Flying Into Male Airport | June 15, 2004

One of the most impressive flights ever has to be landing at Male airport in the Maldives. As the plane descends, stretching before you is a sea of azure blue reefs and atolls. The engines ease off and the plane gently floats down, almost skimming the water before finally touching down. Male airport sits on it's own private Atoll so transfers to your hotel are either by speedboat or, if you're lucky, by sea plane. Beats descending into Heathrow airport and then fighting your way to the train or bus station any day.

Posted at June 15, 2004 9:11 AM

Comments

nerdelite said on June 15, 2004 7:27 PM

That’s one of those sights in nature that you practically double-take when you see and then hold your eyelids open, staring wide-eyed for so long that you start to tear up. Awesome photo!

Tomas said on June 15, 2004 8:11 PM

Oh My God, do I envy you…

Brad said on June 15, 2004 10:34 PM

Wow. All I can say is wow. I hope you surf and if you do not, I would strong encourage you to learn because the places you travel are almost surfing meccas.

Andy Budd said on June 16, 2004 12:38 AM

I used to surf when I was younger. However I wasn’t in good enough shape and realised I’d never be as good a surfer as some of my friends, so let it slide. I’ve surfed in Indo and Oz, but got fed up of surfing in the UK. Nothing like surfing in Devon in Apr to put you off the sport for life. Well me anyway.

Adrian Rinehart-Balfe said on June 16, 2004 1:24 AM

Sounds wonderfull. I used to like flying into the old airport in Hong Kong. You could see people doing their chores through the windows of the tower blocks. Not as beautiful as the Maldives but a landing you could never forget.

Mike Stenhouse said on June 16, 2004 9:39 AM

The best airport landing I ever had was on Malololili in Fiji but sadly I don’t have a photo to prove it. The airstrip was a stunted gravel strip running across the extremely narrow waist of the island… So stunted, in fact, that I actually didn’t spot it until the pilot pointed it out (due to the lack of seats I was sitting up front with him). Just as we started our landing approach a tractor crossed the runway! No word of a lie. Upon stepping out of the plane we were greeted by a handpainted sign over a thatched, wall-less hut that read ‘Welcome to Malololili International Airport!’ Oh, and the tractor turned out to be our taxi-substitute to the hotel. Class!

Phil Baines said on June 16, 2004 12:21 PM

Maybe you should try Mountain boarding Andy; it is my new extreme sport of choice. All you need is a big hill. You know we have a few of them in Wales!

I only just started the sport this weekend, up in West Wales. I am moving up there soon to start with a new company, so I hope to get a lot more in then.

It sure beats trying to find good surf in the UK. Although, I come from the Gower in South Wales, one of the best surf spots in the country. Yet it still didn’t kick off for me.

Very nice photo! I love the way you can see the waves crashing in from all directions.

Marc said on June 16, 2004 3:39 PM

Hmm. Sounds like Male is not too bad atoll.

picselutz said on June 16, 2004 9:31 PM

Man… the picture is awesome !!!
but I do have a question for you, Andy:
When do you have the time to work or to spend with your family, when you’re on the road/air all the time ???

Jim said on June 16, 2004 9:49 PM

You’re a web developer, and you can afford to vacation in the Maldives. I must be doing something wrong. Envy is too weak a word.

Andy Budd said on June 17, 2004 1:15 AM

Don’t be fooled. I got a seriously cheap deal to the Maldives. It was just after 9/11 so nobody wanted to fly to a Muslim country. Stayed at a 3* German Resort and had to suffer awful food for a week. I don’t own a car and unlike my other friends, don’t buy every gadget available. I wish I could say that I was well paid, but I’m not. I basically save up all of my money so I can go on a couple of good holidays a year. I’m much more into experiences than material possessions. I guess I’m basically a hippy at heart.

Nathan Pitman said on June 18, 2004 9:26 AM

The best bit is when the bus for the sea plane has to wait at a set of traffic lights to cross the airport runway to the sea plane port. Excellent! Take off and landing in a sea plane is just something else. :)

Jim said on June 19, 2004 1:15 AM

Ahh, I see. I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse. On one hand at least I don’t feel like I’m severely underpaid, on the other hand, I rather enjoyed the idea of one day being able to afford such luxurious vacations :)

Great photos though, you seem to have a good handle on color adjustment.