"ME, MYSELF AND THE MALDIVES" a Maldives Travel Page by Gillybob

The Maldives has always been top of my list of dream destinations - a place I've always wanted to see and experience. So, having turned 40 in January, what was I to do but book myself onto a one week holiday as my special treat during a year of special treats!

So, I stuck two fingers up to the establishment and the idea that the Maldives is the destination of honeymooners, anniversary couples and loved-up people in general and forked out the purse-killing £470 single supplement (for one week!) and headed off to the land of snorkel, rest, relaxation and recouperation. Not only that, but I was determined to stay in my idea of heaven on those paradise islands - a water bungalow!

Now, my holidays are usual quite hectic affairs with lots of sightseeing and getting out there and seeing what the town/country I was visiting is all about. Not much opportunity for that in the Maldives but luckily I love snorkelling.

I was only introduced to snorkelling late in life but, in general, I love animals and wildlife so my introduction was just an expansion of my love of animals to include a whole new area of fish and other things aquatic!

At Kuramathi, the reef is very accessible and, at high tide, there's the opportunity to snorkel over the top to the outer reef and encounter even more new fishy friends! The drop away is maginificent (a diver's dream) and gives you the chance to see big schools of fish totally different from those little minnows seen on the inside reef. You name it, I saw it : damselfish, surgeonfish, chromis, reef sharks, parrotfish, wrasse, the list is endless. I bought a book from the souvenir shop to help me identify what I was seeing but the Marine Biologist at the resort's unique Bio Station can also assist. I'll have to wait until I've processed the film from the underwater cameras to finalise some of the identifications because there was just too much to remember at the end of the day!

During the middle of each day, it was great to head off to the water bungalow and sit out of the sun on my little deck reading and relaxing in general - I'm not a sun worshipper and, being only slightly north of the equator, the sun is incredibly strong in the Maldives.

For me, a week was more than sufficient, with a trip out island hopping for one day, the time went by really slowly and it wasn't long before it was time to hop back on board the launch for the return to Hulule and my flight home.

What a week! What a year this will be too with still more trips to come along.

So you're 40 and still single - so what??!!! Get out there and do the things you really want to do and live life. Don't let yourself get down on what isn't working for you. Get on and make things that you enjoy work for you by lifting you through the year!!! You only have one life, so live it, love it and take each day to the max!!