A few of you may already be familiar with my friend Tom. He is one of the UK’s leading travel writers, and you can see his work regularly featured on The Times. He is also one of the best storytellers I know, and he has recently released his 5th book, named Gatecrashing Paradise: Misadventures in the Real Maldives
. His previous book, ‘A Tourist in the Arab Spring’ was also featured on this blog a while ago, and generated a lot of commentary from interested readers who were keen to ask Tom some questions and share some stories.
In his latest adventure, beyond luxury hideaways, Tom Chesshyre travels to see the real, unexplored Maldives, skirting around the archipelagos periphery, staying at simple guesthouses, and using cargo ships and ferries. He discovers that beyond the glossy brochures lies an almost undiscovered country that is brimming with life, yet also a paradise teetering on the brink of trouble.
In the Maldives outsiders used to be banned from islands not officially endorsed as tourist resorts, but now a thousand sandy shores can be visited in this remote nation deep in the Indian Ocean the flattest on Earth. This is island-hopping for the twenty-first century, sailing around 600 miles of the most beautiful islands and atolls on Earth, often to communities that have not seen an outsider for decades, …and gatecrashing the odd posh hotel.
What you may not know, is that we were in the Maldives at the same time – and at the same hotel. I did not know either – it was only for a day, and was gutted that we did not meet on location! I can imagine a great evening with lychee caipirinhas with Tom and Mr. O – but failing that, we catch up regularly in London. I was offered a pre-release copy of Gatecrashing Paradise: Misadventures in the Real Maldives and loved it. But being me, I had to ask some questions to Tom – and here is what he had to say!
The Maldives is certainly very different from Tunisia, Libya and Egypt soon after the Arab Spring revolutions – or so you might imagine. Yet in some ways there are similarities. Few people who pick the much-lauded ‘honeymoon heaven’ for their holidays have a clue of what goes on behind the scenes on the islands, yet I had heard stable whispers of great discontent. A democratically-elected leader had been ousted – the opposite of the Arab Spring revolutions, perhaps, but obviously a big event on the archipelago.
There was said to be a rise in Muslim fundamentalism: threats to and attacks on those promoting gay rights, for example, just as in parts of the Middle East. Human trafficking of workers from Bangladesh and elsewhere was rife, with passports taken by foremen and pay withheld; effective human slavery. Then also, great questions were unanswered about where all the tourist cash was going, quite possibly into the pockets of cronies of the regime. Local journalists who tried to find out were intimidated. Add to this the vast gulf between the wages of the average Maldivian and tourists spending $1,000 a night on water villas, and the matter of the ‘haves and the have-nots’ of the world that so many people are concerned about was laid bare.
The Beckhams were estimated to have blown the annual salaries of the equivalent of 64 Maldivians during their luxurious 11-night visit. Meanwhile, the country was the flattest on earth and likely to face evacuation of many islands due to rising seas by as soon as 2050. So many of the world’s most pressing concerns seemed to be lurking in the holiday brochure ‘paradise’. I was intrigued.
Tom travelling through Maldives by local transport
2. What were you expecting from the various trips, before you went on them?
I travelled round the islands on cargo ships and local ferries mainly – and I had no idea what to expect. Finding the right ride was tricky, and when I did I might end up on a simple, open-sided deck sleeping next to sacks of onions or boxes of powdered milk. Ferries timetables seemed to be almost non-existent. I decided to go with the flow and let the boats take me where they would, though I knew that I wanted to cover the entire length of the 1,200-island archipelago in a big circle. I expected to see little islands with no tourists . . . I was not heading for five-star land.
3. What was the best moment of gatecrashing paradise?
There were many memorable moments, but in terms of excitement my overnight tuna fishing trip stands out for me. We gathered at 11pm, and went out into the ink-black waters to collect bait fish with the help of floodlights beamed into the sea; this attracted little fish that were subsequently scooped up. Then at the crack of dawn we took off in search of tuna. The fishermen consisted of 16 guys with joust-like poles who were poised waiting. We soon found the fish and then great sprays of water were fired off the back of the boat to fool the tuna into thinking the water was alive with bait fish – of which a few were flung from the night’s haul to add reality to this illusion. The rods were soon whipping back and forth and tuna flew through the air thudding on the deck before being swept into a hold. It was incredibly dramatic. This is how the little cans of tuna in your supermarket get the fish that’s in them.
Tom on a local ferry
4. You mention the local Maldivian food a lot (something I also adored and grateful to have been able to try on my trips to this part of the world). How weird was it to have tuna for breakfast? What was your favourite meal?
My favourite meal was called garudia, which consists of smoked tuna with lime, chilli and onion in a thin soup, usually served with rice. It’s very more-ish and healthy too, I’m assuming. I also enjoyed boakiba, fishcakes made with onion, garlic and coconut. As I was off-the-beaten-track I’d be served dishes like this at the homes of people I met. Tuna for breakfast is excellent – the Chinese are much weirder about what they have in the morning: braised duck blood and chicken feet and so on.
Dr Krishnakant Bubhavant of Maldives Climate Observatory
5. If you had to pick 3 things that negatively surprised you what would they be?
The three biggest ‘negative surprises’ were being followed by the secret police on occasion, meeting young female activists for democracy for had been thrown in cells for no good reason, and seeing that an island rebuilt after the 2004 tsunami was already disappearing back into the sea due to wave erosion (50ft of land already gone).
Tom on Rubbish Island
6. How do you feel about the Maldives as a destination? Has this adventure changed your perspective and opinion?
It is, despite all of this, one of the most beautiful places on Earth – while it is still there. The rising sea is such a huge problem and the Maldives has come to symbolise, I think, our heads-in-the-sand attitude to climate change. And yes, of course, I recognise the paradox of flying and emitting CO2 in order to go on holiday there. Tourism will not go away, so it is a given across the globe now – in fact, if it did go, much of the world’s economy would most likely collapse. My adventure did not change my opinion of the beauty of the watery nation, just the people who run it.
Tom sampling the local happy hour
7. Where to next? Make us jealous!
Wales is next . . . what prettier a place than the beaches on the Gower Peninsula? You don’t have to take off round the planet to enjoy somewhere heavenly.
Tom Chesshyre is the author of five travel books that have taken him from Hull to Tripoli via assignments in North Korea, Nepal, India and Iceland. He writes for The Times and has contributed to the Guardian, The Financial Times, The Times Literary Supplement and the Mail on Sunday. His magazine work has been for Geographical and Condé Nast Traveller.
On his travels he has been hijacked in Africa, met tornado-chasers in America and followed in the footsteps of Graham Greene in Haiti. His previous books include A Tourist in the Arab Spring, Tales from the Fast Trains, How Low Can You Go and To Hull and Back: On Holiday in Unsung Britain. For more information, visit Tom’s website.
And to make things more interesting, Tom will be giving 5 signed copies of Gatecrashing Paradise: Misadventures in the Real Maldives to 5 lovely readers, which is also available on Amazon. To enter:
1) Answer this question in the comments area below: ‘Where was the most beautiful place you have ever been to, which you would describe as paradise?’
2) Share this post via social media (Twitter, Facebook or Google +) using the sharing buttons on the left hand side or below.
This competition is now closed. Winners have been selected and contacted via email.
And Happy New Year!
xo
Mrs. O
, what made you decide to pick somewhere like the Maldives for the new adventure?
the lazy travelers
January 20, 2015 at 10:44 am
you’ve already convinced us to put the maldives on our travel list, and this book on our reading list!
the lazy travelers recently posted..no travel required
@mrsoaroundworld
January 21, 2015 at 9:53 am
Highly recommend both!
Stephane
January 16, 2015 at 6:18 pm
The most beautiful place for me would be a hotel and its surrounding of course….Old Cataract in Egypt.
Just because you feel that the time has stopped when you are there.
sara v
January 16, 2015 at 12:37 am
The most beautiful place I’ve ever been, where I always feel “this is what the paradise should be like” is Venice… particular when I’m at Piazza San Marco and the orchestras are playing…
Elaine McNamee
January 16, 2015 at 12:11 am
Have been blessed to visit some truly amazing and very beautiful places – will get to The Maldives one day but for now the most beautiful place is The Grenadines, so many islands to choose from all the ones I visited are very special, closely followed separately by Grenada. Hoping for another trip one day sometime soon.
MissLilly
January 15, 2015 at 11:03 pm
Paradise sometimes can be found closer than we think. For me that place is Sintra. Romantic gorgeous Sintra and its mysterious castles and then on the back of it, amazing views to the ocean. What else can a girl want? 🙂
MissLilly recently posted...: Eggs Benedict – Chiswick :.
craig zabransky
January 14, 2015 at 5:32 pm
Definitely plan to read this before I head out to the Maldives one day. It seems it may be a great place to both stay adventurous and stay luxurious, Craig
Ps, Mrs O, Tom, how were the sunsets?
craig zabransky recently posted..the Sunset Sunday 2014 Review and 2015 Preview
Monika (@mumonthebrink
January 13, 2015 at 9:04 pm
How fascinating! I never knew there was any other way to visit the Maldives than through luxury travel companies.
Saying that a friend mentioned just last week they were looking at going to the Maldives, to islands only open to Indian nationals , which are somewhat cheaper. I would love to get my hands on your book Tom and find out more about your adventures.
My favourite piece of paradise to have had the privilege to visit was the road out to Milford Sound in January full of lupins. Just the most amazing colours and scent, a campfire making mussels and a peaceful rain-free night of camping.
Enjoy the Gower! Rhossili beach is snippet of paradise too, whatever the weather.
Monika (@mumonthebrink recently posted..Nando’s restaurant: our first time
Tom Chesshyre
January 14, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Hi Monika,
Yes, it’s possible to travel about independently and stay on lovely islands with perhaps a handful or other tourists – or perhaps none at all. Bear in mind, as it’s a strict Muslim country, no booze is allowed: a different type of detox break.
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
Diana
January 13, 2015 at 9:03 pm
It’s great to see a different side to Maldives and to read about adventures that are unique such as tuna fishing. Paradise for me is Hawaii, not only for its beautiful beaches, but more so for the warmth of people and the atmosphere of the place, also known as the Aloha Spirit.
Diana recently posted..Five Feminine Highlights of Ancient Rome
Tom Chesshyre
January 14, 2015 at 5:15 pm
Hi Diana,
I love Hawaii too – went there a long time ago. Can recommend Paul Theroux’s entertaining novel Hotel Honolulu.
Tuna fishing out in the Maldives there was quite a spectacle.
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
Jenny Reeve
January 13, 2015 at 8:48 pm
Maldives is on my bucket list! And now- a bit higher up than previously! How amazing that you were at the same hotel at the same time without noticing!!
My paradise is: to take a moment to be present in any high, snowy mountain range on a sunny, clear, crisp day, where the sky is always blue, and to appreciate the beauty of the natural world.
(In case you think that’s heavy, I got to see paradise most days in my previous job as cabin crew, so very much a reality!)
Tom Chesshyre
January 14, 2015 at 5:17 pm
Hi Jenny,
It was a bit of a thrown-together trip, as ferries were so unpredictable. I was at Kurumba for one night to see where tourism began…
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
Ketan
January 13, 2015 at 8:01 pm
Very interesting Tom. It definitely gives you a glimpse of an alternative view of what is happening in the Maldives rather then thinking about the 5* dream. It’s one of the places I would like to visit one day but prefer doing a sailing trip then lounge around at a 5* hotel. Plus, you got to visit lots of islands that most of us will never see or visit in our lives. You definitely went off the beaten path.
My best adventure has been to the Galapagos Islands, there soo much the locals do in order to preserve the environment, not for them selves but for all the wildlife. It’s definitely one place I would very much like to go back.
Tom Chesshyre
January 14, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Hi Ketan,
I’d love to go to the Galapagos – maybe one day. Hope you enjoy the book…
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
philatravelgirl
January 13, 2015 at 3:58 pm
After watching the documentary “The Island President” about the Maldives, I was intrigued to learn more about “paradise” and the fact that the beauty often hides the real life struggles of the locals who rarely see the upside of the luxury tourism. Tom’s travels and book sound like further insight into this which is great.
As for me, paradise is always being on the water enjoying the quiet beauty of nature – Rottenest Island, Doubtful Sound NZ, the Okavango Delta in Botswana to name a few
philatravelgirl recently posted..The Hyatt Place New York City – Warm Welcomes and a View
Tom Chesshyre
January 13, 2015 at 4:26 pm
Hi there,
Yes the Island President is great – the book touches on those issues and describes travelling by ferry and cargo ship around the slowly sinking nation. The highest ‘mountain’ is 2.4m – lower than the rim of a basketball net.
Sounds as though you’ve been to quite a few versions of paradise!
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
Simon
January 13, 2015 at 2:20 pm
Very interesting. I definitely have to read the book. I’ve been three times to the Maldives and while I can’t deny the beauty of the landscape and the underwater wonders, I always found the Maldives a little too fake for my taste.
I would have loved to do a trip like Tom did, to discover the real Maldives, not the artificial paradise, built at the expense of the locals.
I though suck a trip was not possible and now that I know it can be done, I’d love to go back.
Simon recently posted..Help Me Discovering the Best Offbeat Places in Argentina
Amanda battman
January 13, 2015 at 2:17 pm
The most beautiful place I have ever been in not infact on earth, it was the underwater corals of Komodo National Park Indonesia. Stunning colors, a miriad of exotic fish and pumping adrenalin whilist I ‘breathed’ underwater.
Mind you, off to the Maldives in July so this may change!
Tom Chesshyre
January 13, 2015 at 3:19 pm
Dear Amanda,
The coral reefs in the Maldives are totally amazing and teeming with turtles and so many unusual fish. Make sure you pick up a Maldives fish guide – several are available on Amazon – before you go…
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
Ana Canhoto
January 13, 2015 at 1:30 pm
Ooh, I really like the idea of looking beyond the typical hideaways – adding this book to my wish list!
Kim-Marie
January 13, 2015 at 12:16 pm
this is making me desperate to get to the Maldives!
Kim-Marie recently posted..The Year of No Fear – Bitches
Tom Chesshyre
January 13, 2015 at 3:21 pm
Hi Kim-Marie,
Ha! Well there are some very cheap flights if you look around (I got a direct one with First Choice for £600 return), and the new guest houses are about $50 a night.
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
Gran Canaria Local
January 13, 2015 at 12:05 pm
We have to agree with Tom about the Gower Peninsula. We loved visiting the beaches there on a family holiday. Although we reckon La Graciosa’s Playa de las Conchas just shades them. Tropical paradise La Graciosa, located off the north coast of Lanzarote, was rumoured to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to pen Treasure Island.
Gran Canaria Local recently posted..Barranco Seco
Tom Chesshyre
January 13, 2015 at 3:25 pm
Hi there,
That’s interesting about La Graciosa and RLS. I think there’s somewhere in the Caribbean that makes a similar claim. I love the story behind that book… how it was written to amuse his stepson.
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
Gran Canaria Local
January 13, 2015 at 8:34 pm
Well, that’s two things we didn’t know about RLS and TI. Thanks for enlightening us, Tom.
Gran Canaria Local recently posted..Barranco Seco
Kristen Covo
January 13, 2015 at 11:48 am
There is always two sides to gorgeous getaway places, the one in the brochure and the one rarely seen. It is fascinating to see this book explores both sides of the same coin and takes us through some real exploration of its destination. Adventure in the sun is always a good combination and I am looking forward to a bit of a travel escape through this book.
Marian Krueger
January 13, 2015 at 11:47 am
A trip to the Maldives is high on my list of trips that I must take and soon! The most beautiful place I have been to is difficult to pick because so many places I have visited are beautiful in their own unique way. But if I have to pick one this minute, today I would say paradise was at 6 am in the morning floating along in a small boat on the Amazon in Colombia on the border of Peru looking for pink dolphins. It was so quiet, so still and peaceful. It’s rare anywhere these days to find a quiet spot that’s been left untouched and pristine. That for me was paradise. Thanks for sharing and I hope to read Tom’s book soon!
Marian Krueger recently posted..VIDEO: What You’ll Find Inside the Blue Lagoon | Iceland
Tom Chesshyre
January 13, 2015 at 3:26 pm
Hi Marian,
That trip on the Amazon sounds amazing. Parts of the Maldives were so remote and quiet that the 21st century did not seem to exist (though there was 3G almost everywhere if you wanted it).
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
Megan
January 13, 2015 at 11:37 am
As always, can’t pick just one. I think of the Maldives on every dark and rainy London morning, but I haven’t managed to get there yet. I’m so intrigued about seeing things beyond a resort. Sounds like Gatecrashing Paradise (and a plane ticket asap) is in order.
Megan recently posted..The Year of 7 Sinful Trips
Tom Chesshyre
January 13, 2015 at 3:28 pm
Dear Megan,
Don’t be put off by thinking it’s too expensive there. The guest houses are about $50-$80 a night and it’s possible to stay in spare rooms for much less on the really remote islands. Depends how adventurous you are, of course…
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..Thoughts from Hotel El Tel: Terry Venables on golf, football and bandy legs
Safariontheblog
January 13, 2015 at 11:25 am
Will definitely hunt this book as I’ve never been to the Maldives.
Hopefully I will visit before the end of the year x
Safariontheblog recently posted..A Luxurious Lunch at The Hotel Savoy Firenze, Florence
Cacinda Maloney
January 9, 2015 at 4:27 pm
Like Anne Reilly mentioned above, I was in Kurumba, Maldives in November 2014, the birthplace of tourism in this region. I do believe it is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but also love the Cayman Islands and Fiji as well. So those three are a tie for me! Very interesting angle to take TOM, I would think you would have to be quite courageous to do research for that job.
Cacinda Maloney recently posted..Elephant Safaris in Sri Lanka
@mrsoaroundworld
January 9, 2015 at 6:01 pm
We have a little Kurumba fan club here, don’t we? I think you would quite enjoy any of Tom’s books 🙂
Tom Chesshyre
January 9, 2015 at 8:15 pm
Hi Cacinda,
Thanks for this. It wasn’t so tricky really, getting about on the ferries and so on.
Yes, Kurumba is interesting and a special place for being the first tourist island.
I had s behind the scenes your there and saw a remarkable recycling plant unlike any I’d seen before; very forward-thinking stuff.
Best
Tom
Kim-Marie Evans
January 9, 2015 at 2:35 pm
The big island of Hawaii is truly the most magical place I’ve ever been-I really expect it to be cheesy and full of tourists in ugly Hawaiian shirts, but it was truly a paradise.
Kim-Marie Evans recently posted..The Year of No Fear – Bitches
@mrsoaroundworld
January 9, 2015 at 6:01 pm
This is so interesting coming from you – if I go, you are taking me!
Tom Chesshyre
January 9, 2015 at 8:21 pm
Hi Kim-Marie,
Hawaii is great – and it’s interesting that it’s where President Obama spent early days, some of his formative years. I went to Wailiki beach and stayed in a dirt cheap apartment a long time ago… enjoyed the ‘tackiness’ in a funny way.
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..The last tourist in Libya?
nabeela pasha
January 8, 2015 at 12:37 pm
The most beautiful and breathtaking place i have ever visited was in December 2014 and that was Constance Halaveli in the Maldives. The first time i had experienced staying in a water villa! Truly heaven on earth! And what a magnificent place to spend our second honeymoon 22 years after we first got married! Never ever in all the countries i have visited so far have i found what was i was looking for – Paradise! <3
Tom Chesshyre
January 8, 2015 at 2:09 pm
Hi Nabeela,
Having seen the luxury side of paradise in the Maldives, it’s interesting to learn of the ‘other side’ – as I found for the book. Only this week news is breaking out there of 50 Maldivians who have, apparently, gone, to Syria to fight on behalf of Isis. Not a matter that is brought up in the brochures!
Best,
Tom
Jan Cross
January 7, 2015 at 11:18 pm
This book is on my reading list. Vilamandhoo is the most beautiful place I have visited so far. More islands are on my travel list to visit. I have a lot of lists!!
Jan Cross recently posted..Why Book through me
Tom Chesshyre
January 8, 2015 at 2:11 pm
Dear Jan,
I hope you enjoy it. I never made it to Vilamandhoo, but I agree with you about the beauty of the islands. Just such a shame that things behind the scenes do not live up to the splendour of the scenery…
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..The last tourist in Libya?
emily omara
January 7, 2015 at 9:49 pm
my fav place is the maldives, have been there twice 🙂
Tom Chesshyre
January 8, 2015 at 2:12 pm
Hi Emily,
It’s a favourite place for me, despite the behind the scenes shenanigans. It’s worth reading up about it before you next go…. may I suggest Gatecrashing Paradise?!
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..The last tourist in Libya?
Clare
January 7, 2015 at 9:47 pm
Really great read! I enjoyed it so much! One place I’d call paradise was Elafonisi in Crete. The most beautiful beaches I’ve seen in Europe for sure.
Clare recently posted..Where-to-Go Wishlist: Spanish City Breaks
Tom Chesshyre
January 7, 2015 at 9:58 pm
Thanks Claire. Have never been to Crete myself but the Times travel section, for which I work, has tipped it as one of the 25 ‘hotpots’ of 2015. BA starts new flights to Heraklion four times a week at the end of April, plus loads of new hotels seem to be opening…
Mary Anne
January 6, 2015 at 11:59 pm
How exciting. I love an author Q&A. Great questions Mrs. O!
@mrsoaroundworld
January 7, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Thank you!
Laura (@cocktailsandgelato.com)
January 6, 2015 at 8:11 pm
Oh how I desperately need some Maldives right now . . . It’s brutally cold here this week!
The most amazingly gorgeous place has to be our overwater bungalow in Bora Bora for our honeymoon a lifetime ago. It was such paradise. We drank wine and ate baguettes with delicious goat cheese on our deck and accidentally spilled the bread & cheese over the side. There was such a fish feeding frenzy, even the wildlife has sophisticated tastes in French Polynesia!
I will definitely hunt down his book, will make for great winter reading! Cheers! Laura
Laura (@cocktailsandgelato.com) recently posted..The Other Guggenheim (Venice On My Mind)
@mrsoaroundworld
January 7, 2015 at 12:47 pm
What a fab story!! I miss FP and Maldives… so cold here too!!
Tom Chesshyre
January 7, 2015 at 10:04 pm
Hi Laura,
Yes the Maldives is very lovely indeed – for as long as it remains above water. The consequences of climate change are sneaking up on us and – other than at the icecaps – nowhere is that more vividly true than in this Indian Ocean country that may one day fairly soon just be Indian Ocean. 80 per cent of the land is just one metre above sea-level and the highest ‘mountain’ is 2.4m.
Have never been to bora bora. I expect many of the same issues could affect there.
Yes, though, some sunshine would be nice.
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..The last tourist in Libya?
Anne Reilly
January 6, 2015 at 1:58 pm
What an interesting excerpt- I would love to read more about Tom’s adventure. I always have a hard time picking favorites, but if I can narrow down the category to tropical paradises, it’s a tie between the Maldives and Fiji, both of which I’ve been fortunate enough to visit. I only visited Kurumba in the Maldives and it was wonderful. We declined to take the trip to see Male, because we wanted to snorkel instead, so our experience is with only one fantastic island. We thought the people working at the resort were wonderful.
@mrsoaroundworld
January 6, 2015 at 2:19 pm
That is *the* hotel were we were all at the same time. Faith? Hummmm
Tom Chesshyre
January 7, 2015 at 10:10 pm
Hi Anna,
Thanks for your comments. I visited Kurumba for a day as it was where tourism began in the Maldives in 1972, and I was curious. I went through the old pictures of the basic palm frond shacks and people about to go diving with spear guns (now illegal). Full board rooms were $14 a night and the airport transfer was $1. It was all a whole lot posher than that now… $7K diamond necklaces in the shop and $1,500 bottles of wine.
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..The last tourist in Libya?
Janice Stringer
January 6, 2015 at 11:13 am
I think one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to is Queenstown in New Zealand – mid winter. The snow topped Remarkable Mountain Range looked like a painted Hollywood Movie Backdrop, against a stunning pink sunset and the waters on Lake Wakitapu glistened an iridescent blue as the dry cold air, cooled my cheeks. All was silent around me, except the breeze. This was my idea of paradise. 🙂
Janice Stringer recently posted..Why Do People Turn to Travel for Freedom
@mrsoaroundworld
January 6, 2015 at 1:01 pm
NZ is sooooo on my list!
Tom Chesshyre
January 7, 2015 at 10:12 pm
Hi Janice,
Never been to New Zealand – if you don’t a transfer at Auckland Airport. At least they’ve got mountains there for when the sea rises!
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..The last tourist in Libya?
Jenny Hale
January 6, 2015 at 11:12 am
There is a tiny town in Ranong, Thailand, called Ton Kloi – the Ton Kloi Waterfall is the only hint Google maps gives of its existence. The town is right on the edge of a little-known national park, which still has elephants and tigers living in their natural habitat. The water flowing out of the national park is so pure, you can drink it. The people there are all one huge extended family, who moved to the area progressively over 40 years ago, when the area was still forested, and there was a real danger of being attacked by a tiger between your bungalow and the neighbour’s. The tigers don’t come out of the national park these days, but other wildlife does – last time I was there, we saw a six-foot long King Cobra slither across the road.
Seeing the real Maldives is definitely on our bucket list, too!
@mrsoaroundworld
January 6, 2015 at 1:01 pm
Thailand also on my list 😉
Tom Chesshyre
January 7, 2015 at 10:17 pm
Hi Jenny,
Sounds a little dangerous with cobras by your bungalow. I never saw any snakes out in the Maldives though apparently they do exist – sea snakes as well.
You can get out there cheaply on Sri Lankan Air via Colombo or a First Choice direct flight, then go island hopping as I did for the book. You don’t have to rough it quite as much as me: yes stay in a few guest houses but also drop by a three-star hotel or two. It’s more adventurous than plonking in one place the whole time.
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..The last tourist in Libya?
Monika (@mumonthebrink
January 13, 2015 at 9:08 pm
So that is actually possible? :-O *runs off to update bucket list*
Monika (@mumonthebrink recently posted..Nando’s restaurant: our first time
Anna
January 6, 2015 at 10:29 am
My mum found me this book for Christmas and I’m about 1/3 of the way through. It is fascinating. I expect many visitors don’t leave the holiday islands, so opening up the country to allow it will hopefully be a good thing on both sides in the future.
Anna recently posted..Where to in 2015?
@mrsoaroundworld
January 6, 2015 at 10:31 am
I thought it was very interesting – and how in some cases some hotels make sure this happens. I loved the story and all the mishaps!
Tom Chesshyre
January 7, 2015 at 10:20 pm
Hi Anna,
I’m glad you are enjoying the book – the idea is to tell people about what you don’t find in the brochures.
Yes opening up the smaller islands to the wider world, so they can benefit from tourism – not just the big hotel chains – is a good idea.
The book heats up towards the end, hope you to continue to enjoy.
Best,
Tom
Tom Chesshyre recently posted..The last tourist in Libya?