I've really been struggling of late, in picking the destination for my NBT. Nothing is really, really, really jumping out at me, saying "PICKMEPICKMEPICKME!" Sure, I want to go practically everywhere. But, usually there's one spot that stands out as the "IT" location of the trip, and I plan the rest of the trip around going to said IT spot.
But lately... funk.
I've narrowed it down to somewhere... tropical. Maybe. Or maybe not.
Ugh. You see?
Here's something that looks tempting, from G Adventures/ formerly GAP Tours, who I sailed around the Greek Isles with and had the time.of.my.life.
Maldives Dhoni Tour
The Maldives are pretty hot right now, as far as the travel scene goes. They're a group of islands off the Southernmost tip of India. Trips to the Maldives don't come cheap. Hotel rooms for BASIC accomodations run around $500 per night. That's right. $500 PER NIGHT. So if you've checked out the hefty pricetag on that Dhoni tour, relative to spending a week in a hotel on a Madivian island, the boat tour is CHEAP (and it includes meals...).
But where else to visit in the region? India? Dubai? Perhaps Sri Lanka, Kenya or Madagascar? With a stop in Spain on the way home?
Where would you go if you had two weeks to travel between the Maldives and San Francisco?
More about the Maldives:
The Maldives consists of approximately 1,190 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, along the north-south direction, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), making this one of the world's most dispersed countries. It lies between latitudes 1°S and 8°N, and longitudes 72° and 74°E. The atolls are composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, situated atop a submarine ridge 960 kilometres (600 mi) long that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean and runs north to south. Only near the southern end of this natural coral barricade do two open passages permit safe ship navigation from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other through the territorial waters of Maldives. For administrative purposes the Maldivian government organized these atolls into twenty one administrative divisions. The largest island of Maldives is Gan, which belongs to Laamu Atoll or Hahdhummathi Maldives. In Addu Atoll the westernmost islands are connected by roads over the reef (collectively called Link Road) and the total length of the road is 14 km (9 mi).
The Maldives is the lowest country in the world, with a maximum natural ground level of only 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in), with the average being only 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, although in areas where construction exists, this has been increased to several metres. However, more than 80 per cent of the country's land is composed of coral islands that rise less than one metre above sea level.[18]
The reef is composed of coral debris and living coral. This acts as a natural barrier against the sea, forming lagoons. Other islands, set at a distance and parallel to the reef, have their own protective fringe of reef. An opening in the surrounding coral barrier allows access to the calmer lagoon waters. The barrier reefs of the islands protect them from the storms and high waves of the Indian Ocean.[citation needed]
A 15 centimetres (6 in) thick layer of humus forms the top layer of soil. Below the humus layer are 60 centimetres (2 ft) of sandstone, followed by sand and then fresh water. Due to high levels of salt in the soil near the beach, vegetation is limited there to a few plants such as shrubs, flowering plants, and small hedges. In the interior of the islands, more vegetation such as mangrove and banyan grow. Coconut palms, the national tree, are able to grow almost everywhere on the islands and are integral to the lifestyle of the population.[citation needed]
The limited vegetation and land wildlife is supplemented by the abundance of marine life. The waters around the Maldives are abundant in rare species of biological and commercial value. Tuna fisheries are one of the main commercial resources. The Maldives have an amazing diversity of sea life, with corals and over 2,000 species of fish, ranging from reef fish to reef sharks, moray eels, and a wide variety of rays: Manta rays, Stingray and Eagle ray. The Maldivian waters also host whale sharks and hawksbill and green sea turtles.
From Wikipedia
But lately... funk.
I've narrowed it down to somewhere... tropical. Maybe. Or maybe not.
Ugh. You see?
Here's something that looks tempting, from G Adventures/ formerly GAP Tours, who I sailed around the Greek Isles with and had the time.of.my.life.
Maldives Dhoni Tour
The Maldives are pretty hot right now, as far as the travel scene goes. They're a group of islands off the Southernmost tip of India. Trips to the Maldives don't come cheap. Hotel rooms for BASIC accomodations run around $500 per night. That's right. $500 PER NIGHT. So if you've checked out the hefty pricetag on that Dhoni tour, relative to spending a week in a hotel on a Madivian island, the boat tour is CHEAP (and it includes meals...).
But where else to visit in the region? India? Dubai? Perhaps Sri Lanka, Kenya or Madagascar? With a stop in Spain on the way home?
Where would you go if you had two weeks to travel between the Maldives and San Francisco?
More about the Maldives:
The Maldives consists of approximately 1,190 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, along the north-south direction, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), making this one of the world's most dispersed countries. It lies between latitudes 1°S and 8°N, and longitudes 72° and 74°E. The atolls are composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, situated atop a submarine ridge 960 kilometres (600 mi) long that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean and runs north to south. Only near the southern end of this natural coral barricade do two open passages permit safe ship navigation from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other through the territorial waters of Maldives. For administrative purposes the Maldivian government organized these atolls into twenty one administrative divisions. The largest island of Maldives is Gan, which belongs to Laamu Atoll or Hahdhummathi Maldives. In Addu Atoll the westernmost islands are connected by roads over the reef (collectively called Link Road) and the total length of the road is 14 km (9 mi).
The Maldives is the lowest country in the world, with a maximum natural ground level of only 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in), with the average being only 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, although in areas where construction exists, this has been increased to several metres. However, more than 80 per cent of the country's land is composed of coral islands that rise less than one metre above sea level.[18]
The reef is composed of coral debris and living coral. This acts as a natural barrier against the sea, forming lagoons. Other islands, set at a distance and parallel to the reef, have their own protective fringe of reef. An opening in the surrounding coral barrier allows access to the calmer lagoon waters. The barrier reefs of the islands protect them from the storms and high waves of the Indian Ocean.[citation needed]
A 15 centimetres (6 in) thick layer of humus forms the top layer of soil. Below the humus layer are 60 centimetres (2 ft) of sandstone, followed by sand and then fresh water. Due to high levels of salt in the soil near the beach, vegetation is limited there to a few plants such as shrubs, flowering plants, and small hedges. In the interior of the islands, more vegetation such as mangrove and banyan grow. Coconut palms, the national tree, are able to grow almost everywhere on the islands and are integral to the lifestyle of the population.[citation needed]
The limited vegetation and land wildlife is supplemented by the abundance of marine life. The waters around the Maldives are abundant in rare species of biological and commercial value. Tuna fisheries are one of the main commercial resources. The Maldives have an amazing diversity of sea life, with corals and over 2,000 species of fish, ranging from reef fish to reef sharks, moray eels, and a wide variety of rays: Manta rays, Stingray and Eagle ray. The Maldivian waters also host whale sharks and hawksbill and green sea turtles.
From Wikipedia
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