“…I once found a list of diseases as yet unclassified by medical science, and among these there occurred the word Islomania, which was described as a rare but by no means unknown affliction of spirit. There are people…who find islands somehow irresistible. The mere knowledge that they are on an island, a little world surrounded by the sea, fills them with an indescribable intoxication. These born “islomanes”…are direct descendents of the Atlanteans….”
-Lawrence Durrell, from Reflections on a Marine Venus.
By Atlanteans he’s referring to residents of the lost city of Atlantis, but this former Atlantan (Georgia) understands the sensation. Bodies of water fill me with peace, and being surrounded by water most assuredly does. Being on an island, or on a ship, achieves this for me. And being in the Maldives most certainly achieved it.
The capital of the Maldives in the island of Male, the most densely populated place on earth: 1 square mile with over 80,000 inhabitants. The population is growing, as young people move to Male from elsewhere in the country. Those who went into Male found it suffocating, both from heat and the press of humanity. We, however, spent only as long on Male as it took to get on a ferry to the atoll of Kuda Bandos, a coral island of breathtaking beauty.
The idea here was to do some snorkeling, but the concession was closed when we arrived, so we just hit the water and swam until we shriveled. With all the close-in coral reefs, the water was of a mix of colors, each more lovely than the last bit. The white sand beach was inviting, but the water even more so. After a couple of hours, the concession opened, and so out in the water we went again, this time to look at the coral and fish. I’ve never snorkeled that close to the shore before, nor over coral reefs in such shallow water.
It was startling to see such colorful coral so close in, and to see fish unlike any I’ve seen before. Now, I’ve never been good at identifying fish, so I have no idea what I was looking at, but many were of colors and patterns of great beauty. There was the big turquoise, rose and yellow one. There was the white one with the yellow and blue around the eyes. Then there was the orange and burgundy one—yes, Danielle, it must be a Hokie fish!
After this idyllic afternoon, we set sail for our next destination, the Seychelles. I went up to the top deck for the sailaway—a favorite pursuit of mine—and for the first time on this cruise was alone on the deck. The sun was setting at that moment, and the sunset was particularly spectacular that evening: a fiery red orb that left behind it a sky of many shades of rose. This over a city in which everyone seemed to be turning on their lights at once. And, over the city, the Muslim call to prayers sounded gently. The call no sooner finished than the recorded bagpipe music that accompanies all our sailaways came on. The weather at that point was ideal—the temperature was around 79 degrees and there was little humidity and a light breeze. Standing there, watching Male get smaller and smaller, I experienced one of those rare “perfect moments” in life. Never have I felt so free or so at peace.
-Lawrence Durrell, from Reflections on a Marine Venus.
By Atlanteans he’s referring to residents of the lost city of Atlantis, but this former Atlantan (Georgia) understands the sensation. Bodies of water fill me with peace, and being surrounded by water most assuredly does. Being on an island, or on a ship, achieves this for me. And being in the Maldives most certainly achieved it.
The capital of the Maldives in the island of Male, the most densely populated place on earth: 1 square mile with over 80,000 inhabitants. The population is growing, as young people move to Male from elsewhere in the country. Those who went into Male found it suffocating, both from heat and the press of humanity. We, however, spent only as long on Male as it took to get on a ferry to the atoll of Kuda Bandos, a coral island of breathtaking beauty.
The idea here was to do some snorkeling, but the concession was closed when we arrived, so we just hit the water and swam until we shriveled. With all the close-in coral reefs, the water was of a mix of colors, each more lovely than the last bit. The white sand beach was inviting, but the water even more so. After a couple of hours, the concession opened, and so out in the water we went again, this time to look at the coral and fish. I’ve never snorkeled that close to the shore before, nor over coral reefs in such shallow water.
It was startling to see such colorful coral so close in, and to see fish unlike any I’ve seen before. Now, I’ve never been good at identifying fish, so I have no idea what I was looking at, but many were of colors and patterns of great beauty. There was the big turquoise, rose and yellow one. There was the white one with the yellow and blue around the eyes. Then there was the orange and burgundy one—yes, Danielle, it must be a Hokie fish!
After this idyllic afternoon, we set sail for our next destination, the Seychelles. I went up to the top deck for the sailaway—a favorite pursuit of mine—and for the first time on this cruise was alone on the deck. The sun was setting at that moment, and the sunset was particularly spectacular that evening: a fiery red orb that left behind it a sky of many shades of rose. This over a city in which everyone seemed to be turning on their lights at once. And, over the city, the Muslim call to prayers sounded gently. The call no sooner finished than the recorded bagpipe music that accompanies all our sailaways came on. The weather at that point was ideal—the temperature was around 79 degrees and there was little humidity and a light breeze. Standing there, watching Male get smaller and smaller, I experienced one of those rare “perfect moments” in life. Never have I felt so free or so at peace.
1 comment:
mmmmm....what a moment. Thanks for sharing, it must have been unlike anything else in life.
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