Lounging on a beach
with a good book, soaking up the sunshine in between swimming in the sea is my
idea of an ideal holiday. And, that’s exactly what I did in Maldives. With its
pristine, white-sand beaches and amazing underwater world, Maldives is a
holiday of a lifetime.
The country has
nearly 1,200 islands and while I visited only a few, I was told they all have
powdery white-sand beaches and luminous cyan blue water that I have never seen
anywhere else in the world. I have heard that the Andamans has similar pristine
beaches and clear blue-green water.
Maldives
has some of the best diving and snorkelling in the world. The ocean is home to
several ecosystems, but is best known for its variety of colourful coral
reefs, which house countless species of fish, sea turtles, whales and
dolphins. I have always been interested in marine life and had heard a lot
about Vattaru Kandu, known to be a snorkeler’s paradise.
Around
the entrance to the reef are caves and overhangs with soft corals, which make
for a breathtaking sight. The reef has an abundant fish life – barracuda,
fusilier and white-tip reef sharks. I was lucky to see a few manta rays too - large
eagle rays. You will know what I am talking of if you have seen the movie,
Finding Nemo. Remember Mr Ray? Manta Rays are a larger version of that.
But
what really struck me was the cleanliness of the place. A small nation island,
with a population that is largely of Indian origin. Why cant we learn to keep
our country clean – looking at both urban and rural development.
I am a
believer in impromptu travelling. I don’t like to plan my holidays. My motto is
to take it as it comes. I was itching to do more. A casual conversation with
some foreign tourists at the resort where I was staying resulted in a trip to
Manta Reef.
Needless to say, Maldives is a sea-food connoisseurs’
paradise. So, from coconut chilli crab
and baked mussels to red cuttlefish curry, you name it and I tried them all.
A few of my friends were vegetarians. But, Maldives has enough and more
veggie dishes to offer. A particular vegetarian curry made with barabo (pumpkin)
and green unripe bananas caught my fancy too.Read more stories at http://www.arvindkhanna.com/blog
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