The Maldives - Uligan to Male

Arriving at Uligan

We arrived in the Maldives early on Friday and had the anchor set by 8AM. We were greeted by manta rays, a school of neon blue fishies, and a chorus line of squid. The water is sparkling clear in shades from deep blue to turquoise. The beaches are sandy white and the little village is tidy with small homes made from coral and cement.  We checked in, a very efficient and easy process, with immigrations, customs, health inspector, and two coast guard fellows on board. In the afternoon we decided to go for a swim and snorkel to cool down. We were greeted by another school (or same one) of neon blue fish, plus unicorns (trigger fish), parrot fish, and an amazing turtle. There were also a few stingrays dug into the sand just below the boat. 

Coral House in Uligan

Our next stop was Farukolhu Island. We left Uligan at 5AM in order to make it to our destination 60 miles away with enough sunlight left to see the bommies (coral heads) in the water and steer clear into the reef and lagoon. The depth went down to under 9 ft and that was at high tide, but once inside we found a nice spot to anchor in about 12 ft. of water. We had a lovely swim-about. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that there would be mozzies and we were up for over an hour at 1:30AM with heaps of the nasty little vampires feasting on us. We closed up our bed with screens and lace netting and then proceeded to hunt down and evict as many as we could.

Relaxing in the lounge chairs near the beach in Uligan

The next day we were off to Kanuhuraa Island/Reef. We saw several fishing boats along the way and decided to try our luck and put a lure in the water. It paid off as we caught ourselves a little tuna of some sort, which first honored with our appreciation for feeding us and then we cooked it up for dinner and leftovers for tuna salad the next two days. We continued on the next day to a reef just north of the Male atoll. Each day after anchoring we got into the water and snorkeled about. And, each day we saw more and more lovely and interesting things. The previous day it was a ginormous ray laying at the edge of the reef (don't want to disturb that guy!) and today it was a nice little shark of some sort resting in the sand just below the stern of our boat. Roger saw him... he's great at picking out these wonders. 
When we arrived in Male we were shocked at how built up it was... sea planes and jets taking off and landing, tons of little ferries to'ing and fro'ing, heaps of super yachts anchored and under way, and a dredge and some tankers busy at work. We really had gotten used to the pristine and isolated little anchorages along the way down and we felt that this was just a little bit too much civilization for our taste. But we adjusted and did our provisioning at the local fish and veggie markets and preparations for the big "Head to the Med through the Red" convoy. But that's another story for another post.

With Equanimity and Joy

Incredible India - Munnar in the Mountains

We decided we really wanted to see at least a small bit of the surrounding area in India before leaving and would hire a car and driver and head up into the mountains of Munnar. The car was small, the traffic in Ernakulam was terrible and the trip was long with narrow winding roads and continuous honking of horns, which seems to be the norm for driving in India. Munnar resembles a chaotic frontier town surrounded by lovely tea fields and mountains. It was cool in the late afternoon and we were all delighted to put on fleece and jackets to go out in the evening for dinner. There was a lovely little church, which was used in the filming of "Life of Pi", a tea museum and some hill station lookouts, but not much else there. Still, we were all glad to have made the trip and to have seen some of the beauty of the Kerala countryside.

India, even the small nook of it we visited, truly is incredible... you love it or hate it or a little of both in equal measures. Hopefully we'll get back to visit in the northern areas sometime to see Delhi, visit the Taj, Varanasi, Jaipur and more.

With Equanimity and Joy

Incredible India - Fort Kochi

We spent a day in old Fort Kochi and enjoyed the sights and surrounds. We began with the naval museum, which was packed with history and information. There were some old missiles and guns, but mostly there were plaques and photos detailing the evolution of the Indian Navy. From there, we visited the St. Francis Church. Built in 1503, it is the oldest European church in India and is where Vasco de Gama was initially buried (he died in Cochin in 1524) before his remains were eventually transported back to Portugal. We saw a few Hindu temples from the street, since non-Hindus are not allowed entrance. Later in the day we went to the Cochin Jewish Synagogue, also known as Paradesi Synagogue, which is the oldest active synagogue in the entire British Commonwealth. It is interesting and wonderful to see how so many religions (including something like 16 varieties of Hindu alone) are practiced in such close proximity with harmony and acceptance, where so much of the world cannot even manage tolerance.

We stopped by the Chinese fishing nets, pervasive in the area, which are manually raised and lowered by about six men. The cantilevered nets are counterbalanced with large rocks. Each net is raised and lowered about 250-300 times each day.

With Equanimity and Joy

Incredible India - Local Culture

We happened to be in Kochi when the annual Shiva Temple Festival and Elephant Pageant took place in Ernakulam, and after leaving Nazar’s home we took the ferry back across to see the elephants being bathed and dressed for the festivities. Unfortunately, the official start time was about three hours later than we thought, so we missed the majority of it... but the elephants were the highlight and I was content. They bring temple elephants, all "tuskers", in from all around the region for this pageant. 

A few days later, we attended a demonstration and performance of Kathakali, Kerala's (the state in India we are in) classical dance drama. We were able to watch the performer apply his makeup, which took almost two hours… longer than both the demonstration and the dance itself! The performer is accompanied by a drummer and cymbalist, and he uses facial expressions and body movements to tell a story. His eye movements and facial expressions are so precise and descriptive it is no wonder that these performers have an 8-year training program.

With Equanimity and Joy