1/2 Way Around the World in 3 Days

I figured I should start writing about my experiences here in the Maldives, as it is really nothing like I've ever experienced before.  I have traveled mostly to Europe and Australia / New Zealand, but I've never before been what I would call "outside the western world".  So I thought I would share some interesting observations and / or stories of my adventure from now and then.

My trip here was much smoother than I had imagined.  It involved 3 days, 3 airlines, 4 stops and 3 countries, so I was expecting something major to go wrong.  Most particularly I was worried about arriving in the Maldives where the instructions for getting a business visa included being pulled aside into a back room and forking over $59 American (or the equivalent Maldivian) money.  We were also supposed to be met by members of the Maldivian Meteorological Service (MMS), and they supposedly also had copies of our passports to identify us.

This time through Dubai (I return through there as well) I figured I would just stick to the hotel and airport and see how comfortable I felt in order to judge what I should do on my return trip. One thing I was hoping to see, however, was the world's largest building.  I guess I thought it would just be obvious as we were flying in or driving around in the taxi, but it was so hazy I could hardly make it out (though I did spot it).

Finding the world’s tallest building is a bit like spotting Waldo.  It is in there somewhere…

I was also hoping to get a flavor of the cuisine at breakfast, but seeing as I was in a Sheradon, I'm guessing it was intentionally geared toward more western travelers.  However, I did note the bacon and sausage were both beef rather than pork. I also had a savory donut that seemed vaguely Indian, which I enjoyed.  It was 94º when we landed at 9 pm--blech.  Thankfully I spent most time in air conditioned buildings or the cab.

On my flight from Dubai to Male, I had specifically engineered a window seat so I could look out and take pictures as we flew over the Arabian peninsula, sea, and into the Maldives.  It was breathtaking! Emirates Airlines was really nice, with the personal entertainment systems in the seat backs and a "menu" for the meal (though it was typical airline quality food and I was forced to make the dreaded choice between mushrooms or random fish…if you know me you would probably be surprised to find I went with the mushrooms.  I could easily scrape them off the beef, whereas the random fish dinner didn’t look appetizing in the least). I really liked the headware that the female flight attendants wore when we took off and landed.

Yes, they do wear the goofy head things on takeoff and landing.

We landed in Male with a thud, then slammed on the brakes in order to stop by the end of the runway (it was in a 777)—the forward facing camera they display showed we came really close to the end of the runway—then turned around and taxied back on the runway.  The “customs” counter was right there, but there was a long line. I stood there nervously wondering what was going to happen when I noted one of the customs agents wandering around with what looked like my passport photo.  It was clear he didn’t connect my picture with me, so I flagged him down and he helpfully ushered me through customs, through getting my bag, through changing money, and into a little back room where an officer stamped my passport and took my 750 rufiyaa ($48).  Then I was met by a very nice guy from the MMS, who took me over to get a SIM card for my (unlocked) iPhone, and then over to get checked in to my next flight. It was then that I ran into a bunch of NCAR folks whom I had briefly met before, and boy was it nice to see a friendly face! It actually turns out one of the ladies stopped over in Dubai as well, and was even on my flight!  I wish I had known that beforehand….:-/

It started raining right about as we were getting ready to board the plane from Male to Gan, and so a bus pulled up at the terminal, we all loaded on, and it proceeded to take us 200 ft to the bottom of the airstairs.  Literally.  I ended up in one of two backwards facing (think flight attendant) seats on the Dash-8, which made it very awkward as I was just staring at the rows and rows of other passengers on the plane (including row #2 right in front of me).  My most interesting experience to date was when they came around with a tray full of what looked like candy, so I grabbed what I thought was a dark /white chocolate swirl number, but instead found it to be a baggie with slices of nutmeg, a clove, and a small cinnamon stick.  I’m still wondering what I was supposed to do with it…. (I tried one of the nutmeg slices but it didn’t have a lot of flavor nor was I really able to chew or suck on it….)

When we checked in, we were given a nice glass of papaya juice with a straw and sat down to fill out all of our paperwork.  Actually one thing I have noticed is that they don’t really seem to like people standing and waiting around.  There seem to always be chairs available and they encourage you to sit down (for example we went into a wireless store and they had several rows of chairs for people waiting, unlike in the US where you just have to mill around until they call your name). We arrived right in time for dinner.  My board includes both breakfast and dinner, which are both served from 7:30 to 9.  They are very particular about where you sit, but over the past week that strictness has eroded as hoards of us with the project have come and gone and basically sat wherever we wanted (within a few allotted tables).  Dinner that night was Chinese themed, and I tried a little bit of fish (wahoo) that I actually liked.

So all in all, it was a long trip but relatively smooth!