Hello interweb, I am back for more ramblings today. I trust I find your 0's and 1's are all in good order and that you are well.
I am feeling a little put out today, ya see I got my leave from work sanctioned and logged and all put in order so that I can take off 25 days in October for an extended holiday.
That in itself is not what has made me feel put out, the fact that I am excited about it is. I don't really get excited about much to be honest.
I spent the other night (at work) trawling ebay and buying shirts, shorts and a pair of converse for my holiday. I never buy clothes, Viper buys me clothes and I wear them, That's just how it works in Bagstaland.
Anyway this will make trip number 10 to the Maldives so I thought I might put a little guide to The Maldives including some things to take etc.
So without further a do I shall begin with the Bagsta69's guide to The Maldives.
First of all would be deciding when to go. The dry season runs from November to April and this is when traveling to The Maldives is the most expensive. However other times of year which are sometimes called the monsoon season are far cheaper and whilst you do get some rain it does not rain all the time and it it is still hot. 9 of our trips have been in either April or October, just leading into the dry season or just coming out of it and the weather has never really spoiled anything, sure it has rained and we have even seen a waterspout but never had a total washout.
The added bonus to going at this time is the fact that it costs less than half the amount than going in the dry season.
On the plus side, when it does rain you can get some pretty stunning photographs .
Anyway after you have decided when to go you need to decide how to get there. You can fly direct, been there done that never again. You can fly with 2 stops which always seem to leave you with hours and hours stop over in an airport or you can fly via Dubai which is our personal choice.
Flying to Dubai on an Emirates Airbus A380 even in economy is a pleasure. The legroom even in economy is plenty and the staff are incredible.
We always get a flight that allows us a couple of hours to clear security and have a look around the amazing airport that is Dubai International.
After boarding a 777 to continue the journey to Male you can sit back and relax.
As you get closer to your destination you begin to see small islands dotted about in the ocean like small jewels and as you get closer and begin to descend the colours are stunning. They look just like they do in the brochure.
When you land and the doors are opened the first thing to hit you is the heat and humidity. Standing in line waiting to clear customs can take a while but you have to realise that you are now on Maldives time and that runs slower than a Jamaican after an afternoon on rum n coke and a few spliffs.
When you have been reunited with your bags it is a good idea to transfer a pair of shorts t-shirt and some sun cream to your hand luggage as depending on the method of travel to your island you may not see your main bags again for a while.
Onwards travel is either by Dhoni boat which is slow and quite relaxing or by speed boat which can be a bit butt bruising if it's rough. The other method is via Sea Plane which is just totally worth the extra if you can afford it.
Once you arrive at your destination the chill out can begin. If you are a drinker I would advise you go all inclusive as everything has to be imported to the Maldives and as such things can be quite expensive. Ive paid $125.00 for a normal sized bottle of Moet before for Vipers birthday.
One thing to remember is that you are now at the equator, its damned hot and the sun will burn you in minutes. High factor sun cream even if it is cloudy is a must. Do not think that you will get away with no cream for 15 minutes as you wont and you will burn.
I dont bother with the diving thing as I get to see so much just snorkeling off the beach that I have never felt the need to do the whole diving thing.
I always wear a t-shirt when snorkeling as well to help stop my back burning.
There is so much to see including some bigger fish like Reef sharks and rays it truly is amazing. An underwater camera is a must if you are traveling here and they don't have to be that expensive either but remember when you get out of the water to rinse off your camera as well as your ears. Every time rinse out your ears, I forgot this once and got an infection which was less than pleasant.
Other things that you can do in The Maldives are quite limited really but most resorts do day trips. Either snorkeling to different reefs or to the capital Male.
One thing that I never seem to be able to get across to people when I tell them about this place is the accommodation. For the most part it consists of beach villas actually on the beach which will have a large room with bed and some furniture and a bathroom which are mostly open air.There are also water villas that stick out on stilts over the ocean but having spent a few nights in one of these the water lapping against the posts gets really annoying.
These are usually cleaned in the morning and when you go for your evening meal they are cleaned again and the sheets on the bed turned down.
I always make a point of tipping the room boy on arrival and then another couple of dollars every two to three days.
Some islands have a tip jar for the gardeners who sweep up leaves all day keeping the islands looking tidy but if they don't I will usually tip them as well.
The beaches are stunning, pristine white sand and never seem very busy.
We usually take a can of raid bug spray with us and spray along the door bottoms when we go out to discourage any bugs from going into our room on an evening and it works quite well as there are quite a few on all islands and mosquito spray as well, deet 50 or as an alternative Avon Skin so soft spray also helps keep the pesky critters at bay.
There are a few other creatures that reside on the islands including lizards and bats.
On an evening sitting watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean is one of the most laid back things that I have ever done. it is stunning.
And then as the light fades the lack of light pollution treats you to a view of the stars that many city dwellers seldom see.
For the most part though a trip to The Maldives really is a trip to paradise and it really does live up to all the hype.
Also remember to take home what you brought, this includes empty bottles of sun cream and punctured lilo's. There is no land fill or giant rubbish burning factories in The Maldives. It all goes to and island called Thilafushi and it is really struggling to deal with the waste.
And so I will finally leave you with a list of things that are a must to take with you, aside from the obvious stuff like toothpaste, lol.
Hi Factor sun cream and lots of it as to buy it in resort is really expensive (I paid $30.00)
After sun
Mossi spray at least deet 50
Flippers and snorkel
Underwater camera and plenty of memory cards
multitool
super glue
tooth repair kit
first aid kit
pain killers
Beach towel as not all resorts supply these
a small amount of washing powder
antihistamines
American dollars in small denominations for tips
Sewing kit
spare batteries
blue tooth speaker
4 gang mains thing as sockets are limited.
Mains travel adapter. some islands have UK plug sockets others don't.
If I think of anything else I will add it later, for now Im going to try and work out how to deal with this exitement thing that has afflicted me, and remember this, Talking to yourself is a characteristic of the gifted.
Peace out Yall, THE BAGSTA XXX Roll on October :)
I am feeling a little put out today, ya see I got my leave from work sanctioned and logged and all put in order so that I can take off 25 days in October for an extended holiday.
That in itself is not what has made me feel put out, the fact that I am excited about it is. I don't really get excited about much to be honest.
I spent the other night (at work) trawling ebay and buying shirts, shorts and a pair of converse for my holiday. I never buy clothes, Viper buys me clothes and I wear them, That's just how it works in Bagstaland.
Anyway this will make trip number 10 to the Maldives so I thought I might put a little guide to The Maldives including some things to take etc.
So without further a do I shall begin with the Bagsta69's guide to The Maldives.
On the plus side, when it does rain you can get some pretty stunning photographs .
Anyway after you have decided when to go you need to decide how to get there. You can fly direct, been there done that never again. You can fly with 2 stops which always seem to leave you with hours and hours stop over in an airport or you can fly via Dubai which is our personal choice.
Flying to Dubai on an Emirates Airbus A380 even in economy is a pleasure. The legroom even in economy is plenty and the staff are incredible.
We always get a flight that allows us a couple of hours to clear security and have a look around the amazing airport that is Dubai International.
After boarding a 777 to continue the journey to Male you can sit back and relax.
As you get closer to your destination you begin to see small islands dotted about in the ocean like small jewels and as you get closer and begin to descend the colours are stunning. They look just like they do in the brochure.
When you have been reunited with your bags it is a good idea to transfer a pair of shorts t-shirt and some sun cream to your hand luggage as depending on the method of travel to your island you may not see your main bags again for a while.
Onwards travel is either by Dhoni boat which is slow and quite relaxing or by speed boat which can be a bit butt bruising if it's rough. The other method is via Sea Plane which is just totally worth the extra if you can afford it.
Once you arrive at your destination the chill out can begin. If you are a drinker I would advise you go all inclusive as everything has to be imported to the Maldives and as such things can be quite expensive. Ive paid $125.00 for a normal sized bottle of Moet before for Vipers birthday.
One thing to remember is that you are now at the equator, its damned hot and the sun will burn you in minutes. High factor sun cream even if it is cloudy is a must. Do not think that you will get away with no cream for 15 minutes as you wont and you will burn.
I dont bother with the diving thing as I get to see so much just snorkeling off the beach that I have never felt the need to do the whole diving thing.
I always wear a t-shirt when snorkeling as well to help stop my back burning.
Other things that you can do in The Maldives are quite limited really but most resorts do day trips. Either snorkeling to different reefs or to the capital Male.
One thing that I never seem to be able to get across to people when I tell them about this place is the accommodation. For the most part it consists of beach villas actually on the beach which will have a large room with bed and some furniture and a bathroom which are mostly open air.There are also water villas that stick out on stilts over the ocean but having spent a few nights in one of these the water lapping against the posts gets really annoying.
These are usually cleaned in the morning and when you go for your evening meal they are cleaned again and the sheets on the bed turned down.
I always make a point of tipping the room boy on arrival and then another couple of dollars every two to three days.
Some islands have a tip jar for the gardeners who sweep up leaves all day keeping the islands looking tidy but if they don't I will usually tip them as well.
The beaches are stunning, pristine white sand and never seem very busy.
There are a few other creatures that reside on the islands including lizards and bats.
On an evening sitting watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean is one of the most laid back things that I have ever done. it is stunning.
For the most part though a trip to The Maldives really is a trip to paradise and it really does live up to all the hype.
Also remember to take home what you brought, this includes empty bottles of sun cream and punctured lilo's. There is no land fill or giant rubbish burning factories in The Maldives. It all goes to and island called Thilafushi and it is really struggling to deal with the waste.
And so I will finally leave you with a list of things that are a must to take with you, aside from the obvious stuff like toothpaste, lol.
Hi Factor sun cream and lots of it as to buy it in resort is really expensive (I paid $30.00)
After sun
Mossi spray at least deet 50
Flippers and snorkel
Underwater camera and plenty of memory cards
multitool
super glue
tooth repair kit
first aid kit
pain killers
Beach towel as not all resorts supply these
a small amount of washing powder
antihistamines
American dollars in small denominations for tips
Sewing kit
spare batteries
blue tooth speaker
4 gang mains thing as sockets are limited.
Mains travel adapter. some islands have UK plug sockets others don't.
If I think of anything else I will add it later, for now Im going to try and work out how to deal with this exitement thing that has afflicted me, and remember this, Talking to yourself is a characteristic of the gifted.
Peace out Yall, THE BAGSTA XXX Roll on October :)
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