26-02-2020 Bong & His First Time in Maldives -From Malé to Hudhuranfushi

The second morning at Maldive,

after having our breakfast,

we checked out from The Beehive,

and then got driven by them to the airport again...

We were leaving Malé island in the day time...

so we could see everything much clearer this time.

including King Salman Mosque,

China Maldives Friendship Bridge

and the airport itself!

The special thing about this airport is

it is right beside the ocean...

and the moment you walk out from the arrival hall,

you can see crystal blue water waving and welcoming you....

Another special thing is that,

the ferry terminal is located right beside the airport!

Many people that visited Maldives

basically just arrived at the airport

and went straight to their island resorts....

The transport to the island resort is always expensive.

So check the price for the boat too 

while deciding on which island report to stay.

Some island resorts can be cheaper in terms of room rate,

but then the transport from ferry terminal/airport to the island resort can cost A LOT!

The boat departed on time

and the journey took about 30 minutes!

These pictures were taken

on the way to Hudhuranfushi....

The ride felt super short,

and all of the sudden,

we arrived at the Hudhuranfushi island!

We were greeted with welcome drinks

and also personal guidance about the island.

We had this cozy bungalow to ourselves

with minibar replenished once daily (juice, beers, chocolate, tea, coffee...)

Indoor and outdoor shower

plus 1 minute walking distance

to the ocean!

With the all- inclusive package,

we could order 'almost all' the available food and drink

at the restaurants and bars on this little island.

The first one that we tried out

was this Beach Grill...

Right beside Beach Grill,

there is this amazing giant swing that

every tourist visiting the island must take picture with...

So of course,

we did not want to miss out that as well!

We passed by the sea villas

and spent less than 1 hour

finished walking 50% of the island.

We walked through the middle part of the island

where the badminton court,

basketball court,

football field, and etc. are located.

We had our lunch

at the Indian Pavilion

(the restaurant where every meal is served). 

and we were super satisfied

with the food selection :)

From western to asian,

to cold food to warm food...

it is pretty difficult to

not able to find something that you want to eat :)

To be continued...

XOXO

-Bong-

19-02-2020 Bong & His First Time in Maldives - Food hunting at Malé

We arrived to one of the

'tourist attraction'.

And yes people do call this fish market

'tourist attraction'.

Of course there are many kinds of fish...

and I think the one that they probably use the most

in their cuisines

is TUNA.

From fish market

to vegetable & dry fish market,

it was so interesting to see how the locals

sell and buy stuffs there...

And also all the kinds of food they have there

even for a south east asian like me...

We left the markets

and continued walking towards the Republic Square...

Along the way,

we saw this 'taxi stop' sign...

but wait a second,

is the boat taxi? or the motocycle?

Lol!

Around the Republic Square,

there are few souvenir shops,

and as usual,

we were attracted to one of the 'special' one...

We followed the sign,

climbed the stairs and went upstairs

and couldn't find the shop at first.

Then when we walked down from the 3rd/4th floor,

someone at the first door opened the very 'secretive' door...

and welcomed us in! Lol!

We walked a bit at the Republic Square,

had a look at the Presidential Jetty...

then walked our way down south

returning to the hotel....

We walked past this mosque,

Masjidh Al-Sulthan Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Auzam,

then the memorial park,

November 3 Memorial Monument...

the Sultan Park

(free for local, but the foreigners need to pay to enter)...

In a small island like Malé,

we also found many schools....

We went back to the hotel,

had some rests

and then withdrew more money as we had spent most of them

on the souvenirs! 

After that,

we managed to find a very local decent restaurant

(Café Retreat) to have our lunch...

Since almost everything has to be imported,

so the price is not super cheap there.

But still,

we managed to get a meal for two for around 80 kroner :)

an we were super satisfied!

In the evening,

we went to this nearby local food court

(Harbour Food Court) for dinner.

There are many stalls selling dinner buffet

with very different choices.

We chose the one which suited our taste the best

(the one which served local fish curry)!

2 persons' buffet

with one non alcoholic mojito ...

they costed us only 160 kr :)

After the super heavy dinner,

we wanted to walk a bit more

to help digesting all the food we had in the stomach...

We saw this interesting station

that looked like subway station....

but guess what?

It is a ferry terminal

(Villingili Ferry Terminal)

On our way back to hotel,

we finally figured out the building

that we saw from our hotel room's window.

It is a mosque,

'Masjidhul Al-Sulthan Muhammad Ibn Abdhullah (المسجد السلطان محمد بن عبد الله)'

More sight-seeing

and shopping before we went back to the hotel,

and if I remember correctly,

Maldives is the only place so far...

Arne did not manage to find any alcohol in the local stores!

We also bought this nut,

which we had seen many times earlier that day

and wondered how they taste like...

They are usually served in a plate like that,

with some green leaves,

and something else...lol!

And of course,

a local guy recommended us the local 'tuna paste' too!

To be continued....

XOXO

-Bong-