Back in 2004 when our five children were aged 7 up to 18 we were long overdue for a family holiday. Col had borne the brunt of working up our business for the previous five years and was in need of a get-off-the-world rest and relax. Having never had a holiday all of us together with children not in need of fetching and carrying, I looked at ski-ing but resolved it was too much of a sport strenuous option (and expensive to kit out seven of us to boot!), then I looked at beachy places but it was going to be long haul to get hot weather in the depth of a European winter.
Colin had harboured a love for the Maldives from his days out there working (yes, working... good work if you can get it!), so I researched some all Inclusive options which turned out favourable vs skiing for seven and we pushed the proverbial boat out and went to Kuramathi in the Maldives. We got exactly what we needed : sea, sun, sand, snorkelling and so much food and drink it was just what we all needed.
I couldn't believe the blue seas, the amazing coloured fish and mostly that for once all my kids were in the same place at the same time, no teen taxi calls, no school runs, no friends over for tea, just us ! We became a bit of a talking point having an entourage of five children and even the lady in the spa had heard about us.. I nicknamed myself Mrs Von Trapp!
We travelled home on 21st December and arrived in Gatwick amidst carol singers and crowds flying in from Lapland with holiday reps dressed in thick coats and ear muffs...and there we were in board shorts and flip flops! Quite surreal with a choir singing Silent Night alongside an airport sized Christmas Tree!
It wasn't easy settling back down to a Cornish winter either as I still felt I should kick into Christmas mode, but kick in we did.
Some of the people we met on the holiday had a third week booked and we heard from them when they got back... on Boxing Day that same year the Tsunami in Asia occurred and we found ourselves rooted to the TV all day scouring for news of this tiny vulnerable group of islands which had found such a special place in our hearts just a few days earlier.
Some of the islands had suffered badly but our island had flooded pathways and some strange ebbing and flowing of the seas (which Col observed that he would have found very disturbing, either the earth had fallen off its axis or some great earth movement was occurring would have been his first thought!), and was otherwise fine. It turns out that because the islands are essentially sunken volcanos the tsunami surge went round them with a swell rather than treating the land as a barrier as in Sri Lanka.. any other way would have been devastating as there are no areas more than a metre above sea level... they sure wouldn't have taken some of our English winter gales!
We love that place, so much so we have been back several times since and Lisa went there on honeymoon.. just waiting now on the next wedding in the family to see if we can have a communal honeymoon.. any takers kids???!
This is a lovely post - I think it lovely that you had such a great hol just prior to arriving home to such Christmas joy at the airport, I love that image.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank goodness you were back before such a natural tragedy occurred.
And how interesting about the fact the islands were 'swept around' by the swell.
What a gorgeously warm and sunny story to light up a cold Monday morning for me here - thank you! Imagine you getting back safely just before that terrible time..wow..
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to see you back again this month. Thank you!