Paradise at Half Price

After the first happy eight months with my girlfriend Veronica, I wanted to crown our relationship with a dream trip and....what better destination for a couple: the Maldives!! In fact it all came about a bit suddenly; late April, it was time to unwind a little and I had a Stand-By card in my drawer. The expectations for a trip for two at the price of one weren't great; I would have settled for much less but, once connected to the site.....what do my eyes read: destination Maldives! I don't even remember what the other destinations were, so excited was I at the idea of reaching this paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean. I run to grab the phone, ready, Veronica, if....in 4 days we leave for the Maldives, are you in?........What???....You're crazy!....Well.....I don't know....Oh but.... It was done, booking on the fly and a few days later we were on the plane.

The arrival at Malé airport is nothing short of unforgettable; for someone like me who had never seen atolls and paradise islands like the Maldives, what you see from the plane has a particular, indescribable effect; it's a waking dream to see the sea dotted with small green patches surrounded by a turquoise lagoon. Once we had landed with the plane, but still flying high on the euphoria of the moment, we transferred to our island with a 3-hour launch ride. The trip would have been much shorter, and perhaps more spectacular, by seaplane but it's enough to get distracted looking around for time to fly. Our motorboat was slowing towards a jetty that stretched from a beach out to sea, the midday sun was high; without knowing it we had arrived at Diffushi Island.

The power of the colours nature was giving us had hypnotised me; looking back, the arrival on our Maldivian island is one of those moments I still have most clearly imprinted in my mind. It would be superfluous to describe the days spent in an absolutely relaxed way on this earthly paradise; among the excursions offered, we chose a morning on the deserted island of Huruelhi, an unforgettable beach, enchanting turquoise lagoon and coral reef. Afternoon on the island of Fenfushi to visit a typical fishing village and shop in the typical workshops. A separate note concerns the underwater world; if what you can admire on the surface is extraordinary, the world that lives beneath the water is bewitching. Right here in the Maldives, with the subsequent trip to Egypt, I began to cultivate my passion for diving.

It all started with the outings to go snorkelling; this activity was completely new to me and at first I had no idea what I would find diving in with fins, mask and a mini lifebuoy. The surprise was great: staying at the water's surface you were surrounded by clouds of multicoloured fish, and looking far out, who knows what was waiting for us! Indeed, during the transfer to another snorkelling spot the boat stops and the guide....WHALE SHARK.....who....what....is it dangerous.....not at all, everyone in the water, head under, and.....what a thrill, what my eyes were seeing, a big fish of 8/9 M. For 10/15 minutes it let itself be watched calmly, then it headed off. As a true novice, I hadn't yet realised how lucky I had been at that moment, but the sight of this gigantic animal was an incredibly strong emotion.

A few years on I can say that the Maldives, even if in some cases they are excessively exploited by tourism, can still today offer glimpses of unspoilt nature and leave unique images within you. Unforgettable: the Maldivian sky; by day it gives off a blinding light, towards evening it offers the most beautiful sunsets and at night.....so many stars in the total darkness.