Today we visited Maldives.  We are heading to Africa and this is one one of the stops along the way. The Maldives has an average ground level of just 4 ft 11 in above sea level, making it the world’s lowest and flattest country. The highest natural point is only 7 ft 10 in! The Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls. Only about 200 islands are inhabited, while around 160 islands have tourist resorts. It is One of the World’s Most Luxurious Travel Destinations. The Maldives is home to some of the most exclusive overwater bungalows and resorts. Many resorts are on private islands with underwater restaurants, infinity pools, and glass-floor villas.  Malé, the capital, is only about 8.3 km² but is densely packed with people, markets, and colorful buildings. The Maldives is an Islamic nation, and alcohol is only available at resorts and designated tourist areas. Locals cannot buy or consume alcohol. The Muraka at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is the first underwater hotel suite, allowing guests to sleep beneath the ocean with a 180-degree view of marine life. Islam is the only religion legally allowed in the Maldives, and all citizens must be Muslim. Due to climate change, the Maldives is at risk of disappearing underwater in the next 100 years if sea levels continue to rise.

Today our excursion takes us to one of those resorts on a remote island.  We begin at Malé. We took a boat ride to the Bandos Island Resort, one of the oldest resorts in the Maldives. Bandos was initially opened in 1972, the year that tourism was introduced to the Maldives.  Bandos lies seven kilometers from Malé in the North Malé Atoll and takes approximately 10 minutes each way to reach by boat. This is a tourist resort island – one of the 160 resort islands in Maldives.  The Maldives are unique for their “one island, one resort” concept. 

When we arrived, we had a welcome juice. 

We then began to explore this small island hideaway, swathed in lush vegetation, that embodies the essence of the Maldives, with coconut palms and tropical greenery surrounded by the resort’s famed white sand beach and crystal clear water. Turquoise merges with sapphire as the lagoon meets the ocean at the edge of the reef. It’s a unique experience and the architecture celebrates and preserves the beauty of the surrounding nature.  We explored the beach around the resort and went snorkeling which is ideal for snorkeling. Nana loves her snorkeling. 

Nana really wants to return for a longer stay. It reminds her of the Hallmark movie, Love in the Maldives.   The resort has some great villas on the water.  

We then returned to Malé, the capital city, where tenders took us back to our ship about five minutes away.  The captain said this was our last tender unless something changes. Yeah!

We now have 2 sea days coming up then we stop in Seychelles.  We are on our way to Africa. Papa unfortunately , has to work on Behnke for a little bit, send all of our tax documents to our accountant and get the Nunes and Eperthener indoor trains running on our sea days. I have been working on upgrading the software and I made a lot of changes. I currently finished v2.1 and I have even more ideas for v2.2.