Stand-Up Paddling

When you come to the Maldives you simply have to be close to water. If you do not enjoy snorkelling, you can always go to the water sports center and investigate other options.

You can take a motorboat.

Or you can sail on a catamaran.

But on a tropical island where the ocean is warm like a cup of tea you can also try being a bit closer to the water. Why don't we try the stand-up paddling? We will require a board ...

... and a paddle.

In case you would lose your balance, the board will not escape thanks to this line that you should tie to your ankle.

Unfortunately it seems a bit too large for me so I will have to encourage you from the shore.

No worries, the instructor will help you. First you learn how to paddle while seating.

Then you can try kneeling.

Finally, he will teach you how to stand up.

The great thing about Thulhagiri is that it is small enough that you can take a paddling tour around the entire island in less than half an hour. The water is so clear that the paddler seems to be actually floating in the air.

So while the nice gentlemen take the board back ...

... I will spend the next couple of minutes visualising myself as a stand-up paddler of the Maldives. You can join me of you wish, of course.

Snorkelling on the coral reef

Last week, I mentioned that Maldives are built of coral. Obviously vacation on an island made of coral would not be complete if we would not see the reef. Since horses do not fit too well into snorkelling equipment, one of my human assistants volunteered to carry out the mission.

Luckily, you have chosen the bungalow on the water so he will not have to walk for a long time in the fins.

And one ...

... and two.

The reef in the Maldives is unfortunately not as colorful as the ones you might have seen on Discovery Channel. One of the main reasons is the global warming - the sea is becoming too warm for the coral.

But even here after a moment of patience, you will discover some living jewels. Some will be blue with yellow stripes ...

... and other yellow with blue stripes.

In order to hide from the predators, some fishes adopted colours similar to the reef itself.

And others, with the same goal in mind, have developed a black spot close to their tails. It looks like an eye and is likely to attack the interest of the predator to the backside rather than to the head.

Besides the large corals...

... you can also find here huge sponges.

But the best summary will surely come from a short movie.

Well, time to go back to our bungalow. Seen from the water it looks really cool.

Now that my assistant is coming back, do you want to borrow his snorkelling gear?

Or maybe you prefer to watch safely from the balcony? This can be quite exciting as well.

Fly spot

Today we will do something completely crazy. I will take you to a fly spot. It looks like some kind of weird chimney.

Inside, the chimney has glass walls. And yes, someone is flying inside.

How is it possible? The floor is made of a metal net, through which the air is blown upwards.

The speed of the fan is managed by a professional operator so you should be safe.

But to be even safer, remember the ground rule - no loose ends, nothing that could fly on its own and hit you or break the glass.

Remember to put on your helmet!

Now you can get inside and wait for your turn.

The instructor will teach you how to take off.

Then you will go up.

And up.

And up to the ceiling!

I hope that you will not mind that I will stay with my four horseshoes strongly on the ground. I am not a Pegasus after all.

Aquapark

Any sunny vacation in a nice and hot place would not be complete without a visit to an aquapark.

Safety first! So please check if you meet the height criteria. You need to be at least 130 centimeters high to be allowed to take all the slides.

Here comes the plan of the slides.

Why don't we start with this triple multicolor slide?

We take the blue one and you can take the green. When you look down you can quickly realise that it is not really steep.

As we get closer to the pool the slide gets flattish.

And hop in the pool!

When you turn back, you will see that the green and the red slides are much higher.

If you take the green one, you will go really fast.

If you take the red one, it will be fast and on top it will be dark. I hope that you will excuse me if I do not join you on that one.

So maybe we will try the blue one? It turns several times but the turns seem mild.

Ready? Then let's have it moving!

That was quite a ride!

All those of you who require some rest now can spend the rest of the afternoon in this fancy pirate ship. Or on one of the sunbeds next to it.