Skip to main content

Dreaming of Maldives


Winter is starting to drag in the US. Which is why I've started dreaming of Maldives.

Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean (Sri Lanka is the closest country), Maldives is a collection of over 1,000 islands that just barely make themselves visible above the ocean. This (lack of) altitude brought Maldives into the center of global attention during the 2009 Copenhagen Summit on climate change, as then-president Mohamad Nasheed became a poster-child for the rising sea levels, which with sufficient rise could carry his island country under the waves (the story is somewhat interesting, as chronicled in the documentary "The Island President").

What makes Maldives even more famous is its development over the last 30 years into a dreamy vacation spot. You've probably seen the thatch-roofed huts over water that populate so many of the country's island resorts in any number of travel brochures and magazines. For Americans, it's a very long flight (talking over 20 hours of flight time to get to Male', the capital), and by the time you arrive, you are wondering if the journey was really worth it. But once you touch land from your water taxi or plane and decompress in your room in the middle of nowhere, you quickly forget the hassles. 

Enjoy it, because you've found a place where the temperature is 80's fahrenheit year-round, sunny with color-bursting sunsets, and relaxed without reservation. And though it's a Muslim country (read "dry" from alcohol with conservative values), the resort islands are allowed to keep to themselves as long as you keep showing up to bring the money. Which you will want to do once you've enjoyed a few lazy afternoons wading into the clear lagoons surrounding most islands, where a veritable "Finding Nemo" of colorful fish (including the easily recognized clownfish, very common in these waters) wander listlessly in the temperate and comfortable waters.

In a word, it's paradise. And it's a far cry from the frigid days and snowfall of the last month on the east coast. So I'll daydream for a few minutes before I get out the shovel again for the next snowstorm that's about to pass through.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Everyday Love Poem to my Wife

Over a year of marriage carries Happiness, love, and sometimes cranberries But eventually the pace slows down, Work intrudes, some days a frown And suddenly the world has changed. What we must do is simply rearrange The days so that other things fit neatly In their own places, and move on sweetly To the beauties of the everyday together. Because there is love everywhere, wherever You shall be - and perhaps also Rosie - This is a good thing naturally, So good to state it thus and remember That only frigid mornings in November Can keep us apart, but only so long As the work day lasts because so strong Is our pact that I worry not a wink - Your loveliness is worth so much, I think.
2 comments
Read more

Muggles...

...is what I tweeted last night after having the privilege of attending a private screening of the movie hours before the midnight premiere. As much as the digital revolution has fragmented the shared experiences that we have, it has also greatly expanded the impact of those events that touch various peoples. Witness Harry Potter. In the pre-digital world, this would have been an uniquely British story about wizards and boarding schools, but it has captivated global audiences and transcended the borders of its now-uber-wealthy writer. We were part of the crowd that spanned the globe to see this movie, which I can say, lives up to the hype. On a Thursday evening, we could watch the lines of children queuing up to get a chance to say goodbye to a childhood growing up with Harry Potter and watching the actor grow from a plump-faced little boy into a serious actor and apparent alcoholic. It did not matter for 2.5 hours in the theater, of a movie that was pretty gripping from beginnin...
1 comment
Read more

In Memory of Rose

Pets have an uncanny ability of ingraining themselves into the fabric of a household, so much so that their disappearance can cause great grief and disorientation to their owners. Such is the case with Rose, who passed from our household on Sunday. An older dog when we took her in to our home last year, Rose was supposedly the runt of her litter, a fact confirmed by her diminutive 5-pound Pomeranian frame - too small for her breed but too big to be classified a "teacup." This suited her just fine, however, as she came to embody a singular personality as a dog among people, often little acknowledging some dogs and appearing frightened by others just as a hesitant human being might act around jumpy canines. Rose embodied all of what defines unconditional love. She was raucous when we would leave the house and even more raucous when we returned, partly due to separation anxiety but mostly due to her sadness and excitement of being around us; she let us know her affection b...
3 comments
Read more