Day 11: Sleep. Eat. Dive. Repeat.

Started the day back at the shark site we dove yesterday. Same 3 eagle rays in the area but also saw a larger one performing acrobatics in the deep blue.

Sharks getting cleaned, floating at a 60 degree angle with their mouths open, amazing behavior we had never seen before. Next site was a single thila 'Christmas Tree' which was shaped like a Christmas tree, with several different ledges making up the spiral branch like structure, We circled from the bottom up. Two great 'presents': at the bottom (reef sharks) and the star of the afternoon at the top was a turtle cruising in the sun. So much life on such a small reef! Could have easily spent a couple more dives investigating all the nooks and crannies.

Day 10: Sharks and Eagle Rays

6 am wake up call as the anchors were brought up to head off to our morning dive location. First dive was a short one due to strong current (basically we sucked air quickly fighting against it). The second dive was amazing. We spent about 40 minutes hooked in at a cleaning station watching 5 grey reef sharks and 3 eagle rays in the current. The viz isn't really great so the pictures could have been better.

Our best shots would have been after we unhooked and crossed the reef to begin our ascent - two reef sharks crossed right in front of us, too bad we'd put the cameras away. Out next dive we spent time on the side of a thila (submerged reef) looking in several little caves which were mainly inhabited by moray eels. The top was covered in loads of coral and tonnes of fish. One person in our group caught a glimpse of a manta and we spent the end of the dive trying to find it without any luck. Another group got a great video - maybe next time.

Day 09: Dive Days

The day starts with a knock on the door followed by a loud "Gooood mooorniiing" at 6:45 am. Coffee, tea, juice and a light snack (usually a loaf and fruit) are available during the dive briefing. Chris, our primary dive guide and boat coordinator, reviews his sketch of the dive site and provides information for orientation as well as species to look for and where they may occur during the dive (sandy flats, caves etc.) We are able to dive guided or unguided so it's important to pay attention during the briefing, details like 'go north to the next pinnacle when the reef ends' are really important when the current is pushing you around and the rest of the group is nowhere to be seen.

Diving on the Monsoon is done from a zodiac. The boat driver gets us exactly where Chris has determined from a quick snorkel checkout to determining the final current rating (0-5) and on the count of three everyone must roll back and descend immediately in order to get on the reef/dive site. When the air tank hits 750 psi we head up to 15 feet for the safety stop, Gary inflates the safety buoy and the zodiac comes around and picks up each buddy pair (it can be quite surprising where everyone ends up).

Getting back in the zodiac is a bit of a challenge. We must give our camera, weight and BCD to the boat driver then get back in the boat however we can.  Gary has developed take a run at it method which works well. Vicky uses the push down, pull up, kick method along with a wiggle-waggle-flop like a seal into the bottom of the boat- it is quite entertaining as we all cheer each other on. By the third day we are all pros with slightly different and entertaining techniques.

Day 08: Let the Diving Begin

3 dive day, 2 at Lhaviyani Atoll and 1 at Baa Atoll. Beautiful scenery as we moved west toward Baa Atoll for the last dive, lots of turquoise seas and white sand beaches. The viz isn't as good as expected, there has been unseasonably high winds for the last few weeks. That being said, it's still like swimming in and aquarium. There are tonnes of fish everywhere, hard to decide where to focus your camera.

Last dive of the day was a ripping current, like Crush ridin' the wave. Highlights of the day included stingray, green moray, lionfish and clownfish (anemone fish) hanging out as expected in their trusted anemone (that is when the current wasn't ripping it away!). Lots of food throughout the day, it's suprising how hungry diving can make you.

Day 07: Off to Monsoon

Arrival at the seaplane terminal 6:15 am for our 7:15 flight. Soba was up early to make sure we had breakfast before we left. On arrival we were put in the resort lounge to wait for departure. The seaplane ride was spectacular, amazing to see the atolls with the different resorts. 40 minutes later we arrived at Kuredu, the home of the Monsoon.

We spent most of the morning and early afternoon lounging and eating at the buffet. Took a short check out dive on the house reef to make sure all the gear was good to go. Set off around 5 pm to the evening mooring in a sheltered cove (rough seas today). Late dinner and early to bed, dive day begins at 7 am.

Day 06: Maldivian Breakfast

Note: It will be at least a week till we are back online.

Breakfast is included where we are staying and now that we've been here a couple days, and gotten to know the staff, we were offered the chance to try a traditional Maldivian breakfast- Mas huni. Soba, one of the hotel employees and friend of the hotel owner, explained that it was tuna and coconut with spices served with a chapati type bread. It was very tasty and made to only medium spice which was good for Vicky, Soba apologized that they were not able to get the fresh chilies for the top but that was fine with us. We booked the rest of our flights and accommodation for the Thailand portion of the trip and went back to Male to walk along the ocean and check out the bustling city again. Tomorrow we are up early (5 am) for our seaplane transfer to begin our week aboard the MY Monsoon.

Day 05: Malé Island

Took the local ferry to Malé today, $0.40 for a 20 minute ride. The scooters load first followed by the foot passengers to a maximum of 130 people. First stop was Shell Beans for iced cappuccinos, it's been Nescafe since we started the trip so it was nice to get some real espresso (but have to admit Nescafe is growing on us). We logged 8 km today on the small island enjoying local eats and friendly conversations while covering the usual tourist track and venturing into the less visited side streets.

As we exited the ferry terminal, we ventured up the pier/boardwalk/sidewalk watching all the days goods being unloaded. There was everything from household furnishings to produce to the fisherman's catch. Even selling whole Tuna right on the sidewalk. First stop was the vegetable market. Upon entry we were greeted by a very enthusiastic vendor who insisted we sample smoked tuna, local mango, bananas, ground coconut/coconut sugar stick, very tasty unknown tropical nuts and passion fruit made sweeter with a drizzle of liquid coconut sugar. We purchased some fruit, then wandered through the remaining network of stalls. Next stop was across the street at the fish market. Working our way through the crowds, we watched the locals negotiating for the days catch and highly skilled fish mongers filleting their choice - it was amazing to see how quickly they could take apart a 80 lb tuna.

We made our way out the back and headed pier side to continue our trek around the island. Malé is quite amazing, every block has a building that is being extended higher to try and accommodate the ever growing population. Some serious urban planning needed here, 92,000 people and a limit of 2 sq km to work with. Surprisingly, it did not feel crowded to us at all. After the day on our feet, of course it was easy to justify an afternoon ice cream in a freshly made waffle cone, ocean side at the public beach. Back to our home of the week for a great dinner and relax for the evening.

Day 04: Arrived Maldives

One last quick flight and we arrived in Male at 1:15 am, smooth arrival with all bags in hand and we made it to our home for the next couple of days, Newtown Inn by 2:30 am. Our clocks are resetting fairly quickly, up at 8:30 am for breakfast was easier than expected, but an afternoon siesta is hard to avoid. We ventured out for the afternoon to check out Hulhumalé  the island we are currently staying on. Beautiful white sand beach and turquoise waters are always a great sight. Vicky also managed to find the only ice cream shop on the island, perfectly timed for an afternoon treat on the way back to the hotel. Ended the day with another great dinner and fresh mango juice ;)

Day 03: Bangkok

Great sleep in a very comfy King sized bed, good thing we both had earplugs because the sound of construction and planes taking off would have woken us up earlier. Lounged and surfed the rest of the morning to firm up plans for our trip south to Ko Lipe when we return. Took a short walk around the hotel area, not much to see so we headed back for a late lunch: Pad Thai, spring rolls and Cokes. Just finished strolling through the Colombo airport (Sri Lanka) and are now sitting outside the Dilmah Tea shop (Vicky's favorite tea is grown here) waiting for our connection to Male just after midnight.

Day 01-02: Enroute to Bangkok

Up at 6 am to begin our 23 hour trip to Bangkok. Spokane was fogged in but once we hit altitude it was beautiful sunny skies and and cloud filled valleys through to Seattle. Looking out the window during our descent Vicky saw the top of a single office building through the clouds and shortly afterward the plane pulled up quite suddenly. The flight attendant quickly explained there was no cause for alarm but they had to abandon the approach. Another loop around the building and we were on the ground. Delta's video on demand helped keep us awake the 10 hours to Tokyo but there was a lot more head bobbing the last 7 hours from Tokyo to Bangkok. Due to our early morning arrival we booked our first night accommodation ($20 - including airport shuttle) and hoped for the best. We were pleasantly surprised to see a sign for the Plai Garden at the arrival gate and within 10 minutes we were on our way to the guesthouse bed - 2:30 am, time to sleep.

Day 00: Nelson to Spokane

Early start dropping Hunter off with the Grandparents for his vacation. Watching TV with Nonno, hiking with Gran and Nonno at the golf course and hanging in the backyard with his Fruitvale buddies. Arrived in Spokane early afternoon to pickup some last minute supplies and off to the hotel to finalize the baggage weight distribution. Ready for an early start to the journey.