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Gadling http://www.gadling.com Gadling http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Gadling http://www.gadling.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Maldives Fishmonger]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/05/17/photo-of-the-day-maldives-fishmonger/http://www.gadling.com/2012/05/17/photo-of-the-day-maldives-fishmonger/http://www.gadling.com/2012/05/17/photo-of-the-day-maldives-fishmonger/#commentsFiled under: Photos, Asia, Maldives, Photo of the Day

Photo of the day - Maldives fish

Not sure who is scarier in this photo: the enormous fish or the intimidating fishmonger. The deep saturated colors and sparse backdrop add to the intense scene. Remove the fish and it could be a set from a "Hostel" horror movie. Today's Photo Of The Day was taken by Flickr user Mark Fischer in Male, Maldives. Although it may not be thought of as a major urban center, Male is one of the most densely populated islands of the world, even greater than Manhattan or Hong Kong. The island nation has been in the news frequently in the past year for environment and political issues, as well as a short-lived (but much hyped) spa ban. Luxury resorts without massages? Now that could be really terrifying to some travelers.

Have a scary travel photo you want to share? Add it to the Gadling Flickr pool for another Photo Of The Day.

Photo Of The Day: Maldives Fishmonger originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 17 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fishfish marketFishMarketflickrHong KongislandsMaldivesmalemanhattanMark Fischerphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayThu, 17 May 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[10 Extraordinary Islands To Visit On Your Next Vacation]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/05/10/10-extraordinary-islands-to-visit-on-your-next-vacation/http://www.gadling.com/2012/05/10/10-extraordinary-islands-to-visit-on-your-next-vacation/http://www.gadling.com/2012/05/10/10-extraordinary-islands-to-visit-on-your-next-vacation/#commentsFiled under: Scuba Diving, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, France, Greece, United States, Australia, Palau, Ecuador, Hotels and Accommodations, Ecotourism, Budget Travel, Nightlife, Caribbean, Luxury Travel

vacation islands

Summer is the time of island vacations. It is time to put as much distance between you and the real world as possible. It is time to stand outside of your everyday life and to see how it all looks from a paradise perspective. Here is a collection of islands for escape - places to recharge, gain perspective and explore. From an island in the land of the gods to a tropical Amsterdam at the edge of an ocean trench, each of these ten destinations provides something extraordinary.

Gallery: 10 Islands To Visit Next

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

Gili T

Gili T

Continue reading 10 Extraordinary Islands To Visit On Your Next Vacation

10 Extraordinary Islands To Visit On Your Next Vacation originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australiaborneoCorsicafrancegalapagosGiliIslandsGR 20Gr20greeceindonesiaislandislandsmalaysiamaldivespalauperhentianperhentian islandsPerhentianIslandssantoriniscuba divingScubaDivingSt. CroixSt.CroixtasmaniaUS Virgin IslandsusviUsVirginIslandsvacationvacation islandsVacationIslandsvirgin islandsVirginIslandsThu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA['Guam: The New Maldives' and other Chinese tourism trends]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/27/guam-the-new-maldives-and-other-chinese-tourism-trends/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/27/guam-the-new-maldives-and-other-chinese-tourism-trends/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/27/guam-the-new-maldives-and-other-chinese-tourism-trends/#commentsFiled under: Photos, Asia, Oceania, China, Maldives, United States, Budget Travel, News, Luxury Travel

guam chinese tourism

In 2012, trips originating from China will comprise an estimated 8 percent of total world travel. The China Tourism Academy estimates that 80 million Chinese residents will travel overseas, spending an estimated US$80 billion. That's a significant chunk of the market.

In a recent article, CNNGo's Shanghai editor Tracy You set out to demystify the Chinese traveler and predict the future of Chinese outbound tourism. Among her observations:

Many of the newer Chinese tourists are middle class. Travel is no longer reserved for the wealthy; more students and people from the working class are now venturing abroad. You predicts packed economy-class hotels in major tourism markets during traditional Chinese holidays like Spring Festival, summer vacations and early October.

Shopping is important, but so is nature. While Chinese tourists have a reputation for being shopaholics, most actually express a desire to explore natural settings and island escapes.

Cameras and Chinese menus are must-haves. A top priority for Chinese travelers is to photograph and be photographed, You reports. And while many stick to food they're familiar with, many are willing to try local food if given ordering advice and menus in Chinese.

More Chinese are traveling independently. While tour groups are still the most convenient and common way for Chinese people to travel, more people are venturing out on their own or in small groups. You predicts that more Chinese will join the traditional backpacking routes of Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia.

Guam is the next big Chinese tourism destination. The United States island territory is already a popular getaway for Japanese and Korean tourists, and it has the natural beauty, shopping and island atmosphere that many Chinese tourists crave. You says that with the right infrastructure, it could join the Maldives as a top destination in the coming years.

Gallery: Guam, Where America's Day Begins

Guam, USA

Outrigger canoe

Plaza de Espana

Two Lover's Point

Barbecue

'Guam: The New Maldives' and other Chinese tourism trends originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chinachinesechinese tourismchinese travelChineseTourismChineseTravelcnngoguamguam chinese tourismGuamChineseTourismmaldivestourismtravel trendsTravelTrendsTue, 27 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Maldives to get first full-sized golf course]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/21/maldives-to-get-first-full-sized-golf-course/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/21/maldives-to-get-first-full-sized-golf-course/http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/21/maldives-to-get-first-full-sized-golf-course/#commentsFiled under: Maldives, Hotels and Accommodations, Luxury Travel

Shangri-La's Villingili Resort and Spa in Addu Atoll will open the Maldives' first full-sized golf course later this month.

Don't get too excited - it's only nine holes. Designed for recreational golfers, most of the holes are par three and average 123 yards.

Don't complain too much, people. You're in the Maldives. The course will also feature a clubhouse, bar and pro shop. Don't want to schlep your equipment? No worries. Shoe and equipment rental services are also available.

The first golf course in the Maldives is a six-hole course at Kuredu Island Resort. 4Hoteliers reports that plans were unveiled last year for a US$500 million floating golf course in the country, which will see holes connected by underwater tunnels. The course is expected to launch in 2013.

Maldives to get first full-sized golf course originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>luxury travelLuxuryTravelmaldivesWed, 21 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bowermasters Adventures: Update from the coup in the Maldives]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/13/bowermasters-adventures-update-from-the-coup-in-the-maldives/http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/13/bowermasters-adventures-update-from-the-coup-in-the-maldives/http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/13/bowermasters-adventures-update-from-the-coup-in-the-maldives/#commentsFiled under: Asia, Maldives, Ecotourism

In a move surprising those not living in the Maldives -- where most of the recent press has focused on its green-thinking on climate change and carbon use -- the island nation's president, Mohamed Nasheed, has apparently been forced out in a coup d'etat.

Fingers are being pointed at allies of the previous president, Maumoon Gayoom, for orchestrating Nasheed's resignation. It was the Gayoom administration, which spanned 30 years, that had locked up and tortured a younger Nasheed before he became the first democratically elected president in the country's history.

While celebrated internationally for his environmental politics, Nasheed's presidency has been at risk at home. Critics have claimed the "Island President" (the name of the documentary that has recently won awards and attention at festivals from Toronto to Sundance) was paying too much attention to global issues and not enough to his backyard; others complained his leadership was not "Islamic enough" for the all-Muslim nation.
In recent months the country has experienced its own brand of "Arab Spring," but here rather than oust a dictator the movement was against the country's first democratically elected president.

Three weeks ago President Nasheed ordered the arrest and jailing of a high court judge -- an ally of the former president -- on charges of corruption. Street protests against the president, said to have been coordinated by allies of the former president including a half-brother and members of his security force, were successful enough that the military was sent into the streets.

Nasheed's resignation speech indicated he was stepping down to avoid further and more serious clashes between the military, the police and protestors.

Continue reading Bowermasters Adventures: Update from the coup in the Maldives

Bowermasters Adventures: Update from the coup in the Maldives originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bowermastersadventurescoupjon bowermasterJonBowermastermaldivesoceanswaterMon, 13 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The 10 smallest countries in the world]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/01/the-10-smallest-countries-in-the-world/http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/01/the-10-smallest-countries-in-the-world/http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/01/the-10-smallest-countries-in-the-world/#commentsFiled under: Europe, Oceania, Maldives, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, St. Kitts & Nevis, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, Caribbean

ten smallest countries in the world

The world's ten smallest countries in terms of area fall into two general categories: European microstates (Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican) and small island nations of the Indian Ocean, Pacific, and Caribbean (Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nauru, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Tuvalu.) Some of these countries are quite new as independent nations: Tuvalu gained independence from the UK in 1978, while the Marshall Islands gained full independence from the US in 1986. Others have been around for a very long time. San Marino dates its founding as a republic to 301. These countries vary greatly from one another along other axes as well: population, income, life expectancy, industry, tourist facilities, and membership in various international organizations.

Gallery: World's ten smallest countries

Tuvalu

Liechtenstein

Maldives

Malta

Nevis

[Image of Tuvalu: Flickr | leighblackall]

The 10 smallest countries in the world originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Liechtensteinmaldivesmaltamarshall islandsMarshallIslandsmonaconauruSan marinoSanMarinost kitts and nevisStKittsAndNevisten smallest countries in the worldTenSmallestCountriesInTheWorldtuvaluvatican cityVaticanCityWed, 01 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bowermaster's Adventures: Running out of water in the Maldives]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/09/bowermasters-adventures-running-out-of-water-in-the-maldives/http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/09/bowermasters-adventures-running-out-of-water-in-the-maldives/http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/09/bowermasters-adventures-running-out-of-water-in-the-maldives/#commentsFiled under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Learning, Paddling, Asia, Maldives, Ecotourism, Consumer Activism

Kunahadhoo Island-- On a very hot, very typical, mid-morning in the Maldives I walk the streets of this tiny island just north of the equator.

Most of its 800 residents had gathered at the shoreline to greet visitors from a nearby island. While they focused on a first-of-a-kind beach clean-up along the rocky coast, accompanied by a drum band and dancing, I took a small walking tour looking for something the Maldives doesn't have much of: drinking water.

(A late morning visit to its elementary school provided another interesting glimpse into island life; while most of the students raised their hands said they knew how to swim, yet virtually none had ever worn a mask and snorkel, so had no idea of the rich life that surrounded their island home.)

It was quickly evident from the jury-rigged plumbing systems fitted to the exteriors of most of the one-story cement homes that the options for delivering clean water were few. Some homes had barrels for collecting rainwater; others had wells dug into the rocky island terrain. Most of them, they admitted, leaked.

Everyone on the island also admitted that if it weren't for the arrival of the weekly cargo boat, and its bottles of water in plastic, they wouldn't last a week on what they had in storage.
A recent news story from another Maldivian island group exemplified the problem, reporting that a dozen islands had nearly run out of water completely.

Continue reading Bowermaster's Adventures: Running out of water in the Maldives

Bowermaster's Adventures: Running out of water in the Maldives originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventure-travelbowermastersadventuresjon bowermasterJonBowermastermaldiveswaterMon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Maldives reverses spa ban]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/08/maldives-reverses-spa-ban/http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/08/maldives-reverses-spa-ban/http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/08/maldives-reverses-spa-ban/#commentsFiled under: Maldives, Hotels and Accommodations, News, Luxury Travel

Just days after a blanket ban on spa services in the Maldives was announced, the country's President announced that services will be made available to tourists.

Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed said he expects the court to rule that the law is unconstitutional. "We have lifted the ban and all the services will be available for tourists," President Nasheed told Reuters today.

The ban, described as "essentially a political standoff between the Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and the opposition Adhaalath Party" by Hotels Magazine is partially in response to a protest organized in December by Adhaalath advocating for stricter enforcement of Islamic law in this relatively liberal Muslim country. The ban also included alcohol and pork.

For the most part, hotels ignored the ban, including Banyan Tree and Four Seasons.

"Several have raised concerns over our decision," tourism minister Mariyam Zulfa told the press. "We are considering allowing resorts to operate spas."

This is great news for the hotel industry in the area - so rest safely, Maldives visitors... you can now get your massages without worry. You just might have to forego the bacon and martini sides.

Image via Four Seasons Hotels.

Maldives reverses spa ban originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banyan treeBanyanTreefour seasonsFourSeasonsmaldivesspa banSpaBanSun, 08 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ten big travel adventures for 2012]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/03/ten-big-travel-adventures-for-2012/http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/03/ten-big-travel-adventures-for-2012/http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/03/ten-big-travel-adventures-for-2012/#commentsFiled under: Biking, Climbing, Arts and Culture, Hiking, History, Paddling, Scuba Diving, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, Antarctica, Botswana, Rwanda, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Turkey, United States, Camping, Ecotourism, Luxury Travel

Ten big travel adventures for 2012

A new year always brings new possibilities, particularly in the realm of travel. With 2012 now officially underway, it is time to start plotting our adventures for the year ahead. This year, rather than share yet another top ten list of adventure travel destinations, we thought it would be fun to recommend some highly specific adventures instead. These are unique journeys that will take you to the very ends of the Earth and deliver a travel experience that simply can't be easily found elsewhere.

Visit Yellowstone in Winter
Yellowstone National Park is one of the most breathtakingly scenic destinations in all of North America, and well worth a visit any time of the year. But in the heart of winter, it takes on a whole new level of beauty and wonder. With fewer than 100,000 visitors during the colder months, the park offers plenty of solitude as well, making it the perfect winter wonderland for those looking for a true wilderness adventure in the snow. Cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and wildlife spotting are amongst the best activities, and Austin Lehman Adventures offers fantastic itineraries that provide all of that and much more.

Explore Botswana's Okavango Delta By Canoe
Botswana is home to the Okavango Delta, which is formed when waters from the Okavango River empty into the flat-lands near the base of the Kalahari Desert. The result is a fertile piece of swampland that attracts all manner of African wildlife, including elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, and much more. The best way to explore that expanse of wetlands is in a traditional dugout canoe, which puts you in very close proximity with those amazing animals. National Geographic Expeditions has a unique itinerary that allows travelers to do just that, while learning to track game with the famed Kalahari Bushmen and wander the Makgadikgadi salt flats on horseback. This is truly an amazing, once in a lifetime, journey to the very heart of Africa.

Cycle The Silk Road
Stretching across Europe and Asia, the Silk Road was once one of the most important trading routes in the entire world. Today it serves as the dramatic and historic backdrop for one of the longest, and most epic, annual cycling trips that any adventure traveler could ever ask for. The Silk Route Tour, which is designed by the team behind the amazing Tour d'Afrique, stretches from Shanghai to Istanbul, covering a distance of more than 7450 miles and requiring 129 days to complete. This year's route takes riders into Iran for the first time and will test their legs on Tajikistan's Pamir Highway, which rises above 15,000 feet. Don't have time to commit to the full tour? Then ride any combination of the individual legs instead.

Continue reading Ten big travel adventures for 2012

Ten big travel adventures for 2012 originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureadventure traveladventure-travelAdventureTraveldivingmountaineeringpumoriTravel adventuresTravelAdventurestrekkingwakhan corridorWakhanCorridorTue, 03 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bowermaster's Adventures: Protecting the Maldives]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/30/bowermasters-adventures-protecting-the-maldives/http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/30/bowermasters-adventures-protecting-the-maldives/http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/30/bowermasters-adventures-protecting-the-maldives/#commentsFiled under: Festivals and Events, Asia, Maldives, Ecotourism, Consumer Activism

Laamu, Maldives-- The recent four-day, ocean-focused conference -- dubbed WaterWoMen by its sponsors, Six Senses Resortsand +H2O-- was a first-of-a-kind blend of water sport activities and intellectual athleticism.

Equal part coming out party for the resort on this remote Maldivian atoll just a100 miles north of the equator included were not just some of the world's top water athletes (surfers, windsurfers, free divers, kite boarders) but some of the planet's more thoughtful thinkers on ocean issues as well.

On the athlete side were surfers Layne Beachley and Buzzy Kerbox , windsurfers Levi Silver and Keith Teboul, kite surfers Mark Shinn and Alex Caizergues and extreme wake boarder Duncan Zuur.

The slightly less active contingent included biologist and oceanographer Dr. Callum Roberts; aquatic filmmaker and 3rdgeneration ocean lover Fabien Cousteau; Carl Gustaf Lundin, director of the IUCN's Global Marine Program; Bollywood producer/director Shekhar Kapur; Chris Gorell Barnes, executive producer of the film "End of the Line;" and Water Charity co-founders Dr. Jacqueline Chan and Averill Strasser.

The Maldives is a perhaps the perfect place for such a meeting since warming sea temperatures have put its coral reefs at risk, thus endangering both its local population and the tourism industry that is its economic base. The event was prudently also a fundraiser for a trio of ocean non-profits:

The Blue Marine Foundation(www.bluemarinefoundation.com), created by Barnes, a recent initiative pushing for ten percent of the world's ocean to be placed into marine reserves by 2020 (today less than one percent is thus protected);

Plant A Fish(www.plantafish.org), Fabien Cousteau's hands-on marine education and restoration effort to engage local communities around the globe through schools, businesses and government agencies to "re-plant" aquatic plants and animals in environmentally stressed areas;

Water Charity(www.watercharity.org), focused on providing safe drinking water, effective sanitation and health education to those most in need via the most cost-effective and efficient means.

Continue reading Bowermaster's Adventures: Protecting the Maldives

Bowermaster's Adventures: Protecting the Maldives originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bowermastersadventuresjon bowermasterJonBowermastermaldivesoceanoceanswaterFri, 30 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Waldorf Astoria Maldives launches coral reef regeneration project]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/21/waldorf-astoria-maldives-launches-coral-reef-regeneration-projec/http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/21/waldorf-astoria-maldives-launches-coral-reef-regeneration-projec/http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/21/waldorf-astoria-maldives-launches-coral-reef-regeneration-projec/#commentsFiled under: Activism, Scuba Diving, Asia, Maldives, Ecotourism

coral reef maldives

The Maldives coral reefs comprise the eighth largest reef system in the world. But active tourism and fishing industries, as well as global phenomena like climate change and El Nino, are taking its toll. And because the islands of the Maldives are low-lying, the coral reefs are even more important as a barrier against sea-level rise and storms.

To do its part, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives is now allowing guests to help restore its surrounding coral reef ecosystem through a partnership with Seamarc, a marine consultancy that has developed an innovative new coral propagation technique for "replanting" parts of the reef.

For $150, guests can select and transplant a small portion of coral reef in the area surrounding the resort. The whole process takes one hour, and involves selecting a plot of living but damaged or threatened coral that has been harvested by Seamarc, attaching the plot to a lightweight frame structure, and transplanting it in the resort's lagoon. Guests can then monitor the growth and progress of their coral reef plot through a dedicated website.

The program may not completely offset the environmental impact of the Waldorf Astoria and other luxury resorts on the Maldives coral reefs, but it's a start.

Waldorf Astoria Maldives launches coral reef regeneration project originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>climate changeClimateChangeconscious tourismConsciousTourismcoralcoral reefcoral reef regenerationCoralReefCoralReefRegenerationecotourismel ninoElNinomaldivesmaldives coral reefsMaldivesCoralReefsseamarcsustainable tourismSustainableTourismwaldorf astoria maldivesWaldorfAstoriaMaldivesWed, 21 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bowermaster's Adventures: Learning how to breathe in the Maldives]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/21/bowermasters-adventures-learning-how-to-breathe-in-the-maldive/http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/21/bowermasters-adventures-learning-how-to-breathe-in-the-maldive/http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/21/bowermasters-adventures-learning-how-to-breathe-in-the-maldive/#commentsFiled under: Asia, Maldives, Ecotourism, Consumer Activism

LAAMU, Maldives -- A fast-moving rainstorm blew over the small atoll late in the afternoon, briefly cooling a humid day just 100 miles north of the equator. But within twenty minutes the sun was back hot and bright, the air even thicker with dampness. Aaaaaah paradise!

I was desperate for some cooling off, having spent the morning learning something I thought I'd mastered long ago: How to breathe.

The lessons had taken place in a pool behind one of the guesthouses at the new Six Senses Laamu resort where I'd joined a dozen superstar water athletes from around the world -- surfers, kite boarders and wind surfers -- learning not so much how to breathe, but how not to. My skimpy personal best for holding it while hanging onto the edge of the pool was about two-and-a-half-minutes; a couple guys went to five minutes and nearly blacked out.

Our task-master, standing waist-deep in the pool as we dunked our heads, stop-watch in hand, was German free diver extraordinaire Anna von Boetticher, one of the world's best at holding her breath. While we were experimenting in the relative safety of a four-foot-deep, suburban variety chlorinated pool she has dived to record depths wearing just a pair of oversized swim fins and mask to more than 270 feet.

She was most enlightening when debunking the "Baywatch" notion of saving near-drowning victims by pumping violently on their chests and blowing spittle into their mouths. She demonstrated the preferred method, which she said most are actually "saved" by, which involves light blowing on the cheeks and a little slap. Of course if that doesn't work, she admitted, then move quickly to the chest pumping and spit swapping.
A one-of-a-kind inaugural crowd -- the event was dubbed WaterWoMen, co-sponsored by Six Senses and +H2O -- had gathered at the newly opened resort, equal parts coming out party for the remote resort and a conference that included a bunch of world-class athletes as well as some of the planet's more thoughtful thinkers on ocean issues.

Continue reading Bowermaster's Adventures: Learning how to breathe in the Maldives

Bowermaster's Adventures: Learning how to breathe in the Maldives originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bowermastersadventuresjon bowermasterJonBowermasterMaldivesoceanswaterWed, 21 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Conrad Maldives hotel offers guests a chance to spot whale sharks]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/11/conrad-maldives-hotel-offers-guests-a-chance-to-spot-whale-shark/http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/11/conrad-maldives-hotel-offers-guests-a-chance-to-spot-whale-shark/http://www.gadling.com/2011/12/11/conrad-maldives-hotel-offers-guests-a-chance-to-spot-whale-shark/#commentsFiled under: Activism, Learning, Scuba Diving, Maldives, Ecotourism

The Conrad Maldives offers the chance to swim with whale sharks

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island hotel has announced that it is once gain joining forces with the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme. This unique partnership gives visitors to the resort a rare opportunity to view and interact with those amazing aquatic creatures while research is conducted on their behavior, migration patterns, and habitat.

The whale shark is the largest fish on the planet, sometimes stretching as much as 40 feet in length and weighing over 20 tons. Despite their great size however, they are known to be docile and gentle creatures who inhabit warm ocean waters like those found in the Maldives. In fact, the island nation happens to be one of the few places on Earth where whale sharks are known to congregate year round.

For the 5th year in a row, the MWSRP will be working in conjunction with the Conrad Maldives hotel on their research project, which will continue through February. Until that time, the hotel is offering its guests daily excursions out into the Indian Ocean to view whale sharks in their natural setting. The price of those excursions is $200, which includes transportation aboard a speedboat/luxury cruiser to dive and snorkeling sites that are inhabited by the large fish.

For adventurous travelers who love interaction with unique animals, this is an amazing opportunity. Diving in the Maldives provides the chance to not only see the whale shark, but also manta rays, moray eels, grey reef sharks, and sea turtles. Having just returned from a trip to the Virgin Islands, during which snorkeling and diving were frequent activities, I can safely say that I would jump at the chance to do this as well.

[Photo credit: Jaontiveros via WikiMedia]

Conrad Maldives hotel offers guests a chance to spot whale sharks originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>conrad maldivesConradMaldivesdivinghotelindian oceanIndianOceanresortscuba divingScubaDivingsnorkelingwhale sharkWhaleSharkSun, 11 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Maldives in Peril: Exploring the island of Maalhos]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/11/21/maldives-in-peril-exploring-the-island-of-maalhos/http://www.gadling.com/2011/11/21/maldives-in-peril-exploring-the-island-of-maalhos/http://www.gadling.com/2011/11/21/maldives-in-peril-exploring-the-island-of-maalhos/#commentsFiled under: Asia, Maldives

Late on a Sunday afternoon, hardly a day of rest in this part of the world, the small island of Maalhos is quiet. The men, most of who go to sea each day to fish or work at one of six nearby tourist resorts, are absent. School is out for a week's holiday so kids of various ages scamper up and down the short, dusty streets. The women of the island of 600 are mostly in doorways or small backyards or sitting in laid-back sling chairs made of strong twine strung from metal frames lining the streets.

On the beach, the late afternoon sun in the shade, a gaggle of boys swordfight with palm fronds. A woman in brown headscarf sits cross legged playing a sophisticated game of jacks with small round stones. Three women sit together knitting palm fronds into roofing material. A trio of girls in their early 20s follow us as we walk the streets, painfully shy, peeking out from beneath headscarves, smiling.

Like all Maldivian towns this is laid out in squares. From the start of any street you can stare down it and see blue ocean at the other end. As I walk the streets, obviously an outsider, accompanied by a translator -- one of the many islanders who works at one of the six tourist resorts in the Baa Atoll -- I stop to chat people up and the responses are friendly, smiling. Everyone I meet - man, woman, child - gives me a good, hard handshake as a hello. Though poor, this is not an impoverished place.

Despite the booming tourist business that exists on islands all around, most of these people have little contact with outsiders. Tourists in the Maldives are confined largely by geography to the resort islands. Water surrounds and there aren't shuttles or ferries or water taxis to take people easily from island to island. During the recently ended thirty-year dictatorship, locals were strongly discouraged from mingling with visitors, concerned that negative influences from the west might rub off. Tourists drink alcohol, run around mostly naked and come to party, after all. By comparison, the local populace does not imbibe and is called to prayer several times a day (though there is reportedly a sizable heroin habit and growing drinking problem among many of the Maldive's young people).

Continue reading Maldives in Peril: Exploring the island of Maalhos

Maldives in Peril: Exploring the island of Maalhos originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atollbowermastersadventuresislandjon bowermasterJonBowermastermaalhosmaldivesslowlifeslowlife symposiumSlowlifeSymposiumwaterMon, 21 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Maldives in Peril: A Q&A with actor Edward Norton]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/11/09/maldives-in-peril-a-qanda-with-actor-edward-norton/http://www.gadling.com/2011/11/09/maldives-in-peril-a-qanda-with-actor-edward-norton/http://www.gadling.com/2011/11/09/maldives-in-peril-a-qanda-with-actor-edward-norton/#commentsFiled under: Activism, Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Asia, Oceania, Maldives, Ecotourism

There was no b.s. in actor Edward Norton's introduction of himself at the recent SLOWLIFE Symposium in the Maldives: "Films are now my sideline," he said. "Waste is my business."

He admitted of course that what he referred to as his "day job" had provided him with the "storytelling skills" that aid him in his variety of non-acting pursuits, from CEO of Baswood Inc., a green wastewater treatment alternative he and his partners are currently selling and building around the U.S. and abroad to U.N. Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity. He's also a board member on a handful of non-profits, including the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, which gives him direct insight into sustainable tourism and eco-system preservation.

The move from fulltime acting to mixing it up in a diversity of projects focused on social good does not strike Norton as unusual. In a long interview with author Mark Lynas (Six Degrees, God Species) while in the Maldives, he sees it as more obligation than option.

"I think the defining challenge of the era right now is that we have recognized that we are living our lives and operating our civilization in a way that will not sustain life as we know it on the planet," said Norton. "I don't think an artist any less or more than anybody else should stay out of that conversation. I think artists, if they are serious about what art can do, are trying to engage in the times they are living in."

Norton's wide-ranging level of professional curiosity can easily be traced to his father, Edward Norton Jr., an environmental lawyer who has worked extensively in Asia, was a federal prosecutor in the Carter Administration and has close links with the Nature Conservancy, the Wilderness Society and the National Trust for Historic Conservation.

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Maldives in Peril: A Q&A with actor Edward Norton originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bowermastersadventuresedward nortonEdwardNortonjon bowermasterJonBowermastermaldivesslowlifeWed, 09 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Maldives in Peril: An interview with Daryl Hannah]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/11/07/maldives-in-peril-an-interview-with-daryl-hannah/http://www.gadling.com/2011/11/07/maldives-in-peril-an-interview-with-daryl-hannah/http://www.gadling.com/2011/11/07/maldives-in-peril-an-interview-with-daryl-hannah/#commentsFiled under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Learning, Asia, Maldives, Ecotourism

Given her decades of success in the movie business, environmental activist and actress Daryl Hannahcould be lounging on any beach in the world today, drinking rum punches, working on her tan or perfecting her mermaid's kick.

That she recently spent a week in the Maldives, much of it indoors participating in a pair of eco-symposiums focused on climate change and the future of island nations -- just days after being arrested in Washington D.C. as part of the protest against the planned $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline -- says a lot about her priorities.

It's easy to cast a dubious eye at celebrities who align themselves with environmental causes since often it's clear managers or agents have encouraged them hoping to better a client's position based on image rather than sincerity. With every actor under 40 (and many older) attempting to gain environmental cred these days it doesn't take too much effort to scratch the surface and find out who of them really bleeds green.

Continue reading Maldives in Peril: An interview with Daryl Hannah

Maldives in Peril: An interview with Daryl Hannah originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bowermastersadventuresdaryl hannahDarylHannahjon bowermasterJonBowermastermaldivesoceanslowlifeslowlife symposiumSlowlifeSymposiumMon, 07 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Maldives in Peril: SCUBA surveying with Fabien Cousteau]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/21/maldives-in-peril-scuba-surveying-with-fabien-cousteau/http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/21/maldives-in-peril-scuba-surveying-with-fabien-cousteau/http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/21/maldives-in-peril-scuba-surveying-with-fabien-cousteau/#commentsFiled under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Scuba Diving, Asia, Maldives

There are few places on the planet as remote as the Maldives. Landfall is a thousand miles away from much of the long string of 1,200 islands, most of which are little more than thin, uninhabited atolls. Diving into the heart of a Maldivian lagoon it is easy to imagine you are alone in one of Planet Ocean's most distant paradises.

Yet when I did just that a few days ago, in the heart of the Baa Atoll -- 400 square miles of aquamarine Indian Ocean recently named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve -- something didn't feel, or look, quite like paradise.

The ocean, though jaw-droppingly beautiful, was bathtub warm, 86, 87 degrees F. Diving to its shallow floor it was quickly clear that the realm below sea level here has been badly impacted in recent years by a combination of man, Mother Nature and fast-warming temperatures.

The coral reefs of the Maldives were first badly hammered in 1998, when shifting ocean patterns associated with El Niño raised sea level temps above 90 degrees for more than two weeks. The result was that 70 to 90 percent of the reefs surrounding the Maldives 26 atolls were badly "bleached," the warm temperatures killing off the symbiotic algae that lives within the coral and gives it color.

I was diving with Fabien Cousteau, grandson of Jacques and executive director of Plant A Fish, and Mark Lynas, author and climate change adviser to Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed. During our first dive along a shallow reef in the middle of Baa Atoll we repeatedly signaled "thumbs down" to each other, as it became clear that this reef was a long way from any kind of comeback. Blanched the color of cement, the coral tips were mostly broken off leaving behind bare rock.

Continue reading Maldives in Peril: SCUBA surveying with Fabien Cousteau

Maldives in Peril: SCUBA surveying with Fabien Cousteau originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiabowermastersadventurescousteaudivingfabien cousteauFabienCousteaujon bowermasterJonBowermastermaldivesoceanscubawaterFri, 21 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Maldives in Peril: Richard Branson on impacting climate change]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/17/maldives-in-peril-richard-branson-on-impacting-climate-change/http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/17/maldives-in-peril-richard-branson-on-impacting-climate-change/http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/17/maldives-in-peril-richard-branson-on-impacting-climate-change/#commentsFiled under: Asia, Maldives

I've bumped into Richard Branson a couple times now, in vastly different settings. The first was in the high Arctic village of Clyde River, where he'd come to join his son Sam for a weeklong dogsled expedition. He introduced himself with what he admitted was a weakish pinky-tap, blaming his inability to lift his arm on having rolled an ATV at his African safari camp the week before.

When we met again a few days ago on a beach in the Maldives, again he extended just a pinky. This time he blamed it on a nasty cold, which he was politely attempting not to spread.

He had flown in for a few days to participate in the SLOWLIFE Symposium as I had; ironically he'd arrived by British Air from London, rather than aboard his own Virgin, which doesn't fly to Male, the capital of the Maldives. Given his longstanding competition and high-level squabbles with BA, he joked that he'd brought along his own "food taster." I assume he wasn't referring to his lovely wife Joan, who accompanied him.

During the course of three days spent in sessions where 80 or so participated in conversation and debate about subjects ranging from the consequences of not taking climate change seriously to the energy future of small island states, Branson sat in on every one, taking notes in a small red notebook, participating in round table debates.

It wasn't as if he didn't have plenty on his plate that might have kept him otherwise occupied: The bankruptcy of the American solar company Solyndra had cost him a bundle; his house on his Caribbean island paradise, Necker Island, had burned to the ground just a month ago (thanks to a lightning strike during Hurricane Irene); and in a few days time he would be outed by Wikileaks for participating in covert plots to oust Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, announce plans to have Virgin Atlantic Airways running on recycled industrial gases by 2014 and by the following weekend be testing a new submersible amongst great white sharks off the coast of Mexico.

Continue reading Maldives in Peril: Richard Branson on impacting climate change

Maldives in Peril: Richard Branson on impacting climate change originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bowermastersadventuresjon bowermasterJonBowermastermaldivesinperilrichard bransonRichardBransonslowlifeMon, 17 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Maldives in Peril: From the SLOWLIFE Symposium part II]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/12/maldives-in-peril-from-the-slowlife-symposium-part-ii/http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/12/maldives-in-peril-from-the-slowlife-symposium-part-ii/http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/12/maldives-in-peril-from-the-slowlife-symposium-part-ii/#commentsFiled under: Asia, Maldives

Perhaps the most essential weapon -- or tool -- in affecting environmental change is political will. While individuals can make a difference, and must often lead the charge, for change to stick it demands governmental teeth.

When it comes to the ocean that means things like creating Marine Protected Areas, dictating what fish can be taken when and where, eliminating plastic at every step of life since so much of it eventually ends up in the sea and attempting to control leaks into the ocean, from waste to oil.

During nearly three years in office, President Mohammed Nasheed of the Maldives has shown a backbone far stronger than his petite frame would suggest (he's not much more than 5 feet tall). On a humid, blue-sky day on the island of Kunfunadhoo, the 43-year-old took time out from his global campaign to encourage nations big and small to reduce carbon footprints to give the crowd gathered at the 3rd Annual SLOWLIFE Symposium an update on how it's going.

A former journalist and human rights activist, Nasheed was jailed -- and tortured -- by his predecessor, Maumoon Gayoom, an autocratic leader who held the presidency for 30 years and is expected to run against Nasheed in 2013.

There is concern that Nasheed's globe-trotting presidency, which has earned him accolades such as The Green President and been the subject of a documentary, "The Island President," which recently won a prize as best documentary award at the Toronto International Film Festival, may have distanced him from voters back home.

Continue reading Maldives in Peril: From the SLOWLIFE Symposium part II

Maldives in Peril: From the SLOWLIFE Symposium part II originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bowermastersadventuresjon bowermasterJonBowermastermaldivesslowlifeWed, 12 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Maldives in Peril: From the SLOWLIFE symposium]]>http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/11/maldives-in-peril-from-the-slowlife-symposium/http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/11/maldives-in-peril-from-the-slowlife-symposium/http://www.gadling.com/2011/10/11/maldives-in-peril-from-the-slowlife-symposium/#commentsFiled under: Asia, Maldives

There is no place more apt to engage in heavy-hitting conversation about the future of Planet Ocean than the heart of the small island nation of the Maldives.

It is a place many have heard of but few could pick out on a map. Made up of twelve hundred islands and atolls, most pancake flat, the highest reaches no more than five feet above sea level making the Maldives the lowest country on earth. Only two hundred of the islands are inhabited by roughly 320,000 people. It is an always hot, exceedingly beautiful, Muslim country stretching about 600 miles from north to south in the heart of the Indian Ocean off the tip of Sri Lanka.

In terms less geographic the Maldives is also ground zero for assessing the impacts of climate change. As the earth's temperature continues to heat up, impacting sea surface temperatures in particular, the Maldives is at incredible risk of both rising sea levels and increased frequency and violence of storms.

No politician in the world has taken a bigger role in trying to ramp up interest in efforts to slow climate change (except perhaps Al Gore), than the Maldives' young president, Mohammed Nasheed.

This past weekend an invested crowd of thinkers and doers, including President Nasheed and several members of his cabinet, gathered on the small island of Kunfunadhoo, home to the Six Senses resort Soneva Fushi. This was the third annual S.L.O.W.L.I.F.E Symposium organized by Six Senses CEO Sonu Shivadsani and his wife Eva. The barefoot conference brought together climate change environmentalists like the UK's Jonathan Porritt, Tim Smits and Jeremy Leggett, renewable energy and island nation leaders from as far away as Reunion and Bali, ocean mariners including Fabien Cousteau and some incredibly dedicated headline-makers (Richard Branson and the actors Edward Norton and Daryl Hannah). The subject of three days of talks was: What can we do fast, before it's too late.

Continue reading Maldives in Peril: From the SLOWLIFE symposium

Maldives in Peril: From the SLOWLIFE symposium originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventure-travelasiabowermastersadventuresislandjon bowermasterJonBowermastermaldivesslowlifewaterTue, 11 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST