No access to the network in the Maldives, hence this addendum

Everywhere is the finest white sand, even the roads are made of it.

No internet, hence this late update.

We anchor off Male, the densely populated capital of the Maldives.
The Maldives consists of 26 atolls, 1,292 coral islands that rise a maximum of 3m above sea level, about 200 of which are inhabited.
Independence was gained in 1965, and it became a republic in 1968, with a population of around 550,000, of which Male has one of the highest population densities in the world.
We reach the island by tender boat and limit our exploration of the city to walking.
We visit the fruit and vegetable market as well as the fish market. We admire the architecture of the Masjid Al-Sultan Muhammed Mosque, the futuristic King Salman Mosque, and the artificial beach.
In the early evening, we leave the Maldives heading towards Mauritius.

Some places don’t shout for your attention — they simply exist, waiting for you to arrive and fall under their spell. Thundufushi, a tiny island resort in the Maldives, is one of those places. From the moment the seaplane touched down on a stretch of impossibly blue water, I knew I’d stepped into a dream. For the next ten days, I lived in a world of sun-bleached sands, turquoise shallows, and coral gardens teeming with life.

The first thing I noticed was the color of the water. It wasn’t just blue — it was every shade of blue, from soft, pale hues near the shore to deep, hypnotic indigos further out. The island itself was barely more than a stretch of sand and palms, a scattering of overwater bungalows, and a few winding paths shaded by tropical trees. Life slowed down the minute I arrived.

Days on Thundufushi don’t follow strict plans. Time is marked by the rise and fall of tides, by sunrises that spill golden light across the water and sunsets that paint the sky in pinks and purples. Most mornings, I’d wake to the sound of gentle waves lapping beneath my villa. I’d grab a coffee and sit out on the deck, feet dangling above the water, watching stingrays glide by like shadows in the shallows.

Then, of course — the diving. If you’ve never dived in the Maldives, it’s hard to put into words what it’s like to descend into a world so alive, so completely untouched by the worries of dry land. Each dive was different. One morning, I swam alongside a school of reef sharks, their sleek bodies moving effortlessly through the water, utterly indifferent to my presence. On another dive, I found myself surrounded by a tornado of tiny silver fish, moving as one, creating living shapes in the currents.

Everywhere I looked, the reefs exploded with color. Clownfish peeking out of anemones, parrotfish crunching on coral, moray eels eyeing us from their rocky hideouts. Turtles floated lazily by like old souls, and on one particularly unforgettable dive, a manta ray soared overhead — an enormous, graceful creature that seemed more like a spirit than an animal.

Afternoons were for sun and cocktails. I spent countless hours lying by the water, book in hand and a fresh drink within reach. Mojitos, piña coladas, passionfruit daiquiris — I worked my way through the cocktail list with the kind of dedication usually reserved for far more important things. And though I spent nearly every daylight hour under the Maldivian sun, my skin stubbornly refused to tan. Somehow, I left just as pale as when I arrived, a personal mystery given the number of hours I spent basking in the warmth.

Evenings were a quiet kind of magic. Sunset would slip in slowly, turning the whole sky to fire. I’d sit on the beach with a drink in hand, toes in the sand, watching the horizon swallow the sun. Dinner was always fresh — grilled seafood, tropical fruits, and curries rich with coconut and spice. The sea air sharpened every flavor, made each bite feel like part of the experience.

One night, after a long day in the water, the resort staff set up a dinner for us on the beach. Candles flickered in the breeze, and the sound of the waves filled the silence between conversations. It was simple, beautiful, and so far removed from the rush of everyday life that it felt like something out of a story.

By the end of my stay, I’d fallen into the island’s rhythm so completely that the idea of leaving felt strange. Life on Thundufushi is beautifully uncomplicated. Swim, dive, eat, drink, rest, repeat. No clocks, no stress, just the steady pulse of nature and your own breath underwater.

As I boarded the seaplane for the journey home, I glanced back at the tiny strip of sand and palms, already feeling the ache of leaving. Thundufushi isn’t the kind of place you visit once and forget. It stays with you — in the taste of salt on your lips, in the memory of schools of fish moving like living clouds, in the warmth of the sun that somehow leaves no mark on your skin.

I’ll be back one day. Because some places aren’t just destinations — they’re pauses in the story of your life. And Thundufushi was one I’ll want to revisit.

Male Maldives: sunny 40 degrees, humidity 89%

We arrived in Male at 9 AM and immediately boarded the tender boat. Today, we are exploring the city of Male on our own. We started at the fish market and then moved on to the fruit and vegetable market. These markets always fascinate me. Next, we went through narrow streets lined with scooters. There are definitely more scooters here than island residents ;-). We visited various parks, which are unfortunately not well maintained, something we found quite regrettable. The blue mosque was built from 2018 - 2022 and can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Unfortunately, it has not yet opened as the air conditioning is not functioning and would cost 6 million dollars to repair. We found a great restaurant by the beach where we once again enjoyed fish and chips and simply savored life, all for just 8 dollars. After that, we strolled back to the tender boat, looking forward to our air-conditioned cabin. Today, on April 4th, we are staying on the ship because it has rained five times between 9 and 11 o'clock. For the next 2 days, we will be back at sea before reaching the Seychelles.

I haven't been in touch with you for a few days. This was partly due to all the things that were so exciting in between that captivated me. Then we also had a brief period without internet. Moreover, my big one always helps me with writing, and she was a bit sick the last two days. But now!!

So, the most important thing first: I really did dive deep!!!!

It took quite a bit of courage. But since my big one had seen such wonderful things underwater, I wanted to experience it live and in color.

But one step at a time. Safety comes first.

After I carefully looked around on the boat to ensure everything was safe, we actually jumped into the water together. My big one had secured me well by the hand so I wouldn’t get lost.

And in case I unexpectedly needed to breathe underwater, we also tested the so-called octopus. This is basically a second air supply that all divers have in case someone runs out of air in their own tank.

And of course, everyone kept a close watch on me. Firstly my big one, but also Hassan, our diving guide, and Davor - who went underwater with my big one all the time.

Being with Hassan made me feel very calm because he has a lot of experience and is totally relaxed. It was somehow contagious.

Well, and then it was just super exciting to see and discover everything underwater. I tell you... So... Woooaaahhh!!

I could watch the divers moving underwater with their big rubber feet. Oh yes, they're called fins.

There are just so many wonderful animals to see! Look at these:

The absolute highlight for me was when a real shark swam right past me! Just imagine that. Woooaaahhh, I was a bit excited. Even though my big ones said afterwards that it was rather small and harmless anyway. But who knows, right?

My big one saw tiger sharks on the last day. They are apparently something else entirely. Quite good that I wasn't there anymore.

In the end, I made two dives! Isn't that super cool?! I used to be so afraid of the water. And now this. I'm pretty proud of myself! My big ones are too. And the others on the boat praised me a lot and were all really nice to me.

Even Bebe, who always helped my big one with her equipment on the boat, greeted me very warmly after the dive.

Afterwards, I got to take a bath. With bubbles and everything. It was really cozy and even a bit warmer than the sea water. Although it's already 29 degrees here. I guess that's warm; I'm not too familiar with degrees.

And to dry off, I could use the wind from the fan. It was very pleasant and kind of tickled.

So now I am a really real buddy bear. Because you know, a buddy is basically the dive partner, and buddies are out together and watch over each other.

In the future, I can do that too - diving and being a buddy. I’m so excited!!

At least as much as my big ones because they saw a whale shark here. Apparently, that's something very special. And even though it was still a 'baby', it was already quite big. Fortunately, as a plankton eater, it is completely harmless.

After all the amazing experiences on the dive safari boat, we stayed for two nights on a small island just 15 minutes by boat from Male. I'm currently writing this text for you with my big one.

A nice conclusion to our trip.

Thank you for reading my stories with such interest and patience again.

Tomorrow we will fly back home with a longer layover in Abu Dhabi. We want to look around a bit.

I wish you all the best first and look forward to telling you about my exciting adventures again as soon as possible.

Warm greetings from Travis, the (now diving experienced) buddy bear

So, so, so, I had to calm down first, because I experienced something amazing! Luckily, there’s plenty of opportunity for that here - I mean to calm down. Swinging is said to help:

So, so, now I'm going to tell you: I went SNORKELING! Yes indeed! With my two big ones. They took me in my submarine and we were far out. There was a real reef and corals and fish and stuff!

But I'd better start the story from the beginning: my big ones were here to go snorkeling and brought back such beautiful pictures!

Well, I got a bit curious and was tempted to ask if I could join as well. And imagine, as soon as I said it, we were already on our way. I didn’t really have time to feel scared. Whoosh, there I was in my submarine with my big ones in the water. And even huge waves like the ones in the photo below (Do you see them? There, where my big one is?!) I almost (!!) endured without fear.

And let me tell you what all you can see underwater.

They're called unicorn fish here. Unicorn like the mythical creature. At first, I thought like June, the month. But they're here all year round. I'm still practicing my English. A friend of my big ones called them Pinocchio fish instead. I think that's good too.

We were also 'in the deep'! I heard that once when people were talking about the swimming pool. And now I have an idea of it. Where the reef ends, it drops steeply into the deep blue. But you can only get there if you can really dive.

Who knows if I will ever do that too. I'll let you in on a secret: even if I sometimes say things like 'I can't breathe', I actually don’t have to breathe at all. And after the trip, my big one bathed me, all without a submarine. I actually found that quite nice. The water here is almost as warm as a bath, namely 29 degrees! So - so - theoretically speaking - just as a crazy idea - just a thought...

...I might possibly maybe someday in the distant future go diving. 🤔😯

Actually, I have too much respect for it. But yesterday my big ones came back from diving and saw sooo many mantas. I mean rays, not cars. Look, isn’t that cool?

Well, I would really like to see something like that. Someday. Especially because these mantas are totally harmless. No poisonous stings or anything. And they only eat plankton. My big ones were almost as impressed as I was after my snorkeling adventure. Well, at least...

Until then, I will enjoy watching the sea and listening to the waves. Especially in the morning, the atmosphere here is very beautiful:

And I will discuss everything calmly with my two big ones. We will see what comes of it. Such things need to be very well planned and considered. Not that something happens in the end! Or that I end up getting lost in the worst case!🥺

Maybe the little funny geckos here have an opinion on it too.

I will, of course, keep you updated. In two days, we are going on a diving safari boat for a week. There will definitely be many opportunities. If I dare...

First, I wish you a good time. I will be in touch again soon.

Until then!

Travis, the buddy-bear

I'm back and reporting on my new adventures. I'm Travis, I hope you remember me?

So: We started four days ago in Düsseldorf. It doesn’t feel that long ago. My grown-ups say it has to do with the journey and the time difference.

We met a really nice flight attendant on the flight. Her name is Daniella, and I think she liked me a bit ☺️

Our stop was in Abu Dhabi. That’s the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and the airport there was quite impressive.

Oh, I haven’t told you where we’re actually going: I thought it would be Mallorca. But then my grown-up said: No, Male! That’s actually the capital of many islands, and they are called the Maldives.

And because the islands are partly far apart - in different atolls - you can’t get to all of them by boat and have to take another small plane. And guess what, it can even land and take off on water. That's why it's called a seaplane. Makes sense, I think.

And with that, we flew to 'our island'. I sat right behind the pilots and could look over their shoulders. Woooaaahhh, they have so many buttons, levers, and switches.

Our island is called Fonimagoodhoo. The names of all the islands sound really nice, but unfortunately, I can’t remember them very well. Our hotel is called Reethi Beach Resort. Check it out, can you find me in the photo with my grown-ups?

We arrived three days ago, and my grown-ups were pretty tired. So, we looked around a bit, visited the dive center, and primarily ate and slept. AND we have been relaxing. That’s what it’s called when you rest and unwind.

Yesterday, my grown-ups went diving for the first time. In the morning from the beach and in the afternoon, we went out with the boat. Yes, WE! I was there too because, firstly, I was much less afraid of the water by now and, secondly, I obviously had to check if everything is safe for my grown-ups on the boat. It is - as far as I can tell.

They took pictures of colorful fish and such. Here are a few to choose from:

In the evenings, the atmosphere by the beach and sea is always especially beautiful, I think.

And we go for a lot of walks here because we regularly walk from our bungalow at one end of the island to the restaurant at the other end. It’s nice, and the path goes along beautiful trees. Everything is barefoot here.

Speaking of restaurants: My grown-ups are very happy with the food here. Lots of different dishes, always delicious local cuisine. And everyone is super nice to us.

Recently, my grown-up took a picture of me in the restaurant, so I can show you this. And then she told a woman who asked about me and our big trip from a year ago. I felt a bit proud that she spoke so kindly about me.

Later at the table, my grown-up told her that I've traveled quite a lot, considering I only have fluff in my head. Was that a compliment? I'm not quite sure about that... What do you think?

I will report on what else happens here. After the hotel, we will go for a week on a dive boat. Woooaaahhh, there will definitely be more to tell. And I have no fear at all. Honestly!

See you very soon and warm regards from your Travis, the Buddy Bear

(German version below)
In the last few days of our stay, we go on a few more excursions - in addition to the usual snorkeling on the house reef. On one of these we see a whale shark, on another a manta ray, and on the last excursion we see some nurse sharks. But we still spend most of our time on the house reef...

(Deutsch)
During the last days of our stay on Vilamendhoo island we went on a few guided snorkeling tours. Amongst the highlights of these tours we were able to swim with a whale shark on one of them and on another we swam with a Manta ray. Additionally, on the last excursion we spotted a couple of Nurse sharks. However, the majority of our time was still spent snorkeling the usual tracks around our house reef...

(German version below)
After our visit to the tigers in central India, we make our way to our favorite Maldives island - Vilamendhoo - in 2 days. Indian airports are still not our favorite places, but now we come to the relaxing part of the vacation: dipping our heads in the water and snorkeling during the day, and sipping a cocktail or two after sunset and reading or playing games.
For daytime activities, our island has 10 access points from the beach to the reef - so you can go out as you please. We usually snorkel the entire accessible stretch once in the morning and once in the afternoon... it may sound boring, but it always looks different in different lighting conditions, tides, currents, and the fish are not always the same. Unfortunately, the reef is much more damaged than on our last visits, but the fish world is still colorful and diverse.

(Deutsch)
After we finished our tiger visit in Central India, it took us 2 days to make our way to our favorite island in the Maldives - Vilamendhoo. Indian airports are still not our favourite places, but now, we got to the lazy part of our holidays. During the day, we snorkeled along the house reef, and, after sunset, had one or two cocktails and hung out reading or playing games.
For snorkeling, Vilamendhoo has 10 access points to the reef, giving us the opportunity to start whenever and wherever we like. Usually, we snorkeled along the full accessible part of the reef each morning and afternoon... It might sound boring but there is always some change in light, tides, currents, and - of course - fish and, so far, we haven't gotton tired of this. Unfortunately, the reef is pretty heavily damaged - visibly more damaged compared to our last visit - but at least the fish are as colourful as always...

We have both dreamed of a vacation in the Maldives for a long time. Now we have made this dream come true. We have been in the Maldives since Monday (September 4th, 2023) and can unwind.

It is indescribably beautiful here. The crystal clear water, the white sand, the palm trees and the fantastic beaches make the world here look like something in a catalog or like in a movie. Insanely beautiful! It took us a while to realize that we were really here. Since we are on a small island (Dhigura) where mostly locals live, we often have the beautiful beaches to ourselves.

We spend the days swimming, snorkeling and relaxing.

The small island of Angsana Ihuru, located in the North Male Atoll, is only 20 minutes away from the airport. Easy to reach by speedboat. Once we had our luggage, we were on our way within a few minutes - the hotel is very eager to ensure that everything runs quickly and smoothly (landing at Male until check-in at the bungalow, maximum 2 hours). A big plus, especially for families.

Angsana Ihuru

The island itself is often referred to as 'The Perfect Maldives Island'. Rightfully so - because it is oval shaped, 200m in width, and surrounded by a beautiful coral reef. It offers typical Maldivian amenities, which means a bungalow with sea access, an outdoor shower, and a restaurant with good food. If you're looking for entertainment, animation, or parties, you're in the wrong place. Instead, Ihuru invites you to relax with its beautiful beach, romantic sunsets, a bar with great cocktails, and excellent food.

Weather in the Maldives in August

The highly debated topic of the weather in the Maldives... In August, it is the rainy season, officially. We had a few slightly cloudy days at the beginning, but then we were pleasantly surprised with sun and short rain showers, about 1-2 times a day, for 10 days. My tip: August is great - the locals also say so - and much cheaper than in the high season.

Snorkeling and Coral Reef in Angsana Ihuru

Yes, the island is not known for its luxury, but for its stunning coral reef that surrounds it. And it really is. It starts within a few meters - everything is offered - numerous schools of fish, eagle rays, turtles, sharks, etc.

On Ihuru, there is the 'beginner' area on the inside. This area is shallow, you can almost stand, and is especially interesting for inexperienced snorkelers. For a bit more action, there are various channels on the outside. So you can basically swim around the island.

Ihuru - with Family?

We say YES! There were several families with children. Regardless of the age - the island offers a kids club, as well as babysitters for the little ones. The staff is very nice and accommodating, and what can we say - everything was perfect :-)

Comparison with other islands

Compared to other islands in the Maldives, the barefoot island Ihuru does not offer super luxury with overwater bungalows, private pools, five restaurants, or any other bells and whistles. Instead, the island scores with its nature and the reef. Don't get me wrong - the restaurant is also great, there is a rotating buffet and a la carte, and the service is top-notch - but it's just one.

Hardly any other island is as perfectly shaped as Ihuru. In terms of price, it is in the middle range (there are just as many cheaper as well as more expensive resorts). So if you're looking for the Maldives and not just luxury, this is the right place!

We - a family of 4 with a passion for travel - have plenty more family adventures in faraway lands to share - our last 3 big vacations are online :-) - with the Maldives, there's a new blog added!

Just take a look!

Have fun and I welcome any questions, suggestions, and feedback!

My blogs:

2020: Azores Adventure

This time (which was actually not planned) we are going to the Maldives!

Come with us to the small island paradise 'Thulhagiri' in the Indian Ocean and check out the latest 'family adventure'.

In advance: we haven't just been lazy on the sunbed ;-)

https://vakantio.de/urlaubsabenteuer

(Unfortunately, I overslept and forgot to change the link to 'Adventure Maldives' to match my other blogs, but I hope you can also find it under 'Travel Adventures')

Best regards and have fun with our adventure vacations :-)

This time (actually not planned) we're going to the Maldives!

Come along to the small island paradise 'Thulhagiri' in the Indian Ocean and check out the latest 'family adventure'.

In advance: we didn't just lay lazily on the sun lounger ;-)

https://vakantio.de/urlaubsabenteuer

(Unfortunately, I overslept changing the link to match my other blogs in 'Adventure Maldives', but I hope you can also find it under 'Vacation Adventures')

Best regards and have fun with our adventure vacations :-)

August 10, 2021

Our alarm clock goes off at 7:15 am. We quickly get up, finish packing our suitcases, and place them by the door.

After a farewell photo on the beach, we go to have breakfast.

You can immediately tell that we're leaving: shoes, socks, some long pants, and backpacks.

My feet strongly resist socks and shoes.

Oh, how nice it was to walk around barefoot or with flip-flops for the past 2 weeks.

We sit nostalgically at our beautiful table with a view. Waiter Mohamed says goodbye to us with double the amount of ordered drinks ("for the road"), and the omelette station employee also recognizes that I'm leaving and makes me an "extra tasty omelette" as my last breakfast and says goodbye as well.

Oh yes, the staff here on the island are really great!!! Truly all of them are consistently friendly and helpful. And even waiter Mohamed, who always looks "in a bad mood," has a soft spot 😉

I quickly take some pictures by the pool

Our suitcases are taken to the jetty by a luggage trolley at 8:15 sharp, and we board the speedboat with another German couple and a family with a child.

The sea is calm today, the view is great, the sun is shining, and the sky is blue... sniff. But the island doesn't make it easy for us to say goodbye!

Well, at least the boat ride should be more relaxed today than on the day of arrival.

We nostalgically leave our little dream island Thulhagiri and head towards the airport island.

At 8:40, we stand in line at the airport and sweat. Masks are mandatory here. After a short time, I change my FFP2 mask for a surgical mask because I can hardly breathe in this humidity.

To enter the building, you actually have to have the IMUGA forms ready on your phone for scanning.

Phew, at least that worked smoothly for the departure!

After waiting in the humidity for what feels like endless minutes, we are allowed through the first security check into the building. It's a bit cooler here - at least if you stand under an air conditioning vent.

The line at the 3 Condor counters is long. So, again: WAITING!

Finally, it's our turn.

The employee checks our passports, the kids' PCR tests, and our vaccination certificates. And once again, we have a problem:

While I, as a teacher, had the privilege of being vaccinated with Biontech back in April, my husband, as a "normal person without any vaccination priority," had no chance of getting a Biontech or Moderna vaccine. Not even AstraZeneca was possible...

The only way to get a reasonably good protection before the vacation was to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Advantage: only requires 1 dose!

But now that's the problem!

It seems that he is the first traveler in the Maldives who was vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson. The employee doesn't want to issue us a ticket because the "second dose" is missing. Unfortunately, they don't believe us that there is only ONE dose with J&J.

Oh man, this can't be true!!!

The vacationers behind us in line are pretty annoyed when the employee at the counter has to call her supervisor. Then 3 employees stand next to her and search for information about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on the computer, phone, and phone calls.

After what feels like an eternity, one employee gives his OK, and our vaccinations are accepted. Phew....

No one needs this.

Next hurdle:

Since we've never paid to reserve seats before, we hope that this time we were assigned seats together.

Unfortunately, that didn't work out this time.

The system has spread the 4 of us throughout the plane!

Oh sh...... 😱

But the employee is very nice and helpful, she discusses with a colleague at the counter next to her and points to us saying "Family with children," then she prints our boarding passes with a smile.

Until the last moment, contiguous seats are kept for families, and we have now received them. That's nice 😉

Officially, our kids (13 & 17) are considered "adults" in the plane starting from age 12, so it's nice that they still get the "kids bonus" when it comes to seats.

We get Row 11, 2 window seats, and 2 middle seats - just like on the outbound flight. (We briefly considered booking similar seats from home. But it would have cost us 80 €. And it's confirmed again: seat reservations are a waste of money!)

However, this time we are sitting IN FRONT of the wing, with (hopefully) the best view when taking off from the Maldives! Maybe we'll see Thulhagiri from above!?

It's right in the flight path - as we experienced in the past 2 weeks when a plane flew directly over us 🙈

A few days ago, I found out that a friend of mine will be flying our vacation plane as the captain today 🤪

That's awesome!!! A few years ago, we were lucky enough to be on the same plane. At that time, we were flying to Egypt, and I even got to be in the cockpit during landing. It was amazing!

Due to COVID, it's not possible this time, but we agreed that we can visit the cockpit during boarding 😉

How cool! That's definitely a nice surprise at the end!

After all the security checks, we spend another hour in the duty-free area. My daughter buys a burger, then it's time to board.

We manage to get on the first bus to the plane with the "priority guests."

The cabin crew already knows that we're coming because when I say that we want to say "Hello" to the captain, we're immediately escorted to the cockpit with a smile. It's not easy because there's the captain and 2 co-pilots in the cockpit, and it gets quite crowded with us and our backpacks.

The co-pilot eventually gives up his seat for the kids, who can take turns sitting in the pilot's chair and are shown everything.

When boarding is almost complete, we have to say goodbye (with a photo of course) and we also take our seats.

Unfortunately, the plane is completely full this time!!!

ALL seats are taken, including the 3rd seat in the middle row, where my son and husband are sitting.

Well, let's hope that everyone is vaccinated and tested 🙈

We take off on time towards home and realize after a few minutes of flight:

We're sitting on the RIGHT side!!!

We fly directly past our little dream island Thulhagiri!!! Yayyy!

From above, you can also see the extent of the construction monstrosity on the neighboring island. It's worse than it looked from below. It's going to be a huge complex... terrible!

Bye Bye Thulhagiri!!!

The flight is calm this time - but it's dragging on.

Unfortunately, we can't connect any of our devices to the in-flight entertainment, so we have to take turns using the tablet to watch a saved movie. Luckily, we still have our phones and books, but 10 hours is really long....

For lunch (we're starving!), luckily there are vegetarian noodles again. We all eat them.

The time until dinner, however, feels like eternity. Fortunately, we took some mini muffins and cakes from the breakfast buffet.

That saves the afternoon above the clouds.

We land in Frankfurt at 7:11 pm, and the weather is good:

24 degrees - how pleasant!

Well, it seems like we brought the nice weather with us  🤭

Our Portugal replacement trip to the Maldives was the best thing that could have happened to us and a great consolation for the canceled Portugal vacation.

It could have been worse 😉

It was a real dream vacation!!!! I highly recommend it to everyone!

Stay tuned for our next adventure blog. We have a lot planned - surprise yourselves!

Until then, stay healthy and enjoy reading!

"Choukouriya & Vakivani!" 😉

August 9, 2021

I'm already sleeping poorly because the bed is too hard for me and the sound of the sea is not really calming me down.

We wake up at midnight. Did someone knock on the door and shake it? Something is making strange noises here.

After the giant crab outside the door and the not-so-small centipede in the bathroom, I sit up straight in bed.

The husband is also listening. What was that? Now we hear scratching and banging directly above us. Light on! Something seems to be sitting and running around in the roof. But what on earth fits under the palm roof and makes so much noise?

It becomes more and more clear. Something is running or chasing on the roof. Not on the palm roof outside, but between the palm roof and the ceiling. The daughter next door has also woken up and expresses her discomfort via WhatsApp.

The husband knocks loudly with his snorkeling fins against the ceiling to scare away whatever is up there.

It is quiet for about 10 minutes, we turn off the light and want to sleep, then there is a real hunt in the attic. Scratching, knocking, running....

Something is chasing up there. But what could it be!?

We try to reach the reception by phone, but the phone is dead. What!? Somehow everything is happening at once. We turn on the light on the terrace, hoping to scare away the thing in the attic. Without success.

I manage to record a few audio clips. Let's see what the reception says about it later. After knocking several times against the ceiling, the husband gives up. It doesn't help anyway. Then he puts earplugs in his ears and falls asleep. I chat with the daughter next door until 1:30 am, who also can't sleep because of the noise. Then it is quiet at some point.

I wake up at 7:30 am feeling exhausted. The night was not restful, but: the sun is shining! Yeah!

There is low tide outside. I take a walk along the beach. The concrete walls/wave breakers in front of Bungalows 120+ are already visible, and the coral net wave breaker is almost completely exposed.

The sea is quite smooth and for the first time really clear and not 'milky'.

Today we MUST go snorkeling!!!

New insta-stars have arrived. They contort themselves in skimpy bikinis in the most unnatural poses in front of the turquoise dream.

Quite embarrassing... but well, clearly not my age group anymore.

After breakfast, the husband goes to the reception and tells them about the incidents during the night. They promise to send someone and don't seem particularly surprised by our report. But we don't find out what is living under the roof 😱🤷🏻

I take a walk with my daughter on the Superior Bungalows pier and take some farewell photos in the sunshine. Unfortunately, we have to go home tomorrow morning

Now we also know what the many troughs with ladles are for, which are standing every few meters on the pier:

You either clean your sandy feet with the water or you cool them down when the wooden planks are too hot due to the sun.

My daughter takes every other opportunity to cool her feet, I wear flip flops

The snorkeling boat drives by in front of us.

My condolences 🤭

Well, at least the weather is nice 🤷🏻

After the storm a few days ago, we had real 'break edges' on the beach where parts of the beach were washed away.

The pier at the water sports/diving station was several centimeters above the beach, the concrete edge appeared at our big umbrella on the beach in front of Bungalows 117-118, and the wave breaker was exposed.

It is all the more astonishing how other currents and weather have completely changed the island in just a few days!

Today, the pier is almost buried in the sand - where just a few days ago there were big drop-offs towards the sea, there is now only sand!

It is again a gently sloping beach, just like at our umbrella. No drop-off in sight, you can only see a gently sloping beach.

Crazy!

There are even weeks in the year when the beach is 'gone' up to the white concrete pillars. Unbelievable - hard to imagine...

The sandbank in front of the Beach Bar also changes weekly. Sometimes the water reaches the tables, and then at high tide it is several meters away. Depending on the season, weather, wind, and moon phase. Crazy!

We have experienced it live in the last few days!

Every day it looked different.

Today we have to go to lunch a little later because the kids need to go for a PCR test at 1 pm.

Both, especially the son, are extremely enthusiastic... (irony mode on!)

Shortly before 1 pm, we are at the reception, where we are taken to the first bungalow (150) by the pool after a short wait.

Bungalows 149 & 150 are vacant. 150 was converted into a "doctor's bungalow". Here you will only find 3 chairs, a wheelchair, and various medical equipment. A young doctor (?) is already waiting for us.

There are already some samples and test tubes on the table. As expected, the son acts like a "diva" for a moment, but then endures the nose-throat-swab action with a lot of good talk.

I'm actually quite glad I don't have to do that too 🤭

It goes faster with the daughter. She had already gone through it last summer during our vacation in the Azores (https://vakantio.de/abenteuer-azoren). We were tested multiple times there, and they really went high up in the nose with their swabs.

At that time, the son was still under 12 years old, so he was spared the testing procedure - but now he has to go through it.

After all that is over, we go to lunch.

I quickly take some pictures of the pool across.

After lunch, we want to go snorkeling again in this beautiful weather. Unfortunately, the tide is coming in again and the wind has picked up, so it's very wavy. As we approach the beach next to the dive boat pier and the snorkel buoys, we see several onlookers on the beach pointing to something big and black not far from the shore in shallow water.

We believe it's a ray or a turtle and hurry to get into the water.

As I am about to put on my snorkel mask as the first one:

a huge jellyfish!!!!

Really huge! It's pulsating and swimming through the water, with a cleaner fish on its jellyfish body. I immediately look for tentacles, since I'm really close.

It has tentacles, but they are very short. Nevertheless, I keep my distance and observe the giant creature from a safe distance. Incredible!!! It's bigger than the turtle 😱

We observe the creature for a while from a safe distance and then swim to the edge of the reef. It is quite a struggle against the incoming current.

Unfortunately, the visibility is very poor in the direction of the lagoon at the edge of the reef. We stay there for a few minutes, but then retreat. It wasn't meant to be, the last snorkeling session for this vacation ends here!

But: we had this incredible jellyfish sighting! Yes!

When we are back at the pier, the jellyfish is gone. We swim in the lagoon again, and I look from the pier to see if I can spot it anywhere, but it remains hidden.

Strange - where did it swim to in such a short time???

Well, now it's time to go into the lagoon with my son!

Afterwards, we lie in the sun and relax.

Last day - sniff...

Afterwards, I grab my camera and shoot some final videos of our little island paradise.

The crab's empire is next to the pool....

The critters even climb trees...

From the beach of Bungalows 140, you can see the neighboring island(s), a major project where the original island / sandbank has allegedly been heavily filled and enlarged. The islands (there is another one behind) are supposed to be connected by piers, and then a luxury resort with a whopping 900 rooms is planned there!!!

OMG - no one needs something like that!

A complete architectural monstrosity (and unfortunately also the view that the water bungalows have...)!

The architectural monstrosities zoomed in to the max

Really creepy....

In the 15 days we have been here, I have only seen a father with his little daughter in the small pool at the restaurant once.

Before we enjoy our sundowners, our favorite online form "IMUGA" is waiting for us. We have to register for departure...

Well, I'm now an expert in filling it out...

Calmly (this time nobody is rushing us), we fill out the form for the four of us. Same procedure, upload photos, swipe for minutes for the date of birth, and then we get our well-deserved cocktails with a sunset at the Beach Bar 😊

New Russians seem to have arrived today. Several couples are standing by the sea, taking posed photos. Very funny.

The island spoils us with a great sunset, we enjoy it with a Black Russian (or two!?) 😉

The wind has picked up again, which Dagmar and Paul from the water sports center don't want to miss. They take turns going out with their kites

For dinner, the 17-year-old daughter is allowed to toast with us - appropriately with a glass of wine 😉

Our waiter Mohamed is actually quite talkative on the last evening. He briefly chats with us, wishes us a safe journey home tomorrow, and then changes his collected €20 in coins into a €20 bill (of course, he has also received tips from us - as have our room boy and the Beach Bar waiter 😊 ).

(PS: Coins are useless for the staff! They can't change them...)

We spend our last evening again at the Sand Bar. A bit melancholic with a card game and a Black Russian. This last Black Russian is really something - and we still have to pack our suitcases...

August 8, 2021

Unfortunately, the weather this morning is mixed. It's quite windy and the sun hasn't been able to break through the cloud cover yet.

After breakfast, my daughter and husband want to go sailing with Paul from the water sports station.

Since they are supposed to receive a 30-minute briefing, I decide to go to the water sports station later to take photos. Unfortunately, I find out that they have already started sailing with the catamaran. Dagmar shows me where they roughly want to sail. We walk to the pier of the Superior Bungis and see the catamaran circling behind it, then they turn towards Malé and are too far away. I decide to wait on the pier in front of the dive station until they come back.

The sky is getting threateningly dark again. After a while, Dagmar also comes to the pier and hopes that Paul is slowly heading back to the island. She wouldn't like the dark cloud cover - something bigger would be coming towards us again....

Oh no......

We can watch as the clouds move towards us in minutes and get darker and darker. On the horizon, we see the catamaran coming back. They better hurry up now, otherwise we'll all get wet...

The wind picks up, and with a stormy breeze and higher waves, Paul sails back to land with my daughter and husband.

Together, they pull the catamaran out of the water, then we run to the bungalow. The thunderstorm is coming!!!

We just manage to bring all the clothes and towels from the loungers to safety when the sky opens up.

It's pouring down (but it's still warm), so this time I jump into the sea with my husband for a "rain bath".

If the rain didn't feel like needles on my face, it would have been a pleasant experience. So we splash around for a while and then quickly leave the sea. But it was fun!

As quickly as the storm came, it is also over just as quickly this time. Only an hour later, we can lie on the beach again and bask in the sun 😉

After lunch, we attempt to snorkel, but the high waves and rising tide make it challenging. It takes us a while to even reach the first buoy, which shows the way to the reef entrance with a rope. Due to the tide, it's now so deep that none of us can even stand. It's not like our first few days of snorkeling. The water only reached our son's chest back then, and you could stand anywhere in the lagoon. That hasn't been the case for a few days now.

We are swept over by several waves until we finally reach the roof of the reef. However, the waves are so intense here that we can't see anything and can't get to the edge of the reef due to the current.

It's safe to say that snorkeling today is more challenging. We return to the beach a bit faster than usual due to the currents and being tossed around.

Instead, we prefer to jump around in the waves and splash around on the beach.

Afterwards, our son and husband play a round of table tennis and foosball, and then we organize a hermit crab race 😉 and observe the lizards that are moving around in front of our bungalow.

Today, we have our sundowner cocktail on the bungalow lounger and later sit at the front of the beach. But due to the low-hanging clouds, there is no beautiful sunset today.

After dinner, we sit in the sand bar again for some gaming.

My daughter and I briefly browse the souvenir shop and among all the 'MALDIVES' mugs, we spot one with the inscription 'Seychelles' 🤪

My husband returns from the reception and waves the key to the kids' bungalow 😉 Hooray! Someone found it and turned it in. I suspect that we left it behind during the storm when we were playing cards in the sand bar at noon.

Phew, one less worry!

Now we just wish for sun tomorrow, then everything will be perfect!!!

On the way back to the bungalow, we shine our flashlight on the path (like every evening) to avoid stepping on hermit crabs or crabs. When I quickly walk towards the bungalow terrace, I only see something "big" with many legs in the shadow of the flashlight. These moments of terror with these huge black crabs are not good for my arachnophobia....

Exactly one of them has now ended up on our terrace. Amidst the screams of the kids, my husband gently chases away the crab from the terrace. Phew. What a scare!

Our son urgently needs to use the bathroom, so he runs to the toilet before anyone can turn on the light. A scream!

My husband quickly films a huge centipede (?) - in any case, it has significantly more legs than the crab - as it runs through the bathroom in a flash and disappears under the cabinet.... Ewwwwwwwwwwwww......

I won't go into the bathroom without shoes anymore.... 🤪

August 7, 2021

The night was still stormy, but this morning at 7:30 I see the first rays of sun in the sky. The sea is very wavy, but it's no longer raining and the wind has subsided.

I lay on the beach in the morning sun and wait for the family to get ready.

A huge annoyance is that some tourists leave everything behind wherever they happen to be! And they don't care!

We have observed this all over the island. They get a lot of cocktails, but despite the nice, sometimes written request everywhere to please bring the glasses back to the bar (and we're talking about a max. 3 minutes walk on the mini island!!!), some half-full cocktails are simply left on other beach chairs. Just like this morning on the beach, on the beach chairs, including OUR beach chair with the number 118 on it !!!

The half-full glasses have fallen over due to the wind and the whole beach chair is now full of fruit juice and sticky.

PEOPLE, THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN!!!! BE A ROLE MODEL FOR CHILDREN LIKE MINE; WHO ALWAYS HAD TO BRING THEIR GLASSES BACK TO THE BAR!!!

After breakfast, we all jump into the sea together and have a lot of fun jumping in the waves. Some big waves are coming in. It almost feels like our vacation in the Azores last summer - but with turquoise water and double the water temperature 🤪

Surprisingly, the sea is very clear despite the waves. We can see the bottom everywhere. It has never been this clear since we've been here. Until now, the sea in the first third of the lagoon was milky and opaque, turquoise blue but not clear.

It would be good for snorkeling, but with the waves we can't even get 5 meters away from the beach.

Some snorkelers still try, but they give up quickly.

Most tourists have made themselves comfortable on their beach chairs in the sun, we almost have the sea and the waves to ourselves 🤪

Afterwards, we start another search mission: the kids haven't found their bungalow key since yesterday. It can't be gone, but we don't know where it is either. We've already searched both bungalows, all the clothes, bags, backpacks, and pants twice: gone! 😱

Damn, hopefully it turns up again, otherwise it will be expensive 😬

The mosquitoes are also annoying! I haven't figured out exactly when they like to sting. Definitely in the twilight, but they're also active in the morning and afternoon.

Autan has worked well for us, the 'milder' repellents (from Citronella to Antibrumm, etc) don't bother the bugs.

Before I think about using Autan, the bugs want to sting me (and I've collected quite a few red bumps already!). Hunting instinct - and smack - 2 fewer mosquitoes 🤪

During lunch, we're almost alone. It seems that fewer and fewer people have booked 'All Inclusive' - we already noticed that yesterday. In the first week, all vacationers seemed to have booked it without exception, and lunch was just as crowded as breakfast or dinner.

The vacationers have now been completely replaced, and since the day before yesterday we haven't seen anyone who was here when we arrived. It seems that no one else is here for 15 days except us.

I feel a little sorry for the vacationers who arrived yesterday before or after the storm (or had to leave). Hopefully the wind will calm down tomorrow. Waves are fun, but not suitable for snorkeling at all.

The sun has also hidden behind the clouds again. Too bad ...

It's still warm, but the real Maldives feeling doesn't really come up right now 😬

After lunch, I take a walk on the water bungalow jetties with my son and husband. I have been here on my own several times.

Because I wore flip flops, the hot wooden planks of the jetties didn't bother me. Since it's no longer sunny today, my boys can walk barefoot on the jetties.

The sea is very wavy, and the waves crash against the concrete walls of the islands, spraying several meters high fountains into the air at regular intervals when they hit the island wall.

So I'm a little wary of the jetties. We walk to the end of the jetties, see a few schools of fish in the turbulent water, and of course, my son has to climb down the ladders towards the water on the jetty of the Superior Bungalows. It was clear that the second wave would catch him and now he has wet pants 🤷🏻

My husband and he find it very funny. Well, as far as I'm concerned - it's warm.

So as beautiful as the water bungalows may be: they wouldn't be for me!

You can constantly hear the waves, and then the running on the jetty...

With yesterday's storm, I wouldn't have dared to leave the bungalow 😉

I also find the view rather modest. The new bungalows look out onto Malé/Airport Island or the construction site island across, the old bungalows also look towards the new bungalows or Malé. I prefer to enjoy the view of the beach with palm trees and sea view from the beach bungalow 😍

From the jetty, we see the waves crashing against the pool wall. Incredible how high the water splashes. Of course, my son can't resist and has to pose and fool around on the wet boat jetty right in front of the Thulhagiri sign. I warn him that a wave can come, he doesn't believe me...and then it's too late. We both see the wave rolling in, it turns at the wall instead of crashing against it, and it pours about 3 meters high from the side over the jetty - right over my son! The force of the wave is so strong that it almost knocks him down.

Screaming and laughing loudly, he now runs from the jetty soaked to the underwear (of course, he's not wearing swimwear). Well done 🤪

In front of the Sand Bar, there is a cart full of suitcases. It seems that many have left today and some new guests have arrived.

The island is now firmly in German hands. There are only a few exceptions, otherwise, everyone speaks German!

We spend the afternoon on the beach chairs of the bungalow terrace. Unfortunately, the sun doesn't want to show itself anymore, but the wind seems to be getting stronger.

Dagmar and Paul are out with the kites again, we chill until dinner and go on another key search.

Unfortunately, the key is still nowhere to be found...

After dinner, we sit in the Sand Bar and play cards.

Hopefully that was the end of the storm - it would be nice if the sun would come out again in the last few days...

6th August 2021

I wake up at 5 o'clock: Storm!

When I look out the window, our bungalow neighbor is fishing his bathing clothes out of the bushes, because the wind has scattered them everywhere and saves his towels that he left on the plastic loungers in front of the bungalow. I quickly go outside and collect our air mattress and the other inflatables. Luckily, they are protected behind the loungers and haven't flown away yet. Half of our bathing clothes, which were hanging on the rod to dry, have fallen down. I bring everything inside.

By now, the husband is also awake and helping me.

After another 10 minutes, we decide to bring in the cushions for the loungers as well. It's quite windy.

However, completely without rain - only wind 🤷🏻

I'm curious what it will look like tomorrow morning. I can't imagine that the storm will be over in 3 hours, but let's wait and see.

This morning at 8:30 it's still windy and cloudy, but the situation seems to have calmed down.

During breakfast at 9 o'clock, the waiters eventually roll down all the blinds and move the tables away from the windows. Since I've been waiting the longest for my omelette, the family urges me to eat quickly. Our waiter Mohamed says that a storm is coming and it will rain... 'very soon'.

We watch the snorkel guests in disbelief as they board the snorkel boat for the excursion.

Why they still allow a snorkeling trip with this black curtain of clouds and the obviously impending bad weather is a mystery to me.

We eat and drink quickly, then we go out. It's still quiet inland.

My son and I take a look at the beach in front of our bungalow, it starts drizzling lightly. Many holidaymakers are frolicking in the sea, many are lying on the beach.

Then it happens very quickly. On the horizon, we see a yacht "disappear" into the rain cloud every second, and just as quickly, the few raindrops turn into a full-blown shower with gusts of wind around 10 o'clock.

We quickly bring everything from the bungalow terrace to safety: the cushion for the loungers, all the bathing clothes, swimming gear, and towels. Most of them are already wet because it's raining at an angle.

My son puts on his swimming trunks and runs joyfully through the rain, which is probably quite refreshing.

The husband suggests jumping quickly into the warm sea!?

Well then. Both of them run through the storm into the sea and come back shortly after. There are too many waves and the rain would feel like needles. But it was fun apparently 😉

Now we are lying in bed with various entertainment electronics and watching the storm through the big panoramic window.

The idea of watching the Olympic Games on TV is destroyed by the message 'No Signal' on the screen. That figures....

Let's see how long the bad weather lasts 🤷🏻

After an hour, the rain stops, but the wind is still blowing over the island and whipping the waves up the beach slope, so that occasionally a wave splashes towards the bungalow but sinks into the sand long before.

I am sitting with the kids in Bungalow 117 and watching the spectacle through the panoramic window. Crazy weather...

At 12:30, we take advantage of the brief lull in the rain and walk to the restaurant with umbrellas.

However, shortly before we remember that because of the Friday prayer, lunch is not served until 1:15 pm, so we sit in the Sand Bar and play a round of 'Phase10'.

The waves lash against the concrete walls at the piers in front of us. One wave actually gets so high that it almost reaches the Sand Bar.

After another round of 'Lama' and mocktails 'Lime&Lemonade', we go to lunch. Here too, the view through the lowered transparent blinds is very 'stormy'.

Some people also don't dare to sit at their window seats. Some couples have asked for another table for lunch today, "away from the window".

It starts raining and storming again, so we go back to the Sand Bar and play more games.

It's really exciting to watch the waves.

When the rain subsides in the afternoon, my son and husband jump into the sea, because now there are great waves for wave jumping.

In the lagoon, Dagmar & Paul from the water sports station are speeding past us on surfboards with kites and doing cool jumps. The two of them are visibly happy about the weather 💨🌊

Today will be the first evening without a sunset drink, the sunset is missing due to the clouds and it's quite uncomfortable at the Beach Bar with the storm and occasional rain.

After dinner, we sit in the Sand Bar again and treat ourselves to the first cocktails of the day: Whiskey Fizz, Tequila Sunrise, and Black Russian 🍹

CHEERS 😇

August 5, 2021

After breakfast, we start our daily snorkeling round.

The visibility today is not as good as yesterday.

We enter the reef again at the buoy in front of our bungalow (which means here too: swim and paddle properly until you reach the reef through the lagoon).

Today there are a lot of schools of fish. We only see one shark, rays and mobulas are missing today.

However, it is also very cool to swim and snorkel with the huge schools of fish.

In the middle of our snorkeling round, we see a blue lobster peering out of its hiding place. Like the last lobster, it hides as soon as we get closer. So we only see its antennae and it looks like it's looking at us.

A little further on, we see two lobster skeletons at the edge of the reef. Oh, someone was hungry! Later, Dagmar from the water sports tells us that these were very likely squids that had enjoyed a feast.

While the husband swims directly to the beach after snorkeling today, I snorkel back with the daughter on the lagoon side of the reef. We hope to meet the turtle again.

Unfortunately, it seems to be elsewhere today. Instead, we see the giant triggerfish, a large blue mussel, and many colorful fish.

When we are outside, I convince my son to snorkel at least in the front part of the lagoon. There are plenty of fish swimming around the concrete walls in the sea, which act as breakwaters towards bungalows 120-130 - and he doesn't have to snorkel far for that. The way to the edge of the reef is quite far and exhausting against the current.

He gives up and joins me in the water. We snorkel a few meters into the lagoon to the concrete stones. There are several openings, I swim ahead and .....

...I look directly into the eyes of a shark!!!

Ohhhhhaaaaaaa.... Sharks so close to the beach in the lagoon???? Now I know why there were none outside the reef. Fortunately, my son did not see the shark, which swims past me immediately. Otherwise, he would have turned around on his heels and would not have gone swimming that quickly. We snorkel around the wall inside and outside, see many colorful fish, and then return to the beach.

Now it's time to splash around!

After lunch - by the way, we are almost alone, because after the guest change, hardly anyone seems to be here who has booked "All Inclusive" - my son and husband play another round of table tennis.

I go to the beach with my daughter to relax. Oh yes, vacation is really exhausting 😉

My son watches the hermit crabs and the rest of the family spends the day playing and relaxing in the water. Vacation can be so beautiful!

We have our evening sundowner again at the beach bar around 4:30. Today, a dark cloud tower is building up in the sky, indicating something bad, but again we are lucky: the possible storm passes by!

While we enjoy our sundowner, my son has fun on the beach.

At some point, he is not fast enough and gets caught by a wave. After his pants and T-shirt are wet, we walk the few meters back to the bungalow (I LOVE this small island with extremely short distances!). My son takes off his clothes and goes for a swim in the sunset while we watch from the beach chairs. Oh, how beautiful vacation is!

August 4, 2021

Yesterday was "halftime", from today we are getting closer to the departure day step by step. Oops....

But we don't want to think about that now.

The sun is shining again, the sky is almost cloudless, and like most days, there is a gentle breeze blowing (without it, the humidity would be unbearable).

But what's amazing is how the wind varies on this small island. So on our side of the beach, there's often a good breeze, but a little further towards bungalows 130-140, it's almost calm. The sea is also much calmer and less wavy at the corresponding section of the beach (a few meters into the water, you can find concrete walls that make the lagoon quieter for swimming, they don't exist at bungalows 101-118).

After breakfast, we go snorkeling. Today we enter the reef at the buoy in front of our bungalow and swim (against a gentle current) to the other exit in front of the jetty, where we usually enter.

I don't know if there's a big difference in the sun / visibility, etc. The husband says the visibility is better. Well then...

There are not as many sharks as yesterday, but we see the Mobula Trio several times. They're really cool! Once, they glide past me on the roof of the reef. We used to think they only swim in deep water.

But today, they're also swimming near the surface because there's a lot of plankton in the water.

We need a little more time against the current.

The husband has had enough and swims back to the beach. I snorkel back to our bungalow with our daughter on the lagoon side of the reef. At first, it's a bit desolate snorkeling in the coral desert, but then I see a turtle in the shallow water (maybe the same one as yesterday?). It's digging around in the corals and doesn't mind us being there. How cool!

(Reminder: Unfortunately, the pictures are all a bit blurry and not optimal because we don't have a suitable underwater camera anymore - it broke on day 3). These are screenshots from videos taken with my daughter's phone and an underwater case 😊)

With this fantastic sighting, we swim back to the beach, where our son and husband are already playing in the lagoon on an inflatable mattress.

After lunch, the program only consists of relaxing and playing in the water. In the afternoon, the wind picks up again and the waves get bigger. Snorkeling would no longer make sense (even though many vacationers snorkel in the lagoon in the evening).

While we are sitting in the beach bar, we observe a huge black cloud that seems to be coming straight towards us. We are already considering whether to make ourselves comfortable on the bungalow terrace with cocktails, but we are lucky: the cloud passes by!

No rain in paradise 😉

In the evening, at the Beach Bar, we observe some newcomers with interesting T-shirts. Did they mistake Malé for "Malle" here!?

The label "Bierautomat" almost suggests so 😉

Our evening game round is a bit shorter today because, for some reason, we are all totally exhausted. It's unbelievable how tired you can get from the sun and the sea 😊

August 3, 2021

The sea is completely calm today!

First, this morning we search the entire bungalow again for the stuffed animal. It is still missing. Even the room boy has no idea where it could be.

My husband goes to the reception with our son and the 'wanted poster'. They record the case and promise to inform us as soon as they find the stuffed animal.

After breakfast, we go snorkeling right away. Unfortunately, our son still refuses to snorkel. However, he had earache after the last snorkeling session. He prefers to stay on the beach with his Nintendo. Happy Holidays...

Right at the rope that leads to the reef, we see a large turtle at the beginning of the coral roof. Cool! She eats and digs right next to the rope and is not bothered by us.

Since the sea is so calm today, we want to snorkel towards the overwater bungalows, but the visibility becomes extremely poor just a few meters in that direction, so we turn back. So we go on the familiar snorkeling route to the next rope in front of our bungalow.

Shortly afterwards, several blacktip reef sharks swim past us without paying any attention. In addition to many colorful fish, parrotfish of all sizes, and triggerfish of all sizes, we also see the two Mobulas (devil rays) again, which we initially mistook for small manta rays.

Eventually, the third nurse shark swims past us, followed by more blacktip reef sharks. There are suddenly so many that it makes me uncomfortable. And when an unusually large specimen starts circling around my daughter while she completely unabashedly records everything with her phone, we've had enough.

We swim quickly to the other rope and leave the reef for the lagoon. There, we are greeted with excellent visibility and a Picasso triggerfish defending its coral. It keeps attacking us, darting towards the camera or snorkel mask and then darting back at us. Is this the same one we saw on the first snorkeling day?

We leave the little guy alone and swim to the beach. Today we've been snorkeling for over an hour again. And it has been very exciting!

On the beach, our son comes towards us with a big smile on his face, his stuffed animal firmly in his arms. It had actually hidden itself in the sheets when the beds were stripped and now it has come out freshly washed from the laundry 🤭

Phew, the vacation is saved 😉

During lunch, we hear from our table neighbors that the two-person table in the corner by the window, overlooking the beach and sea, was completely washed over and cleared out by a wave this morning, shortly after we left.

It seems that water is still seeping under the restaurant, as there is a big puddle under our table and the table next to ours.

After lunch, our son and husband play a round of table football and table tennis, while I relax on the terrace of the bungalow with our daughter.

In the afternoon, we convince our son to go for a short snorkeling session by the edge of the reef. Unfortunately, the visibility is terrible and we can't even see the rope to the reef.

After we reach the front, we watch some fish and then turn back.

At least our son tried snorkeling again without experiencing any ear pain.

We spend the rest of the afternoon chilling and wave-hopping in the lagoon with our swimming pillows and inflatable mattress. The big waves come out of nowhere, I get washed over twice, much to the amusement of the kids 🤭

We spend the evening watching the sunset again at the beach bar with a Pina Colada and beer 🍻, later of course with the evening Black Russian

Almost only German people are sitting around us now. The alarming thing, however, is that the young Germans without exception either don't have any sunscreen with them or have underestimated the sun here to such an extent that some of them look like lobsters. One male specimen has burned the silhouette of his tank top onto his back, and for many ladies, it is the bikini that can be seen in white on their bright red backs - ouch...

That already hurts just by looking at it.

Due to the large number of clouds, the sunset today is not as spectacular as in previous days.

However, today we see 2 flying foxes directly in the trees in front of our bungalow. I have seen a flying fox flying from the sea several times in the past few days, but I have never found one in a tree. Our daughter has a talent for that and manages to film and photograph the animals.

Dinner is delicious again. Our son has fallen in love with all the chicken dishes and goes to the buffet 3 times for another schnitzel, chicken skewers, or tomatoes with cucumbers.

Just be careful with the curry - it's usually very spicy 😬

Like the past few days, every vacationer in the buffet queue has their temperature measured. Mostly during breakfast, but sometimes also during dinner. So far, we have always been on the safe side with temperatures of 36.2-36.4 👍🏻

After dinner, we go to the sand bar to play. They show a half-hour diving video, which must be over 20 years old judging by the many colorful corals and intact reef... (the format doesn't look very up-to-date either).

On the way back to the bungalow, we see a little mouse 🐁 sitting under a lamp. That's something new, we haven't seen any mice before. When a big crab approaches the mouse, it jumps up and hurries into the thickets. Very funny.

With the sound of the waves in our ears, I toss and turn for a while until I finally fall asleep on the hard mattress.

August 2, 2021

I wake up at 7 o'clock and can't sleep anymore.

My back hurts, the mattress is just too hard for me 🙈

After another half an hour of tossing and turning, I move to the sun lounger on the terrace. The sun is shining and the water is calm. I'm curious to see if we will have a good view while snorkeling later.

The wind is completely absent today and I already have a feeling that it will be a sweaty day, as the sun is already shining brightly in the sky.

We have breakfast at 9 o'clock.

As always, I have omelette and melon for breakfast. The omelette cook already knows me and I don't have to say anything except "Good Morning!". He repeats for me every morning:

"Good Morning! Two eggs with cheese, tomato, spinach and onions, salt & pepper – come back in 5 minutes!"

That's what I call service! So I can already queue up at the fruit buffet and then pick up my finished omelette. Nice!

After breakfast, the husband would like to go wakeboarding, but since there are 2 water skiing beginners getting lessons today, wakeboarding will only be possible afterwards, earliest at 11 o'clock.

We decide to go snorkeling before that and swim past the two yellow buoys above the jetty.

Unfortunately, the visibility under the water is very poor, the sea is very turbulent, although there are hardly any waves. Just before the last rope to the reef edge, we see a huge ray swimming into the lagoon right next to us. Wow, it's big!

At the front of the reef edge, we see some fish and schools, but no sharks. The visibility doesn't improve despite the direct sunlight, so we decide to snorkel back and skip the big round today.

On the way to the buoy towards the beach, we see the ray again next to us. It is digging the bottom of the sea and seems to be looking for food. It is already quite far in front of the lagoon.

After snorkeling, I quickly get my DSLR camera and we head straight to the water sports stand. The husband wants to go wakeboarding.

I can go on the boat and take photos. Perfect!

Paul, the head of the water sports station, takes us on beautiful rounds around the island so that the husband can pose on the board in front of the water bungalows and the island 😇🤪

We drive almost 1.5 times around the island, then the husband signals that it's enough - haha. Paul encourages him to jump over a few waves (yes, we have a lot of fun in the boat *ggg*), then he slows down and drives back towards the beach.

Dagmar is already waiting there and walks around the boat to take my bag with the DSLR camera. The water is already 2m deep behind the beach, reaching up to my chest. Dagmar is smaller than me and juggles my bag safely over her head while fighting through the waves to get to the beach.

After lunch, we actually want to walk along the jetties of the water bungalows and look into the lagoon, but I'm the only one with flip-flops and the wooden planks are very hot. So I go 'strolling' alone.

Walking on the jetties in the midday heat is quite exhausting.

After a little break on the sun lounger, we splash in the sea. We have a lot of fun with the air mattress and the waves in our oversized bathtub 🤪.

For the sunset, we sit again at the beach bar and around us there are almost only German couples, most of them are on their honeymoon, we hear. Many arrived with Condor yesterday.

You can tell that there are hardly any Russians here anymore. The posing on the beach at sunset has noticeably decreased 🤭

I try a new creation: Lime&Lemonade with vodka. Also nice 🤪

Together with a Black Russian, the perfect sunset drink.

The dinner is again very diverse. The eggplants in all variations are very delicious today. As a vegetarian, I have never had to go hungry. But I will stay away from the ratatouille from now on. My last 2 attempts ended in sweating and a numb tongue. I'm really not picky when it comes to spicy food, but that was really too spicy.

It's a pity that it never says whether something is spicy or not. Maybe a suggestion for improvement to the hotel - we have already received the appropriate paper to fill out.

The dessert is again very chocolatey, but unfortunately there are raisins or candied orange peel almost everywhere. Some people may like it, but I don't like it at all, but there are still plenty of pastries, fried fruits, or dough with honey or vanilla sauce, and of course fruit 😉

The nightly gaming session at the Sand Bar is a must. Today we stick to 'Skyjo' and 'Llama', we are once again exhausted from the sun ☀️.

Unfortunately, there is still a big drama before going to bed:

The beloved Pokemon plush toy of our son is missing!

We search everywhere, under the bed, in all the closets. The plush toy is gone. We comfort him and promise to search again tomorrow. It can't be gone....

Who would steal a stuffed toy on a mini island!?

August 1st2021

The sun is shining again, but it's much windier today than yesterday.
In front of our bungalow, there was apparently a hermit party at night. It's incredible how much traffic there is, judging by the tracks. Something was going on last night.

There's still a particularly big one next to the foot water bowl.

On the way to breakfast, we see two more rabbits. So now there are at least 4 rabbits living on the island.

After breakfast, we start our daily snorkeling round. We snorkel again from the yellow buoys at the jetty around the reef, and then along the side to the other snorkeling entry/exit point at our bungalows 117/118. The route is quite long, and it takes us between 60 and 80 minutes each time. Since our son refuses to snorkel, we don't have to stay near the buoys at the reef anymore, but we can take the big round while our son relaxes on the lounger with his tablet. Well, to each their own - it's vacation!

We see various colorful fish again, several giant triggerfish that we know from Egypt, the occasional shark, and the manta-like Mobulas. We also have a lobster looking at us from a hole in the rocks. Unfortunately, it scurries away when we get closer, so now we can only see its feelers and eyes.

At lunch, we see many new faces. In conversations, we hear that many vacationers arrived with Condor.

Now I would say that about 2/3 of the people on the island are German. The Russians are almost all gone, and we sit at the table with Swiss people. There are a few Austrians, but we only hear a few vacationers speaking English now.

In the afternoon, the wind picks up, which the husband is thrilled about. Now he can go windsurfing again.
I watch him from the jetty as he circles around in the lagoon.

Afterwards, it's time to splash around with the kids in the lagoon.

On the way to dinner, we see the black rabbit

Buffet

After dinner, we play a few more rounds of Skyjo and Lama, try a few more cocktails, and fall asleep at 10 PM.
Vacations can be exhausting. 🤭