3 June 2010

How Lucky Am I ?

How lucky am I, shall I count the ways? Five minutes after coming alongside Diva in the seaplane, Manfred, owner of the watersports centre, says let's go for a jetski safari, find some mantas and snorkel with them.

We didn't find any mantas this time. The following morning, in a small, chic motorboat the general manager and I went to find the resident whale sharks to swim with. We cruised along the outside reef, three guides with us hoping to please.

Sobe saw one and jumped in the water. But the fish slipped away and we didn't see another. In the afternoon I joined the excursion to the neighbouring island. The cultural group passed out coconuts and re-enacted their traditional crafts. There still remained an old lady who could make lace for the libaas.

The other neighbouring island, Fenfushi, is famed for its craftsmanship and antiquities. The old mosque there was built by the same team that built the Hukuru Miski on Male. Its coral carving is said to be just as fine. On the way back we sat on the dhoni roof, sipped wine and watched the sunset to the beat of two drummers. On getting to shore I headed straight off to the spa. The therapists are all from Bali and I had been booked in for a Balinese massage.

The rush from the boat allowed no time to settle in to the 'zen' of the place and I had some sunburn from the snorkeling trips. The cultural afternoon flowed into the night with a Maldivian buffet on the beach. A traditionally dressed waiter folded a white turban on my head as I sat chatting with Dolores, from the management team. As the bodu beru band built up the beat of its complicated rhythm and the unknowable chants grew ever more urgent, we got up and took to the ground in front of them, dancing and turning it didn't matter how.

I went back to my room alone. Boy am I unlucky! No mantas, no whale sharks, the wrong inhabited island, a ruined massage and no girl.

I had a great time being unlucky, how lucky is that?

Comments

Adrian says
Ah, yes, the tweeting. I need to get way more narcissistic. Mostly I think, Nah they can't really be interested in random, inconsequential jottings. I want to write long, revelatory, insightful essays. I find those ridiculously hard to even start, so nothing gets done. Maybe I'll try to jottings.

7 June 2010, 3:48 PM