We finally managed to venture off the boat today for the first time since
our arrival in Hulhudheli 3 days back. Yesterday consisted of high winds
and rain most of the day though had eased a little over night. Today is
more patchy, but the sky is constantly overcast. The wind keeps dying back
and then picking up again. We have read plenty of books, played plenty of
Monopoly, finished a jigsaw and eaten most of the time while waiting for the
weather to pass. The forecast does show some improvement over the next few
days so we might well make a short hop up to the next atoll tomorrow with
the intention of heading for a local harbour, which we have been told is of
a reasonable size. At least then we can rest a bit easier about the
security of the boat and be able to get on and off with more ease.
We are not sure what impact the start of Ramadan (or Ramazan as it is known
here) will have. On Hulhudheli island today the locals told us that the one
and only cafe on the island was already shut because Ramadan will start in a
few days. Hopefully the impact will not be too great - though we may need
to wait till evening to sample the fare offered by local cafes.
Somewhat predictably, Lonely Planet had "upsold" Hulhudheli and its local
jewellery makers. The locals were friendly enough though and offered us a
tour of the island. We were taken to the far side of the island where waves
crash in over the reefs just a few hundred metres off shore. With such an
overcast sky, the sound and sight of the waves looked quite dramatic. The
locals explained that the tsunami had caused significant damage to the
island and I spotted a building housing a Tsunami "Shelter Programme". We
have heard similar tales about the destruction caused by the tsunami in many
of the places we have visited. One of the strangest impacts of the "great
wave" mentioned was when we were in Chagos. When we were attending the BIOT
BBQ, I had mentioned to one of the army guys about the presence of 100's of
random flip flops and sandals on most of the islands we have visited in
Maldives and also on nearly all the beaches in Chagos. The Maldives ones, I
assumed, were from the lack of discipline the Maldivians have around refuse
disposal. It is one of the aspects about Maldives that has frustrated me
the most - to see such a beautiful country and wonderful beaches covered
(and I mean covered!) with rubbish of all kinds. The Chagos "Flip-flop
phenomenon" I couldn't understand though. Surely there were not that many
yacht owning visitors to the islands, and surely they could not account for
the sheer number of discarded shoes. Our BIOT host stated that their
presence was explained as a result of the tsunami. Quite simply, they were
washed there from all of the thousands of homes and islands that had
suffered. Quite mind-blowing!
I digress...back to Hulhudheli. Our local tour guides took us back round
the harbour where we had left the dinghy, and Bryan informed me that they
had offered us some coconuts. They carried a set of chairs from one of the
nearby houses. These are the type we have seen all over Maldives - metal
frames with rope/twine nets creating the seat. Once seated, one of the
locals then proceeded to climb a coconut tree (some 40ft tall) with nothing
more than his hands, feet and a strip of sacking that he put around his feet
like a bracelet. Within minutes he had scaled the tree and sent numerous
coconuts crashing down. Straws were provided for us to drink the sweet milk
inside and then the shells cut open to eat the coconut flesh - delicious!
We were then taken to 3 or 4 houses where the local jewellery was made.
Nearly all of it silver, with some examples of beaded necklaces made from
black coral. We were also shown some decorative snakes which we were told
were made of fish bone - whale shark bone to be precise. They did say the
whale shark was washed up dead though, not killed by fisherman - I think I
was looking too horrified for any other explanation. The silver work was
quite intricate but didn't really seem particularly different or unique, so
instead I opted for a black coral necklace and some unfinished black coral
pendants that I will get turned into earrings when back in Dubai.
Back on board, the weather seems to be closing in again. We will hope for a
break in the weather tomorrow to allow us to move on....
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