No matter how sick i was and how much i needed the bed, i had to make sure all the belongings were packed in the luggage for the journey back to Singapore!
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The speedboat arrangement was to depart at 7.30 am and even though it was not only 10 minutes past 7 am, i could not wait to leave Kaani Beach Hotel!
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Just to clarify, i wanted to leave as soon as possible because i could not bear spending my precious vacation time on bed frail, lethargic and moody. Especially when this is Maldives we are talking about! Argh!!!
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Those taking the ferry (note: much cheaper tickets and a longer journey) were waiting for their vessel which was also scheduled for departure at 7.30 am.
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There's a slight problem. Give my poor state of health; i forgot to ask the staff at Aachaa the night before where should we wait for the speedboat and what's the registration number!!
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I knew for a fact that we would not be taking these cargo ships but the local ferry terminal was just filled with too many speedboats serving the excursion agencies and hotels / guesthouses / inns.
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Ferry had arrived and we were still wondering which was our assigned speedboat. We were thankful to have a staff from Kaani Beach Hotel who helped to call Aachaa to check on its whereabouts.
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Turned out they forgot there was a booking since there were only two of us and our purchase was so last minute! Well, it didn't take long before we caught sight of a boat steering into the lagoon.
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Yes, it was for us! So great to have the entire vessel for ourselves!
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Venturo was one of many hotels / guesthouses / inns in Maafushi and i remember hearing from one of the friends we made in Maldives that aside from providing accommodation, it also offered competitively priced excursion packages.
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Riding past one of the exclusive resorts; i might consider staying in one of these expensive resorts next time. After checking out Rihiveli and Adaaran in my day excursions, i checked the booking rates and it seriously wasn't that unachievable if i am just looking for simple relaxation.
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Issue is my personality makes it hard for me to relax over an extended period of time! Coming back to the itinerary, we arrived at the international airport within an hour. If we had opted for the ferry, we would take another 1 hour to reach Male, 10 minutes on cab to the terminal where we had to take another 10 minutes ride to the airport.
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Checking in immediately upon arrival as i only wanted to find a place to rest. The virus that attacked me was so strong; i could not afford any energy to explore the airport. Alex, on the other hand, was happily going through the few souvenir shops in the departure lounge.
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I was just happy to get a pot of tea from Dome and rest by the ceiling-to-floor glass window overlooking the parked airplanes.
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The mind was unfortunately in a blank and before i knew it, it was time to leave.
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Funny i can still muster the energy to take out my DSLR and shoot some pictures for the purpose of this blog; i professional one okay! Ha!
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Don't you love being on the tarmac of an airport?! So wide, so spacious and in the case of Singapore, strictly restricted nowadays after the closure of the budget terminal.
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Everyone calls it Male airport with some people even calling it Maldives airport. Truth is, the airport is actually known as Ibrahim Nasir International Airport and was named in honour of the country's second president who went into self exile and eventually passed away in Singapore in 2008.
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Final look of Male.
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Mixed feelings as the aeroplane lifted from the runway; Maldives was truly a paradise and the perfect place for a person who loves the seas to retire but bad luck surrounded me when i was there; lost my phone, spoiled my camera and got insanely sick!
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Whatever the case, it's rare to see me cover myself up so snugly. Thanks to the stubborn fever bug, it took me more than a week to recover! I was happy to lose 4 kilograms though.
-End of Trip-
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For my Maldives
itinerary, click here.