TRAVEL BLOG November 26th and 27th, 2021 - MALDIVES

11/26/21 and 11/27/21- Twenty-five years ago, Sharece and I got married in a little old church in Southwest Missouri. We were just kids and had no idea what life was, but we made it work. Fast forward to now and it's time to celebrate.

We get to JFK airport around 7:45am, a full 2 ½ hours before our flight, waiting in a long line to check in our bags and get ticketed with Qatar before being told at the desk that we need to fill out a declaration form. We step out of line for a bit, but didn't take long to finish. We then stand in several more long lines for security but are able to board the plane in time. Things looked smooth until we hear an announcement that the flight is delayed due to lack of workers in the luggage area. Um, what?

The delay lasts for an hour and a half, and even though we're finally wheels-up, our thoughts are squarely on our layover. Not making that flight would mean we're stuck in Qatar and will miss our first night romanticizing the Maldives. Yup, we done messed around and booked 4 nights in an over-the-water bungalow, All-Inclusive, in the Indian Ocean (Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa).

It takes 12 ½ hours, and four movies to get to our layover. The cabin is full of bratty kids that like to kick seats and sniffling adults that sounds like they're inhaling golf balls, but somehow we manage to get some rest while landing an hour behind schedule. The worry of missing the flight is also resolved as soon as we get off the plane and find a lady holding up a sign for our next flight. Whew!

While on plane #2, which is virtually empty allowing both of us to spread out, I logged onto the free Wi-Fi and find our bags made the transfer as well. Whew #2. Yet the worry started up again once we arrived in Male, Maldives, circling for an additional 40 minutes before landing 25 minutes late. Normally, this wouldn’t be such a big deal, but our scheduled seaplane (the 45 minutes propeller transfer from the airport to our private island resort) can only fly in the daylight. Since sunset is at 5:30pm that would mean we have a short window to deplane, go through customs, pick up our two bags, find the transfer counter and board. We must've had luck on our side because all of that happened beautifully. The seaplane was also a treat as we have a great view of the islands from the sky during sunset.

Upon landing on the water, we get dropped us off at a floating platform. From there, a boat from the resort picks us up with welcome drinks and jots down our actual anniversary date for a surprise later. Most likely a cake.

After settling in, we are greeted once again by one of the best views possible of the resort just outside our room. We open the double doors from our bed to our deck overlooking the crystal blue water. We even have a glass bottom window at the foot of our bed where we can see all types of fish swimming around. Needless to say, we spend the next few hours getting acquainted with the room before heading for our buffet style dinner at 7:30pm. Did I mention this place has free drinks and awesome food?

After a filling dinner, we play some pool around the bar area, hit up the souvenir shop and freshen up for a good night’s sleep. We are ten hours ahead of New York City and can feel the energy draining. Luckily we have nothing planned to do tomorrow except eat, drink, relax and- whatever else floats our way.