walked into our rooms and what do we see out the back.....more of these large, shark-like looking creatures.......once again the adventure continues!
But we just kept the old quote 'fish are our friends' in mind and enjoyed incredible snorkeling right out our door. The large, shark-like looking fish were indeed sharks....they were reef sharks....and they were everywhere. We were reassured that there has not been a shark attack from a reef shark ever.....although every time we were out there and one would swim by I held my breath. ( or Hannah would say I'd jump on top of her) I've never seen such beautiful marine life....the colorful fish, stingrays....and we even got to swim with mantarays. Some are as big as a double bed and almost resemble a bat. They glide in the water and come right to you!
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| One of the many mantarays |
All in all it was an incredible adventure.....we swung from vines (or tried to)
Caleb had his fair share of 'mocktails' and became fast friends with one of the servers named Chimpeeka.
We took part in an official coconut plucking.....which is a bit over rated.....but they climb these crazy tall trees and chop down the coconuts....good thing they didn't ask for audience participation. Although Hannah took part in an official tasting. I think the picture says it all!
The sunsets were breathtaking...and one night Caleb, Noah and I laid on the deck and just stared at the stars of the Southern Hemisphere.
The Maldive adventure was worth every penny. The island of Kuramathi is the second largest in the Maldives. It took about 20 minutes to walk from one end of the island to the other. The workers were so pleasant and their smiles were contagious. They worked hard every day to keep the island impeccable. We got to know many of them....and one story that we think about often is the young man that has to travel 30 hours by boat to get home for the birth of his first child. Most have left their families behind to work and live in Kuramathi. They learn about tourism and hospitality...which the Maldivan people have mastered. The food was amazing and we made it without any trouble...just one minor injury (not food-related) which was well attended to with mom's bag of tricks. The island has the largest medical facility in the Maldives...so that was reassuring as we traveled with kids. We met several other families....not too many Americans.....but some that are living abroad like us. Each day we write in a family journal.....and on the last night we read them together. One thing we all had in common is that we were so thankful that we are able to take trips like this one.....and realize how lucky we are. We also realize a little something about each other that might have gotten lost or overlooked in our usual crazy routine of life. It was unforgettable! One of the most memorable moments was being able to SKYPE my mom on her 80th birthday.....halfway around the world...and an 11 hour time difference and we were able to be with our family.....amazing!
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| Tim clicked a picture of me (without me knowing) of me with my tripod. My morning routine |
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| Fruit bats with big eyes hanging in the trees |
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| Sharing night......good old Hannah with the illustrations |
Well as we all know - all good things must come to an end....and so did our adventure. No more bare feet...back to the boots and the usual routine of a mom of three busy kids and husband......but it sure was fun while it lasted! As we buckled in for the flight home the Captain came on and said, "due to strong head winds our flight to Frankfurt will be a bit longer....the current weather in Frankfurt....light rain, high winds (that was an understatement and is worth another blog entry) and 3 degrees celsius"...reality set in!
Here's to a 2012 filled with adventure......love.... good health.....and an abundance of thankfulness!
