Days 21 & 22- Male, Maldives

Few people ever make it this far out into the Indian Ocean to this little known atoll: with the lowest elevation in the world (peak of 7.5 feet!) and perhaps the most idyllic combination of color, sand, sea, and weather.  

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Well, the weather part...did not 

live up to the legend for these travellers!

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Leaving the packed city of Male behind... on choppy seas

...for this, on Dhonveli Island

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We had time for two excursions on two different days, after two days of sailing to reach this port. The first day, we were transported by speedboat (25 minutes by boat from Male) 

 so exciting!

-out to Dhonveli Island, which is a small island with nothing on it but the Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives Resort.

The weather was windy and threatening thunderstorms all afternoon. But even without that perfect blue sky, we got an easy feel for the isolated idyllic potential here! After a brief swim in the refreshing lagoon, Mom and I set out to walk the perimeter and find out what else was waiting for us 
on Dhonveli.

Dhonveli Explorers

Sea grape canopies and freshly raked white sand corridors take you from one piece of paradise to the next.

 These perfect rows of "floating" huts (on stilts) can't help but put you at peace, with even the thought 

of a perfect getaway here

-climb down a ladder off your back porch and
right into the crystal clear waters

On the north side of the island, the surf was kickin. 

We followed the elevated boardwalk over tidal pools with scintillating shallow coral beds ...

I spotted two big beautiful parrotfish swooping in, 

definitely excited about -something-

and a worker walked by and told me they were after this octopus: 

See the octopus here?
He's camouflaged himself to look just like
one of those coral rocks.

Where there isn't sand, it's solid coral pieces underfoot.  Soooo much dead coral washed up! I can only IMAGINE what the snorkelling will reveal tomorrow!

Vignettes like this, all over the island

This is along the north wall of the island!  
(looks like the surf really pounds out here, at times!)
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After the glympse of beauty on Day One, I woke up early and incredibly psyched for Day Two's snorkelling excursion.

But on the tender from the ship to the pier, there were three lightning strikes, strongwind, and rain. 
The snorkelling and all water excursions were cancelled.

I cried real tears.

Of course no one can control the weather!  
But the disappointment was overwhelming.  
To come this far, never to return, and not get to explore the legendary underwater world here...
was relatively heartbreaking.

Well, time to make lemonade with these rainy lemons 
we've been given.  

Since Mom had not signed up for the snorkelling, I was solo. So now what to do? I looked around and quickly attached myself to an easygoing, great couple from England: Jane and Neil. The three of us walked around the city of Male for a couple of hours, looking for whatever surprises we could find.  -First, I had to change into a long skirt and cover my arms. Male is 100% Muslim, so following the dress code for women is tantamount.

following behind my confident Male exploring partner, Lynn....

passing Hotel Memory...

This city is the big island capitol of the Maldives, and by far the most densely packed community I've ever seen.  From the water, that's the effect you get.  It is shore to shore, edge to edge, high rises. Walking the streets, you really feel and see how crowded and vertical they are going, continuing to add to the stacks every day, it looks like!

these vertical stacker builders were happy to stop and pose

a local fisherman, with our ship in the distance

 Tiny Maldivians at school

Commercialism is alive and well, hundreds of miles from any other civilization 

Everything- but the seafood- must be imported! There's no place to grow food.

stacks 

more stacks.  CLOSED. MEN.

Neil, taking shelter from the rain at a nice city park along the pier (our ship in the distance)


Shortly after this, we DID see a pod of the famous Maldives dolphin "flying" by, jumping the waves, in the distance!  
Ten points for me! Score! But no photo.

trying out one of the crazy boat net chairs in the rain...drinkin' up the lemonade, 
on this gray, drizzly day in the Maldives.
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