November 26, 2025 • 37 mins
Are the Maldives worth the hype? This episode, co-host Belle Jackson talks about her most recent visit to the island nation.
We're talking about the food, the different types of resorts, their sustainability and, of course, whale sharks.
Belle stayed at Niyama Private Islands Maldives for the surfing; niyama.com & Avani+ Fares Maldives for the whale sharks; avanihotels.com/en/fares-maldives
Also, travel comparison and booking platform Omio shares some tips for Travel Tuesday, such as knowing your prices beforehand, get your logins and sign up to newsletters! See omio.com
And are Australians prepared to go broke for a break? Stay tuned... https://www.finder.com.au/news/action-to-afford-holiday-2025
Kirstie's story on https://karryon.com.au/luxury/overtourism-in-africa-help-or-hinder/
Finally, let's start a tea party! Tell us - do you pack tea bags when you travel? Belle's story in the Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.theage.com.au/traveller/inspiration/i-didn-t-want-coffee-so-my-1000-a-night-resort-gave-me-cheap-tea-bags-20251107-p5n8h9.html
Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:02):
Welcome to the World Awaits.
Travel tales to inspire yourwonderlust.
Welcome back to the WorldAwaits.
How are you all?
How's your week been, Kirsty?
SPEAKER_04 (00:13):
Oh my god, I've had a massive few weeks and I've
just finally got my seat backunder the desk.
So I've been on a Viking cruisein the MED, which you might have
seen if you're following me onsocials at Kości Rights, and we
were off the ship every day andwe covered four countries.
So the highlight for me was umDubrovnik in Croatia.
Oh my god, I just loved thatplace.
(00:34):
It was just so beautiful.
It was a gorgeous old town andjust had a really good vibe
about it.
And then when we got back, wehad family here and we headed on
down to my favourite localhaunt, which is um Phillip
Island, which the weather wasnot kind to us.
But um, but anyway, look, it wasstill great.
We went and visited PhillipIsland Winery, which I hadn't
(00:54):
been to, which is a gorgeouswinery, uh, really lovely, and
it was um, yeah, really niceexperience.
You can they have live musicthere on Saturdays if you're
ever heading down that way.
Um, and lots of and uh obviouslytheir own wine brand, which was
delicious.
Uh, and then yeah, we showedthem around some of the
wildlife.
Also had a cover story come outin the New Zealand Herald about
(01:15):
Songsar in Cambodia and anotheron uh the yoga festival in
Tahiti that I went to recently.
So we can I can put links tothose in the show notes.
And also a piece, actually, Iwrote a piece um I'd been
researching about overcrowdingon safaris.
So that's an interesting topic,I think, that needs more
coverage.
So um, yeah, but how's your weekbeen, Belle?
SPEAKER_03 (01:34):
Uh, I am really interested to read that um
safari story because it'ssomething really close to my
heart.
I am celebrating my own littlevictory, and it's uh much less
um worthy, but it's a it's abouta piece I wrote in For the Age
and the City Morning Heraldabout worthy.
SPEAKER_04 (01:50):
What less do you mean less worthy than being
named?
Travel writer of the year forthe second time in almost a row.
SPEAKER_03 (01:57):
God, there's that.
No, saying less worthy thananimal conservation.
This I was saying, so this storyis, you know, it's not one of
the big issues, but it is a bigissue because everybody just
fired up about it.
It is about how tea drinkers geta raw deal.
So I actually put a call out toform a tea party.
Ha, get it, to object how hotelswill finesse the espresso, coup
(02:20):
over the pour over, and obsesswith the cold press.
Meanwhile, we, the rusted on teadrinkers, and I'm putting you in
here as well, Kirsty, we areignored and we get served these
crappy, pesticide-laden budgetsupermarket tea bags.
And it really hit a nerve.
So I'm gonna continue calling itout.
I always make the point when I'min hotels, when I, you know,
(02:42):
when I'm doing an inspection andstuff, I'll say to somebody,
dude, what is with the crapteabags?
Seriously.
You know, when these hotels aresaying, oh, we embody a place
and um, you know, we're allabout the location and stuff
like that.
And then they get some dodgy asscrap teabag beside the espresso
machine.
I'm done.
I'm done with it.
I consider it my civic duty as atravel journalist.
(03:05):
So apart from that, celebratingthat win, I have actually just
corolled myself in the house.
I'm recharging the batteriesafter a busy couple of months in
Central Australia, Tassie andthe Maldives.
So let's all lie down forChristmas.
That's my motto.
SPEAKER_04 (03:19):
Yes, as you know, I'm up for good tea too.
And I think it's a I think it'sa great crusade there that
you're on.
Um, and it was very hard to geta good chai last night, I have
to say, when I was over inEurope.
SPEAKER_03 (03:31):
You just got to do what we all do.
You've got to start packing itand traveling it with traveling
with you, you know.
I've got a stash of tea bags.
Yeah.
So I want to hear actually, Iwant to hear from readers.
Do you carry tea bags with youwhen you travel if you are a
serious?
SPEAKER_04 (03:46):
Yeah, but a bit harder to carry the sticky chai
and the um coffee machine tomake it in.
But yeah, but um, so anyway, weare all going to hear soon about
the Maldives, which I can't waitto hear about.
But before we get into that, anew finder survey has found
Aussies are prepared topractically go broke to get a
break.
Well, maybe not broke, but we'reall getting highly creative to
(04:07):
ensure that we can pay for ourholidays.
SPEAKER_03 (04:09):
Yes, absolutely.
In fact, almost half of those inthis survey uh are looking at
how they can make money or cutthe budget to ensure they can
afford a getaway.
Um, with more than 20 of thepeople responding, uh 20% of
people responding to this surveyum are doing things like
recycling bottles and cans forcash.
And look, I totally do thisbecause it's a win-win all
around.
And 14% are selling unwantedhousehold items and clothing to
(04:32):
pay for their trip.
And I think, isn't that thewhole point of um Facebook
Marketplace, right?
You know.
SPEAKER_04 (04:38):
Yeah, for sure if you trust it.
And about 13% have also taken ona second job or side hustle,
while 25% are sacrificing theirsocial lives.
And Find a Money Expert RebeccaPike says it shows how desperate
some people are for a holidaybecause they're not just cutting
back, but people are reallyhustling hard to make it happen.
SPEAKER_03 (04:57):
And sadly, she says that travel for many isn't
affordable anymore, but peopleare willing to sacrifice
everyday comforts, and I hopeshe doesn't mean good tea bags,
just to make it happen.
Um, because there was a shiftaway from spontaneous getaways
to strategic planning.
People are using side hustles,points hacking, and selling
pre-loved items to get thattravel currency.
(05:19):
We are, I mean, look, you know,Kirsty, we're an anomaly because
we travel for work.
But what do you see friends andfamily do to pay for holidays?
SPEAKER_04 (05:27):
Yeah, look, uh, I think if it's a priority, and
and remember as the sun, it'sreally not, but for our
listeners, of course, you'rehere for the travel and suppose.
So of course it would be.
Um, and for you, and I havefriends, lots of friends like
this too, it's about, I guess,reviewing where you go.
So maybe instead of Europe, itmight be some of my friends
would just go somewhere closerto home.
So they might go somewhere likeBali.
(05:48):
Um, and also somewhere wherethere's a more favorable
exchange rate.
So, because and also we have toremember that travel doesn't
have to be about cost.
You can always just go andexperience places close at home.
And because we were just atPhillip Island, that was a
really good reminder to us ofthat.
Because we had family downthere, we were taking them to
places and doing things that wewouldn't normally do.
(06:09):
So it was it was a really goodreminder that you, yeah, you can
you can you can still experiencesomething new if you see a place
close to home like a tourist.
SPEAKER_03 (06:18):
Yeah, absolutely.
I feel the same way.
I mean, we do things like wepool travel with friends, so we
split the costs on holidays.
Um, and staying close to homehere in Victoria.
In fact, you will find me downthe Mornington Peninsula this
Christmas, back to my heartland,because we've got a family house
um down there that lets us staywithout the prohibitive price of
tags of renting a beach house insummer.
(06:40):
So all, you know, all theextended family is down there um
at that time, and I think it'sjust really beautiful, and it
doesn't absolutely bust the bustthe bank.
SPEAKER_04 (06:50):
And so listen out for the great debate again about
Morning to Peninsula versusPhillip Island after the
Christmas break, and we put alink to this research in the
show notes.
SPEAKER_02 (06:59):
Ah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_04 (07:11):
Turquoise lagoons, incredible sea life, overwater
villas in Must Be the Maldives.
This week Belle's my guest, andshe's taking us to this
beautiful island nation to seewhether it lives up to the hype.
So, firstly, Belle, for thosewho don't know, where are they?
SPEAKER_03 (07:27):
Well, let's start with our little geography lesson
here.
This little archipelago issouthwest of India and Sri
Lanka.
There are just under 1,200 coralislands in the Maldives in 26
atolls.
And only 200 of those islandswas inhabited.
All these stats just blew mymind.
What is really interesting isthat half the number of those
islands are inhabited byMaldivians, and the other half
(07:49):
are tourism resorts.
And fascinatingly, that balanceis changing.
But look, the capital is Malay,which is one of the most densely
populated capitals in the world.
And it's not because it's got aginormous population, but
because the islands are just soinsanely small.
So everybody is chock on top ofeach other.
So when you look at the size ofthe Maldives, it's only seven uh
(08:11):
870 kilometers from the top tothe bottom and just 130
kilometers wide.
So it's absolutely tiny.
In fact, when the first planelanded in the Maldives in 1960,
Malay was just too small toaccommodate an airport.
So they put the landing strip onthe neighboring island, Hulhule
Island.
And I've got to say, the firsttwo times I visited the
(08:34):
Maldives, to get to Malay fromthe airport, you had to catch a
small boat called Adonie acrossthe stretch of water from the
airport to the capital.
Now there's actually a largebridge connecting the two
islands.
So when I when I was there lastmonth, that was the very first
change that I noticed flying in.
SPEAKER_04 (08:52):
Yeah, well interesting.
So how do you get there fromAustralia?
SPEAKER_03 (08:56):
Well, I've got to say, we are terribly unlucky
here in Australia that there areno direct flights from
Australia.
Um, but look, watch this spacebecause I anticipate news to be
announced very, very shortlythat will change this.
So at the moment, most peoplefly to Singapore with Singapore
Airlines and then they transferon to the Maldives.
Um, you can also fly via KualaLumpur with Malaysian and even
(09:20):
with budget carrier Air Asia,which I find is really
fascinating.
This time I flew with um SriLankan Airlines and I transited
in Colombo.
It's only an hour and a halffrom Colombo to Malay, it's
probably the closest of thetransfers.
So it really depends on yourbudget and the best connections,
because often uh we are stuckwith quite a long wait in those
(09:40):
transit countries.
But every airline worth its saltflies into the Maldives,
including all the Middle Easterncarriers.
Turkish is in there, Aeroflotcomes from Russia, British
Airways, and all the Chinesecarriers are in there too.
So, like, who's not there reallyis the question.
Yeah, wow, I don't know.
It's fascinating.
Um, so tell us a bit about whereyou stayed.
Well, look, firstly, almostnobody stays in Malay, the
(10:03):
capital.
While it has improved, it isgenerally regarded as pretty
dreary, and you can cover it offin a short time.
The highlight for me when Ivisited on a previous trip to
the Maldives was the fishmarket, which sounds kind of
rando, but when you go in, yousee these absolutely enormous
whole tuna sold.
It like at the end of the day,they'll just be flogging it off
for a couple of dollars a kiloof this beautiful, beautiful f
(10:27):
fish.
I mean, it's not the ideal wayto see the famous marine life,
but there you go.
Um, I better say most visitorsdon't go to Marle.
They stay at the airport andconnect straight onto their
resort, either by speedboat forthose resorts close to Marlee,
by a commercial flight to one ofthe domestic airports dotted
around the atolls, or viaseaplane.
SPEAKER_04 (10:46):
Now we're talking who doesn't love a seaplane.
SPEAKER_03 (10:48):
Absolutely.
Like you, I do love a littleplane.
The smaller the better.
It's it's kind of like Fiji inthe sense that there are whole
fleets of twin otters, if you'rean AV geek like me, skipping
about amongst the islands,between the islands.
So these planes seed up to 19people, and they have the most
beautiful runway in the world.
They take off and land on water.
(11:10):
And I just love the seaplaneterminal in the Maldives, seeing
all of these private planeswhipping out to the Ultralux
resorts.
The um the seaplane transfersare the most indirect and also
the most expensive way to get toyour resort.
Alternatively, for a lot ofthem, you can take a commercial
flight to the nearest airportand then you take a speedboat
onto your onto your um island.
(11:32):
But on the seaplanes, thescenery is just incredible and
they flow, they fly much, muchlower than the regular planes.
So you just, I mean, look, jumponto my Instagram.
I have taken so many videos justof what we were looking at as we
are flying over these atolls.
But look, when you are planningyour Maldives um adventure, let
me remind you that thesebeautiful little seaplanes only
(11:53):
fly visual line of sight, whichmeans they have to be able to
see where they're going.
They can't rely on radar.
So they don't fly at night andthey won't fly in very poor
weather.
So you have to ensure that yourinternational flight arrives in
the Maldives with enough time toget onto a seaplane.
Um, generally the last ones goout to the islands at about 3:30
in the afternoon.
Otherwise, your transfers haveto be done by commercial
(12:16):
flights.
And the most incredible thingabout it, actually, Kirsty, was
none of the pilots wear shoes.
So you're flying out on thistiny plane.
And with the first time we flewout, there was only seven or so
of us in the plane.
Pilots are barefoot.
It's just amazing.
Like, and and that is when yougo, I'm on a seaplane with a
pilot that doesn't even have anyshoes on, I must be in the
(12:37):
Maldives.
SPEAKER_04 (12:38):
Yes.
And that's a really good tip,actually, about timing.
Because often you don't youdon't think about those sorts of
things about coordinatingbecause the transfers you just
assume are there waiting andready for you.
So what was your resort like?
And um and why did you choose togo there?
SPEAKER_03 (12:53):
Well, I stayed in two resorts.
I was there for a week and Isplit my time between two of
them.
The first one I stayed at wasNiama Private Islands, which is
down south of Malay in the DalaAtoll.
And then the second resort wasnorth of Malay at the Yvani Plus
Faras in the Bar Atoll.
They're both owned by minorhotels and they are both very
different hotels.
SPEAKER_04 (13:15):
Yeah, and let's delve into that a little bit
because uh my understanding isthat from the Maldives is that
you really have to choose theresort based on what you want to
do because the experiences areso different to paste uh, you
know, depending on theirgeographic location.
SPEAKER_03 (13:30):
Absolutely.
Look, yeah, the as I've said,the Malay uh the Maldives is not
huge, but it is incrediblydiverse.
So, first I'd say it is theultimate fly and flop
destination because the scenery,no matter where you stay, is
absolutely spectacular.
The islands are surrounded bylagoons that hold back the
Indian Ocean.
The sand is blindingly white,the sunsets are magnificent,
best enjoyed from your poollounger, or if the positioning
(13:53):
is right and it often is,enjoyed from your bed, um, or
that gorgeous little beach barshack.
But look, the back to theactivities and those two
properties.
The unique point about NiyamaPrivate Island is it is is one
of the very few islands in theMaldives with a naturally
occurring surf break on itsshores.
The the break it breaks rightoff the northern um point, which
(14:15):
is called Vodi Point.
And so while they're surfing inother areas of the Maldives,
such as down south a few yearsago, I was at the Como
Melafushi, where dedicated surftour companies run surfing
trips.
But um, often they might be onlive-board boats, or you've got
to go out to the atolls.
And that is very different tothis as a beach break.
SPEAKER_04 (14:35):
So just apart from surfing, what were you doing to
wipe away your days?
SPEAKER_03 (14:40):
Yeah, I'm absolutely.
And they do do beginner surflessons, you know.
I mean, what a bragging rightthat is.
I alert to surf in the Maldives.
Um, Niamos is uh is a great onebecause it's really just it's
just refurbished, uh, it'snearly refurbished this year.
So the resort's only eight yearsold, but you know, sun, sand,
and surf do take their toll, notonly on your skin, but on the
resorts as well.
So we were lucky enough to stayin one of the newly renovated
(15:03):
overwater villas.
And like most resorts, theybalance those overwater villas,
which do come with a higherprice point, with its beach
villas.
And Niyama has a lot of beachvillas hidden between the palms,
which are super private andright on the beachfront.
And they are absolutely popularwith families with young
children because you can simplywander out of the villa and out
onto your little slice of abeach to swim in very shallow,
(15:25):
safe, and incredibly warmwaters.
So I did do a lot of that.
And then they also run day tripsout to see turtles, champagne
sunsets, go on a dive tour, andall of those water sports that
you'd expect.
And what I loved about thisresort was that unlike others,
it's also quite sizable.
So it's four acres spread acrosstwo interconnecting islands.
(15:47):
They've got a little woodenbridge between them.
Um, and everybody gets around inthese old school beach cruiser
bikes, which is just gorgeous.
So, you know, you're justcruising through the coconut
palms on these sandy trailsalong the over and along the
overwater boardwalks.
You go to the restaurant forbreakfast, out onto one of the
beaches for a bit of stand-uppaddling.
You might take your kids to thekids' club, or they they all
(16:08):
have teen clubs on them now withum things like, you know, FIFA
and um and ping pong and stufflike that.
Or you're going to the thetreetop restaurant nest, which
is beautiful, out to that beachbar where you can watch the
surfers.
Um, what you cannot cycle to isNiama's specialty restaurant
Edge, which is set half akilometre offshore on a pontoon.
(16:30):
So at sunset, you take a boatout um to this pontoon to this
restaurant.
So you can dine on Maldivianlobster as the sun sets across
the ocean and there is, youknow, with nothing on the
horizon, it really isspectacular.
And then on Friday nights, youcan follow a staircase on that
pontoon down to its underwaterrestaurant, which turns into a
(16:52):
disco.
So heartbreakingly, I arrived ona Saturday.
So I cannot share with you whatit was like dancing underwater,
but it was like we went down tothe space and it was just
amazing.
I've I have eaten in underwaterrestaurants like in on the
Conrad property at RangaliIsland.
There was a little bit of guilt,Kirsty, because they serve
seafood.
SPEAKER_02 (17:12):
So you're sitting there eating a fish and then its
cousin swims past you, and youthink, oh my god.
How do they feel about that?
SPEAKER_04 (17:22):
But I have to say, uh dining on a pontoon um, you
know, is on lobster.
Oh my god, what an amazingexperience.
And um, I think the food wouldbe so good you wouldn't be
worrying about the uh thecousins or sisters or the
brothers that are swimmingaround.
SPEAKER_03 (17:36):
And if your photo, but sorry, and of course there's
no calories in holiday food aswell.
SPEAKER_04 (17:41):
Yes, of course.
Or drink.
Um, but yeah, your videos wereso beautiful, and everyone can
check those out at um globalunderscore salsa.
So what was the food like?
And can you actually try the trythe Maldivian food if it like
what sort of food is that?
Because that's all based aroundobviously the ocean.
SPEAKER_03 (17:58):
I am glad you asked, Kirsty, because you know I do
love to eat.
And one of my favorite thingswhen I'm in places like India or
Sri Lanka or the Maldives isbreakfast curry.
Show me a breakfast curry withparata, fried bread, and I will
show you a contented woman.
Um, also good tea.
Yeah.
So um kicking all the boxes, um,on both the resorts I stayed in,
(18:19):
they had a Maldivian breakfaststation, which I'm really happy
to see because you know you caneat bacon and eggs and sausages
anywhere around the world.
What?
But there are two foods thatunderpin Maldivian cuisine,
which are unsurprisingly,coconuts and tuna.
Years ago on Conrad BangaliIsland, the head chef told me no
tuna, no life for the Moldiviankitchen.
So oftentimes that breakfastcurry is chicken, but
(18:41):
traditionally it's more likelyto be a fresh tuna curry and a
rich sort of tomato-y, coconut-ygravy.
And I am so okay with that.
And chili as well, always chili,because they do love a good
chili.
They play it down in theresorts, but um they serve it on
the side.
And when you say to the chef,Yeah, I can do a bit of chili,
they're like, Yes, but theystill keep it at a lower level
(19:03):
to what a Maldivian definitionof chili is.
So uh yeah, I just think thefood is really fascinating
because you know, you getthrough to a culture, you know,
you understand a culture throughits food.
And so when you go, it's allabout tuna and and coconuts,
it's like, of course, becauseyou are on a tropical island in
the middle of nowhere, right?
SPEAKER_04 (19:21):
Oh my god, all that chat about that incredible
food's making me very hungry.
But the other property youactually stated is actually one
that we've featured before,which is Ivani Plus Fares, which
is in the Bar Atoll north ofMarle.
And if you jump back to episode98, I interviewed free diving
conservationist Hanley PrinceLou, and I have to say she's
absolutely sold me on theincredible wildlife sear too.
SPEAKER_03 (19:43):
Yes, there is a saying here in Bar, it's better
in Bar.
Um, and I don't know how manytimes I heard that because the
Maldivians just love it as muchas much as everybody else.
This resort's only a couple ofyears old.
It is set on a what was a200-year-old coconut plantation
um on the western edge of thecountry.
So if you are having a littledrink looking west across the
(20:05):
Indian Ocean, there is nothing,nothing, until you hit the coast
of Africa at Somalia.
And that like that actually blewmy mind.
I felt so remote on this island.
It was it was almostdisconcerting that it, you know,
you really felt that thatincredible isolation.
SPEAKER_04 (20:24):
Yeah, amazing.
And what was the vibe like therecompared to the other one you
were staying at?
SPEAKER_03 (20:28):
Yeah, compared to it, it is a really different
animal compared to Niama.
It's not a question of thenumber of rooms because Niama
has 134 villas, um, which rangefrom overwater and uh and beach
villas.
And then on Ivani, there are176.
So they've got overwater villas,they've got the beach villas,
and then they've got thesepavilion rooms, which are
decorated exactly the same asthe others, but then they're in
(20:51):
an um, they're in uh smallgroups.
So so your families can actuallytake a couple of them together.
It's much more interconnecting.
They are at a lower price point.
I met this great English couplewho said, Oh, we were gonna stay
at the overwater villas, andthen we realized we could stay
for two weeks if we stayed inthe pavilion room.
So they were staying on thisisland for two weeks, which I
thought was just phenomenal.
(21:12):
Um, but there's a very differentenergy on Ivani Plus.
I feel Niama is really classic,wonderfully laid back in that
Maldivian escape style.
Avani has more activities, and Ithat is due to the location.
Avani won the Best Dive Resortuh award at Maldives Travel
Trade Awards last year, and it'sand it's actually won it a
(21:34):
couple of times, and and that isfighting off some serious
competition.
I'll give you an example of umbecause I'm a snorkeler, I'm not
a diver.
Um I'm not a bad snorkeler.
The house reef is um the housereef on the island at Avania
Plus, is you literally walk tothe end of the beach near
Smuggler's Shack, which is acute little beach bar, and you
(21:56):
jump in with your snorkel on,and you are diving straight into
an aquarium.
It's just incredible thephenomenal amount of fish life
around you.
Like you'll just have schools ofa hundred um, you know, tiny
little angel fish flying, youknow, tearing past you.
They've got um, I mean, there'sthings like eels and uh just
(22:18):
moorish idols.
And the numbers are phenomenal.
And look, I've you know, I'vesnuggled extensively in the
Great Barrier Reef in placeslike the Great Astrolabe in
Fiji, in southern Fiji.
Um, on this beach, uh, you know,it's in its turtles have been
laying their eggs, and the hotelprotects them.
They have about 50 or 60 hatcheson the island around the year.
(22:38):
And that's just a place whereyou're having like a sunset
drink.
It's it's absolutely phenomenal.
There's a drop-off from just acouple of meters offshore, and
it drop drops past, and peoplewere seeing um sharks, nice,
friendly, delightful sharks, um,just off this reef.
Uh, it absolutely blew my mind,Kirsty, to be completely, you
(22:59):
know, no holds barred, honestwith you.
It blew my mind.
In fact, I had a chat withIvanny Plus Farah's um general
manager, Judd Rabbage, who isactually Australian and he lives
on the island with his youngfamily, and he's been there a
couple of years, and he's goingto explain to you why it's
better in bar.
SPEAKER_00 (23:16):
Um, the bar toll is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
And for example, where we areum, you know, certain times of
the year, you're standing on thejetty and you've got, you know,
dry manta rays even coming past,eagle rays, turtles, sharks.
We call them vegetarians, unlikeAustralian sharks.
Are they vegetarians and theMaldives?
They've got enough food so theydon't um don't try and it eats
uh eat humans, which we're luckyabout, but also um you look
(23:40):
every kind of marine life youcan imagine is there, and
because of it's it's a reserve,there's no fishing, um, you
know, the marine animals arereally comfortable coming in
close, comfortable with humansas well.
Um, so it's that is adestination as a bartole.
You will not find marine lifelike that anywhere else in the
Maldives.
And I think a lot of placesother than the Galavagus in the
(24:01):
world, um, it's you know, youcan you can go to certain areas
and just the uh the the sheeramount of of turtles that'll be
on one reef, or you know,there's a pot of dolphins in the
area, they're a thousand strong.
So it's an incredible um, youknow, a toll.
It's it's far enough away, youknow, north that you're away
from the shipping lines, you'reaway from normality, you know.
(24:23):
And where we are at Ivani, we'reon the very, very western edge.
So you can't see any otherislands as you would have
noticed, but when you're on theisland, you can see Vakuru just
on a nice day, but it's about 15to 20 minutes by boat, but you
can't see any other islands, andand that's what really makes us
being on that very western edge,the animals are comfortable to
to kind of swim in.
So, you know, throughout theday, the amount of marine life
(24:45):
you see is fantastic.
I was I was a bit out now on theum out to Harifaru Bay, which is
where they all congregate, wherethe giant mandarys congregate.
And we're going out there andand all the Maldivian boys, um,
you know, and I and I love it.
Look, I really I think you know,as a as a leader, when you're
there in the Maldives, youshould really focus on on the
locals.
You know, we're lucky enough tobe expats in their country, and
(25:07):
we should always be grateful forthat.
And and so I try, you know,really get involved with the
local boys.
And they said to me, when we getpast this point, just put your
head out and you'll see, youmight see some some wild shots.
And we saw this and and look bigin Australia, but you know, I
see the odd fin and I do get abit of a fight.
So put my head out, and and Isort of saw um, you know, these
uh the tail coming in out of thewater and got a bit of a fright.
(25:28):
But the boys, one of the ladsjust jumped straight in, and um
they you know they're giving megrief.
Obviously, work at the hotel andthey said jump.
And um, you know, my wife ispretty quick always to jump in.
So she jumped in first, and thenI was right behind her, and just
swimming with this animal that'syou know, two or three trucks,
good car sizes are big, and justhow gentle they are, and and
(25:49):
swimming in the you can see sofar in the water, and they're
just so relaxed.
It was, yeah, an incredibleexperience.
Absolutely incredibleexperience.
SPEAKER_04 (25:58):
You can definitely hear the passion in his voice
about the the wildlife and thebar at all.
And particularly, I loved it howhe talked about how he jumped in
with the whale shots on thehoney farous bay.
It's just amazing.
SPEAKER_03 (26:09):
I know.
It's it's absolutely incredible.
There you have it from thehorse's mouth.
Judd also told me incredibly theAustralians, speaking of animals
in uh traveling around theplace, as Australians are
actually number five in thenationalities that visit the
Maldives.
I was so surprised by that.
So the most popular market isRussians, and honestly, if you
have a look at their weather,you can see why.
(26:30):
Um, with a big then followed bya lot of Europeans, Germans, and
Italians.
And um, and then after that,Australians at number five,
which actually really surprisedme.
And I I did like, he made areally good point when we were
chatting that his resort doesn'tjust focus on one nationality,
but it's an eclectic mix ofnationalities.
So, so when you're at breakfast,you know, you can hear the
Italians over this side, thisGerman's here.
(26:51):
We heard quite a lot of Dutchwere visiting and stuff.
So I I always find thatfascinating.
Um, it wasn't the season for um,you know, they traditionally had
a lot of people coming from theSouthern Asian from Hong Kong
and Singapore and places likethat.
I just find that fascinating onland as well.
Hilariously, we were on theisland at the same time as
British reality star CarolynStanbury.
(27:11):
If you ever watched the RealHousewives of Dubai, uh, she was
there with her Spanishfootballer husband, Sergio
Carolo, who um I was happy to besharing the island with.
She was running her power andparadise retreats here.
I'll leave you to read betweenthe lines on that last comment.
She was running her power andparadise retreats here in the
Maldives.
(27:32):
And it was it was reallyinteresting, actually, to watch
how a power influencer coupleoperates.
But it is one of the mostaspirational destinations in the
world, along with other placessuch as Tahiti and the
Seychelles.
SPEAKER_04 (27:44):
People are madly Googling that footballer's name
right now.
Um, and so on to more seriousissues.
The question is, uh, with allthis uh growth, is um is it
going to be sustainable?
SPEAKER_03 (27:57):
Look, I've got to say that is something top of my
mind when I think of theMaldives.
Um, it is no surprise, it is oneof the lowest-lying countries in
the world.
The highest point is about twometers above sea level.
So if you are talking aboutrising sea levels, I'm like,
hello, Maldives, what are youdoing about it?
Um, I did ask Judd about this,and we talked about the Maldives
sea rangers who monitor thenumber of boats and proximity to
(28:19):
animals.
So, you know, when you jump offa boat to go and swim with a
whale shark, you can't just jumpon the whale shark.
It doesn't work like that.
So they are monitoring that andkeeping that distance.
Um, and they do come and talk toguests about the importance of
keeping your distance fromanimals and staying close by the
guides because I I think it'sreally fascinating.
We tend to treat sea animalswith a lot less respect than we
(28:41):
treat land animals.
You know, everybody is like,okay, um, you know, they
understand how how um lions orelephants need that space.
And honestly, they're very bigand they're very bitey as well.
But we don't always necessarilythink about this when we're
talking about sea animals.
And the Maldives is changing aswell because you're going,
you're starting to find newislands that are being man-made
(29:05):
or made by humans.
It is incredible to note, likein 2017, the last time I was
there was about 10 years ago,there were there were under less
than 50 resorts.
Now there are 180, and at least20 more opening in the next year
or two.
And we're talking about thebiggest names in the business.
Bulgari opens there next year,Rosewood, Aman, Capella,
(29:27):
Mandarin Oriental, they're allcoming in the next few years.
And this, you know, this is like$5,000 a night.
So it's very much a luxurydestination.
Um, what uh what Judd, a pointthat he made about it, was that
the marine life knows forgenerations where these natural
reefs are.
And it's going to take themgenerations to feel comfortable
(29:47):
about the new reefs.
So this, you know, there ismuscle memory in the migratory
parts.
So what we've got to hope isthat the tourism industry uh
takes into account the the theSustainability like actually
takes on board about beingsustainable.
And that's not just, you know,not using plastic straws and
stuff like that, but havinggenuine measures to ensure that
(30:10):
they are doing things like, youknow, getting away from diesel
and having solar-poweredresorts, which which makes
sense.
You know, it absolutely makessense about sourcing food
locally, you know, having theMaldivian lobster and not having
the lobster that comes fromNorway, which I think is an
absolute no-brainer because itmeans, yes, you've got less food
bales, but also it means us, thetourists, are having a more
(30:32):
genuinely Maldivian experience.
SPEAKER_04 (30:36):
Okay, so tell us a bit about local life.
SPEAKER_03 (30:40):
Look, it's an interesting question because in
the past the Maldiviangovernment kept the local
islands and the resort islandsseparate.
Remembering that this is aMuslim country and bringing pork
pornography and alcohol in yourluggage is forbidden.
So if it is your want to travelwith a little pork sausage or
two in your hand luggage, I'dsay don't.
You can buy alcohol when you'rein the Maldives in the islands,
of course.
So the way that most people meetMaldivians, unless they take a
(31:04):
dedicated local island tour,which I've done in the past, is
you meet it through the resortstaff.
And I was really pleased to notethat in these two
internationally owned resorts,about half the workforce is
actually Maldivian.
So it might be the surf guidesand the dive center or the
personal trainers, the chefs,the butlers looking after the
villas or the rooms, and a lotof the wait staff, mostly men in
(31:25):
this situation, and they allreally had a genuine warmth
about them.
I mean, they live in what mostof the world considers paradise,
and they are pretty proud of it.
So what's changing in theMaldives now is the rise of
homestays on the local islands.
About 10 years ago, thegovernment changed its laws to
allow homestays, and they rangefrom backpacker up to fancy
(31:45):
five-star homestays.
Um, although, you know, it'spretty hard to compete with some
of the world's great hotelierswho have opened resorts here.
But I think that homestays arethe next story that the Maldives
has to share.
SPEAKER_04 (31:59):
And my last question to you is, of course,
interesting for most people.
How much do they cost?
SPEAKER_03 (32:05):
Well, um, look, Nayama, uh, at Niyama, you
budget around um$1,500 a night.
Um, and that will range frombeing half board to full board,
whether you get um breakfast anddinner or breakfast, lunch and
dinner, and what's in yourmini-bar and things like that.
And as I said earlier, you know,the overwater villas tend to
come with a higher price tagthan other types of
(32:25):
accommodation.
And Ivani, um, around$1,200,depending on the time of year.
I mean, the peak is now Novemberthrough till April, which is the
dry season, because look, youdon't want to be, we've all been
in paradise where it just rainsevery day, you know, which is
which actually happened the weekbefore we arrived in late
October.
So depending on, you know, youcan get a bargain, you need to
look at the weather at that timeof year as well, even though
(32:48):
weather patterns are changingdramatically.
So um, there's my hot tip foryou.
SPEAKER_04 (32:54):
So to find out more about these properties that
Belle has mentioned, go tonaama.com and avanihotels.com.
And if you want to see moreabout Belle's experiences and
her amazing blown blue images,go to her socials, globa
underscore salsa on Instagramand search up Belle Jackson on
Facebook.
SPEAKER_03 (33:22):
Our tip this week is about snagging the best deal on
Travel Tuesday, which is a24-hour window when the travel
industry offers some of thesteepest discounts of the year.
So it falls just after the CyberMonday sales.
Um so once you've bought yournew TV and your laptop, or in my
case, dogworming tablets, um,the travel companies had a stage
(33:43):
to themselves.
SPEAKER_04 (33:44):
Yeah, and you're probably right across Black
Friday or Cyber Monday, but umtravel Tuesday is definitely one
to watch.
SPEAKER_03 (33:51):
Yeah, I've got to say I am the most boring shopper
in the sales season.
Um so blowing it on travel is somuch more exciting.
I'm looking for suitcases at themoment, Kirsty.
SPEAKER_04 (34:00):
And if you haven't heard the term, it was actually
coined in 2017 in the US whentravel companies saw people
jumping online to buy travelexperiences after Thanksgiving.
And now we have a travel salesseason, and there are some
really good deals out there.
So we've seen some on Club Med,Singapore Airlines, and Wendy
Woo.
SPEAKER_03 (34:19):
So travel comparison and booking website uh Omeo
shares some tips for getting thebest deals on Black Friday and
and Travel Tuesday, because asyou've said, you know, people
are already releasing theirdeals now, and then they just
peek at Travel Tuesday, whichhappens this coming Tuesday.
So they say to prep ahead, makeyour travel bucket list and know
the typical prices so that youcompare them against the sales.
(34:42):
Then get logged into youraccounts and ready to book when
the sales go live, the becausethe best deals sell out in
hours.
And I'd add to this have yourloyalty program logins and
frequent flyer numbers ready aswell.
Because if you are pointscollecting or you're looking for
member-only benefits such asfree breakfasts and upgrades,
this is the time when you'regoing to get them.
(35:02):
You can't always add themretrospectively.
SPEAKER_04 (35:05):
Yeah.
And also sign up for newslettersbecause obviously that'll give
you the latest information.
And follow the hotels and travelplatforms on social media that
you love so that you're thefirst in the know about these
deals when they drop.
Um, and we've seen plenty ofdeals already out there.
So, and if you can be flexibleabout the dates and times, um,
obviously that's easier ifyou're not locked into the
school year or an inflexiblework.
SPEAKER_03 (35:27):
Um, OMEO also advises to look out for less
obvious routes or destinations.
So, the example is if Phuket isfully booked out, try Krabi or
Koya Noi instead.
And they say by choosinglesser-known destinations, you
reduce your costs.
Who doesn't love that?
You avoid crowds and experiencelesser-known attractions and
cultures.
SPEAKER_04 (35:46):
And they're also offering deals to celebrate
Black Friday with up to 50% offall modes of travel in Southeast
Asia this December.
Um, you've just got to go anduse the code ASIA50 and book by
midnight on Tuesday, the 2nd ofDecember.
So you've still got time, unlessyou're listening on playback,
and then you can look out for itthe following year.
Um, and we will put a link inthe show notes.
(36:08):
Next week, my guest is CarrieHutcheson, who has a more than
two decade-long career as atravel and lifestyle editor,
travel writer, and ghostwriter,who decided to pack up her life
in Melbourne and move to Sicilyfor part of the Australian
winter.
She explains how she did it andhow you can follow in her
footsteps.
SPEAKER_03 (36:27):
And we'd love it if you followed us on socials.
You'll find us at the World ofWaits Podcast on Instagram,
Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Feel free to drop us a line athello at the worldawaits.au.
Or if you're enjoying thisepisode, please give us a rating
or a review.
SPEAKER_01 (36:41):
That's a wrap for the World of Waits this week.
Click to subscribe anywhere youlisten to your favorite pods.
Thanks for listening.
See you next week.
Welcome to the World Awaits.
Travel tales to inspire yourwonderlust.
Welcome back to the WorldAwaits.
How are you all?
How's your week been, Kirsty?
SPEAKER_04 (00:13):
Oh my god, I've had a massive few weeks and I've
just finally got my seat backunder the desk.
So I've been on a Viking cruisein the MED, which you might have
seen if you're following me onsocials at Kości Rights, and we
were off the ship every day andwe covered four countries.
So the highlight for me was umDubrovnik in Croatia.
Oh my god, I just loved thatplace.
(00:34):
It was just so beautiful.
It was a gorgeous old town andjust had a really good vibe
about it.
And then when we got back, wehad family here and we headed on
down to my favourite localhaunt, which is um Phillip
Island, which the weather wasnot kind to us.
But um, but anyway, look, it wasstill great.
We went and visited PhillipIsland Winery, which I hadn't
(00:54):
been to, which is a gorgeouswinery, uh, really lovely, and
it was um, yeah, really niceexperience.
You can they have live musicthere on Saturdays if you're
ever heading down that way.
Um, and lots of and uh obviouslytheir own wine brand, which was
delicious.
Uh, and then yeah, we showedthem around some of the
wildlife.
Also had a cover story come outin the New Zealand Herald about
(01:15):
Songsar in Cambodia and anotheron uh the yoga festival in
Tahiti that I went to recently.
So we can I can put links tothose in the show notes.
And also a piece, actually, Iwrote a piece um I'd been
researching about overcrowdingon safaris.
So that's an interesting topic,I think, that needs more
coverage.
So um, yeah, but how's your weekbeen, Belle?
SPEAKER_03 (01:34):
Uh, I am really interested to read that um
safari story because it'ssomething really close to my
heart.
I am celebrating my own littlevictory, and it's uh much less
um worthy, but it's a it's abouta piece I wrote in For the Age
and the City Morning Heraldabout worthy.
SPEAKER_04 (01:50):
What less do you mean less worthy than being
named?
Travel writer of the year forthe second time in almost a row.
SPEAKER_03 (01:57):
God, there's that.
No, saying less worthy thananimal conservation.
This I was saying, so this storyis, you know, it's not one of
the big issues, but it is a bigissue because everybody just
fired up about it.
It is about how tea drinkers geta raw deal.
So I actually put a call out toform a tea party.
Ha, get it, to object how hotelswill finesse the espresso, coup
(02:20):
over the pour over, and obsesswith the cold press.
Meanwhile, we, the rusted on teadrinkers, and I'm putting you in
here as well, Kirsty, we areignored and we get served these
crappy, pesticide-laden budgetsupermarket tea bags.
And it really hit a nerve.
So I'm gonna continue calling itout.
I always make the point when I'min hotels, when I, you know,
(02:42):
when I'm doing an inspection andstuff, I'll say to somebody,
dude, what is with the crapteabags?
Seriously.
You know, when these hotels aresaying, oh, we embody a place
and um, you know, we're allabout the location and stuff
like that.
And then they get some dodgy asscrap teabag beside the espresso
machine.
I'm done.
I'm done with it.
I consider it my civic duty as atravel journalist.
(03:05):
So apart from that, celebratingthat win, I have actually just
corolled myself in the house.
I'm recharging the batteriesafter a busy couple of months in
Central Australia, Tassie andthe Maldives.
So let's all lie down forChristmas.
That's my motto.
SPEAKER_04 (03:19):
Yes, as you know, I'm up for good tea too.
And I think it's a I think it'sa great crusade there that
you're on.
Um, and it was very hard to geta good chai last night, I have
to say, when I was over inEurope.
SPEAKER_03 (03:31):
You just got to do what we all do.
You've got to start packing itand traveling it with traveling
with you, you know.
I've got a stash of tea bags.
Yeah.
So I want to hear actually, Iwant to hear from readers.
Do you carry tea bags with youwhen you travel if you are a
serious?
SPEAKER_04 (03:46):
Yeah, but a bit harder to carry the sticky chai
and the um coffee machine tomake it in.
But yeah, but um, so anyway, weare all going to hear soon about
the Maldives, which I can't waitto hear about.
But before we get into that, anew finder survey has found
Aussies are prepared topractically go broke to get a
break.
Well, maybe not broke, but we'reall getting highly creative to
(04:07):
ensure that we can pay for ourholidays.
SPEAKER_03 (04:09):
Yes, absolutely.
In fact, almost half of those inthis survey uh are looking at
how they can make money or cutthe budget to ensure they can
afford a getaway.
Um, with more than 20 of thepeople responding, uh 20% of
people responding to this surveyum are doing things like
recycling bottles and cans forcash.
And look, I totally do thisbecause it's a win-win all
around.
And 14% are selling unwantedhousehold items and clothing to
(04:32):
pay for their trip.
And I think, isn't that thewhole point of um Facebook
Marketplace, right?
You know.
SPEAKER_04 (04:38):
Yeah, for sure if you trust it.
And about 13% have also taken ona second job or side hustle,
while 25% are sacrificing theirsocial lives.
And Find a Money Expert RebeccaPike says it shows how desperate
some people are for a holidaybecause they're not just cutting
back, but people are reallyhustling hard to make it happen.
SPEAKER_03 (04:57):
And sadly, she says that travel for many isn't
affordable anymore, but peopleare willing to sacrifice
everyday comforts, and I hopeshe doesn't mean good tea bags,
just to make it happen.
Um, because there was a shiftaway from spontaneous getaways
to strategic planning.
People are using side hustles,points hacking, and selling
pre-loved items to get thattravel currency.
(05:19):
We are, I mean, look, you know,Kirsty, we're an anomaly because
we travel for work.
But what do you see friends andfamily do to pay for holidays?
SPEAKER_04 (05:27):
Yeah, look, uh, I think if it's a priority, and
and remember as the sun, it'sreally not, but for our
listeners, of course, you'rehere for the travel and suppose.
So of course it would be.
Um, and for you, and I havefriends, lots of friends like
this too, it's about, I guess,reviewing where you go.
So maybe instead of Europe, itmight be some of my friends
would just go somewhere closerto home.
So they might go somewhere likeBali.
(05:48):
Um, and also somewhere wherethere's a more favorable
exchange rate.
So, because and also we have toremember that travel doesn't
have to be about cost.
You can always just go andexperience places close at home.
And because we were just atPhillip Island, that was a
really good reminder to us ofthat.
Because we had family downthere, we were taking them to
places and doing things that wewouldn't normally do.
(06:09):
So it was it was a really goodreminder that you, yeah, you can
you can you can still experiencesomething new if you see a place
close to home like a tourist.
SPEAKER_03 (06:18):
Yeah, absolutely.
I feel the same way.
I mean, we do things like wepool travel with friends, so we
split the costs on holidays.
Um, and staying close to homehere in Victoria.
In fact, you will find me downthe Mornington Peninsula this
Christmas, back to my heartland,because we've got a family house
um down there that lets us staywithout the prohibitive price of
tags of renting a beach house insummer.
(06:40):
So all, you know, all theextended family is down there um
at that time, and I think it'sjust really beautiful, and it
doesn't absolutely bust the bustthe bank.
SPEAKER_04 (06:50):
And so listen out for the great debate again about
Morning to Peninsula versusPhillip Island after the
Christmas break, and we put alink to this research in the
show notes.
SPEAKER_02 (06:59):
Ah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_04 (07:11):
Turquoise lagoons, incredible sea life, overwater
villas in Must Be the Maldives.
This week Belle's my guest, andshe's taking us to this
beautiful island nation to seewhether it lives up to the hype.
So, firstly, Belle, for thosewho don't know, where are they?
SPEAKER_03 (07:27):
Well, let's start with our little geography lesson
here.
This little archipelago issouthwest of India and Sri
Lanka.
There are just under 1,200 coralislands in the Maldives in 26
atolls.
And only 200 of those islandswas inhabited.
All these stats just blew mymind.
What is really interesting isthat half the number of those
islands are inhabited byMaldivians, and the other half
(07:49):
are tourism resorts.
And fascinatingly, that balanceis changing.
But look, the capital is Malay,which is one of the most densely
populated capitals in the world.
And it's not because it's got aginormous population, but
because the islands are just soinsanely small.
So everybody is chock on top ofeach other.
So when you look at the size ofthe Maldives, it's only seven uh
(08:11):
870 kilometers from the top tothe bottom and just 130
kilometers wide.
So it's absolutely tiny.
In fact, when the first planelanded in the Maldives in 1960,
Malay was just too small toaccommodate an airport.
So they put the landing strip onthe neighboring island, Hulhule
Island.
And I've got to say, the firsttwo times I visited the
(08:34):
Maldives, to get to Malay fromthe airport, you had to catch a
small boat called Adonie acrossthe stretch of water from the
airport to the capital.
Now there's actually a largebridge connecting the two
islands.
So when I when I was there lastmonth, that was the very first
change that I noticed flying in.
SPEAKER_04 (08:52):
Yeah, well interesting.
So how do you get there fromAustralia?
SPEAKER_03 (08:56):
Well, I've got to say, we are terribly unlucky
here in Australia that there areno direct flights from
Australia.
Um, but look, watch this spacebecause I anticipate news to be
announced very, very shortlythat will change this.
So at the moment, most peoplefly to Singapore with Singapore
Airlines and then they transferon to the Maldives.
Um, you can also fly via KualaLumpur with Malaysian and even
(09:20):
with budget carrier Air Asia,which I find is really
fascinating.
This time I flew with um SriLankan Airlines and I transited
in Colombo.
It's only an hour and a halffrom Colombo to Malay, it's
probably the closest of thetransfers.
So it really depends on yourbudget and the best connections,
because often uh we are stuckwith quite a long wait in those
(09:40):
transit countries.
But every airline worth its saltflies into the Maldives,
including all the Middle Easterncarriers.
Turkish is in there, Aeroflotcomes from Russia, British
Airways, and all the Chinesecarriers are in there too.
So, like, who's not there reallyis the question.
Yeah, wow, I don't know.
It's fascinating.
Um, so tell us a bit about whereyou stayed.
Well, look, firstly, almostnobody stays in Malay, the
(10:03):
capital.
While it has improved, it isgenerally regarded as pretty
dreary, and you can cover it offin a short time.
The highlight for me when Ivisited on a previous trip to
the Maldives was the fishmarket, which sounds kind of
rando, but when you go in, yousee these absolutely enormous
whole tuna sold.
It like at the end of the day,they'll just be flogging it off
for a couple of dollars a kiloof this beautiful, beautiful f
(10:27):
fish.
I mean, it's not the ideal wayto see the famous marine life,
but there you go.
Um, I better say most visitorsdon't go to Marle.
They stay at the airport andconnect straight onto their
resort, either by speedboat forthose resorts close to Marlee,
by a commercial flight to one ofthe domestic airports dotted
around the atolls, or viaseaplane.
SPEAKER_04 (10:46):
Now we're talking who doesn't love a seaplane.
SPEAKER_03 (10:48):
Absolutely.
Like you, I do love a littleplane.
The smaller the better.
It's it's kind of like Fiji inthe sense that there are whole
fleets of twin otters, if you'rean AV geek like me, skipping
about amongst the islands,between the islands.
So these planes seed up to 19people, and they have the most
beautiful runway in the world.
They take off and land on water.
(11:10):
And I just love the seaplaneterminal in the Maldives, seeing
all of these private planeswhipping out to the Ultralux
resorts.
The um the seaplane transfersare the most indirect and also
the most expensive way to get toyour resort.
Alternatively, for a lot ofthem, you can take a commercial
flight to the nearest airportand then you take a speedboat
onto your onto your um island.
(11:32):
But on the seaplanes, thescenery is just incredible and
they flow, they fly much, muchlower than the regular planes.
So you just, I mean, look, jumponto my Instagram.
I have taken so many videos justof what we were looking at as we
are flying over these atolls.
But look, when you are planningyour Maldives um adventure, let
me remind you that thesebeautiful little seaplanes only
(11:53):
fly visual line of sight, whichmeans they have to be able to
see where they're going.
They can't rely on radar.
So they don't fly at night andthey won't fly in very poor
weather.
So you have to ensure that yourinternational flight arrives in
the Maldives with enough time toget onto a seaplane.
Um, generally the last ones goout to the islands at about 3:30
in the afternoon.
Otherwise, your transfers haveto be done by commercial
(12:16):
flights.
And the most incredible thingabout it, actually, Kirsty, was
none of the pilots wear shoes.
So you're flying out on thistiny plane.
And with the first time we flewout, there was only seven or so
of us in the plane.
Pilots are barefoot.
It's just amazing.
Like, and and that is when yougo, I'm on a seaplane with a
pilot that doesn't even have anyshoes on, I must be in the
(12:37):
Maldives.
SPEAKER_04 (12:38):
Yes.
And that's a really good tip,actually, about timing.
Because often you don't youdon't think about those sorts of
things about coordinatingbecause the transfers you just
assume are there waiting andready for you.
So what was your resort like?
And um and why did you choose togo there?
SPEAKER_03 (12:53):
Well, I stayed in two resorts.
I was there for a week and Isplit my time between two of
them.
The first one I stayed at wasNiama Private Islands, which is
down south of Malay in the DalaAtoll.
And then the second resort wasnorth of Malay at the Yvani Plus
Faras in the Bar Atoll.
They're both owned by minorhotels and they are both very
different hotels.
SPEAKER_04 (13:15):
Yeah, and let's delve into that a little bit
because uh my understanding isthat from the Maldives is that
you really have to choose theresort based on what you want to
do because the experiences areso different to paste uh, you
know, depending on theirgeographic location.
SPEAKER_03 (13:30):
Absolutely.
Look, yeah, the as I've said,the Malay uh the Maldives is not
huge, but it is incrediblydiverse.
So, first I'd say it is theultimate fly and flop
destination because the scenery,no matter where you stay, is
absolutely spectacular.
The islands are surrounded bylagoons that hold back the
Indian Ocean.
The sand is blindingly white,the sunsets are magnificent,
best enjoyed from your poollounger, or if the positioning
(13:53):
is right and it often is,enjoyed from your bed, um, or
that gorgeous little beach barshack.
But look, the back to theactivities and those two
properties.
The unique point about NiyamaPrivate Island is it is is one
of the very few islands in theMaldives with a naturally
occurring surf break on itsshores.
The the break it breaks rightoff the northern um point, which
(14:15):
is called Vodi Point.
And so while they're surfing inother areas of the Maldives,
such as down south a few yearsago, I was at the Como
Melafushi, where dedicated surftour companies run surfing
trips.
But um, often they might be onlive-board boats, or you've got
to go out to the atolls.
And that is very different tothis as a beach break.
SPEAKER_04 (14:35):
So just apart from surfing, what were you doing to
wipe away your days?
SPEAKER_03 (14:40):
Yeah, I'm absolutely.
And they do do beginner surflessons, you know.
I mean, what a bragging rightthat is.
I alert to surf in the Maldives.
Um, Niamos is uh is a great onebecause it's really just it's
just refurbished, uh, it'snearly refurbished this year.
So the resort's only eight yearsold, but you know, sun, sand,
and surf do take their toll, notonly on your skin, but on the
resorts as well.
So we were lucky enough to stayin one of the newly renovated
(15:03):
overwater villas.
And like most resorts, theybalance those overwater villas,
which do come with a higherprice point, with its beach
villas.
And Niyama has a lot of beachvillas hidden between the palms,
which are super private andright on the beachfront.
And they are absolutely popularwith families with young
children because you can simplywander out of the villa and out
onto your little slice of abeach to swim in very shallow,
(15:25):
safe, and incredibly warmwaters.
So I did do a lot of that.
And then they also run day tripsout to see turtles, champagne
sunsets, go on a dive tour, andall of those water sports that
you'd expect.
And what I loved about thisresort was that unlike others,
it's also quite sizable.
So it's four acres spread acrosstwo interconnecting islands.
(15:47):
They've got a little woodenbridge between them.
Um, and everybody gets around inthese old school beach cruiser
bikes, which is just gorgeous.
So, you know, you're justcruising through the coconut
palms on these sandy trailsalong the over and along the
overwater boardwalks.
You go to the restaurant forbreakfast, out onto one of the
beaches for a bit of stand-uppaddling.
You might take your kids to thekids' club, or they they all
(16:08):
have teen clubs on them now withum things like, you know, FIFA
and um and ping pong and stufflike that.
Or you're going to the thetreetop restaurant nest, which
is beautiful, out to that beachbar where you can watch the
surfers.
Um, what you cannot cycle to isNiama's specialty restaurant
Edge, which is set half akilometre offshore on a pontoon.
(16:30):
So at sunset, you take a boatout um to this pontoon to this
restaurant.
So you can dine on Maldivianlobster as the sun sets across
the ocean and there is, youknow, with nothing on the
horizon, it really isspectacular.
And then on Friday nights, youcan follow a staircase on that
pontoon down to its underwaterrestaurant, which turns into a
(16:52):
disco.
So heartbreakingly, I arrived ona Saturday.
So I cannot share with you whatit was like dancing underwater,
but it was like we went down tothe space and it was just
amazing.
I've I have eaten in underwaterrestaurants like in on the
Conrad property at RangaliIsland.
There was a little bit of guilt,Kirsty, because they serve
seafood.
SPEAKER_02 (17:12):
So you're sitting there eating a fish and then its
cousin swims past you, and youthink, oh my god.
How do they feel about that?
SPEAKER_04 (17:22):
But I have to say, uh dining on a pontoon um, you
know, is on lobster.
Oh my god, what an amazingexperience.
And um, I think the food wouldbe so good you wouldn't be
worrying about the uh thecousins or sisters or the
brothers that are swimmingaround.
SPEAKER_03 (17:36):
And if your photo, but sorry, and of course there's
no calories in holiday food aswell.
SPEAKER_04 (17:41):
Yes, of course.
Or drink.
Um, but yeah, your videos wereso beautiful, and everyone can
check those out at um globalunderscore salsa.
So what was the food like?
And can you actually try the trythe Maldivian food if it like
what sort of food is that?
Because that's all based aroundobviously the ocean.
SPEAKER_03 (17:58):
I am glad you asked, Kirsty, because you know I do
love to eat.
And one of my favorite thingswhen I'm in places like India or
Sri Lanka or the Maldives isbreakfast curry.
Show me a breakfast curry withparata, fried bread, and I will
show you a contented woman.
Um, also good tea.
Yeah.
So um kicking all the boxes, um,on both the resorts I stayed in,
(18:19):
they had a Maldivian breakfaststation, which I'm really happy
to see because you know you caneat bacon and eggs and sausages
anywhere around the world.
What?
But there are two foods thatunderpin Maldivian cuisine,
which are unsurprisingly,coconuts and tuna.
Years ago on Conrad BangaliIsland, the head chef told me no
tuna, no life for the Moldiviankitchen.
So oftentimes that breakfastcurry is chicken, but
(18:41):
traditionally it's more likelyto be a fresh tuna curry and a
rich sort of tomato-y, coconut-ygravy.
And I am so okay with that.
And chili as well, always chili,because they do love a good
chili.
They play it down in theresorts, but um they serve it on
the side.
And when you say to the chef,Yeah, I can do a bit of chili,
they're like, Yes, but theystill keep it at a lower level
(19:03):
to what a Maldivian definitionof chili is.
So uh yeah, I just think thefood is really fascinating
because you know, you getthrough to a culture, you know,
you understand a culture throughits food.
And so when you go, it's allabout tuna and and coconuts,
it's like, of course, becauseyou are on a tropical island in
the middle of nowhere, right?
SPEAKER_04 (19:21):
Oh my god, all that chat about that incredible
food's making me very hungry.
But the other property youactually stated is actually one
that we've featured before,which is Ivani Plus Fares, which
is in the Bar Atoll north ofMarle.
And if you jump back to episode98, I interviewed free diving
conservationist Hanley PrinceLou, and I have to say she's
absolutely sold me on theincredible wildlife sear too.
SPEAKER_03 (19:43):
Yes, there is a saying here in Bar, it's better
in Bar.
Um, and I don't know how manytimes I heard that because the
Maldivians just love it as muchas much as everybody else.
This resort's only a couple ofyears old.
It is set on a what was a200-year-old coconut plantation
um on the western edge of thecountry.
So if you are having a littledrink looking west across the
(20:05):
Indian Ocean, there is nothing,nothing, until you hit the coast
of Africa at Somalia.
And that like that actually blewmy mind.
I felt so remote on this island.
It was it was almostdisconcerting that it, you know,
you really felt that thatincredible isolation.
SPEAKER_04 (20:24):
Yeah, amazing.
And what was the vibe like therecompared to the other one you
were staying at?
SPEAKER_03 (20:28):
Yeah, compared to it, it is a really different
animal compared to Niama.
It's not a question of thenumber of rooms because Niama
has 134 villas, um, which rangefrom overwater and uh and beach
villas.
And then on Ivani, there are176.
So they've got overwater villas,they've got the beach villas,
and then they've got thesepavilion rooms, which are
decorated exactly the same asthe others, but then they're in
(20:51):
an um, they're in uh smallgroups.
So so your families can actuallytake a couple of them together.
It's much more interconnecting.
They are at a lower price point.
I met this great English couplewho said, Oh, we were gonna stay
at the overwater villas, andthen we realized we could stay
for two weeks if we stayed inthe pavilion room.
So they were staying on thisisland for two weeks, which I
thought was just phenomenal.
(21:12):
Um, but there's a very differentenergy on Ivani Plus.
I feel Niama is really classic,wonderfully laid back in that
Maldivian escape style.
Avani has more activities, and Ithat is due to the location.
Avani won the Best Dive Resortuh award at Maldives Travel
Trade Awards last year, and it'sand it's actually won it a
(21:34):
couple of times, and and that isfighting off some serious
competition.
I'll give you an example of umbecause I'm a snorkeler, I'm not
a diver.
Um I'm not a bad snorkeler.
The house reef is um the housereef on the island at Avania
Plus, is you literally walk tothe end of the beach near
Smuggler's Shack, which is acute little beach bar, and you
(21:56):
jump in with your snorkel on,and you are diving straight into
an aquarium.
It's just incredible thephenomenal amount of fish life
around you.
Like you'll just have schools ofa hundred um, you know, tiny
little angel fish flying, youknow, tearing past you.
They've got um, I mean, there'sthings like eels and uh just
(22:18):
moorish idols.
And the numbers are phenomenal.
And look, I've you know, I'vesnuggled extensively in the
Great Barrier Reef in placeslike the Great Astrolabe in
Fiji, in southern Fiji.
Um, on this beach, uh, you know,it's in its turtles have been
laying their eggs, and the hotelprotects them.
They have about 50 or 60 hatcheson the island around the year.
(22:38):
And that's just a place whereyou're having like a sunset
drink.
It's it's absolutely phenomenal.
There's a drop-off from just acouple of meters offshore, and
it drop drops past, and peoplewere seeing um sharks, nice,
friendly, delightful sharks, um,just off this reef.
Uh, it absolutely blew my mind,Kirsty, to be completely, you
(22:59):
know, no holds barred, honestwith you.
It blew my mind.
In fact, I had a chat withIvanny Plus Farah's um general
manager, Judd Rabbage, who isactually Australian and he lives
on the island with his youngfamily, and he's been there a
couple of years, and he's goingto explain to you why it's
better in bar.
SPEAKER_00 (23:16):
Um, the bar toll is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
And for example, where we areum, you know, certain times of
the year, you're standing on thejetty and you've got, you know,
dry manta rays even coming past,eagle rays, turtles, sharks.
We call them vegetarians, unlikeAustralian sharks.
Are they vegetarians and theMaldives?
They've got enough food so theydon't um don't try and it eats
uh eat humans, which we're luckyabout, but also um you look
(23:40):
every kind of marine life youcan imagine is there, and
because of it's it's a reserve,there's no fishing, um, you
know, the marine animals arereally comfortable coming in
close, comfortable with humansas well.
Um, so it's that is adestination as a bartole.
You will not find marine lifelike that anywhere else in the
Maldives.
And I think a lot of placesother than the Galavagus in the
(24:01):
world, um, it's you know, youcan you can go to certain areas
and just the uh the the sheeramount of of turtles that'll be
on one reef, or you know,there's a pot of dolphins in the
area, they're a thousand strong.
So it's an incredible um, youknow, a toll.
It's it's far enough away, youknow, north that you're away
from the shipping lines, you'reaway from normality, you know.
(24:23):
And where we are at Ivani, we'reon the very, very western edge.
So you can't see any otherislands as you would have
noticed, but when you're on theisland, you can see Vakuru just
on a nice day, but it's about 15to 20 minutes by boat, but you
can't see any other islands, andand that's what really makes us
being on that very western edge,the animals are comfortable to
to kind of swim in.
So, you know, throughout theday, the amount of marine life
(24:45):
you see is fantastic.
I was I was a bit out now on theum out to Harifaru Bay, which is
where they all congregate, wherethe giant mandarys congregate.
And we're going out there andand all the Maldivian boys, um,
you know, and I and I love it.
Look, I really I think you know,as a as a leader, when you're
there in the Maldives, youshould really focus on on the
locals.
You know, we're lucky enough tobe expats in their country, and
(25:07):
we should always be grateful forthat.
And and so I try, you know,really get involved with the
local boys.
And they said to me, when we getpast this point, just put your
head out and you'll see, youmight see some some wild shots.
And we saw this and and look bigin Australia, but you know, I
see the odd fin and I do get abit of a fight.
So put my head out, and and Isort of saw um, you know, these
uh the tail coming in out of thewater and got a bit of a fright.
(25:28):
But the boys, one of the ladsjust jumped straight in, and um
they you know they're giving megrief.
Obviously, work at the hotel andthey said jump.
And um, you know, my wife ispretty quick always to jump in.
So she jumped in first, and thenI was right behind her, and just
swimming with this animal that'syou know, two or three trucks,
good car sizes are big, and justhow gentle they are, and and
(25:49):
swimming in the you can see sofar in the water, and they're
just so relaxed.
It was, yeah, an incredibleexperience.
Absolutely incredibleexperience.
SPEAKER_04 (25:58):
You can definitely hear the passion in his voice
about the the wildlife and thebar at all.
And particularly, I loved it howhe talked about how he jumped in
with the whale shots on thehoney farous bay.
It's just amazing.
SPEAKER_03 (26:09):
I know.
It's it's absolutely incredible.
There you have it from thehorse's mouth.
Judd also told me incredibly theAustralians, speaking of animals
in uh traveling around theplace, as Australians are
actually number five in thenationalities that visit the
Maldives.
I was so surprised by that.
So the most popular market isRussians, and honestly, if you
have a look at their weather,you can see why.
(26:30):
Um, with a big then followed bya lot of Europeans, Germans, and
Italians.
And um, and then after that,Australians at number five,
which actually really surprisedme.
And I I did like, he made areally good point when we were
chatting that his resort doesn'tjust focus on one nationality,
but it's an eclectic mix ofnationalities.
So, so when you're at breakfast,you know, you can hear the
Italians over this side, thisGerman's here.
(26:51):
We heard quite a lot of Dutchwere visiting and stuff.
So I I always find thatfascinating.
Um, it wasn't the season for um,you know, they traditionally had
a lot of people coming from theSouthern Asian from Hong Kong
and Singapore and places likethat.
I just find that fascinating onland as well.
Hilariously, we were on theisland at the same time as
British reality star CarolynStanbury.
(27:11):
If you ever watched the RealHousewives of Dubai, uh, she was
there with her Spanishfootballer husband, Sergio
Carolo, who um I was happy to besharing the island with.
She was running her power andparadise retreats here.
I'll leave you to read betweenthe lines on that last comment.
She was running her power andparadise retreats here in the
Maldives.
(27:32):
And it was it was reallyinteresting, actually, to watch
how a power influencer coupleoperates.
But it is one of the mostaspirational destinations in the
world, along with other placessuch as Tahiti and the
Seychelles.
SPEAKER_04 (27:44):
People are madly Googling that footballer's name
right now.
Um, and so on to more seriousissues.
The question is, uh, with allthis uh growth, is um is it
going to be sustainable?
SPEAKER_03 (27:57):
Look, I've got to say that is something top of my
mind when I think of theMaldives.
Um, it is no surprise, it is oneof the lowest-lying countries in
the world.
The highest point is about twometers above sea level.
So if you are talking aboutrising sea levels, I'm like,
hello, Maldives, what are youdoing about it?
Um, I did ask Judd about this,and we talked about the Maldives
sea rangers who monitor thenumber of boats and proximity to
(28:19):
animals.
So, you know, when you jump offa boat to go and swim with a
whale shark, you can't just jumpon the whale shark.
It doesn't work like that.
So they are monitoring that andkeeping that distance.
Um, and they do come and talk toguests about the importance of
keeping your distance fromanimals and staying close by the
guides because I I think it'sreally fascinating.
We tend to treat sea animalswith a lot less respect than we
(28:41):
treat land animals.
You know, everybody is like,okay, um, you know, they
understand how how um lions orelephants need that space.
And honestly, they're very bigand they're very bitey as well.
But we don't always necessarilythink about this when we're
talking about sea animals.
And the Maldives is changing aswell because you're going,
you're starting to find newislands that are being man-made
(29:05):
or made by humans.
It is incredible to note, likein 2017, the last time I was
there was about 10 years ago,there were there were under less
than 50 resorts.
Now there are 180, and at least20 more opening in the next year
or two.
And we're talking about thebiggest names in the business.
Bulgari opens there next year,Rosewood, Aman, Capella,
(29:27):
Mandarin Oriental, they're allcoming in the next few years.
And this, you know, this is like$5,000 a night.
So it's very much a luxurydestination.
Um, what uh what Judd, a pointthat he made about it, was that
the marine life knows forgenerations where these natural
reefs are.
And it's going to take themgenerations to feel comfortable
(29:47):
about the new reefs.
So this, you know, there ismuscle memory in the migratory
parts.
So what we've got to hope isthat the tourism industry uh
takes into account the the theSustainability like actually
takes on board about beingsustainable.
And that's not just, you know,not using plastic straws and
stuff like that, but havinggenuine measures to ensure that
(30:10):
they are doing things like, youknow, getting away from diesel
and having solar-poweredresorts, which which makes
sense.
You know, it absolutely makessense about sourcing food
locally, you know, having theMaldivian lobster and not having
the lobster that comes fromNorway, which I think is an
absolute no-brainer because itmeans, yes, you've got less food
bales, but also it means us, thetourists, are having a more
(30:32):
genuinely Maldivian experience.
SPEAKER_04 (30:36):
Okay, so tell us a bit about local life.
SPEAKER_03 (30:40):
Look, it's an interesting question because in
the past the Maldiviangovernment kept the local
islands and the resort islandsseparate.
Remembering that this is aMuslim country and bringing pork
pornography and alcohol in yourluggage is forbidden.
So if it is your want to travelwith a little pork sausage or
two in your hand luggage, I'dsay don't.
You can buy alcohol when you'rein the Maldives in the islands,
of course.
So the way that most people meetMaldivians, unless they take a
(31:04):
dedicated local island tour,which I've done in the past, is
you meet it through the resortstaff.
And I was really pleased to notethat in these two
internationally owned resorts,about half the workforce is
actually Maldivian.
So it might be the surf guidesand the dive center or the
personal trainers, the chefs,the butlers looking after the
villas or the rooms, and a lotof the wait staff, mostly men in
(31:25):
this situation, and they allreally had a genuine warmth
about them.
I mean, they live in what mostof the world considers paradise,
and they are pretty proud of it.
So what's changing in theMaldives now is the rise of
homestays on the local islands.
About 10 years ago, thegovernment changed its laws to
allow homestays, and they rangefrom backpacker up to fancy
(31:45):
five-star homestays.
Um, although, you know, it'spretty hard to compete with some
of the world's great hotelierswho have opened resorts here.
But I think that homestays arethe next story that the Maldives
has to share.
SPEAKER_04 (31:59):
And my last question to you is, of course,
interesting for most people.
How much do they cost?
SPEAKER_03 (32:05):
Well, um, look, Nayama, uh, at Niyama, you
budget around um$1,500 a night.
Um, and that will range frombeing half board to full board,
whether you get um breakfast anddinner or breakfast, lunch and
dinner, and what's in yourmini-bar and things like that.
And as I said earlier, you know,the overwater villas tend to
come with a higher price tagthan other types of
(32:25):
accommodation.
And Ivani, um, around$1,200,depending on the time of year.
I mean, the peak is now Novemberthrough till April, which is the
dry season, because look, youdon't want to be, we've all been
in paradise where it just rainsevery day, you know, which is
which actually happened the weekbefore we arrived in late
October.
So depending on, you know, youcan get a bargain, you need to
look at the weather at that timeof year as well, even though
(32:48):
weather patterns are changingdramatically.
So um, there's my hot tip foryou.
SPEAKER_04 (32:54):
So to find out more about these properties that
Belle has mentioned, go tonaama.com and avanihotels.com.
And if you want to see moreabout Belle's experiences and
her amazing blown blue images,go to her socials, globa
underscore salsa on Instagramand search up Belle Jackson on
Facebook.
SPEAKER_03 (33:22):
Our tip this week is about snagging the best deal on
Travel Tuesday, which is a24-hour window when the travel
industry offers some of thesteepest discounts of the year.
So it falls just after the CyberMonday sales.
Um so once you've bought yournew TV and your laptop, or in my
case, dogworming tablets, um,the travel companies had a stage
(33:43):
to themselves.
SPEAKER_04 (33:44):
Yeah, and you're probably right across Black
Friday or Cyber Monday, but umtravel Tuesday is definitely one
to watch.
SPEAKER_03 (33:51):
Yeah, I've got to say I am the most boring shopper
in the sales season.
Um so blowing it on travel is somuch more exciting.
I'm looking for suitcases at themoment, Kirsty.
SPEAKER_04 (34:00):
And if you haven't heard the term, it was actually
coined in 2017 in the US whentravel companies saw people
jumping online to buy travelexperiences after Thanksgiving.
And now we have a travel salesseason, and there are some
really good deals out there.
So we've seen some on Club Med,Singapore Airlines, and Wendy
Woo.
SPEAKER_03 (34:19):
So travel comparison and booking website uh Omeo
shares some tips for getting thebest deals on Black Friday and
and Travel Tuesday, because asyou've said, you know, people
are already releasing theirdeals now, and then they just
peek at Travel Tuesday, whichhappens this coming Tuesday.
So they say to prep ahead, makeyour travel bucket list and know
the typical prices so that youcompare them against the sales.
(34:42):
Then get logged into youraccounts and ready to book when
the sales go live, the becausethe best deals sell out in
hours.
And I'd add to this have yourloyalty program logins and
frequent flyer numbers ready aswell.
Because if you are pointscollecting or you're looking for
member-only benefits such asfree breakfasts and upgrades,
this is the time when you'regoing to get them.
(35:02):
You can't always add themretrospectively.
SPEAKER_04 (35:05):
Yeah.
And also sign up for newslettersbecause obviously that'll give
you the latest information.
And follow the hotels and travelplatforms on social media that
you love so that you're thefirst in the know about these
deals when they drop.
Um, and we've seen plenty ofdeals already out there.
So, and if you can be flexibleabout the dates and times, um,
obviously that's easier ifyou're not locked into the
school year or an inflexiblework.
SPEAKER_03 (35:27):
Um, OMEO also advises to look out for less
obvious routes or destinations.
So, the example is if Phuket isfully booked out, try Krabi or
Koya Noi instead.
And they say by choosinglesser-known destinations, you
reduce your costs.
Who doesn't love that?
You avoid crowds and experiencelesser-known attractions and
cultures.
SPEAKER_04 (35:46):
And they're also offering deals to celebrate
Black Friday with up to 50% offall modes of travel in Southeast
Asia this December.
Um, you've just got to go anduse the code ASIA50 and book by
midnight on Tuesday, the 2nd ofDecember.
So you've still got time, unlessyou're listening on playback,
and then you can look out for itthe following year.
Um, and we will put a link inthe show notes.
(36:08):
Next week, my guest is CarrieHutcheson, who has a more than
two decade-long career as atravel and lifestyle editor,
travel writer, and ghostwriter,who decided to pack up her life
in Melbourne and move to Sicilyfor part of the Australian
winter.
She explains how she did it andhow you can follow in her
footsteps.
SPEAKER_03 (36:27):
And we'd love it if you followed us on socials.
You'll find us at the World ofWaits Podcast on Instagram,
Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Feel free to drop us a line athello at the worldawaits.au.
Or if you're enjoying thisepisode, please give us a rating
or a review.
SPEAKER_01 (36:41):
That's a wrap for the World of Waits this week.
Click to subscribe anywhere youlisten to your favorite pods.
Thanks for listening.
See you next week.
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