As we jumped into the week of our stay with gusto, we found so many options at our disposal. I've already written about our snorkeling and diving experiences. We had the opportunity to schedule a personalized tour of a small island named Maalhos with a population of 600 people. One of the staff members, Demha, was asked to be our guide since his family resides on the island which was just a short boat trip away. The religion observed in this area is Muslim and I graciously observed the traditions of covering my shoulders and knees for the visit. We have been shown nothing but friendliness and kindness by the Maldivian people who strive to live peacefully. Pat and I wanted to view how the local Maldivian people lived and their concerns about protecting their environment. As we strolled around the island, we were shown new desalinization equipment that is currently being installed. A local organization has donated the equipment to all islands to give them the capability to supply clean, fresh water to their villages. Currently, their water source is rain water catch which they boil daily. Once the system is up and running, locals can draw water into glass bottles from taps in various locations around the island. The island has a sanitation department that collects trash from the locals once or twice a week and delivers to their sanitation disposal area. It is then sorted by paper, plastic, aluminum and bottles. The paper is burned, plastic is flattened, aluminum is crushed and household scraps are composted. Nothing is thrown into the ocean, not even food scraps. The local women gather each week to clean the beaches from any trash that may have washed on shore or left behind accidentally. The Maldivians are very proud of their beaches and are trying to encourage more tourism on this island by completing a new hotel. The history has been that only resorts owning islands could have hotels but the government has changed the rules for the local islands so that they can generate their own source of income for the locals. Lastly, we were shown the art of making mats from dried reeds which is used for beds and lounging at the beach. In addition, we were shown how palm fronds are weaved together to make roof panels for homes and bungalows which are sold to the resorts and hotels. The line used to hold the fronds together is spun from dried and pounded coconut husks. Everyone in Demha's family has been trained to make these items and often make it a family affair. The finished products are sold to the resorts and used in most of the bungalows. It is a great source of income for the family. As we finished our tour, a few people were in the process of building homes with concrete blocks that have been individually molded with concrete. The locals are quite resourceful and have learned to make everything from scratch when building a home. They are very proud of their island and strive to maintain the beautiful beach and protect the ecosystem from destruction. Overall, the trip was a wonderful experience and I get the impression that few people actually visit and show concern for their little slice of heaven.

As the days progressed, Pat and I managed to fit in additional diving and snorkeling along with the daily spa visits. The diving and snorkeling did not disappoint as we were able to see mantas and eels along with a whole aquarium full of fish species. The reefs have experienced some bleaching from the rising sea temperatures but it isn't as bad as we've seen in Thailand. The government is actually doing a good job in regulating the diving and protecting the reefs.

The Soneva resort has a Learn To Swim program onsite. Despite living on an island, many people grow up without learning to swim. We've heard this over and over from the locals on the remote islands. In many cases, we talked to children who were afraid of the water and had never been on a boat even though they were used daily by their relatives. The program takes local children from the very basics through to their first time snorkeling on the reef edge. During the course of the swimming program, they take the children on a journey of ocean awareness including community beach cleans and school sessions on the vulnerability of the ocean. The hopes are that the children will grow up understanding the environments of the ocean and reefs and seek to protect them.

Another program is Sonevas initiative to deliver clean solar-powered lighting to households in rural Myanmar. Approximately 1.5 billion people globally lack electricity which we have seen over and over in the south pacific islands. The foundation was started as a pilot program to install solar micro-grids in two villages in Myanmar. The project will supply clean, affordable lighting to 68 homes. In a country where darkness falls at 6 pm, this allows school children to read and adults to continue working for an income. In addition, Soneva is trying to help reduce the carbon footprint by delivering fuel efficient cook stoves to 84,000 families in Myanmar and Darfur. The stoves and swim project are just two of the many areas where they strive to reduce the carbon footprint and offer aid to less developed countries. Very impressive!

When the week ended, we made one last trip to the ice cream and chocolate rooms and sadly parked our bicycles one last time before sliding back into our shoes to board the seaplane. During our travels, I don't often mention a return visit to a place we've stayed as we are still exploring other parts of the world but the Maldives is marked for a return visit sometime in the future. It is an amazing place!