While Richard Branson races to launch his own underwater adventures, one luxury resort in the Indian Ocean is making it possible for travelers today. The Conrad Maldives, located on Rangali Island, has announced the start of daily tours aboard their private, three-person submarine that will take visitors beneath the Indian Oean to experience a world unlike any they have ever seen before.
The new submarine, built in Germany by Nemo Tauchtouristik, is capable of diving to a depth of 98 feet, while keeping its passengers comfortably warm and dry on the inside. Painted bright orange with white stripes, the craft resembles a clown fish, and features three large glass pods that run the length of the top of the hull. Those pods afford passengers a 360-degree view of underwater action, ensuring they won’t miss any of the sights around them.
While out on the 30-minute long cruise, the small sub is operated by a professionally trained pilot, who will guide up to two passengers on an aquatic adventure along the South Ari Atoll, which is a popular destination for scuba divers and snorkelers as well. They’ll explore a living, thriving coral reef, while spotting colorful fish, mysterious sting rays, beautiful sea turtles, and wandering reef sharks. All without having to get their dive certification or even get wet at all for that matter.
The price for taking this underwater excursion is $280 for one person or $495 for two.
When I was a kid, the Maldives were the stuff of dreams. A colleague of my father’s gave me a hardback Maldives-themed calendar one year for Christmas, with glossy photos of atolls peeking out of perfect blue seas in between calendar pages. The sand was so white and the palm trees were so green. Could any tropical islands be more beautiful than these?
Years later the low-lying Maldives began cropping up in stories about climate change. Rising sea levels may well make the Maldives uninhabitable by the end of this century. In the meantime, tourism is an enormously important to the Maldivian economy; according the CIA World Fact Book, tourism is responsible for almost thirty percent of the country’s GDP.
Frightening climate change projections notwithstanding, what more magical way is there to encounter a tropical dreamland than from a plane about to land? This image, snapped by Flickr contributor Mystrimus, captures the ineluctable anticipation that accompanies most arrivals on picture-perfect tropical islands.
Got a pre-landing photo to share? Upload it to Flickr’s Gadling Group Pool. If we like it we might just select it as a future Photo of the Day.
From the 15th century Portuguese explorers to the overconfident 18-year old who crosses the ocean with a loaded iPod, travelers are always in the business of exchanging things: ideas, food, fashion, genes and diseases. Music is right up there, and with the ease of the MP3, we freely unload playlists to one another like apples in a market.
When I look over some of the best music I own, I realize that I only discovered these bands/musicians from traveling away from home, well outside my own musical comfort zone. Certain bands are universal, others still quite local (or were, once upon a time), but despite iTunes attempts to drench us all in far-reaching world tastes, some music is still homegrown. Here’s a quick (and personal) top ten of my own discoveries accompanied by a slew of cheesy YouTube clips for your listening pleasure. Trentemøller (Denmark) Something about dark, electronic music and the Nordic countries go hand in hand. Trentemøller has become a legendary DJ who plays across the globe, but had I never gone to Denmark, I would have waited five years for his music to work its way across the Atlantic.
Zero Degree Atoll (Maldives) I met the lead singer of this band in his home country of The Maldives, right after he performed a chilling cover or R.E.M’s “Losing My Religion”. Though he masters Led Zeppelin and his favorite band is Jethro Tull, his own music is sung in the Dhivehi languages and combines the local blend of Arabic and Indian influences.
Cheb Hasni (Algeria) You can’t visit North Africa and not hear the signature sounds of Algerian Raï music blaring in the chaotic streets of the medina, day and night. Cheb Hasni is king of the genre–an Algerian man, who with his band, cultivated a global following before he was murdered by Islamic fundamentalists in 1994. I caught on to Cheb Hasni in Morocco and despite regular online research, have yet to listen to every one of his songs that make up his prolific discography. Lasairfhíona Ní Chonaola (Ireland) Sometimes when you’re traveling, you just have to take a chance and buy a random CD from the locals. I picked up Lasairfhiona in Ireland’s windswept Aran Islands some 7 years ago and have been listening to this Gaelic singer ever since. I don’t know any other music that captures the spirit of a place like she does.
Faye Wong/ 王菲 (Hong Kong) Anyone who’s been jetlagged in Asia knows the thrill of watching hour after hour of sappy karaoke-style MTV all night long. And yet, I actually discovered Faye in a discount bin in New York City’s Chinatown and had to wait until YouTube came around to take in her full repertoire, which is extremely vast. Somedays she the Chinese Celine Dion, other days the Asian Alanis Morissette–Faye is constantly reinventing herself and loves to do Cantonese covers of western indie classics. So don’t judge too quickly–Faye grows on everybody.
Architecture In Helsinki (Australia) Admittedly, big city Melbourne’s got a pretty crazy independent music scene but Architecture in Helsinki might just be the trippiest of them all. Going on a decade strong, the bizarre musical set-ups of AIH evokes a lot of “What?” reactions while still gaining global fans for their deliciously infectious, irresistibly toe-tapping and hip-shaking songs. As ambassadors from down under, AIH begs the question, is Australia an actual country or just a constant spaced-out party?
For a Minor Reflection (Iceland) Four 20 year-old dudes wailing thoughtfully on guitars. It’s a tried-and-true recipe but somehow, this post-rock band from Reykjavík adds something wonderfully new, delivering long, drawn-out ballads completely devoid of lyrics. Heard them first at Iceland Airwaves, which might be the greatest music festival in the world.
Marisa Monte (Brazil) Fairly popular in Brazil and France, I only came upon Marisa myself while passing through South America earlier this year. Her voice, songwriting, rhythms and melodies fall slightly outside the typical Latin American canon, which is why she’s succeeded in crossing over to an international following.
Springbok Nude Girls (South Africa) Compelling band name and even more compelling music, there’s not a South African out there who doesn’t have a strong opinion about these guys, thumbs up or down. That’s why I started listening to them in London, where there are more South Africans than Brits, I think. Springbok’s broke up a few years back but are apparently back together and playing sold-out gigs in South Africa right now.
Iryna Bilyk (Ukraine) Countries with dysfunctional governments always promise a steady flow of talented artists, and after living there for several years, I can say without irony that Ukraine is no exception. Of the many divas that rock Ukraine’s airwaves, Iryna Bilyk is the most classic–a kind of bottle-blond Slavic Madonna that plays in every cab in Kiev. Like the actual Amereican Madonna, Iryna caused no small scandal when the 40-year old singer married her 22-year old backup dancer. This song is called, “I’m not sorry.”
Feel free to add your own great musical finds in the comments below–Just make sure it’s music you discovered while traveling abroad.(If you spam me with your favorite Beyoncé or Coldplay clip, the world will know that you don’t even own a passport.) Thanks!
Resolutions don’t have to be reserved for the New Year. Those eager to commit to making 2011 life-changing can plan ahead by booking one of the new Ayurvedic spa retreats at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru. Developed in conjunction with the Resort’s ila spa, the Maldives resort is offering one package for individuals and one geared towards couples.
The spa is the area’s most luxurious Ayurvedic spa and boasts a resident ayurvedic physician, garden and over-water pavilions for massage, ocean-side yoga rooms and special dosha-specific ayurvedic meals that are customised to individual programs.
The individual package, called the Zantaa Nidraa, (it translates to “peaceful sleep”) is a five-day package showcasing the benefits of yoga, pranayama, Ayurveda and the inspiring natural wilderness of Landaa Giraavaru to promote bliss, relax and purify the nervous system, and balance the sleep center of the body.
The Couples Connect Retreat focuses on turning “me” into “us.” Throughout the program, focused yoga poses and breathing, open-heart meditations, ancient Bija seed chanting and sensuous spa rituals place focus on the sacral/Swadhisthana chakra (the body’s pleasure centre) and encourage couples to open subtle levels of communication and learn new ways to deepen their bond.
Rates begin at $5,695 per guest and are available May 23 to May 28, 2011 and July 25 to July 30, 2011.
Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.
Renewing your vows in a tropical paradise sounds perfect, doesn’t it? But what if you were to discover that the words uttered during your ceremony weren’t “to have and to hold,” but slurs against your name, your country and your religion?
CNN reports that the Maldive Islands plans to announce new, stricter wedding laws after it was discovered that a couple participating in a vow renewal ceremony was insulted.
According to CNN, who researched the issue after seeing the video on YouTube:
the person conducting the ceremony calls them “swines” and “infidels” and says children of such a union will be “illegitimate,” according to a translation provided by the local Minivan news website.
At the end of the ceremony, the couple exchange rings and head to the beach to plant a coconut tree in the sand. At several points in the video, the officiant is heard cautioning the videographer to make sure he did not record the profanities.
The nation’s president, Mohamed Nasheed, condemned the incident and the government issued a statement saying that “no stone will be left unturned to ensure that an incident like this never happens again,” according to CNN.
Tourist hotels will soon have strict regulations concerning wedding ceremonies.