Tamika's call wakes me far too early after a late night watching the tennis on TV. Despite saying I had won a Seafolly something, I'm a bit annoyed to think I'd been disturbed for a pair of bikinis that Hilary would inevitably receive.
The words 'flights' and 'Maldives' however suddenly zap me into full alertness
...
Who would you take with you to the Maldives?
W~ashing, cooking, cleaning, sweeping,
A~lways child-centred or office book-keeping.
R~espite overdue: Adventurous but never busy…
M~ALDIVES escape! Perfect! With best girl friend LIZZIE!
It seems my 25 words-or-less was the winner of a GRAZIA competition for a 5-star holiday to the Maldives. A $12,066.50 holiday for two actually! That's flights, transfers, accommodation and meals.
AND some bikinis.
I've done the friend's glamorous Singapore apartment. Experienced a luxury Australian eco-resort. Even won the weekend trip to LA.
But will anything EVER top a free week at a private 5-star island resort voted one of the best in THE WORLD?
In the Maldives?!
We're about to find out
... Angela is beside herself with unbridled excitement after my phone call asking her if she wants to come along for a ride!
So we're off to live like film stars for five nights. At a resort where every room has it's own pool. In an island villa looking over the white sands to the azure Indian Ocean.
http://www.cocopalm.com/en/bodu-hithi/location/
Might just avoid the bikinis though, pack the gut-crushing Nancy Ganz one piece and instead upgrade the resort wear wardrobe with the $300 Seafolly voucher...
So move over, Brad and Angelina!
We might not be coming by private jet, but we're sure coming!
Wednesday May 4, 2011
This holiday just keeps getting better - and we haven't even left home yet.
We have enjoyed the fun of shopping in the Seafolly shop at Chadstone with our prize money, choosing smart bathers and resort wear. Should Patrick Dempsey or George Clooney show up, we're set. The currency and electronic gadgetry are sorted. The hair cut is booked.
Better still, the travel agency handling the bookings has given us exactly the flights I had hoped for! The fares were a smidge dearer than Malaysian Airlines but the Singapore Airlines flight lands us in Male in daylight - allowing a scenic inter-island boat transfer, and avoiding a 12 hour lay-over in KL
. (And, thirty years on, I still haven't forgotten or forgiven the appalling service from Mr Wi at MAS, so am thrilled with the outcome!)
What's more, the dates allow us a 3-day stop-over in Singapore with dear friends Becky and Wayne, since we have to change planes there anyhow. Angela hasn't been there before and I am self-sufficient there now. We've had twelve weeks to lose weight and pick three days of Singapore must-sees. The latter is sorted...
An email also requested "Please advise any dietary requirements": a definite this time, since Angela is vegetarian. Until now, airline meals for my consideration have been standard, vegetarian or child.
But this is Singapore Airlines!...
SIX varieties of vegetarian plus a seafood option. TWENTY-SEVEN OPTIONS all together!
The full list is below for interest. As a comparison, Cathay offer 20, British Airways has 18, MAS has 17 and Qantas, sadly, delivers 14
. I'd like to be able to support the national carrier more enthusiastically, but it seems the larger Asian carriers have service nailed.
So it is with high expectations that the girls board their MEL-SIN flight at a suitably civilized afternoon hour...
-----------------------------------
Baby, Infant and Child meals
Baby Meal: Suitable for infants less than 1 year old; 1 jar each of main course, vegetables, and dessert.
Post-weaning Meal: Suitable for infants between 1 and 2 years old; more substantial than Baby Meal; easy to bite, chew and digest.
Child Meal:
Suitable for children between 2 and 7 years old; less substantial than
adult meal, easy to bite and chew with items attractive to children.
Religious Meals
Hindu (Non-Vegetarian) Meal: All types of meat except beef, veal, pork, smoked and raw fish. Cooked spicy or curried.
Kosher Meal: Pre-packed and sealed; contains meat.
Muslim Meal: No alcohol, pork, pig by-products, ham and bacon.
Vegetarian Meals
Vegetarian Raw Meal: Only raw fruits and vegetables.
Vegetarian Indian Meal (non-strict): No meat of any sort; can contain dairy products; cooked Indian-style.
Vegetarian Jain Meal (strict; Suitable for Jain): No meat of any sort; no onion, garlic, ginger and root vegetables; cooked Indian-style
.
Vegetarian Oriental Meal: No meat, seafood, egg; no dairy products, cooked Chinese-style.
Vegetarian Vegan Meal (strict): No meat of any sort; no dairy products; cooked Western-style.
Western Vegetarian (non-strict; ovo-lacto): No meat of any sort; can contain dairy products; cooked Western-style.
Medical Meals
Bland Meal: No "irritants" (e.g. black pepper, chilli powder, caffeine, cocoa, alcohol.)
Diabetic Meal: No sugar; limited salt.
Fruit Platter Meal: Fresh fruits only.
Gluten Intolerant Meal: No wheat, rye, barley, oats and bran in any form.
Low Calorie Meal: Limited fats, sauces, gravies and fried items; limited sugar-rich items.
Low Fat Meal: No animal fats; no red meat, prawns, poultry skin and fried food; no butter, cream, and whole milk cheese; only lean meat and
poly-unsaturated fatty liquid vegetable oils allowed.
Low Fibre Residue Meal: Limited fibrous items (e.g. fruits, legumes, vegetable, wholegrain products.)
Low Lactose Meal: Meal excludes foods, which contain milk, dry milk solids, casein, cheese, cream, butter, lactose and margarine
.
Low Salt Meal: Naturally salted and sodium-added processed foods (e.g. baking powder,
soda, MSG) are either eliminated or restricted in amount. No salt added
during preparation.
Non-Carbohydrate Meal: No starch and carbohydrates in any form.
Nut Free Meal: Please contact our Reservation Office to make the necessary arrangement.
Semi-Fluid Meal: Mainly pureed, minced and easily digestible items (e.g. milk, yogurt, porridge, minced or homogenized meat, pureed vegetables and fruits.)
Soft Fluid Meal: Mainly sieved and soupy items (e.g. milk, sieved porridge, sieved thickened soup or clear soup.)
Ulcer Diet Meal: Contains easily digestible, plain, poached and broiled foods (e.g. white meat, fish); no acidic food and fruits.
Other Meals
Japanese Meal: Available in Suites and First Class, from Singapore and on selected routes only (not valid for flights below 2 hours).
Seafood Meal; Meal contains only fish and seafood.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Singapore Airlines fulfills all expectations with fine service, an extensive entertainment library, a smooth flight and good food
. And in amongst 300 people in a 747, we scored 3 seats between us, giving room to fold up the arm rests and pretend we were in luxurious business class seats! And in that same plane of 300, Angela finds herself sitting across the aisle from an English deaf gentleman and the signing starts! They discovered many subtle differences between AUSLAN and it's British cousin, not unlike regional dialects of any language and also found a common friend among the close-knit deaf community.
Changhi Airport again thrilled with it's efficiency. And our ever-smiling hostess was there to greet us.
Today was the hop-on-hop-off bus and we worked the "Heritage" route. First stop, LITTLE INDIA, Mustafa's department store and our preferred Indian vegetarian cafe for lunch... A yummy spread of curried vegetables, chickpeas, rice, papadam and a syrupy dessert all served in little cups on a banana leaf. Plus a lime juice cordial. Delicious!
Some slow crawling through small street shops, a few trinkets then on to ARAB STREET. This is a newish find for me but it has real Middle Eastern charm. Shops with intricate tiled walls, palm trees, an alluring perfume store bottling your preferred concoction on demand, a shop with stunning Moroccan lamps and a bargain basement nail parlour - and yes, we did!
Final stop
... CHINA TOWN. A Hindu temple where the intricate decoration never fail to captivate, the Bhudda Tooth temple where Angela isenthralled with the roof garden that included 10,000 little Bhuddas and a giant cloisonné prayer wheel and an elaborate prayer hall.
And together with stops for drinks and waiting for buses, that's 10 hours worth!
This warrants a break for dinner!!! It was time to show Angela a train system that WORKED! The MRT takes us back to Orchard Road, the Ion Food Court fills our tummies with Chinese soups and the 124 bus takes us home.
Friday, May 6, 2011
It's the only thing Angela REALLY wants to do from all she'd read about Singapore... Swim with the pink dolphins at Sentosa Island.
But a phone call reveals that all dolphin-patting sessions we booked until beyond our departure. What's more, the dolphin shows have been replaced with fur seals for just this week only. It's just not meant to be. "But you can still see the dolphins in the pool" the voice on the phone says...
So we head for the bus, explore the huge range of ethnic clothing and fruit at the Tekka Mart as we changed to the Harbourside train and head to what is Singapore's answer to Disneyland/Seaworld. The commute also involves a cable car over the harbour, including right over the top of two cruise ships, then a bus to Underwater World
.
For the cost of the excursion, the joint feeling was that the whole place was dated and frankly, underwhelming. The only up side was that there was a pink dolphin training display - which looked much like the fur seal show in fact - and the immaculate cleanliness again. There were even scuba divers in some of the fish aquariums scrubbing rocks with dishwashing brushes!
So happily, we were able to indulge in a cool shower back home then head out for dinner at an Orchard Road Korean restaurant that specializes in intricately made steamed buns. Delicious! Follow this with cruising intriguing shops in the Ion Orchard mall - where perfume is pumped through the air conditioning - and all was forgiven.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
We try to emulate the sleek bodies that tread the Tan in Melbourne, donning our gym gear, packing our drink bottles and heading off to the Singapore Botanical Gardens and National Orchid Garden. In the cool of the morning, Singaporeans come out to walk their dogs or exercise in the tropical splendor. A number of tai chi classes are in action, including one using large red fans. As noted in 2009, the gardens are immaculately maintained but the flowers are fewer than November/December. We find breakfast at the established expat cafe (and admittedly the coffee WAS good) then amble home to change into shopping attire
.
Because you ALWAYS miss buying something for someone first time round...
Chinatown for small treats, a street stall lunch, Orchard Road for a couple of shops marked yesterday for a revisit, a swim then dinner out. Another tough day in Singapore. The only deficiency was the fact that the new Luke Mangan restaurant in town had no vacancies for our last night in town. Oh well, we'll have to choose from among the other 10,000 places around town!
As for the election, no one would know there was one on. Until this year, no-one dared stand against Lee Kwan Yew's ruling party. This year is the first time that seats have been contested. Not that there are any posters campaigning for candidates, ads on the TV or people visibly queued at polling stations. They are all in town shopping with us! When ballot papers are numbered and possibly traceable by the state, very few people dare say boo
. And why would you when there is 98% home ownership, very little unemployment, negligible crime and the world's best public transport.
And destinations like tonight's... The Divine Bar is in the Parkview Towers and built in a style similar to Batman's Gotham City HQs. The interior is over-the-top Art Deco reproduction. The neighbouring buildings across the park were considered too sharply shaped and bad Feng Shei. This building was built in the mid-90s as an edifice to counter that. You either love it or hate it! The Divine Bar features a 12m high wine cellar accessed by a waitress wearing a tutu and fairy wings who is lifted by wires to reach the bottles needed. Order a champagne if you want value for your fairy-flying dollar.
Drinks are followed by a fantastic dinner at Wild Rocket restaurant, punctuated by spirited discussions about body shirts and men. And MUCH laughter. A great birthday dinner! Thanks so much, Wayne and Becky!!!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
I love so much about Singapore and our dear friends there that it is always sad to leave. I love the brilliant train system and watching the carriages snake around through the open full length of one. I love the wide range of shops from bargain stalls to haggle in to top end boutiques to gaze at
. I love diverse range of things to do and the safety. And I love that this time, we had sunshine every day - when here should have been rain... An omen perhaps?
We've had a great time and thanks so much to Wayne and Becky for allowing me to invade (again) AND bring a stranger along.
But we climbed onto our Singapore Airlines A330 full of excitement about heading for our next destination - a 4.5 hour flight to Male then 45 minutes by speed boat to Bodu Hithi resort in the North Male Atoll of the Maldives.
The airport is a reclaimed strip in the ocean, so planes land with unbelievably blue water on either side, and you exit the terminal to your taxi boat just across the road.
Indications of what to expect on the island lay in the welcoming line of five on the jetty, including Mario, the GM - from Australia! An orchid around the neck, an iced peppermint scented towel then down the boardwalk to reception
... We were escorted to our golf cart by "Mr Mario" who explained he was upgrading us to a Club Villa for a night so that we could experience the over-water option before moving to the Island villa that the prize had supplied. The Club Villas come with their own bar and restaurant, a private butler and more privacy.
Oh, and a foot bath on arrival. And a complimentary bottle of champagne. Fruit? Of course. Silk sarongs for you to take home? Naturally. Another bottle of wine and two mineral waters with the turn down service? Shouldn't even have to ask. Ditto returning from dinner to find all your clothes picked up and refolded... Complimentary cocktail and canapés at 6pm before the GM's cocktails by the pool at 7pm? Wouldn't any resort?!!
And another champagne with dinner from Mr Mario along with four staff singing "Happy Birthday" and doing the cake thing after dinner completed the day's attention to detail! We are going to have a GREAT time here, I suspect...
Shame I don't drink really...
In between all this opulence and delightful buffet dinner outside watching the sun set into the Indian Ocean, we snorkelled in the warm and aqua water down the steps from our deck. It teems with tropical fish life - and a stingray, according to Angela! From schools of neon tetras through zebra and parrot fish to some 25-30cm long bright green blokes
. And Nemo and Dory. All colorful and none afraid of us as they fossicked amongst the various corals which are mostly browns with some fluoro blue varieties here and there. Some serious underwater photography is required to document the beauty of it all tomorrow.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Today's highlight was not the glowing sunrise, the extensive buffet breakfast or the relocation to a new room. It was the snorkeling.
Sure, we are thrilled with the Island Villa. It's technically a downgrade, since the more expensive over-water Club Villa last night was a manager's treat. However, this is one large, open area that cools more efficiency, has a more islander feel and opens directly onto the pristine white sandy beach. It has jungle vegetation around it and is much closer to the restaurant.
But nothing came close to today's snorkeling
. There are a couple of large outcrops of coral straight in front of our villa and this afternoon they were teeming with fish... More so than yesterday's location. Angela snapped away until the battery went flat. See below. She claims to have seen a shark about 3 feet long, but I can't confirm!
The whole experience left me thinking I'd watched Nemo with my children a few too many times. Schools of silvery-white fish about 30cm long headed through highways between coral walls. Other schools of maybe 300 yellow tiddlers about 5cm each would suddenly split in unison like a mob of threatened sheep. I floated over about 50 black striped fish as they cruised and grazed. Tropical fish of all colours picked among the coral which also varied in size and shape. Here there were blue and purple corals as well as yesterday's dusty pinks. All of this was in water 5-10 feet deep.
We ventured into deeper water towards a mooring buoy, but the coral petered out, the visibility dropped and I had visions of Bruce the shark sneaking up from behind. The coral was much more engrossing closer in. And what was that weathered plate in the depths? Angela duck-dived in pursuit of buried treasure. It was plastic...
It's the only letdown for the day.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
A new scratchy noise roused me this morning
... Tracing it's source to the beach, we found a team of six staff raking the beach! Not that there was anything to clean up. Like Singapore, perceptions and attention to detail are very evident here. As of yesterday, there were 179 guests and 300 staff on the island. This morning's house-keeping team of three included one man scrubbing the tiles under the stepping stones of the already-pristine pool.
The staff surrounded us at breakfast as well, which we enjoyed with a Swiss-German couple who travelled here on the boat with us. They holiday in the Maldives regularly, a different island every time. They were here for the last tsunami and told stories of how the water rose 3-4 feet in their villa at 9am on morning... a gradual influx, as the main wave front had been broken by the outer reef. Staff had time to pack their cases and with lifejackets on as a precaution, they were easily evacuated by boat from a second storey building. Our tsunami apprehensions were eased
.
But when they then mentioned that they were also holidaying in New York for 9/11, we asked where they were intending to holiday next...
Our morning snorkel is the best yet. The water is crystal clear and the sun is out, lighting the myriad of fishes and corals. Sadly, the underwater camera fails to start despite desperate attempts!!!
NOOOOO! Angela had captured a few shots yesterday, but many included her finger as she was unaware of lens' location. Shooting blind - without her glasses underwater - didn't help! So I was eager to get some today. Or not...
Not that you couldn't still gaze in amazement. About 100m off-shore, I found a second reef that was even more populated with both fish and coral varieties and floated for ages.
Too long in fact. I had lathered the SPF30+ over arms and neck but forget the legs. This afternoon, I'm sitting on cold, wet towels on the coolish concrete floor berating myself
... Fool!
If I can get a cup of rice in a plastic bag from the kitchen and try a trick that has previously successfully dried an iPod overnight, I might have to snorkel in trousers and t-shirt tomorrow to get those shots.
Not what Seafolly would want to see!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Let's talk about food. No Bush story would be complete without some commentary on the meals. Our package has limited us to the "Air" restaurant, but we are not complaining...
Meals here are, of course, also 5-star. The buffet breakfast has the full range of Western hot foods, some hot Asian offerings, cereals and fresh fruits, Japanese sushi, cold meats and cheese, breads and pastries, one man juicing fruits to your recipe and another manning a live station cooking eggs to order and pancakes or waffles
.
Dinner has likewise offered a large range of Western hot dishes such as beef with peppercorns and cauliflower gratin, local meals such as last night's delicious chickpea curry or baked salmon, prepared salads, raw vegetables, cooked vegetables and desserts. Oh, the desserts... the displays could be from any Toorak Road patisserie.
Lunch is a mystery, as we have avoided paying the large amounts charged here by eating up at breakfast and having the fruit in our room for lunch. Amongst the apples and mandarins, fruits have included mangosteen, longan, yellow passionfruit, sugar bananas and the most delicious mango I have ever slurped my way through!
But today's highlight was nothing epicurean.
We ventured to the other side of the island on the advice of staff for some morning snorkeling while the water was calm. I bought a US$19 can of Banana Boat foam with local anesthetic and ventured out lathered with that, SPF30+ (on my legs too this time!) and dressed like a total goose in t-shirt and cargo pants.
We passed the sharks averaging 2 feet in length, the dinner plate-sized stingray and headed into the depths to find tropical fish more diverse and more densely populated than any spot visited before. The coral dropped away to something like 50 feet at the edge of the cay
. The water was crystal clear in the sunlight.
And then a 'rock' moved! And then I realized that the rock had four flippers and a neck! A green sea turtle calming nibbling on the coral ledges! His shell was about 2 feet long and he cared not one iota that we were flapping about above him. A couple of times, he surfaced for air and we were able to pat his shell on the way past.
I also spotted what was probably an outfall pipe for the island's treated grey water... It was teeming with schools of all sorts of fish. I was able to swim among them as if I was one of them. It was an amazing experience. Occasionally, something pumped out the pipe and the fish instantly headed down toward the outlet creating a frantic eddy. I could talk for ages about drifting in "Nemo-land"!
Cursing that underwater camera that promised so much and now sits in a bag of dry rice, hopefully drying...
Thursday, May 12, 2011
The logistics of running a 100-room resort that also includes on-site accommodation for 300 staff must be mind boggling. Everything here is shipped in. We watched one of the three fishing boats that supplies the island unload it's catch as we ate breakfast... enormous tuna and assorted reef fish. A company boat also brings supplies every few days as well as a diesel barge
. And the Japanese honeymooners with coordinated outfits did themselves proud this morning... His and hers hot pink t-shirts with I <3 YOU printed on the back.
After that giggle, the lure of the surgeon, parrot and sweetlip fish drew us back to yesterday's snorkeling spot and first up, another turtle! Just as big and unfazed. We patted his shell as he glided up to the surface for a breather then he disappeared into the dark blue depths over the edge.
Snorkelling close up with so many varieties of tropical fish has definitely been the highlight of this trip.
We had our first rain overnight and again this morning... a brief downpour and then back to sunshine.
This afternoon, we boarded the resort's jet boat for a half day excursion to the capital, Malé. More than eating, swimming and lounging was required. The resort provided us with a tour guide for a walking tour around two mosques, the President's palace and the produce and fish markets. We were also taken for a cool lime drink in a cafe that looked like a dark and mysterious place out of an Arabian movie. We didn't get to see how the typical Maldivian lives in Malé but the island seemed to be covered with 4-6 storey buildings and populated only by men riding motorcycles! Three souvenir shops were also on the itinerary but their contents were mostly uninspiring tourist paraphenalia of no interest
.
Overall, it was a disappointing trip. We saw nothing of where or how the local Maldivians live and the sights seen were not worth the money outlaid. Malé goes into the 'been there done that' basket.
So two weary tourists returned to Bodu Hithi in time for the usual sumptuous smorgasbord and a quiet evening in to pack for tomorrow's departure.
Friday, May 13, 2011
The sky was seriously cloudy. It was a sign. We hadn't bumped into any stars or even Kate and Wills, though we felt as though we'd lived like them for 5 days. But now, we were meant to go home.
Not that we wanted to. The warm air wafted through the restaurant as we ate our lastfully catered breakfast and admired the Japanese honeymooners in this morning's outfit... matching pale pink t-shirts that sported "Love Forever" mottoes under cartoon faces
.
A third jet boat ride in two days across the choppy lagoon was somewhat tedious and I made a note to choose an island limited to thrilling sea-plane access next time! Male airport was as low-key as the islands. Checks of bags for 100ml or less in liquids? Nope. Drag out your laptops for X-raying. Didn't happen. Just wish Tullamarine was going to be this easy... I'd then be bringing back the bhodi we bought yesterday at the produce market - US$1 sticks of ground coconut mixed with honey and wrapped in dried banana leaves. A Maldivian version of a Bounty bar without the chocolate. Delicious!
"Come back!" they all implored, from Reefa, our butler through the resort staff waving goodbye on the jetty to the airline staff. Wouldn't mind it...
So SQ461 beckons with window seats to watch the spectacular blues and turquoises around the myriad of islands below. A three hour layover in Singapore's Terminal 3 was to have provided a chance to explore this state-of-the-art airport terminal
. Sadly a mechanical delay is turning this little diversion in to a big 6 hours of hazy tedium that no amount of shops, massage chairs, theatres or butterfly houses will ease. Add another 6 and 1/2 hours flying and we face a challenge to bounce home fully-functioning...
Although not as big a challenge as winning another trip to the Maldives.
Though actually, I'd be happy to pay to come back to paradise.
And I'd remember the sunscreen on the legs...
So THIS is how movie stars do it...
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Male, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
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