Ferries & Rainbows

Woken by torrential rain before our alarms had the chance to get snoozed, it seemed unlikely our ferry to Maamendhoo would have left from its southern start point.

But, with the public ferry system, it’s very difficult to find out if the captain gave a thumbs up or down to today’s service, and so we were left with little choice but to head to the harbour with our bags. Expected around 8.30am, the ferries normally stop just long enough for those with sufficient powers of premonition to hop on before they leave again.

After huddling in the holhuashi between showers, we finally got (unofficial) word that the boat wasn’t coming, though the word said engine problems and not weather were the cause.

Herein lies the major issue with transport in the islands. Getting off one is far from guaranteed, and requires Maldivian levels of calm which are unavailable to anyone with flights to catch or expiring visas. While neither of these affect us, thankfully, a guesthouse visitor would now be faced with the task of finding an expensive launch or rearranging hotels, flights and assorted paperwork.

The ferry will hopefully try to reach the end of the rainbow again tomorrow. But another day in Nilandhoo isn’t the end of the world for us.