Maldives Island

Maldives Islands

Summer 2003

I watched in slight fear as the speed boat pulled away and left me behind for the next few days.

I have four days in the Maldives Island.  I am not really familiar with this country but I was so close I thought I would take a quick look as I head back to the USA on my way home from India.  There are many island options in all of the tourist sites.  I pick one of the smallest islands as I am hoping to get as far away from people as I can. India was just so crowded.  Now I want a little solitude. So I fly into the capital city and hop a speed boat that is going to take me to my remote island. We travel for about an hour when a speck of land shows up out of nowhere.

“There it is,” he announces and I squint to see where he could possibly drop me off.  He takes a curve and a long, long dock appears to our left.  He pulls up to the dock and just holds on to one of the posts.  He doesn’t even stop the motor.  I climb out and take a look at my long walk to the main lodge, a building no bigger than a hut.

“OK”, he says, “I will be back for you on Wednesday at 10:00 AM. That will be plenty of time for you to catch your flight home.  Enjoy your time here.”  And with that he was gone, quickly out of my sight and I looked around and saw nothing but this tiny, tiny island and I think to myself, “Oh please God, don’t let there be a storm in the next four days,  a little bit of rain and this island will be wiped out.” Then I panicked that this boatman may never come back and I become a permanent fixture on this island.

He did come back for me and I did make it safely home. But four months later, I am watching the news and a tsunami just hit that part of the world and wiped out Sri Lanka and other surrounding areas.  I never heard what happened to the Maldives Island but I am sure my little island is gone forever.

Maldive Islands

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.