No, I’m not talking about the book that took the world by storm this past year, but rather the trip I took to the Maldives for Christmas. Comprised of 26 island atolls in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is the lowest country on Earth at just 4 feet and 11 inches above sea level.
What the Maldives lack in elevation and size, the island nation more than makes up for in color. The Maldives are home to the most shades of blues I’ve ever seen. Nothing compares to it. It’s said that the human eye can see 52 different shades of blue, and if this is true, the Maldives are the one place where I have seen each variation.
Getting to the Maldives is no easy feat. After flying to LA, I hopped on an A380 and flew 18 hours straight to Singapore. It was the longest amount of time I’ve ever spent up in the air! From Singapore I flew to the city of Male, which is the capital of the Maldives. Male reminded me of Honolulu, except that it was much more densely packed than Hawaii’s capital. Nearly every conceivable inch of the island has been built on. It’s probably more like a miniature version of Hong Kong.
After arriving in Male, I flew by seaplane to the Four Seasons Resort at Landaa Giraavaru. Located on the Baa Atoll, which is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, it felt like I had arrived on Gilligan’s Island (albeit complete with a 5-star resort). Everyday I spent at the resort there was a different activity to try out. I went paddle boarding across the crystal blue lagoon water one day. Another day I took a dolphin tour since the Maldives have a large population of both bottleneck and spinner dolphins. I even got a chance to go sunset fishing. Fishing by hand line, I caught a grouper that the chef ended up grilling right on the beach!
One of the highlights of the trip was getting to sail over to a private island that the Four Seasons owns. The boat dropped its anchor a couple hundred meters from the island, and I got to snorkel over to a deserted island for lunch. I felt like Jacques Cousteau swimming through schools of tropical fish and some of the most gorgeous (and colorful) coral I’ve ever seen. The day got even better as I enjoyed a delicious lunch on the perfect white sand beach. I can safely say it was definitely one of the best days of my life!