Entry #4 Maldives & Australia: March 19 - 30, 2019
Greetings from Maldives & Australia
Whenever we imagined - or Googled - the Maldives, it would result in the image of ultra luxury in the middle of the most idyllic part of the ocean. We had ruled it out as a destination, considering our budget couldn’t cover the $1000 per night resort fees. But then, thanks to a fellow traveller, we heard
about some islands that you can go to on a more reasonable budget, and we took their recommendation to go to their favourite - Maafushi.
This tiny Maldivian island inhabited by locals offered more affordable accommodations and gave visitors access to the same pristine beaches, coral, and dive sights that are enjoyed by the rich and famous. Maafushi also happens to be the island with a prison on it. That is the source of some serious irony! The same island where people lose their freedom is where foreigners flock to feel pampered and gloriously free. So that’s where we were headed!
This little freckle of an island was our slice of heaven. It was like taking a vacation from our vacation. There are no paved roads and every pathway is the same white sand that makes the beach look like a crescent of sugar being melted away by gentle turquoise waves.
Just over 1 kilometre long, and barely a quarter of a kilometre wide, the island is so thin that we could stand in one street and see the ocean on both sides. We spent a glorious 6 days here making some incredible memories.
The kids could easily swim out in the calm shallow water and do some amazing snorkelling right off the beach. We saw tons of tropical fish and even got a close up of sting rays! Jessie was not impressed with being so close to the stingrays. She played it safe and stayed near the shore.
With 3 days out on boat trips we had some epic experiences snorkelling and scuba diving. We got up close and personal with turtles, sharks, moray eels, lion fish, and massive rays!
There was even an awesome dive in a shipwreck! The coolest part of the wreck was going diving down a hatch into the dark hull of the ship, only to find a pocket of air where divers could actually take a breath while being 30 metres underwater!
Then there was a spot where our guides stopped in the deeper areas where there were schools of gigantic fish. It was crazy to be in the middle of the frenzy and then hear the guide say, “Oh! Don’t touch them. They’re poisonous.” (AH!) It turns out that if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. However, it was still a heart-pounding thrill to swim out in the open sea with these enormous, beautiful and dangerous fish.
Jamie couldn’t have been more at home in the ocean. He basically is a fish. He would free dive into the deep, torpedoing himself through the water to get a closer look at coral, or to hang out with clown fish in their anemones.
Our guide was able to effortlessly free dive down more than 10 metres - and from there he would send up circular air bubbles that expanded into hula hoop size - and we’d all playfully try to dive into as if we were trained seals in some underwater circus.
The highlight of our experiences out on the boat was at Dolphin Point. This place certainly lived up to its name! There were hundreds of wild dolphins that would surround our boat and put on a Marine Land-type of show. Cresting the water in packs, they would dive down, pick up speed and fling themselves into the air doing back flips, 360s, and all kinds of tricks! It was mind blowing that this was a natural display of skill from completely wild dolphins.
The BEST part was having the chance to jump into the water with them. It was a dream come true for Lee and Jamie when they hovered just a few feet about these aquatic acrobats and were surrounded by this troupe of performing porpoise!
It was a bit heartbreaking to leave the Maldives...
...but we were excited for the next leg of our adventure, although less excited about the travel it would require. Our next destination was Sydney, Australia. We were in transit for about 26 hours. The kids are amazing! They ate when food was available, slept a couple of hours at a time, and happily played in airport terminals (even in the middle of the night), and they just kept on truckin’
Now we are in the Land Down Under!
Our time in Sydney has been super fun. This is an interesting, vibrant city with endless natural beauty. We have an awesome condo right downtown that is a short walk from activity-filled Darling Harbour. We have walked for hours checking out the gorgeous views in the various bays and harbours. From Chinatown to the Opera House, we have weaved through the streets and enjoyed the friendly vibe and perfect weather wherever we go.
We have had the pleasure of being shown around for the past few days by Lee’s old friend from high school, Loren Schwartz! Loren has lived in Sydney for 15 years and he generously gave us a real insider’s view of some of the city’s most iconic attractions.
The kids got to check off a box on their bucket lists when we visited Featherdale Wildlife Reserve, where they got to feed and pet koalas and kangaroos!
We even caved and went for the paid portrait with the koala. When we were taking a closer look at our Sears-style family portrait, Jamie realised what the real focal point of the picture was... “Hey mommy, aren’t those the koala’s balls?” (Hahahahahahahahahaha!)
We couldn’t come all the way to Sydney and not visit famous Bondi Beach. Loren convinced us that the best time to see it was at sunrise. So we scooped up our jet lagged children at 5:45 am and headed out to the beach. It was incredible!
We hiked along the path of the cliff top "coastal walk" as we watched the deep indigo sky warm into a rainbow of soft pastels until it lit up with the brilliant morning sun.
We climbed the ocean-side cliffs and trekked along the path as we travelled from bay to bay, beach to beach. The views were absolutely breathtaking. It was a serene and memorable morning.
We loved Bondi so much that we even went back on a warmer day to take a swim.
Being here has given us the comfort of familiarity and the delight of new experiences.
It’ll be tough saying goodbye to our oversized, 3 bedroom condo, and trade it in for a camper van, but we are totally psyched to embark on our next adventure.
We have one more day in Sydney before we fly tomorrow evening to New Zealand! We know that the rugged terrain, wild open spaces, and impressive natural wonders will make New Zealand a Zwaigen Family Favourite!
Until next time!
Sending lots of love ~ The Zwaigens
Whenever we imagined - or Googled - the Maldives, it would result in the image of ultra luxury in the middle of the most idyllic part of the ocean. We had ruled it out as a destination, considering our budget couldn’t cover the $1000 per night resort fees. But then, thanks to a fellow traveller, we heard
about some islands that you can go to on a more reasonable budget, and we took their recommendation to go to their favourite - Maafushi.
Just over 1 kilometre long, and barely a quarter of a kilometre wide, the island is so thin that we could stand in one street and see the ocean on both sides. We spent a glorious 6 days here making some incredible memories.
The kids could easily swim out in the calm shallow water and do some amazing snorkelling right off the beach. We saw tons of tropical fish and even got a close up of sting rays! Jessie was not impressed with being so close to the stingrays. She played it safe and stayed near the shore.
With 3 days out on boat trips we had some epic experiences snorkelling and scuba diving. We got up close and personal with turtles, sharks, moray eels, lion fish, and massive rays!
There was even an awesome dive in a shipwreck! The coolest part of the wreck was going diving down a hatch into the dark hull of the ship, only to find a pocket of air where divers could actually take a breath while being 30 metres underwater!
Jamie couldn’t have been more at home in the ocean. He basically is a fish. He would free dive into the deep, torpedoing himself through the water to get a closer look at coral, or to hang out with clown fish in their anemones.
Our guide was able to effortlessly free dive down more than 10 metres - and from there he would send up circular air bubbles that expanded into hula hoop size - and we’d all playfully try to dive into as if we were trained seals in some underwater circus.
The BEST part was having the chance to jump into the water with them. It was a dream come true for Lee and Jamie when they hovered just a few feet about these aquatic acrobats and were surrounded by this troupe of performing porpoise!
...but we were excited for the next leg of our adventure, although less excited about the travel it would require. Our next destination was Sydney, Australia. We were in transit for about 26 hours. The kids are amazing! They ate when food was available, slept a couple of hours at a time, and happily played in airport terminals (even in the middle of the night), and they just kept on truckin’
Now we are in the Land Down Under!
We have had the pleasure of being shown around for the past few days by Lee’s old friend from high school, Loren Schwartz! Loren has lived in Sydney for 15 years and he generously gave us a real insider’s view of some of the city’s most iconic attractions.
The kids got to check off a box on their bucket lists when we visited Featherdale Wildlife Reserve, where they got to feed and pet koalas and kangaroos!
We even caved and went for the paid portrait with the koala. When we were taking a closer look at our Sears-style family portrait, Jamie realised what the real focal point of the picture was... “Hey mommy, aren’t those the koala’s balls?” (Hahahahahahahahahaha!)
We couldn’t come all the way to Sydney and not visit famous Bondi Beach. Loren convinced us that the best time to see it was at sunrise. So we scooped up our jet lagged children at 5:45 am and headed out to the beach. It was incredible!
We hiked along the path of the cliff top "coastal walk" as we watched the deep indigo sky warm into a rainbow of soft pastels until it lit up with the brilliant morning sun.
We climbed the ocean-side cliffs and trekked along the path as we travelled from bay to bay, beach to beach. The views were absolutely breathtaking. It was a serene and memorable morning.
We loved Bondi so much that we even went back on a warmer day to take a swim.
Being here has given us the comfort of familiarity and the delight of new experiences.
It’ll be tough saying goodbye to our oversized, 3 bedroom condo, and trade it in for a camper van, but we are totally psyched to embark on our next adventure.
We have one more day in Sydney before we fly tomorrow evening to New Zealand! We know that the rugged terrain, wild open spaces, and impressive natural wonders will make New Zealand a Zwaigen Family Favourite!
Until next time!
Sending lots of love ~ The Zwaigens
Great experiences and super beautiful sights! Love your blogposts, Andrea!
ReplyDeleteHi it looks hot
DeleteHI jamie it's me Tivadar I miss you a lot and I wish you could come to my birthday party. I wish you are having a great time in Australlia. I hope to see you soon Jamie. From Tivadar to Jamie.
ReplyDeletehello Jamie there are so meany thing going on when you come back there is one thing that is most importent i will tell you when you come back say happy birthday to Tivadar and happy birthday Jamie reply back i hope you have fun Tivadar was so sad he was crying i miss you to every body does to you saw penguins cool
ReplyDeletevlad, hi jamie I hope you are doing okay on the eye infection. I am here in canada as usual. uh hey if you still play roblox a little maybe we could play a little jailbreak. I hope you get better wait one more thing how did you find the ship?
ReplyDelete