Descending from the airplane onto the tarmac, I was blinded by the ocean colour which appeared to have been blended by a colour expert to ensure that hue of turquoise. The splendor of this paradise engulfed me from the moment I set foot in it.
Each hotel has its own island in the Maldives and when we arrived at our hotel, the island appeared even more majestic than those other islands we had passed by. The hotel’s no shoes policy allowed my toes to be pampered by the luxurious white coral reef sand. This sand was softer than flour and warmer than melted butter.
We walked through a jungle full of palm trees and bushes of red and yellow tropical flowers to reach our room. Before me, there was the still ocean. I loved the motionlessness of it all. This is one of those places to come when you want to be away from all humanity and perhaps even yourself, because this place will make you forget everything. I miss this paradise just thinking about it…
We discovered that our room for the next two weeks was a bungalow situated on the beach and surrounded by lush trees that captivated our sight. I gazed out between the arum curtains of our room and I could see the blue ocean from my bed. Once again, I had found a place where I felt completely at home. If I could ever be at peace anywhere in the world, the Maldives are as serene as it gets. This place permeated me. The Maldives have their problems of climate change and fears of drowning though when I was there, nothing else mattered.
I opened the door to the bathroom and observed a tropical shower with the view of palm tree tops. Although enclosed, I was one with nature even as I washed away the remains of my frozen, robotic, “just arrived” body. Tiny lizards were everywhere and I recall being scared at first. I learned to accept the other living things we shared this paradise with.
In brittle elation, the heat melted away all my thoughts. In the midst of such heat, the only rational choice was to evaporate with the ocean. I discovered manta rays, baby sharks and other coral reef fish who were dancing to the rhythm of this stillness. I joined them in their dance and managed to steal, if only for a moment, a part of their everyday.
The sun surrounded my ecstatic body. Here, on this island, I felt like Robinson Crusoe in a five star hotel. It was almost impossible to spot any human being around; I was aware they existed, because we often bumped into them in line at the lunch grill.
The only person we conversed with for the duration of our stay was our young waiter who wore a long skirt and colourful t-shirts. This was the uniform – he told me the long skirt for males was typical around the islands. Arun was a local and he lived about twelve hours away by boat from where he worked. When he returned home, he had to fly. In the Maldives, people live off of the tourist industry. There is nothing else around but fishing. All the food is imported from parts of Asia.
This pearl stands with nature in the middle of the Indian Ocean. By miles, for its beach, water and the feelings it ignited in me, the Maldives was the most beautiful place on Earth.
World Travels 