Maldives

Cruise the Maldives, among Islands and Atolls


Dhongi
The Yasawa seen from a distance, from a colorful Maldivian boat with its curled bow.
Boats
Support boats follow the Yasawa Princess.
atolls
Glowing atolls from the Maldives dot the Indian Ocean.
pass
Seabirds take flight from a corner of a sandbar, about to fly to the opposite corner.
Investigations
Two passengers on the Yasawa Princess are entertained by investigating a strange submerged coral.
Persecution
Juliana chases away a flock of seabirds on a sandbar visited by Yasawa passengers.
maldivian sunset
The Yasawa Princess' support boat, the "Dolphin" departs into the sunset for an end to the day of fishing.
the pontoon
Visitors from an islet used and treated as a "barbeque island" travel a long jetty to the boats docking place.
snorkeling
Snorkeler explores one of the countless coral reefs in the Indian Ocean on which the vast Maldives lie.
celestial coral
A large coral reef seen from one of the many seaplanes that fly over the Maldives.
Friendship v. Traditional
Three friends from Maamigli, outside a shop and in traditional Muslim attire.
Spider
Faya, Yasawa Princess's PR in her arachnid snorkeling outfit.
Yasawa Princess
The Yasawa Princess" with its interior lighting already active at a time when the sun sets over that part of the Indian Ocean
Commander Muhammad
Ahmed Muhammed, commander of the Yasawa Princess.
holy rest
Sacred Rest with Princess Yasawa in the background.
bathing recreation
Two passengers of the Yasawa Princess relax in an almost still emerald sea.
double donghi
Donghi sails the mirror sea of ​​Maldives.
Donghi in blue
Donghi roams the shallow sea of ​​one of the 26 Maldives atolls.
Tea time
Two crew members of the Yasawa Princess await passengers on a support boat.
Brought from Fiji to sail in the Maldives, Princess Yasawa has adapted well to new seas. As a rule, a day or two of itinerary is enough for the genuineness and delight of life on board to surface.

The sight of the Yasawa Princess moored near the island of Villingily does not take long.

The dhoni leans against him gently. It allows us to go to the access staircase and then to the deck, where we are installed. As expected, the communal dinner at sunset serves as an icebreaker and table conversation goes on autopilot.

Some of the passengers were already repeating the dose of Yasawa.

In between, these and others had tried alternative boats and cruises. They quickly realized that none of them granted them the ease and well-being of the Yasawa Princess.

Cruise Princess Yasawa, Captain, Maldives

The Yasawa Princess' support boat, the “Dolphin” departs into the sunset for an end to the day of fishing.

From Sri Lanka to the Nautical Comfort of Yasawa Princess Cruise

They returned and now served as advisers for the doubts that newcomers expressed. Around nine at night, the jet lag and weariness begins to take hold of several of them, coming from Great Britain, northern Italy or Cyprus.

We, had arrived from there, from the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. Even so, the over-effort in which we had lived the weeks of exploration of the Sri Lanka, made us feel the same or worse. Okay, by ten o'clock at night, the gentle swell of Kaafu Atoll was already lulling us all.

We wake up well after sunrise but in time for a breakfast shared among sleepy passengers. Yasawa was supposed to be sailing since dawn. An engine problem will delay the start and force us to change the first scale.

Instead of the island of Kuda Bandos, they lead us to a spit of sand lost between atolls that seems to float in a turquoise sea.

Passarada, Maldives, Princess Yasawa Cruise

Seabirds take flight from a corner of a sandbar, about to fly to the opposite corner.

Yasawa Princess and the First of Countless Indian Dives

Divers are the first to explore a farther reef area.

We are taken by boat to the edge of the reef that surrounded the sandbank, a wonderful underwater world that we discover for almost an hour in adventurous snorkeling mode.

Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives

Snorkeler explores one of the countless coral reefs in the Indian Ocean on which the vast Maldives lie.

Every time we find attractive coral formations, schools of gaudy fish or more fascinating specimens, we make another incursion deeper until the pressure hits our eardrums and we are forced to emerge.

There, among large parrotfish and trumpet, surrounded by shoals of countless gaudy and tiny specimens, watched askance by moray eels, turtles and reef sharks, we delight in the incredible exuberance of the Indian Ocean.

At the same time that exhaustion began to set in, so did the coral wall. Thus, we retire to the shallow land of the sandbank, we hydrate ourselves.

We reheated under the blazing sun of that equatorial latitude.

Problems in Cruise Navigation, Malé Semper à Vista

In the early days, the engine problem kept part of the crew confused and keeping an eye on Male, from where, if everything goes well, the solution would arrive. But the boat had another engine.

In the smooth sea of ​​the atolls or between Maldivian atolls, it was enough for us to continue sailing and visiting other equally attractive sandbanks.

Coral reef, Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives

A large coral reef seen from one of the many seaplanes that fly over the Maldives.

On these occasions, the PR guided us

By that time, despite the differences in age and the British predominance, practically all passengers were already getting along with each other and getting to know the multinational crew. There was Issey (Ismail Faysal), the Maldivian owner of the boat, who had a boyish laugh that delighted us.

His right arm supported him, Faya, who was also Maldivian who dealt with us permanently, always with a smile on his lips, whether he had good news or bad news, these usually related to the troubled engine.

Faya had a large spider web tattooed on her back. He wore a diving lycra inspired by Spider-Man. "Faya, where does this passion for spiders come from?" we asked him when he was returning from a dip in the delicious sea.

To which the Maldivian responds and surprises us: “I've admired them for a long time. However, I went to see "Spider-Man". I liked it even more.”

Spider, Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives

Faya, Yasawa Princess's PR in her arachnid snorkeling outfit.

The always serene Commander Ahmed Mohamed barely shied away from explanations. He was equally from the Maldives, as was the bartender and DJ Diggy Digs.

The helpful cook, on the other hand, came from Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Meal after meal, he used a guru's patience to endure the question with which all Western guests massacred him: “Is this spicy chef? And this here?”.

Several other crew members came from the Sri Lanka, India or Bangladesh. Those who had previously worked in the Maldives already spoke good Maldivian, a language that combines Sri Lankan and Arabic elements.

In other cases, the crew resorted to convenient English.

Teatime, Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives

Two crew members of the Yasawa Princess await passengers on a support boat.

Maafushi Atoll, on the Path of Other Atolls

Navigation evolves. We move to Maafushi Atoll and stop for new baths on the private island of Rannalhi.

Donald Trump had just won the presidential election of the USA and dominated much of the conversation on board. On that and other days, passengers participated in night fishing aboard the Dolphin, one of the support boats, or from the stern of the Yasawa Princess.

Donghi, Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives

Donghi sails the mirror sea of ​​Maldives.

In addition to causing exuberant celebrations, the fish specimens were offered to the cook, who was able to diversify the buffet offer.

We advanced from Maafushi Atoll to Felidhoo, two of the twenty-six from Maldives. Between new doses of diving and snorkeling, we were arrested by the solid ground of a barbecue island surrounded by coconut trees.

And for a new reef as or more exuberant than the previous ones.

Atolls, Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives

Glowing atolls from the Maldives dot the Indian Ocean.

Stopover on a Small Island of Felidhoo Atoll

Inhabited this small island some Bangladeshis who stayed on it for long periods, with the sole purpose of welcoming visitors from resorts, inns or cruise passengers. They even had their own mini-mosque identified with a crescent scrawled on the wall.

During the time we spent on this island, they went to their religious haven twice, chanting Muslim songs and praying.

By that time, doing nothing at all and seeing our hands shrivel up little by little from the hours we spent chatting in the sea were already the official activities of the cruise.

Recreation Bathing, Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives

Two passengers of the Yasawa Princess relax in an almost still emerald sea.

We dedicated a good part of one afternoon to him, in the company of Georgio and Juliana, an Italian-Romanian couple who lived in London.

The two discovered a submerged rock that we were quick to classify as extraterrestrial. With the water just above our knees, we devoted ourselves to studying the strange behavior of the fish that had settled around us and conjecturing nonsensical explanations.

Investigations, Cruise Princess Yasawa, Captain, Maldives

Two passengers on the Yasawa Princess are entertained by investigating a strange submerged coral.

We only put an end to the fun when Juliana confesses to us that she loved being photographed and we dedicated an improvised photographic production to her and Georgio.

The Long Conversation with Commander Ahmed Mohamed

In the afternoon, after lunch, we joined Giorgio for a long conversation with the captain, lying on the chalky sandy beach in the forgiving shade of the coconut trees.

Ahmed Mohamed describes us some of his browsing experiences. He goes back to the ease with which islands and atolls are bought in the Maldives: “Georgio, it's just as I told you. With 100 euros I'll get you a fabulous island!”.

We also discussed the experience of the 2004 tsunami in that Indian archipelago and the mystery of the MH-370 flight that several inhabitants of its islands claimed to have observed at low altitude.

Captain, Maldives, Cruise Princess Yasawa

Ahmed Muhammed, commander of the Yasawa Princess.

Meanwhile, Georgio leaves us. Soft and volatile, the conversation turned to the Koran and the Bible and how, at least in their historical genesis, both works had so much in common: Abraham, Adam and Eve, Jesus Christ and Mary, to mention only the most popular protagonists. .

Felidhoo's Surprise Dinner Party

We return to the island for dinner. The crew had recreated a large whale shark in the sand which delighted the passengers and introduced the activities of the following days.

The night was one of absolute delirium. DJ Diggy Digs resorted to a playlist in which hits from the 70s to 90s predominated. Lights installed with care, recreated a disco on the sand.

The resistance was short-lived. In an instant, we invaded the track. We danced theme after theme to exhaustion, not even making an exception for the Bollywood hits that none of us had ever heard but that DJ Diggs foisted on us.

Dawn regenerates excitement on board.

Speedboats, Cruise Princess Yasawa, Captain, Maldives

Support boats follow the Yasawa Princess.

Discovering Alifu Dhaluu Atoll

During the night, we had crossed from Felidhoo Atoll to Alifu Dhaluu. we were off Maamingli, one of the largest towns in the Maldives, surrounded by imposing and daring resorts and around which small schools of whale sharks have become accustomed to wandering.

We went out to sea under the challenge of helping the crew to look for them and the truth is that we saw them several times. However, every time we jumped into the water to approach them, the animals disappeared.

Only on a fourth opportunity, when no one expected any more, we glimpsed, a few meters below us, an elusive specimen that never dared to surface.

On the last afternoon aboard the Yasawa, we have a rewarding foray into the Maldivian way of life.

At sunset, the crew takes us to Maamingli. We climbed from the small boat to the top of the wall that formed the boundary between the village and the sea and, in the company of Georgio and Juliana, we entered the city's unpaved streets.

Maamingli: The Maldives As They Really Are

We pass a group of young teenagers who are hanging out in the shadows created by a large tree to analyze us like the outsiders we were. We continue along the main street.

Little by little, we overcame the reluctance that the Maldives' fame generated in us to promote tourism in countless resorts spread across its island territory, but to avoid the intrusion of foreigners into its traditionalist Muslim way of life.

Three friends from Maamigli, Cruise Princess Yasawa, Maldives

Three friends of Maamigli, at the door of a shop and in traditional Muslim dress.

We got into conversation with four or five women from abayas e hijabs who conferred at the entrance of a store. In five minutes, inspired by one of the more resourceful ladies, they evolved from total discomfort and fear to a group pose and shared laughter in front of our cameras.

We walk towards the sun setting at the end of the street. A group of girls have fun playing netball. until one muezzin he inaugurates his singing call and announces the time for them to come to the house or to the mosques.

Darkens before our eyes. We return through narrower streets parallel to the main one formed by walls of houses and walls composed of coral stone.

Almost reaching the dock, Juliana stops at a shop operated by two Bangladeshi tailors. She chooses fabrics that appeal to her and orders a dress that she would pick up the following afternoon.

Yasawa's boys have been waiting for us for too long. We didn't want to abuse it.

We resumed the discovery of genuine Maldivian life a few days later, in Malé, the capital.

Princess Yasawa Cruise, Maldives

The Yasawa Princess” with its interior lighting already active at a time when the sun sets over that part of the Indian Ocean

Male Maldives

The Maldives For Real

Seen from the air, Malé, the capital of the Maldives, looks little more than a sample of a crammed island. Those who visit it will not find lying coconut trees, dream beaches, spas or infinite pools. Be dazzled by the genuine Maldivian everyday life that tourist brochures omit.
Juneau, Alaska

The Little Capital of Greater Alaska

From June to August, Juneau disappears behind cruise ships that dock at its dockside. Even so, it is in this small capital that the fate of the 49th American state is decided.
Puerto Natales-Puerto Montt, Chile

Cruise on board a Freighter

After a long begging of backpackers, the Chilean company NAVIMAG decided to admit them on board. Since then, many travelers have explored the Patagonian canals, side by side with containers and livestock.
Michaelmas Cay, Australia

Miles from Christmas (Part XNUMX)

In Australia, we live the most uncharacteristic of the 24th of December. We set sail for the Coral Sea and disembark on an idyllic islet that we share with orange-billed terns and other birds.
Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.
City
Bukhara, Uzbequistan

Among the Minarets of Old Turkestan

Situated on the ancient Silk Road, Bukhara has developed for at least two thousand years as an essential commercial, cultural and religious hub in Central Asia. It was Buddhist and then Muslim. It was part of the great Arab empire and that of Genghis Khan, the Turko-Mongol kingdoms and the Soviet Union, until it settled in the still young and peculiar Uzbekistan.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
Jabula Beach, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
safari
Saint Lucia, South Africa

An Africa as Wild as Zulu

On the eminence of the coast of Mozambique, the province of KwaZulu-Natal is home to an unexpected South Africa. Deserted beaches full of dunes, vast estuarine swamps and hills covered with fog fill this wild land also bathed by the Indian Ocean. It is shared by the subjects of the always proud Zulu nation and one of the most prolific and diverse fauna on the African continent.
Thorong Pedi to High Camp, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal, Lone Walker
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 12th - Thorong Phedi a High camp

The Prelude to the Supreme Crossing

This section of the Annapurna Circuit is only 1km away, but in less than two hours it takes you from 4450m to 4850m and to the entrance to the great canyon. Sleeping in High Camp is a test of resistance to Mountain Evil that not everyone passes.
Traditional houses, Bergen, Norway.
Architecture & Design
Bergen, Norway

The Great Hanseatic Port of Norway

Already populated in the early 1830th century, Bergen became the capital, monopolized northern Norwegian commerce and, until XNUMX, remained one of the largest cities in Scandinavia. Today, Oslo leads the nation. Bergen continues to stand out for its architectural, urban and historical exuberance.
Aventura
Volcanoes

Mountains of Fire

More or less prominent ruptures in the earth's crust, volcanoes can prove to be as exuberant as they are capricious. Some of its eruptions are gentle, others prove annihilating.
orthodox procession
Ceremonies and Festivities
Suzdal, Russia

Centuries of Devotion to a Devoted Monk

Euthymius was a fourteenth-century Russian ascetic who gave himself body and soul to God. His faith inspired Suzdal's religiosity. The city's believers worship him as the saint he has become.
Mao Tse Tung, Dragon Heart, Tianamen Square, Beijing, China
Cities
Beijing, China

The Heart of the Great Dragon

It is the incoherent historic center of Maoist-Communist ideology and almost all Chinese aspire to visit it, but Tianamen Square will always be remembered as a macabre epitaph of the nation's aspirations.
Tsukiji fish market, Tokyo, Japan
Lunch time
Tokyo, Japan

The Fish Market That Lost its Freshness

In a year, each Japanese eats more than their weight in fish and shellfish. Since 1935, a considerable part was processed and sold in the largest fish market in the world. Tsukiji was terminated in October 2018, and replaced by Toyosu's.
Starting moment of one of the races organized by the Barbados Turf Club
Culture
Bridgetown, Barbados

Cannons and Horse Racing in the Old Barbadian Savannah

In the 1966th and 300th centuries, Bridgetown was home to the British Army and Navy Headquarters for the West Indies. In XNUMX, after XNUMX years, Barbados gained its independence. Garrison and, in particular, the racecourse-lawn at its heart exalt the vigor of the young nation.
combat arbiter, cockfighting, philippines
Sport
Philippines

When Only Cock Fights Wake Up the Philippines

Banned in much of the First World, cockfighting thrives in the Philippines where they move millions of people and pesos. Despite its eternal problems, it is the sabong that most stimulates the nation.
Traveling
Moçamedes to PN Iona, Namibe, Angola

Grand entrance to the Angola of the Dunes

Still with Moçâmedes as a starting point, we traveled in search of the sands of Namibe and Iona National Park. The cacimbo meteorology prevents the continuation between the Atlantic and the dunes to the stunning south of Baía dos Tigres. It will only be a matter of time.
Vegetables, Little India, Sari Singapore, Singapore
Ethnic
Little India, Singapore

The Sari Singapore of Little India

There are thousands of inhabitants instead of the 1.3 billion of the mother country, but Little India, a neighborhood in tiny Singapore, does not lack soul. No soul, no smell of Bollywood curry and music.
ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Sensations vs Impressions

Willemstad, Curacao, Punda, Handelskade
History
Willemstad, Curaçao

The Multicultural Heart of Curaçao

A Dutch colony in the Caribbean became a major slave hub. It welcomed Sephardic Jews who had taken refuge from the Iberia Inquisition in Amsterdam and Recife. And it assimilated influences from the Portuguese and Spanish villages with which it traded. At the heart of this secular cultural fusion has always been its old capital: Willemstad.
Orangozinho, Canecapane River, Orango National Park, Bijagós, Guinea Bissau
Islands
Africa Princess Cruise, 2º Orangozinho, Bijagos, Guinea Bissau

Orangozinho and the Ends of the Orango NP

After a first foray to Roxa Island, we set sail from Canhambaque for an end of the day discovering the coastline in the vast and uninhabited bottom of Orangozinho. The next morning, we sailed up the Canecapane River, in search of the island's large tabanca, Uite.
coast, fjord, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
Winter White
Seydisfjordur, Iceland

From the Art of Fishing to the Fishing of Art

When shipowners from Reykjavik bought the Seydisfjordur fishing fleet, the village had to adapt. Today, it captures Dieter Roth's art disciples and other bohemian and creative souls.
Baie d'Oro, Île des Pins, New Caledonia
Literature
Île-des-Pins, New Caledonia

The Island that Leaned against Paradise

In 1964, Katsura Morimura delighted the Japan with a turquoise novel set in Ouvéa. But the neighboring Île-des-Pins has taken over the title "The Nearest Island to Paradise" and thrills its visitors.
Eternal Spring Shrine
Nature

Taroko George

Deep in Taiwan

In 1956, skeptical Taiwanese doubted that the initial 20km of Central Cross-Island Hwy was possible. The marble canyon that challenged it is today the most remarkable natural setting in Formosa.

Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
Maria Jacarés, Pantanal Brazil
Natural Parks
Miranda, Brazil

Maria dos Jacarés: the Pantanal shelters such Creatures

Eurides Fátima de Barros was born in the interior of the Miranda region. 38 years ago, he settled in a small business on the side of BR262 that crosses the Pantanal and gained an affinity with the alligators that lived on his doorstep. Disgusted that once upon a time the creatures were being slaughtered there, she began to take care of them. Now known as Maria dos Jacarés, she named each of the animals after a soccer player or coach. It also makes sure they recognize your calls.
Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa the Empire of the Sun, Japan
UNESCO World Heritage
Okinawa, Japan

The Little Empire of the Sun

Risen from the devastation caused by World War II, Okinawa has regained the heritage of its secular Ryukyu civilization. Today, this archipelago south of Kyushu is home to a Japan on the shore, anchored by a turquoise Pacific ocean and bathed in a peculiar Japanese tropicalism.
Earp brothers look-alikes and friend Doc Holliday in Tombstone, USA
Characters
tombstone, USA

Tombstone: the City Too Hard to Die

Silver veins discovered at the end of the XNUMXth century made Tombstone a prosperous and conflictive mining center on the frontier of the United States to Mexico. Lawrence Kasdan, Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner and other Hollywood directors and actors made famous the Earp brothers and the bloodthirsty duel of “OK Corral”. The Tombstone, which, over time, has claimed so many lives, is about to last.
Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde, Landing
Beaches
Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde

Santa Maria and the Atlantic Blessing of Sal

Santa Maria was founded in the first half of the XNUMXth century, as a salt export warehouse. Today, thanks to the providence of Santa Maria, Sal Ilha is worth much more than the raw material.
Herd in Manang, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Religion
Annapurna Circuit: 8th Manang, Nepal

Manang: the Last Acclimatization in Civilization

Six days after leaving Besisahar we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). Located at the foot of the Annapurna III and Gangapurna Mountains, Manang is the civilization that pampers and prepares hikers for the ever-dreaded crossing of Thorong La Gorge (5416 m).
white pass yukon train, Skagway, Gold Route, Alaska, USA
On Rails
Skagway, Alaska

A Klondike's Gold Fever Variant

The last great American gold rush is long over. These days, hundreds of cruise ships each summer pour thousands of well-heeled visitors into the shop-lined streets of Skagway.
San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Zapatismo, Mexico, San Nicolau Cathedral
Society
San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico

The Home Sweet Home of Mexican Social Conscience

Mayan, mestizo and Hispanic, Zapatista and tourist, country and cosmopolitan, San Cristobal has no hands to measure. In it, Mexican and expatriate backpacker visitors and political activists share a common ideological demand.
Casario, uptown, Fianarantsoa, ​​Madagascar
Daily life
Fianarantsoa, Madagascar

The Malagasy City of Good Education

Fianarantsoa was founded in 1831 by Ranavalona Iª, a queen of the then predominant Merina ethnic group. Ranavalona Iª was seen by European contemporaries as isolationist, tyrant and cruel. The monarch's reputation aside, when we enter it, its old southern capital remains as the academic, intellectual and religious center of Madagascar.
A campfire lights up and warms the night, next to Reilly's Rock Hilltop Lodge,
Wildlife
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, eSwatini

The Fire That Revived eSwatini's Wildlife

By the middle of the last century, overhunting was wiping out much of the kingdom of Swaziland’s wildlife. Ted Reilly, the son of the pioneer settler who owned Mlilwane, took action. In 1961, he created the first protected area of ​​the Big Game Parks he later founded. He also preserved the Swazi term for the small fires that lightning has long caused.
The Sounds, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Fiordland, New Zealand

The Fjords of the Antipodes

A geological quirk made the Fiordland region the rawest and most imposing in New Zealand. Year after year, many thousands of visitors worship the sub-domain slashed between Te Anau and Milford Sound.