Ramblings about life and travel

Maldives - the pearl of the Indian Ocean

What can one say when one is asked to make a business trip to the Maldives? I was excited yet a bit annoyed as I had made alternate plans to go elsewhere. Nevertheless as is my nature, I tried to make the best of the situation and I can honestly say that I had a great time.

As you approach the Airport Island, you notice that besides the functional buildings related to the airport, there is nothing else on it. You also notice that the water is a distinct blue and blue being my favourite colour, made me feel immensely better about the trip. Once you land, you realise that what you saw from the air is exactly what it is on land. Nothing but the airport terminals and related infrastructure. Then you notice the jetty with the various boats and speedboats and people heading towards them. Well, the Maldives has a very simple concept - 1 island, 1 resort and in addition there is Male, the capital, on its own island and the airport on its own.

The Maldives is made up of about 1200 coral islands formed around 26 natural ring-like atolls and spread over 90000 kms. What strikes you most is the colour of the water - it is very blue, the reefs are turquoise and the beaches are sandy white. All this coupled with the beautiful sunny skies and balmy breezes makes for a very relaxing time.

After my meetings on the airport island, I headed to the Kurumba resort which is 15 mins away by speedboat. My room was absolutely gorgeous and it opened out onto the beach. I took advantage of the little spare time I had to relax on the beach chairs and dream away. If I had more time, I would have taken up the activities on offer at the resort - snorkelling, exploring the reefs around the resort, jet skiing, etc. But since I had a couple of hours before my dinner meeting, I just lazed on the beach chair enjoying the soothing breeze, the calming sound of the waves and the quiet solitude.

Even though it was a business trip, I managed to make the most of the time I had there and came away destressed and happy.

The speedboats that ferry you to the island resorts.

Kurumba

My stretch of the beach.

A romantic dinner would be lovely.

I love the interiors of the resort.

Absolutely serene.

Even in the day, it is romantic.

The harbour in Male.

The Male skyline.

A relaxing evening by the canal in Muiden

Post the KLM Golf Open, Pieter Elbers invited Raj and myself along with Paul for an early dinner. Knowing Pieter, he always takes us to unique places with awesome food. Yet again, he did not fail to deliver.

Dinner was at a quaint restaurant in Muiden which is famous for its fortress. I am given to understand that the Muiden castle dates to the 13th century and is one of the most visited sites in the Netherlands. It was built to protect the trade routes and possibly also to collect the toll. Unfortunately, we saw the castle from a distance and didn't have the time to visit it. Another reason for me to return. ;)

The restaurant was by the canal on the river Vecht and during the course of the evening we observed the boats passing through the lochs. Very interesting to see the road shift to one side to let the boats pass. The food was outstanding with very fresh North Sea Sole, scallops and prawns.

The view from the restaurant.

You can see how narrow the canals are.

Observe the road shifting to let the boat pass through!

The very fresh scallops and prawns with salad.

The North Sea sole off the bone. :)

The delightful company - Pieter, Raj, Paul and myself.

The river Vecht which runs through Muiden.

The vibrant sunflowers all over the place.

Instantly makes you feel happy.

The KLM Golf Open 2011

We were given a choice for the meeting with KLM at their headquarters early in the morning or later in the day at the KLM Golf Open at Hilversum. And I am sure you guessed what was our choice!

Raj and I were duly picked up from our hotel by Paul from the KLM Alliances team and off we drove to Hilversum for the event. It was about an hour's drive from Amsterdam through pretty much flat country which had a lot of sheep farms. It was a refreshing change from our busy, crowded city of Bombay.

The weather was a bit overcast and it drizzled a bit but as usual I think I took a little of the Indian Summer with me. For most parts of the afternoon, the sky was clear and the rain even stopped. It would have been a perfect day if there was a bit more sun. But then am not complaining cos I had a very nice time listening to the music from the Arrow tent, sipping on some lovely white wine, eating some delicious food and conversing with various airline people especially my dear friend Pieter Elbers who is now COO of KLM. Of course we tried to watch a bit of golf but then neither am I enthusiastic about the game nor do I understand it, so after a while I gave up. However as it is with most of these events, there is plenty to keep you occupied. The big tent called the Village had quite a few exhibition booths showcasing lifestyle products, golf fashion, golf vacations, food and drinks.