In the last couple of days we had a change of address. We left our very happenning, very busy, very loud apartment in the centre of town, we have relocated to a beachside address. On arrival Jess was not super pumped as the room we moved into had not been cleaned at least since the place had been built. After a thorough cleaning and some sprucing up though I think the place is going to prove a better location. We are, all kidding aside, overlooking the surfbreak! If you check out the island on google earth we are the last building before a park right on the surf beach.

This spot will be way better for running, biking, going to work, and of course surfing. No more will I have to navigate the traffic down Mageedee Magu with a board under my arm. Now I just throw on the board short and stumble out the door cross the stret and paddle out.

The last couple days have been great, I got in my first kite boarding session, on the north tip of airport island (Hulumale) just a 0.50 CDN ferry ride away. The wind was straight out of the north so it was directly onshore, not the best conditions for a scouting mission. I had a couple good reaches but kept coming in too close to the beach so I dropped the kite and decided that an easterly would be ideal conditions. Lucky for us a wind out of the east is predominent in the coming months, this wind will kill the surf waves but be great for kiting.

Another Dhoni day to sultans. Had a friend with an under water shell for his digital camera, attached are some of the pics he shot.

So as it were no riots, no protests, no tear gas, the current government is still in power and Black Friday turned into a mellow day spent at the Hotel pool swimming laps and drinking Tiger beer on tap. As events were unfolding the previous week, political dissent seemed imminent. Although it’s surprising how quickly rumors of violent force on behalf of the government, the overall complacency of Maldivian people and a little rain can dispel an uprising. My perfect spot for filming the happenings: our balcony looking over the centre of town 3 floors up, went unused. Well at least all the pilots are still employed and we can stay down here for a while longer.

Another dhoni day has come and gone and it turned out to be yet another great surf day, surfing the other side of the island, which we had been to before. A right breaking wave named Sultans. The waves again were about chest high but not to consistent. Sometimes twenty minutes went by before a decent set came through. While out there a big storm came rolling over the island and for about a half an hour the heaviest rains I had ever been subjected to pounded down on us. It was amazing to be out there in this storm, as every so often you would have to slide off you board into the Ocean to warm up.

This past weekend Jess and I both got hit hard by health issues. Jess has been dealing with extreme tooth pain made worse by the constant change in altitudes she is subjected to on an hourly basis. We were both concerned with what this meant as a visit to the dentist in a country such as the Maldives did not seem to be an option. Jess had pictures of “The Little Shop of Horrors” running through her head. We inquired with a few of the veteran pilots as to what dentist was the best. Dr. (hacksaw) Didi was the resounding answer. As Jess couldn’t deal with the pain any longer she took the plunge and made the call. It ended up being a Root Canal! OUCH! (Both to Jess and our bank account) Within three hours she was out of there having the procedure completed during the same appointment as the consultation. We dreaded the bill. 600 Rufiyaa….50 CDN for a Root Canal! Not too bad and Jess’ tooth pain has subsided. After talking with other pilots we found out that at least 5 have braces from Dr. Didi as it is so cheap and the job seems to be done quite proficiently. My sickness wasn’t bad comparatively as I was just laid up due to vomiting and stomach pain for two days, food poisoning most likely. Were both well now and hopefully are in the clear for a while at least. Unfortunately our health issues caused us to miss dhoni day this week.

I started this morning with Yoga at 10 am, just enough time to read, have coffee, shower and walk to Silver Leaf, an air taxi apartment building with enough room to accommodate 10 members of the Wives Club. According to local legend I am the second Husband to accompany their partner to the Maldives. Interestingly enough I am a little more popular with the homophobic pilots than the last who actually was here with his Husband. Not a common occurrence in the pilot community.

Karen our instructor is another female pilot who has studied Yoga in Australia, on her days off she runs the class and puts us all through a vigorous yoga lesson which makes me sweat profusely a trait that makes me suspect I am not the most adored individual in the class by the other participants. It’s really great that there is someone here that can put the class on though as there are no Yoga studios in Male. An hour and half of Yoga and then time for tea and biscuits. Most of the members of the WC then head out to the airport hotel to lounge around the pool and I head out to the beach to check the waves.

Jess finally got her liquor permit and we put our November order in. Personal allowance is 3 bottles of Wine or Liquor and 60 cans of beer. Sounds like a lot but between two people it goes quick. Beers are ridiculously cheap a case of 24 costs 12 bucks 17 if its Heineken. I just got my Spousal Permit so now I won’t get kicked out of the country and more importantly I can apply for my very own liquor permit. As pilots come and go permits get passed around and just the other day I was picking up an order for Rhonda Atkinson a spouse who has not been in the Maldives for over six months!!

Perry one of the local CDN surfing pilots is leaving, sad to see him go but it means that his apartment overlooking the local surfbreak is up for grabs. Jess went and talked to DK the chief pilot and told him we were interested. DK an AUS and I are already surf buddies and thinks it would be a good idea especially because he would have someone to pull out of bed for Dawn Patrol (morning surf session. Here’s hoping we get the new apartment, it would definitely beat the hectic bike surf scenario that I’ve been managing lately.

November 9, 2006.

“Just got out of the surf……” I have been surfing nearly everyday give or take one or two due to lack of waves or exhaustion, today the waves were mediocre but a good chance to get out and try some new stuff like cutbacks and airs, ha ha, fat chance but fun to try and helps make the waves more fun.

Last Saturday I experienced my first Dhoni day. 10 am we met at the Jetty and about 10 of us charted a slow boat to surf some of the island breaks. We ended up at a break called Honkey's with Sultans another break on the opposite side of the island. I spent about 5 hours surfing with the rest of the crew smallish lefts, which gave us great rides. Good practice considering I can’t drop into a wave backside to save my life. Periodically someone would head to the boat to have a go at the guitar or partake in a beer or two. It was an amazing day and I am looking forward to more Dhoni days to come.

Oh just quickly I was offered the Red Cross job but turned it down because I would have had to dedicate 40 hours a week plus to the cause and I would only be making a great Maldivian wage of 5000- 10000 Rufiyaa a month. Roughly 4-8 hundred CND. It severely cut into my surfing, kiting and hanging out with Jesse time so I decided. I’ll stick with the “Employment Prohibited” plan.

Jess hasn’t talked to me since Monday, the reason being, I made it into the Left Seat of a twin otter before she did. Haha. I went on my first overnight with Jess to an island called Ranveli. Pretty fancy I thought but agreeable among the pilots one of the worst overnights so I have much to look forward to. While flying out Jess’ captain jumped out of the Left Seat and let me climb into the captains chair. It was amazing what a view coral atolls stretched across the horizon, thunderheads threading in the distance. Jess took the plane down to 1500 ft. for a scenic flight. The plane was empty, we were just flying bags out to the resort. Although we did have one Turkish tour guide who was petrified of flying in the twin otters because they were so small, I think all of the blood left his face when I switched spots with the Captain!!

Tomorrow, Jess, Dave Reid (kiteboarding pilot) and I are going to an island called Reheveli. It’s on the southern Male atoll and offers Kiting opportunities. This will hopefully be our first kiting adventure down here. This trip depends on availability of boats on Friday, which is up in the air due to the protest that is planned.

The MDP is staging a protest to call for the current president to step down and relinquish power. The majority of the people in Male are unhappy with the current government and the president since 1978 (Gayoom) is fighting to stay in power. Some say that this is the year that it will all go down! The protest coincides with the death of a high profile MDP leader in a detention centre on one of the local islands in 2001.

Tuesday I was sitting on the balcony reading when all of a sudden on the street below the traffic was at a stand still and horns were blaring. Initially I thought there was an accident but leaning off the balcony I could see police dressed in riot gear. Never actually seeing cops dressed in riot gear first hand I grabbed the video camera and headed out on the bike trying to get a closer look. The main street Magee Dee on which we live was blocked off at every intersection and people were starting to get aggravated. Ditching the bike I ventured closer and talked to a few people thinking I was with a newspaper or news channel as I had video camera. The cops or military, not too sure which, had a video camera and were filming the instigators of the protest most likely arresting them later as to damper the spirit of the protesters come Friday. Tensions have been rising all week and tomorrow will most likely prove very exciting.

Check out www.minivannews.com for more info on the revolution!!

Almost two weeks in now and everyday is still an adventure, everyday I set out with a few missions to complete and a couple corners of the island to uncover. Friday Jess joined me on one of our most important and successful missions to date in the Maldives. Buy, Borrow or Steal bicycles. After 10 days of unsuccessfully trying to round up a pair of bikes we were getting desperate. Used bike stores are scarce on the island and whatever is available is quite decrepit and being sold at a resale price not fit for even Canada. I guess the holding value on a bike is a lot better here than back home.

We put the word out into the pilot community that we were interested in obtaining a set of his and hers, but to no avail. Everyone was in the same boat and whoever had one was holding on to it. There was rumor of an abandoned bike floating around though, an orphaned bike that was locked up in the garage of one of the pilot buildings. “Oh yeah its in Faduu but is locked up and the garage attendant won’t let you get away with it, besides you’ll have to find someone to cut the lock, they’ll think you’re stealing it.”

Well that’s exactly what we were doing but the story goes that it belonged to a westerner female pilot, so we sent Jess in there pretending it was hers, it had been six months the Maldivian guard wasn't going to know the difference. The garage attendant was very receptive and was glad that someone had finally come back for the bike. After boosting it from lock-up we conspicuously carried it from repair shop to repair shop asking if anyone could cut the lock off. It wasn’t long until we were pedaling the adopted bicycle to its new home, promising it that when we did leave we will pass it on and never leave it unused locked up in a garage again.

The second bike we acquired shortly thereafter was from a new bike shop. Her name is Hercules. The most coveted bike on the island. White walled tires, that went well with the rest of the bike straight out of the 50’s but in amazing shape. I had been eyeing these bikes up all over town and was determined to make one my own. After asking the shop owner for info on tracking one down he said he had one in his possession that was being repaired, but the guy had not come back to pay for it. I was promised that if I came back in two days time and the bike was still not claimed that it would be mine for small fee. Returning I was in luck the bike was still there and the transaction was made.

Navigating the bikes home in the incessant scooter traffic is a feat in itself. No need for mountain biking when a ride to the local coffee shop is as adrenaline full as any Rocky Mountain Downhill.

I don’t know what I am thinking but I had an interview for work already. Yesterday I met with the Red Cross delegate for waste management, a faction of the Tsunami Relief effort in the Maldives. A friend who also works with the Red Cross said they were looking for a project manager to oversee the clean up waste from the tsunami and construction of waste management stations on local islands. After informing her of my construction background she was excited to have me come in and meet with her associates. After meeting with them I was informed that if chosen I would get to visit islands that few other foreigners get to explore. At that, I was sold. Fly and boat to local islands eat and sleep as they do and oversee a large relief effort that is headed up by the Red Cross, what experience that would be. So now I sit and wait to hear back hoping I will be chosen for the position that would last until March.

Finally I have ventured into the local surf, it’s actually not as intimidating as originally suspected. Even though there are giant tetra pods littering the shoreline the access is quite easy and the coral is flat without any large coral heads sticking up. Spending 3 hours a day for the last few in the water I have caught quite a few waves and the new board purchase is definitely worth it. Today I think I need to take a day off to let my rash under my arms recover, caused by wearing a T-shirt out the first day. I am also nursing swollen ribs from paddling, both bottom ribs are swollen up with fluid and are quite sore. Haven’t been kiting yet but may try to get out to Kuredu a resort island with Jess this weekend and throw the kite in the air.

Jess has been flying everyday short hops, long hauls, photo flights, and tourist picnics. So many take offs and landings must be very skill building taking into account ocean winds, ocean swell, and overloaded planes. I’ll get her to sit down long enough to submit to the blog, I am sure she will be able to throw down some more exciting stories than buying bikes!

Hope everyone is keeping warm, I heard it snowed! Have fun.

Scott