CARLA SOMMERS explores life beyond the resorts in the Maldives
WAHEED stands at the stern of the wooden dhoni, his dark foot expertly steering the stiff rudder as the small boat cuts a swathe through turquoise seas.
Schools of yellowfin tuna ripple in the ocean around us. Occasionally, flying fish catapult themselves out of the waves. For moments, they speed alongside the vessel like small birds before dropping into the wash. Out in the darker waters, a large pod of dolphins are visible only by their fins which peep out every other second as they rise to the surface.
In his long cotton sarong, Waheed’s dark-skinned, muscular figure personifies the rugged seafarers who had dominated the Maldivian archipelago for centuries. His father had been a boatman before him and – way before the waves of tourism – the family had, like everyone he knew, lived from tuna fishing.
Welcome to life in the Maldives.
ISLAND REPUBLIC
The Republic of Maldives is an immaculate collection of 1,190 coral islands scattered across the Indian Ocean south of the Indian sub-continent. From the air, tiny specks of land stretch out across the water, each one encircled by a rim of white sands and bands of turquoise and azure, dotting the ocean for miles like the eyes of hundreds of peacock feathers.
This picture-postcard paradise forms an archipelago of 26 main atolls, stretching 820km north to south and 120km east to west. With vast distances between atolls, some Maldivians never leave their own; those who do venture away often travel for hours by boat. Thus, the sea is in the blood of every islander.
Only 202 of the islands are inhabited, and under half of those are built as island resorts. While tourists stay in lavish accommodations with bars, pools and restaurants, these far-flung residential communities live far simpler lives, with few conveniences and certainly no bars.
Being an Islamic state, alcohol is strictly forbidden outside the resorts. Life for these people centres round the fishing industry, or tourism.
IN THE MIX
Though barely visible on a map, the Maldives lies on a strategic maritime crossroads, in the midst of the Indian Ocean, bridging the great continents of Africa to the west, and Asia to the north and east. The availability of fresh water on certain islands made it a vital port for early traders from as far as the Mediterranean and China.
This unique advantage brought enormous cultural diversity to the islanders whose language, Dhivehi, encompasses elements of Arabic, Sinhala, Hindi and Indian regional languages such as Malayalam and Gujarati.
The dhonis and small sailing dhows that ply these seas are, in fact, borrowed from the designs of ancient wooden vessels, piloted by Phoenician traders who are believed to have arrived from the eastern Mediterranean.
Today, they are still crafted by hand in tiny island workshops, just as they were centuries ago. However, due to current ecological considerations, the timber hulls are no longer coated with a layer of shark oil to make them waterproof. Modern sealants do the trick, and the now protected sharks are left in peace.
PAST TO PRESENT
With the arrival of Arabs came the establishment of Islam in the 12th century, which has lasted until today. Even the smallest island has a mosque. Shy as they seem, these islanders are fiercely devout.
Wandering around the villages, local women appear shyly from behind a doorway in long dresses and headscarves; in olden days, handmade lace chadors (full-length semi-circles of fabric held closed at the front) were commonplace. Young girls attend school wearing full headscarves, robes and tight leggings – even in sweltering temperatures. Foreign travellers who are fortunate enough to visit small villages can sometimes scandalise the residents if they appear in shorts or tops.
While tourists lap up the luxuries of designer resorts scattered across the island, the average Maldivian lives in single-storey settlements built near the mosque or school, many of which offer only basic facilities.
Until 2000, most homes were constructed using the islands’ only building commodity: coral shards which had been swept up on the beaches. These calcareous forms were wedged into cement to form walled cottages with woven palm frond roofs.
From the outside at least, these structures were quaint but ineffectual in high winds and monsoon rains. With the impact of the tsunami in 2004, inevitably, home styles changed. Palm fronds gave way to corrugated steel, and concrete breeze blocks replaced the now dwindling coral resources.
A WOMAN’S WORK
Traditionally, the islands’ menfolk work away from home. It is the womenfolk who stay home and look after the family, run the schools or the odd corner shop.
They sit on their spotless front steps, weaving nylon netting for the typical Maldivian hammock chairs, lay tuna to dry on the long wooden boards outside their cottage walls, or sit in groups, creating roof matting from coconut palm fronds, while elders quietly sip on an Arabic water-pipe, known as a hookah.
At sunset, the village women ritually assemble to quietly sweep the islands’ sandy streets clean. Even when it comes to heavy labour, it is often the women who make up the numbers to haul in a fishing boat onto the beach. The sight of more than a hundred ladies in bright-coloured saris and headscarves tugging a large dhoni onto the sands brings to mind a rainbow that has landed and splintered into a thousand pieces.
No one complains, no one objects. Life is a communal effort, and without this support, these oceanic communities would find it hard to survive.
PROTECTION PLANS
Global warming is already posing an immediate threat to these low lying islands. In 1998, due to rising sea temperatures, the islands lost 30% of its abundant coral reefs to bleaching. Thankfully, the colours are now returning to the hitherto whitewashed seafloor and the underwater scenery remains amongst the best in the world.
Being fishing people, however, it is the destruction of the ocean’s fragile ecology that worries the islanders most. Since the late 1990s, many government schemes are in force to limit catch size, and turtle and shark fishing is now outlawed. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but the men and women of the atolls are aware of the consequences of violating the law.
Top-end resorts such as the eco-friendly Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili are also making efforts to buy only locally-caught seafood that conform to legal catch size, refusing items such as sailfish or small lobster that are a breach of regulations.
Having no agricultural land also poses problems. The majority of foodstuffs need to be imported, which means that resorts pay a hefty price for daily comestibles that landlubbers take for granted.
At one resort, the salad stuff travels by air from Dubai to Malé, the Maldivian capital, before being transferred by seaplane to the resort kitchens and onto the tourists’ plates.
Though unfettered tourism would pose a clear threat to the future of the Maldives, on the other hand, it is responsible tourism that perhaps holds the key to its survival.
With spectacular diving and beaches distributed from north to south, hoteliers are growing more aware that their industry must help – not hinder – this precious environment.
As a result, more ecologically-sensitive properties as well as travellers are now enjoying the fruits of carefully designed hotels which emphasise recycling and eco-awareness.
MAGICAL MOMENTS
The boom in Asia for well-being has also created a new generation of spa resorts boasting holistic treatments from India, Thailand and Bali, and yoga retreats promoting a healthier lifestyle.
In some, wooden cabins have been built over the crystal clear waters, allowing guests to watch at close quarters some of the islands’ marvellous marine life. Manta rays flop lazily to within metres of the wooden decks, while occasionally, a shy turtle or the harmless baby black tip sharks bask in the shallows.
The Hilton Resort & Spa, Rangali Island has gone one step further with an unforgettable dining experience set in the resort’s award-winning underwater restaurant where, for once, it is the marine life that watches the humans feed!
Fans of marine life can take to the high seas on a variety of cruises or live-aboards which offer daily diving visits to an array of spectacular reefs or drop-offs.
But for the true jetsetters for whom money is no object, it is the Four Seasons’ multi-million-dollar, twin-hulled cruiser Island Explorer, which stands at the top of the list. This luxury vessel boasts 10 staterooms and one Explorer Suite, and comes with its own masseuse, library and on-deck jacuzzi.
Three-, four- and seven-day circuits visit unexplored atolls, calling in on small villages and a remarkable archaeological site that reveals the remains of ancient Buddhist stupas, which was first discovered in the mid-1980s by Norwegian anthropologist, Thor Heyerdahl.
Heyerdahl’s research work noted how Viking graves dating back over 1,000 years contained Indian Ocean conch shells that had been Maldivian currency, believed to be traded right across Asia and Europe.
Equally amazingly, in the sites excavated around the Maldives, Heyerdahl unearthed early Roman and Chinese coinage, proving that these tiny settlements had been ports of call for over 2,000 years. Who would believe that – so far from any major land mass – seafarers from all over the world had been visiting these islands since the Roman Empire?
MAN AND THE SEA
As Waheed, our sailor, turns the boat into the small port, children run alongside the boat to wave and shout. Either side, the water is so crystal-clear we can see down to the ocean floor.
The young pilot takes his foot off the rudder and finally relaxes into a big smile, saying that he is looking forward to some lunch and a nap.
As all of our lives modernise, even in the Maldives, it is easy to forget that the perils of the sea remain. Over centuries, we may have learnt to navigate its waters but, at the end of the day, we know that the ocean is our master. And Waheed, like all Maldivians, is one of its most loyal servants.
LUXURY LIVING
The Maldives offers holiday-makers a fantastic range of accommodation to suit different interests and budgets, including some of the world’s most luxurious resorts. Among the top choices are:
• Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa and Four Seasons Explorer, North Malé Atoll, tel +960 (0) 664-4888, www.fourseasons.com/maldives
• Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa Rangali Island, Rangali Island, tel +960 (0) 668-0629, www.hiltonworldresorts.com/resorts/Maldives/index.html
• Soneva Fushi & Six Senses Spa, Kunfunadhoo Island, Baa Atoll, tel +960 (0) 660-0304, www.sixsenses.com
• Soneva Gili & Six Senses Spa, Lankanfushi Island, North Malé Atoll, tel +960 (0) 664-0304, www.sixsenses.com
PARADISE ONLINE
Sun, sand and sea, a thousand “Robinson Crusoe” islands, massive lagoons with different depths and infinite shades of blue and turquoise, dazzling underwater coral gardens; a perfect natural combination for the ideal tropical holiday.
However, there is more to the Maldives than just that. Find out all you need to know, the range of things to do and places to stay at www.visitmaldives.com
Bangkok Airways re-launches its flights between Bangkok and Malé in the Maldives on 30 November, with a twice-weekly service on Mondays and Thursdays. For more information, visit www.bangkokair.com
