TRAVEL

There are several airlines that provide service to Male International Airport. There are also chartered flights that bring plane loads of tourists. Tourists usually come on package tours and spend a few days at a resort. There is a small airport near the Male International Airport which is used for the seaplane service. Tourists who arrive at Male board the seaplane to reach the resort. Travel within the Maldives can be difficult for the others. Tourists get first preference on the seaplane. Others are allowed only when there are no tourists.

Speed boats are available from Male to some of the islands but they are not regular and have to be booked in advance. Local boats called dhoni’s also provide service from Male to the islands. They are cheaper than speed boats but take a long time to reach the islands.

Once, I had to return to India on an emergency leave. I travelled by dhoni from Raa Meedhoo to Male. Along the way, there was a stop at Baa Eydhafushi. I left my bag on the dhoni and got down since I was told the journey would resume only after a few hours. I met some Indians working there. After spending a few hours with them on the island, I returned to the dhoni. I noticed that my bag was still there. There is very little theft in the Maldives. The journey from Raa Medhoo to Male took about twelve hours. After reaching Male, I booked my air ticket to India. Due to the rush, only first class tickets were available.

On my return, I had to travel by dhoni to Raa Meedhoo again. Unfortunately, there was some engine trouble and we were stranded at Baa Eydhafushi. A colleague was with me. We had deposited an amount of money as surety at the school. It would be fully refunded only if we returned on time.  We decided to hire a fishing dhoni to take us to Raa Meedhoo. It was a small boat. We started from Baa Eydhafushi on the fishing dhoni after midnight. I think the boatmen wanted sufficient moonlight to start the journey. During the journey, I saw waves rising higher than the boat. As we approached Raa Meedhoo, I could see the red signal light blinking. The street lights at the boat jetty looked so beautiful. On the next day, our deposits were fully refunded.

During 2006, I had to attend a meeting at Male. One of my colleagues was travelling with me. We left Baa Eydhafushi in the evening on a speedboat and reached Male a few hours later. We stayed at a hotel for two days and attended the meeting. We returned to Baa Eydhafushi on a seaplane. It was my first flight on a seaplane. We boarded the seaplane from the small airport near the Male International Airport. The service was provided by Trans Maldivian Airways. The seaplanes take off and land on the sea. They can carry about fifteen passengers. They are usually used to transfer tourists from Male to the Resorts. They are sometimes used for sightseeing trips and medical evacuations. Seaplanes fly at a low altitude and we can see the islands below clearly. It is a beautiful sight with the small islands surrounded by turquoise waters. Some of the islands are well organized. We can see the roads, the houses and the boat jetty from the seaplane. The seaplane landed near the Soneva Fushi Resort. We got onto a floating wooden platform and waited for a small speed boat to take us to the Resort. A few minutes later a small dhoni, sent by the school, arrived at the Resort. It took us to Baa Eydhafushi.