It has been SO long since I last posted I can only apologise. There is so much to catch you up on but that all feels a little bit like work so instead I’m going to procrastinate and tell you about some stuff OUTSIDE work for a change.
Contrary to popular belief, my job (and life) here is not all sitting around on beaches drinking wine. I’ve actually found it very difficult to adjust to life in such a different country; it’s very isolated, the culture and people are so different, and in comparison to being in a large, developed city the working environment is incredibly challenging.
When I first arrived it was all new and exciting, and the first 6 months flew by as it was the festive (i.e. ‘peak’) season. Then my travels slowed down a little bit and I was spending much more time in Male’, in the office, with new colleagues and a hugely overloaded schedule, and then my boss had to go back to India for a month on emergency leave so I spent a whole month firefighting. I then had the pretty obvious revelation that I had been here for the best part of 8 months and had ZERO work/life balance. For those of you who know me and have experienced working in London and all the reasons I decided to leave it behind, this was quite a big realization and I decided things had to change….
Happily, I was rescued by the lovely Sarah. An expat like me, and from Devon of all places, she is a freelance journalist who lived in the Maldives for the best part of 2 years and is now based next door in Sri Lanka. She happened to be visiting for a few weeks, heard I was new(ish) to the Maldives and got in touch. Despite it being Ramadan, where everything pretty much shuts down for the month, she has the most amazing network and managed to organize a bunch of fun stuff for us to do. Through her I have now been able to actually start experiencing some of the things people do to have fun on their one day off a week, and more importantly, meet some new friends and like-minded people.
First stop was a safari boat. There are many companies who offer these – basically a dhoni which picks you up at one of the jetties on the mainland and cruises around for the day stopping off at various points for swimming/snorkeling and sightseeing. Most importantly, if you get enough people along it’s very cheap (about $18) and they have a bar on board. What’s not to like? So about 15 of us headed out for a day of sea and sun – finally what I imagined my time off would be spent doing!
The other expats are a fun. very eclectic bunch of globetrotters – a mixture of teachers, pilots, engineers, journalists and even UN workers. Some from the UK, others from France, the US, Germany, Spain and the Lebanon. We finished the day (rather inevitably) at HIH for more drinks and food.
The following week we went fishing! Traditionally, fishing is the mainstay industry of the Maldives, and everyone knows how to do it. Net fishing has been banned, so rods and lines are the main methods of choice. I often see guys sitting on the harbor wall in early evening with tiny kids hoping to catch something special.
The day started with the best taxi ride ever – occasionally you all pile in a truck rather than a car and it’s definitely the best way to travel across town!
We met at the other side of Male’, complete with packed lunches and, in my case, relatively low expectations. My few experiences of fishing have usually been disappointing due to my complete lack of skill, patience, and sudden inexplicable fear of fish as soon as I feel a tug on the line. I really didn’t know what to expect as we clambered aboard the dhoni and set sail at sunset to the rather lovely backdrop of the massive rubbish heaps piled up by the harbour…
So line fishing is pretty much what it sounds like. You have a massive long line on a reel, with a weight, and a hook at the end baited with a tasty morsel of tuna. You drop it in the water, and wait for a tug. Simple. So I donned the protective gloves (you can get really badly cut if the line slips through your hands) and expected to be hanging around for a long time. Literally within minutes there was a tug on the line and my inevitable fear kicked in. I’m not sure why I get so scared about this – I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? Luckily the perpetually cheerful captain (‘Kapi’) bailed me out and I reeled in the first and biggest catch of the day!
Others were a little more laid back in their approach….
The fish just kept on coming. It was actually pretty awesome. The boat guys had an endless stream of bait and new hooks and weights available (the one that got away managed to take my hook, weight, and half my line with it – I’m fairly sure it was a sea monster) and we even had music to keep us motivated, although any requests for songs from the 21st Century fell on deaf ears….thanks Noel!
As night fell I had to admit defeat and stopped fishing – although some of the more organized amongst the group had come prepared and continued to catch – including a reef shark at one point which obviously we let go!
Finally the guys cleaned up the catch, boned and filleted a couple of fish, and pan fried them very simply with a bit of garlic and chilli there and then. Probably the freshest fish I have ever eaten and all the more satisfying for it!
The next night we had a barbecue to finish off the rest – I don’t think I’ve ever eaten as much fresh fish in such a short space of time, but I had lots of fun and will definitely do it again.
Finally, last weekend was a night safari boat party. Actually the second one I’d been on but the first was with work so doesn’t really count….basically the jungle drums begin about a week before and there is a rumour a party is coming up. Then there are various Facebook pages making announcements, numbers to call, last minute cancellations due to weather until eventually you just turn up at the allotted jetty at 8pm on a Thursday night and hope for the best! Essentially you pay around $35 a ticket which gets you transferred to and from the party boat (they obviously have to moor some way outside Male’ due to the loud music and alcohol!), food, and a couple of free beers.
The boats are usually three decks – lower which has cabins and toilets which as you can imagine get progressively destroyed as the night goes on (imagine a grotty nightclub), the main which has bar and seating area for food, and the top which is the dance floor! The nearest I can come to describing these parties is like a cross between a school disco and a wedding. Disco because the sexes tend to stay very segregated, with girls sitting giggling in corners while the guys take over the dancefloor, and wedding because, well, some of the dancing is EPIC. Now you know me, I tend to stay out of the way with a drink in my hand. At this one I actually filmed the action as I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. I think in actual fact it’s just because young people here don’t really get the chance to let loose much, so even if they’re not drinking they really go for it, and of course for those who drink it’s a special occasion so they REALLY go for it!
I would love to share the video I took with you but I fear it would break the internet trying to upload it so will have to save it for another time/when I’m in a country with some kind of decent infrastructure!
So a lot of vodka was drunk, bad chat was had, and some even worse dancing. All in all, a lot of fun, and needless to say, my following day off was a total write-off….
This Friday I’m booked onto another safari boat for some more snorkeling and sun action. Next stop, the elusive PADI qualification!
Until next time…..x
The Family Nose 