My Maldivian Dream Came True (Part 1)

I am a certified beach lover. I love the feel of warm sand between my toes. I don’t mind getting dark with tan lines. But never in my wildest dreams did I think of being able to go to my ultimate vacation destination.

A lot of people have been asking me how I was able to grab that super cheap round trip ticket to Maldives. Here’s the story:

It all started when I was FB chatting with 2 of my traveler friends (whom I have never traveled with before this trip) and planning a getaway to South Korea. After agreeing on travel dates, Marky suddenly mentioned that one of his pals was able to book cheap tickets to Maldives via AirAsia. And so our other friend, Gracie, checked and tried booking the three of us for a Valentine celebration in Maldives. I was very surprised when Gracie told me the price of the ticket – Php 90. Yes NINETY Philippine Pesos for a round trip ticket to Maldives from Kuala Lumpur. PLUS, we’re flying business class! Here's what Gracie had to go through to confirm our trip.

I still can’t believe that I'm about to live this dream. Friends, please do not curse me for not including you in the same booking because Gracie and I got scared that AA might charge us with the regular ticket price (that’s P30,000!).

Fast forward to February 12, 2014 (Wednesday).

My 9:00PM flight to KL via Cebu Pacific arrived as scheduled (flight time is 3h, 40m). Gracie and I previously agreed to just meet in one of the coffee shops at the LCCT. She, by the way, was coming from a trip in Miri, Malaysia. (Marky, however, decided to not join the trip. He chose Batanes over Maldives.)

A side story: Gracie and I last saw each other in 2007! After seven long years, we are finally getting together, and this time on a trip to an ultimate destination! :) 

February 13, 2014 (Thursday) 

1:00AM - 7:30AM 

I met Gracie at Starbucks. We stayed there, took short naps, charged our gadgets and used the airport's free wi-fi. Sleeping at a cheap hostel was not an option because it will just be an added cost. 

8:00AM - 9:30AM

We transferred to McDonald's as we noticed some Starbucks customers could not find any seats (I guess that was a sign for us to leave). Gracie and I were both hungry and we ordered the Big Breakfast Meal (13MYR = P176). After breakfast, we still had enough time to go to the restroom and put on a little make-up. Of course, we'd like to look fabulous when we land in Male. :) 

10:00AM Time to check in! Gracie already checked us in online several days ago. We presented our printed boarding passes and waited for final boarding call. Consensus: no checked-in baggage since we both want to make sure that we get to the ferry terminal on time. 

It's time to board.

The excitement is building up! As you all know, we are flying business class to Male. This will be my first time in that category and I think will be the last (I hope not). I am a budget traveler and business/first class flights will murder my pocket. 

 Welcome to Business Class! (12-seater)

 wide leather seat with lots of legroom  

our lunch 

(Chicken Marsala, salad with Balsamic vinaigrette, sweet bread for dessert., orange juice & bottled water)

Well, hello there. I'm now ready to sleep. 

The flight to Male will take 4 hours. That will give me ample time to sleep and re-energize. ETD in KL is 11:20AM. We are expected to arrive 12:25PM, Male time. (FYI: Maldives is 3 hours behind Manila/KL).

It was a very smooth flight. We got super excited when the pilot said that we are on final descent. As we approach Male, the sight below (even though the islands appear very little from where we are) was already breathtaking. I don't know how exactly I will react if i actually step on Maldivian land (or waters). 

And we just landed.

It's as if the Indian Ocean is waving at us, welcoming us with a warm embrace as it was hot that afternoon. 

We are finally here at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

The experience with the Maldives Immigration was hassle-free. Lucky me, there were no questions asked. BUT, as I exit the Customs Area for final baggage screening, that's where the 'trouble' happened. I say trouble because that might have caused deportation. A lot of things were going on in my head that time. The story goes: I chose a different line to exit the Customs Area because tourists/guests have started filling up the space after the Immigration Section. One Customs official saw me and pointed his finger asking "Why? Are you alone?" So I told him I was with a friend who is in the opposite line. He signaled to put my bag in the X-ray machine and step on the side. The official said "May I see your passport and ticket." So I handed both to him. 

Customs Official (CO): Are you working here?

Me: No.

CO: Who are you with?

Me: My friend. She's right there at the Currency Exchange. (I yelled out to Grace and begged her to come to me.)

CO: What do you do? 

Me: I am a _________________. 

CO: May I have identification?

I handed over my Philhealth ID.

CO: Is this ID issued in the Philippines?

Me: Yes.

The CO continued to scan through the pages of my passport -- checking every stamp, visas attached.

CO: So, you've been to Korea, HK, Taiwan (blah blah blah)

Me: Yes, Sir.

CO: Before here, where did you come from?

Me: Kuala Lumpur. Before Malaysia, I went to Vietnam.

CO: Oh, how many days in Vietnam?

Me: Just for 3 days, for my birthday.

CO: Okay. 

While we were having this conversation, Gracie was being "interrogated" by another Customs official. When the guy saw that she had a UK visa, he stopped asking her questions.

After one last look at our passports, the Customs Officials let us go. 

Whew! While we were walking out of the airport, both of us were very quiet. I almost fainted because if they were not satisfied with our answers, we might have been sent back to KL! Thank you, Lord, for not leaving our side the whole time.

Anyways....

Many of you now know that holders of Philippine passport are issued visa upon arrival for a maximum stay of 30 days. An extension may be allowed (up to 90 days) with a fee of MVR750 (Php2,167 or US$48).

Some basic information about the island nation of Maldives:

Capital:        Malé 

Religion:      Islam

Currency:    Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) (US$1 = MVR15)

# of atolls:   26 (composed of coral reefs and sandbar)

President:    Abdulla Yameen (president is elected every 5 years with a limit of 2 terms)

Economy:    Tourism (on a major degree)

(This is the first part of a long write-up. Please give me more time to organize my thoughts as I do not want to miss any detail. Will post Part II very very soon.)