I freaking love the Maldives

Hey,

Ok, what a month and a half it's been.

After leading another awesome India tour in October, I ended up in Nepal with a friend to relax and catch up on work. However, we ended up battling the intense and gross air pollution of Kathmandu for a few days instead. We then left the city for Nagarkot, a super quiet hilltop village 30 kms from the capital with stunning views of the Himalayas and much neded clean air. Here, we started feeling 100% once again.

The view from the hotel balcony certainly helped...

After Nagarkot, we said goodbye to Nepal and moved on to a destination I had wanted to visit for many, many years.

Finally, I made it to the MALDIVES!

Check this out...a short Youtube video I made from the stunning white sand beach on Mathiveri Island (I’d never seen water so clear!):

VIDEO - Welcome to Mathiveri Island, Maldives!

It really was out of this world. In fact, it was so out of this world that I’m going to dedicate 3 posts over the next couple of weeks to this one destination. The best part is that my visit was not some ultra-luxurious, ultra-expensive experience. It turns out that visiting the Maldives can absolutely be done on a budget.

Yes, surreal tropical islands, gorgeous white sand beaches, some of the best snorkeling I’ve ever seen anywhere, swimming with manta rays and dolphins in the wild (where you’ll be the only people around), flavorful Maldivian food and so much more can be had for an absolute fraction of what you think it would cost. I really had no idea this was possible, but it is.

Again, more posts coming real soon about visiting this paradise on a budget!

Right now, I’m actually in Oman, one of the last Middle Eastern countries I’d yet to reach. I arrived yesterday from the Maldives and while I have a short four day stay here, I’m curious about what I'll discover...I'm just about to head out for dinner and shisha at a local cafe along the water, near the old city. Let's see how it goes.

Wandering Earl on Instagram
On a separate note, yes, I’m finally on Instagram (@wanderingearl). I've been posting random daily photos on there from wherever I happen to be in the world in case you want to follow along (of course you do!).

You shall hear from me again soon and I wish you a wonderful rest of your week wherever you may be!

Derek


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