– 186 – postcards from the Maldives

Where to begin…

chronologically? bit boring but it’s the simpler way… I’m currently sitting in bed drinking coffee and facing the door to the outside of our villa. It’s open to the most luscious equatorial rain I’ve ever seen. It looks beautiful if you ignore the fact that … well… it’s a bit annoying to have rain in paradise when you’re only here for a few days.

(Not complaining… still rather be here… it’s warm and there are palm trees and yesterday we swam with turtles which was on my bucket list and was as amazing as I thought… maybe even more).

They gave us a quaint little certificate on the plane when we crossed the equator… so cute!We arrived two nights ago having had a journey slowed right down by snow at the departure end and unexplained delays in the middle. It took a loooooong time, but the happy faces on arrival say they didn’t care. They were dunking their feet in that warm water even before the suitcases arrived in the room!

The next morning we awoke to empty white sandy beaches and gently lapping waves… it feels so weird to me to be this warm at the end of December.. my brain can’t quite adjust…

We went snorkelling, saw beautiful things, got sun burned (no matter how much stuff I slap on it always happens), ate wonderful food, read books, the boys even did their revision without moaning… it was a very good day.

Our resort (Shangri Lah Villingili) is situated on the largest atoll of the Maldivian Archipelago … a whole 2.5km long (!!) which is probably why even at full capacity it feels quiet and you only tend to see people in the evening in the restaurants. Little golf buggies can take you around if you want but most people tend to use the free bikes each room/villa is allocated.

I took mine for a trip around the island yesterday and it’s gorgeous.