Maldive Islands
Summer 2004
I am met at the airport by a guide who walks me over to a speedboat on a pier.
"This is your boat", he tells, me, "He will take you to your island. It will take about one hour."
I get on the boat and find a seat. There are three of us on board and a captain. We take off at a very high speed which unnerves me. One slip, one diverted glance and the captain could lose control and we would go flying over this vast body of water, never to be found.
He drops the other two off at a small island and he continues to take me further away from civilization. U
"Your island is very far, very small. Not many people go to this island." he tells me.
"Yes, that is why I picked it. I want to be alone for a few days. I don't want a party atmosphere. I just want to lay in the sun and think of nothing."
Eventually, we get there and he helps me with my luggage.
"OK, I pick you up on Wednesday, three days at noon."
I thank him and he quickly takes off. He is out of my sight in moments. As I turn to walk the long pier to my island, I look around me. There is nothing in sight: no other island, no boats, no birds, just the 20 of us on this small, small, small island. Suddenly it dawns me: if we have a big storm, no one is coming out just to get us. We are do or die here. The thought lingers in my mind for the next three days. The boat pilot comes to get me exactly at noon on Wednesday and I make it home safely. Six months later, there is a huge tsunami that takes a bit out of this part of the world. I wonder if this island made it through the storm.
