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Ultimate Islands: The Maldives Miles of Isles (cont.)
At around 11, a deckhand named Hanna Husain—another trim boy with impeccable manners and gorgeous dentition—takes the Zodiac to a nearby island to set up lunch. The heat is dense. Dirty-looking clouds hug the horizon. The Zodiac is loaded with lacquered bento lunch boxes and a huge white tent. I go along for the ride and then persuade Hanna to leave me here while he returns to the Explorer for the kayaks. I walk the perimeter of what I pretend is my own island. The only footsteps here are mine. Suddenly I see a Zodiac tearing across the lagoon from the direction of the Explorer. Michael Clarke has come to collect me. "You've got about three minutes before the rain," he says. Halfway back the wind kicks up and we're pelted with nickel-size drops. On board the boat, the black metal deck chairs have been blown into a heap. Not an hour later, the sun reappears. ON OUR LAST EVENING, we sit on the deck drinking iced tea, snacking on cashews and Greek olives, and watching the enormous Maldivian fruit bats fly between islands. It has been a day of note. In the morning, on a dive at Ohluhali Caves, at about 65 feet, we spied a spectacular field of periwinkle coral hugging the underside of an overhang. It was bright and lush; we were dazzled. We kept pointing it out to one another. A few white-tip reef sharks cruised past, but I'm not sure anyone really noticed. This was some good-looking coral, and it gave us hope that the reefs in the Maldives are on their way back. The crew is getting ready to take the Ferrari of the Maldives out for the evening. This may be a dry nation, but the boys are firing up the cappuccino machine, in anticipation of courting the local ladies. They yell to one another as they prepare the dhoni for departure. Dhivehi is a musical language, sounding to the untrained ear something like bompbompbabomp, adingadingdong, dangadongdong. It's hilarity itself to take a stab at pronouncing the names of some of the atolls: Ihavandhippolhu, Maamakunudhoo, Faadhippolhu. I do learn to say one thing: baraabaru, which means "excellent." In the Maldives, it's a handy thing to know how to say. Access + Resources December through April are the best months to visit the Maldives, although the climate is mild and there's lots of sun year-round. The FOUR SEASONS RESORT MALDIVES AT KUDA HURAA (011-960-444-888, www.fourseasons.com/maldives), 30 minutes by speed launch from Male's airport, has 106 thatched bungalows (beachside or above the water on stilts), an infinity pool, a dive center, and a private island spa accessed by dhoni. Rates start at $350 for a double. The Explorer sleeps 22 and embarks weekly from the resort. There are ten air-conditioned staterooms and a suite, each with TV, DVD and CD player, bar (drinking is allowed at resorts), and telephone. Three-, four-, and seven-night cruises cost $1,530–$3,790, including all meals and diving. Non-divers can snorkel, windsurf, kayak, and fish.
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