Monkey Bean-Sprouts: May 2013

Our unbelievable spring break trip now seems like a dream. We've been back for a month and between the busy-ness of life and all the rain, we've more or less been swept back into reality. But what a trip! I hope we can hold on to those memories because I doubt we'll be back there for a long time!

Of course the prelude to our trip was James' major ankle injury. From basketball - of course. So 3 weeks before our big trip he lands himself on crutches, unable to walk at all. He mustered up some strength and made it through our trip without crutches, but certainly with a bunch of pain. We're just lucky he didn't get the giant boot cast till after we got back, or someone would have one very awkward tan!

So, the journey. What great luck to have been booked on a charter flight (Neos airlines does direct flights from Milan to Male), so that the journey was just about 9 hours getting there and 10 on the way back. Of course Liam is funny because he goes through the list of modes of transportation and says: we took a car to a plane to a bus to a sea plane to a boat to get to the Maldives. Why did we have to go on so many different types of vehicles? And I guess the answer is: to get to paradise!

The last leg of our journey - the boat from the sea plane!

Truly from the time we landed in Male I was just amazed. The water color is just as you see it in any travel brouchure. Even just off of the airport. Taking the 25 min sea plane over the various atolls was a special little treat in itself, as you got to have a fantastic aerial view of the place. Arriving to a warm welcome on Thudufushi though, felt so great after a long night of travel. We had an overnight flight so the kids got some sleep (Oh and Eowyn was just still recovering from some virus or bug that had here vomiting just days before) So we arrived fairly tired by lunch time the next day and were only too glad to exchange jeans and sweaters for shorts and tanks and bare feet. In fact we didn't wear shoes from the time we stepped onto the island till we had to get back on the boat to leave!

Driving from Male Airport to the Sea plane terminal

Our days were a fabulous mix of swimming, snorkeling the house reef, hanging out on the beach with the kids, eating great food, and of course me teaching a bit of yoga. I wonder if I'll ever get a chance to teach in such a beautiful location again! I got to teach in an open air lounge area right over the incredibly clear water. I taught two classes each day from monday to Friday - one at 10am, and one at 6pm - and not for a second did it feel like work. It felt amazing to be in the warmth and outside and with great people. The fun part was that I also got to mentor and teach a little to a couple of the animation team who normally teach the "yoga" or stretching classes. They were so appreciative of my time, and I so enjoyed sharing information with them before or after the classes.

First day snorkeling I got to see a group of 5 eagle rays up close and personal - unbelievable!

Napoleon Fish

Trigger Fish

Parrot Fish

I think they are a type of parrot fish too!

On another day I had the amazing luck of spotting a turtle. I got to swim along with it for a quite a way, and it was amazing how close we were to each other. On many occasions I could have touched it!

Swimming with the turtle

James and I out for a snorkel together

A quick snorkel during nap time

Turtle rising!

The island is tiny with a bunch of beach bungalows and then some water villas. Though the water villas are beautiful, with small, non swimming kids I felt the beach bungalows with their private stretch of beach right in front were just perfect for afternoon dips and lots of digging in the sand. We had a lovely space set up prefectly with a crib for Eowyn and a single bed for Liam as well as our comfy bed and an outdoor bathroom. Our back porch was just meters away from the crystal water, so more than once during nap time we went for a quick snorkel together straight out from our place. Other times we sat out, read, dozed or went for separate swims during their afternoon naps. Eowyn got used to taking her morning nap on the sun loungers on the main beach, and Liam spent a lot of time playing with the sweet 10 year old girl who was so willing to be young and dig in the sand with him. With a constant 28-30 celcius temperature and water that's balmy we were never cold. (except when James turned the aircon on too high one night!)

The island of Thudufushi from the sea plane

Our beach bungalow - number 23

The kids on our bed with flowers to welcome us

Playing on the bed was a highlight before bed time every night!

Our little piece of beach heaven - the water and sand in front of our bungalow

View of the pier from the main beach area

Sunset swim - main beach - Liam and his friend Eve playing in the water

Beach in front of our bungalow

Digging in the sand and water

taking a walk around the island - total time about 10 mins!

There were two restaurants, but the buffet main restaurant was so good we didn't bother with the other. We loved the variety and were thrilled to have fresh grilled fish at lunch and dinner every day. What was impressive to me was that despite the fact that it was buffet style, food was made fresh to order as you came to the various stations. So it wasn't a limp piece of overcooked fish handed over from a lukewarm plate. We had beautifully seared pieces straight off the grill just as you ask for them. And the same went for pasta dishes, and in the morning with egg orders. I loved the mix of Indian curries and flavors and of course, all the exotic fruits that we hardly ever see here: guava, passion fruit, dragon fruit, all kinds of melons, papayas, mini bananas (major hit with the kids), litchis and some other kind of mango something that tasted like a cross between a clementine and a mango. Well I can certainly go on about how good the food was, but because of Eowyn's stomach bug recovery and Liam who had vomited the second night probably because of sun stroke, the kids were fussier than usual, which was so bizarre. Somehow Eowyn wouldn't eat pasta, and mostly ate pizza, bananas and some bits of things like fried rice or mixed rices or thai green curry? Yes, it was a bizarre mix. Liam had his own strange palette, but was most thrilled with his official introduction to gelato. I think he's had a taste before, but very little. So having half a scoop almost every day was just amazing to him.

Eowyn surveying the food options - we loved having the same waiter every meal so we got to know him better!

Liam tucking into a grand bowl of pasta

An after lunch walk with Minnie

Overall the kids had a fabulous time. I only wish they could remember this years from now! We kept them almost on swiss time so with a four hour time difference it meant we could eat dinner at 8pm and get them to bed at 10pm without it being the end of the world. Though sleep was cut short because we were still up around 8:30am each morning. They were both hesitant about going into the water at the beginning. Liam is definitely much more nervous about it than Eowyn. But by the last day Eowyn was loving being out in her tube and floating around with a big sun hat on. She would even do froggy legs and swim herself around. Liam was ok as long as we held on to him or him in his tube, and as long as his feet didn't touch the bottom, which I found so odd. I wish he'd been brave enough to stick his head in the water with the goggles because the amazing fish are just right there, but alas, that was a bit too much to ask.

Hanging out on the loungers - main beach

Buried Liam and volley ball - main beach late afternoon

Catching a morning nap on the loungers

Too cool - hanging out by the room

A song before dinner! Or maybe just dinner cries!

Post shower bathrobe time - too cute that they had mini ones for the kids

No paparazzi please!

Eowyn getting used to the water in her tube - it was so calm she looked like she was falling asleep sometimes!

Post swim, pre lunch smiles

Kisses and pre dinner cocktails

I think we all would have loved at least a little more than a week, but our time came to an end too quickly and the trip home was long. Made longer by it being a day trip, the kids only sleeping 2 hours of the 10.5, and by the knowledge that we were returning to soggy, rainy, cold Lugano. I know we can't really complain because so much of the time it's beautiful here too, but we've had a very very rainy spring and a cold one at that, so it kind of dampens our enthusiasm!