Paradise Asia

It's one thing off my bucket list now. It has been a long time wish of mine to visit this paradise on earth: Maldives. I am not going to describe the trip very much because I believe the pictures can do most of the talking. Secondly, besides snorkelling, kayaking, eating and enjoying the spa and each other's company, there isn't very much else that we did. It was a good, slow and relaxing holiday. Before we know it, it's time to go home.

Our over water bungalows that gave us direct access to the lagoon for snorkelling. The Anantara Veli bungalows are known for their rich coral reefs and therefore a vibrant marine life. And when the tide comes in, you can see lots of big fishes swimming along with you.

Besides the usual snorkelling, we also went on a dolphin quest. About 200-300 wild spinner dolphins live in the surrounding waters. As the name suggests, these dolphins are known to be able to spin in the air and they are not trained by any human beings. Sightings of dolphins are not guaranteed. Therefore, we were really lucky to spot so many of them and even see they 'perform' their spinning tricks for us!

I spent many days snorkelling to this platform from our water bungalow. It's so relaxing to just laze there, forget about work and listen to the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean.

A small portion of our loot from Maldives. It's rather difficult to collect nice shells from the main beach of the resort as many are also doing the same. What's more, most of those beautiful shells on the main beach are actually homes for the many hermit crabs. Being responsible tourists who respect nature and environment, we have decided to not disturb the crabs. In turn, we discovered that there is this little deserted islet, where we could get to by kayaking, has a lot more to offer in terms of shell picking. In the end, we ended up with a whole bag of shells.

Spa at Anantara was pure bliss. The treatment rooms faced the sea and while we were taking the 40mins bath (part of the package), we could open up the folded doors and listen to the waves and spot fishes (we even spot a baby shark!). The technique of the masseuse was perfect. Every single knot is now relaxed.

The very thoughtful staff at Anantara who will greet us by our names every morning. I even had a smiley sunny side up on our last day there!

Some last shots before we bid the beautiful resort and country goodbye. I hope to be back in Maldives again someday. Bye paradise, till we meet again!