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Well
that was it, myself and John Jones had made the decision to
go, especially after talking over a beer at the Thursday meeting
of BScUP with Jimmy Wilmot and Phil. They reckoned it was
the bee's knees.
I
had been to most of the good places, including the Red Sea,
so perhaps the Maldives would be the icing on the cake.
And
now, after three weeks plus, I've been there and back to home
sweet home. Looking back, I can guarantee three things?
You're
going to spend a lot of money if you go. The flight and half
board on the island of Bandos for two weeks is £800.
The extras such as drinks from the only bar are expensive?
Swan lager £1.50 a can. Spirits £2.00 a shot.
Mixers such as Coke and lemonade £1.00. And if you're
thinking of taking your own, forget it, no import is allowed.
Sun tan oil £4.50. Aspro 25p per tablet, cigarettes
£1.20. Kodak negative film, get ready for it, £8.00
a roll. And now the diving, you've guessed, from the only
dive centre. Single tank and weight belt £17.00 per
fill. Boat dives, from the only boat, £6.00 per dive.
A bit heavy maybe, but its the same price for a complete set
of diving gear e.g. suit, lifejacket, fine, mask, snorkel,
tank, D.V. (and very good stuff), so its not worth lugging
your own that far, as there is no discount. So Herr Voigtman
is going to be a rich man, but he's been at it for 15 years,
so I wish him luck.
The
sun, one word, fantastict. From the first light of day to
the marvellous sunset. So watch the sunburn -A little at a
time. The beaches, the palms - there are nine coconuts for
the taking ? the only free drink on the island. One person
per beach if you want.
Lastly,
the sea. As blue as blue, just like Ektachrome. Vis. up to
200ft. The coral reefs are very good, but maybe not as varied
as the Red Sea, but plenty of them. Its real winner by a mile
has got to be the fish life, so many varieties, and they don't
seem shy. You actually have to push them away sometimes to
take your pictures. Small ones and big ones, including, compliments
of Herr Voightman, who runs a Shark feeding display every
other day, the sharks. If you can keep from shaking, you're
guaranteed good shots. Even with a Nikonos 35 mm lens they
can be as good as any I've seen. So whatever the cost and
gripes, its got to be worth those half dozen or so shark pics,
which, by the way, have just been developed -and boy I'm happy.
So if like me, the wife lets you, go and enjoy it and good
luck.
N.B.
If the Pound stays low take US Dollars. Take good shampoo,
no hot water is available. Don't take more than your travel
clothes, except shorts and flip flops. Do take bits and bobs
for repairing your camera equipment.
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