Holiday on water

How sweet it is to do nothing and rest afterwards.

That was my mantra on my first non-working trip in quite a while: no coverage, no interviews, not even a fam tour. The idea for going to the Maldives came over casual Saturday breakfast conversation; you know, something like, "Hey, let’s go to the Maldives" over bangus tinapa and kanin. The Singapore Airlines (SQ) tour package looked like a good deal, and with enthusiastic endorsement from SQ’s indefatigable Rita Dy, the bookings were made and we were on our way.

It’s not exactly an easy journey; including lay-overs and waiting times it’s almost 12 hours. At this point I must make an unsolicited endorsement of SQ–it is, indeed, a great way to fly, even on economy class (often called "cattle class," but the term hardly applies here). For one thing, the planes (777-300s and 777-200s) are in spanking good shape (no loose bolts or panels rattling upon take-off, no torn upholstery or malfunctioning foot rest) and since the seats were probably configured for larger-sized caucasians it’s pretty roomy for smaller-sized folks like me. The inflight entertainment was a surprise: the movie menu included Hollywood, Bollywood, Chinese (I caught Chen Kaige’s "The Promise"), Japanese, Italian, French, Spanish; TV series (CSI, Boston Legal, House, among others); documentaries...all that even for mere three- and four-hour flights. And oh yes, I must mention the soft, non-itch blankets in a nice lilac and old rose plaid which I was tempted to filch–but did not.

The Maldives welcomes everyone–no visa required. Malé International Airport is on its own island–as is most other places, giving new meaning to the term "island hopping"–and we were welcomed by SQ station manager Terence Chew, an imposing teddy bear of a man who moved over from Beijing just a month before (he admitted to some amount of culture shock). We were out of the airport in a snap, and Malaha, the Laguna Resort representative, put us on a speedboat for the 30-minute ride to our island, which looked quite inviting and magical with soft lights against the inky night.

I woke up the next morning to muted sunshine and bright bougainvillae outside my cottage, and beyond that sand a soft golden beige and clear sparkling water that left no room for hesitation. I plunged in, wondering how many shades of blue there were before the water turned green.

Where in the world is...

The Republic of Maldives is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean,south of Sri Lanka, with around 26 atolls of 1,190 islands, 200 of which are inhabited by locals and 90 by resorts (the government is bidding out 35 islands for new tourist resort development on 25-year lease agreements). It is the flattest country in the world–the highest point is only 2.4 meters above sea level–and thus the most affected by rising ocean waters due to global warming. Newsweek magazine recently listed the entire Maldives as among the most threatened beaches in the world.

The Maldives crept onto the world stage during the December 2004 tsunami, which hit some of the islands and left 100 people dead and property damage exceeding $300 million. But today nobody talks about the tsunami.

Tourism is the country’s main industry, accounting for 20 percent of GDP and over 60 percent of foreign exchange receipts. The local currency is the rufiyaa (for over a thousand years the medium of exchange was the cowrie shell)–12.75 to the U.S. dollar–but visitors needn’t bother changing money, as prices everywhere are quoted in dollars and everyone will be more than happy to relieve your wallet of greenbacks.

The Maldives is a divers’ paradise, with a fantastic variety and number of fish (fishing is the country’s other industry, although it is a far second to tourism). Widespread coral bleaching that occurred in 1998 rendered the coral life grey and brown, but fortunately regrowth is happening, and pinks and blues have happily returned to the underwater landscape.

I say all of that based on the guidebook, for I did not dive, warned as I was that the currents can be tricky. In fact, I found out just how tricky when I was slammed into some coral while snorkeling one afternoon in an unfamiliar part of the island–and I have nasty gash to prove it. Besides, I was traveling with non-diving friends; in fact, one of them managed to spend three days in the Maldives without touching a single drop of the Indian Ocean!

For sure there are other distractions, such as sunrise and sunset over the Indian Ocean (the colors are different from Manila sunsets), and rain. May is when the northeast monsoon winds–the tourist high season, with little rainfall and endless hours of sunlight and blue skies–turn southwest, and guidebooks warn it can get "rough and raining"–but hardly "enough to spoil a holiday." And they’re right.

In the early afternoon of our second day the monsoon came, and even fopr one used to rain in Manila during typhoon season, it was a sight to behold.

The wind blew up the waves and churned the sea, harder and faster and more furious. Then the rains came in, pouring and torrential, whipped by the wind to almost horizontal sheets. From the comfort of cushions piled on the floor of our cottage over the water, we watched the wind have its way with the sea, the waves dancing in wild abandon. Hard to imagine that lkess than an hour ago I was in the water, floating lazily on my back, hoping the schoolof fish that met nearby would think I was coral and come to feed.

But, as the amiable Terence Chew forewarned us, it didn’t last. In less than half an hour the rains were gone, although it took longer for the waves to quiet down. By late afternoon the waves were gentle once again and the weather balmy, and all that hinted of that furious downpour were small puddles in the walkway and terribly lush vegetation thankful for the drenching.

In the Maldives, mastering the art of doing nothing, even the rain is a major happening.