Day Three; A day to be!
Who knew that I will be devouring hot and crispy Aaloo paratha on my second day in Maldives #homeawayfromhome. It is a layered flatbread stuffed with potatoes, shallow fried to golden perfection. In Pakistan folks prefer to have a bowl of yoghurt with these parathas but here they are served with spicy, sweet pea curry. Though it's not near to the taste I prefer but the sheer surprise of having them in Maldives has enhanced the flavor.
I am loving the food
here. Unlike hotel food, which is usually lukewarm and bland, whatever I ate so
far is fresh and flavorful! Yet it is our second day here, let us see how it goes!
Breakfast is finished and now we are going towards Sports center to collect snorkeling gears. Our resort offers many activities. There is wide range of paid and complimentary activities and one of them is snorkeling. We registered for it yesterday and today we are supposed to attend a twenty-five-minute tutorial session in the swimming pool.
Our coach is a young Maldivian guy with tanned skin and curly hair. He speaks fluent English like most Maldivians.
Literacy
rate in Maldives amounts to 98% which is higher than any other South Asian
country. Like other countries, which were once British colonies, The Republic
of Maldives also follow British system of education. It is not only the literacy
rate in which country excel but the quality of education as well! Educational standards
are among the highest standards in the region. It is not a surprise to see whether it is a waiter, crew or manager, comfortably conversing
in English.
So, our
coach is a young Maldivian whose name is ‘Attu.’ He briefs us about reef snorkeling
and how to use the snorkeling gear properly. Kids are elated while I am
dreading. After watching movies and documentaries based on dreadful sea mishaps,
my mind is busy weaving all sort of details. On the other hand, kids love water, they are like fish in a pond!
It is a
beautiful cloudy day. Not perfect for those craving a sunshine beside the beach
but for us who had their fill of bright, blazing, long summer days of Pakistan
and sheer sight of clouds mean celebration! So, when most at the resort prefer
staying undercovers doing whatever they are doing we are wandering in the rain!
It is
raining and we are swimming; there is a rainbow, and we are making sandcastles,
well if it is allowed to call them so, they are more like mud pies because of wet, soggy sand.
It is a relaxed day, how a day should be at a resort! Long walk around the island, warm baths, ice creams, teas and when tired a light yet delectably delicious meal of chicken fried rice served with bread and butter!
But what is delicious to us is
a big no for kids. Rice has vegetables and bread is hard, consequently we are heading for another early supper, like yesterday. Today’s pick is Murgh Makhni (butter chicken) a popular Indian delicacy and lentil curry. Served with freshly
baked, garlic naan reaffirms our prior statement, “Food at this place is finger
licking good!”
Once we are done with the supper, it is already dark! Air is crisp and fresh; we are walking towards our rooms while melodious voices of singers are sailing behind! Another day comes to an end, many more are still to go, till we can say, "We are home!"
Out of the water into the PCRs
