One Last Huraah! (Day 10)

As you might have guessed, the next day in the Maldives began much like the past couple of days, subject to a few twists. For one, the moon was out that morning...



... and the sun was not. Or at least we couldn't see it.



But what we could see was this shark swimming just below our feet. Yikes!



It turned out that the clouds blocking out the sun were storm clouds and in no time it began to pour, so we rolled up our yoga mats and relocated to a covered area to shield us from the rain.



And after our yoga session, a serving of the juice of the day with our usual breakfast was in order.



And as you can see, I did my usual smuggling of food out to the shore. Smoked salmon and bread was on the menu for my fish and eel friends.



It was interesting that at different times of the day, you'd get different fish along the shore, always in groups, and each group with a different way of eating. Some would swoop in at take a huge bite and carry it away, while others would nibble continuously at the food like these little grey shark-looking fish.



There were also some blue trumpet fish, which are more of the swooping type.



After hours of lounging around, it was pizza and pasta time! When it comes to eating, Ingrid's more of a nibbler and I'm more of a swoop-in-and-eat-the-entire-pizza-without-sharing-any-with-Ingrid type of guy.



As strange as this might sound, I actually liked that it was raining. It was still super hot and we were fully covered under our hut, and by that point in the trip, my legs and back needed a break from the sun. So under the hut we lounged, on the same chair at times, watching the rain fall, feeding the fish and eels, napping, eating, drinking and working on our crossword puzzle together. It was heaven. At one point, tired of hearing me talk about how amazing the snorkeling is out there (and sharing my disgusting hangover story with her) I convinced Ingrid to join me for a snorkeling expedition. After all, when you're underwater, it doesn't matter if it's raining.



After the rain subsided, we spent some time in the pool and chatted with this other married couple. They're both doctors who say that being a doctor isn't all it's cracked up to be, and we're both lawyers who say that being a lawyer isn't all it's cracked up to be. Funny. Ingrid wasn't stimulated by our conversation, but they did suggest we eat at the Indian food restaurant on the island touting it as the "best Indian food they've ever eaten".



The island was hosting a cocktail reception at the Sunset Lounge that evening, so after some serious relaxation time, I threw on a t-shirt and Ingrid wrapped up and made our way there for some drinks, music and most importantly, the sunset. Wait... I meant to say, "music, the sunset, and most importantly, drinks."



Ahhhh. Definitely the most important part. An endless supply of these tasty drinks were being served to us by the staff. If I didn't know better, looking at my shirt I'd think I refused to miss out on any drinks being served and just peed in my pants right there.



As we chilled, I took the opportunity to ask Ingrid how she felt about our honeymoon thus far. Although the lighting is bad, here's her response.



Ingrid wasn't a huge fan of the band, which was of an Indian flavor, with one of the band members playing the sitar.



Speaking of Indian flavors, after the Sunset Lounge, we walked over to Baraabaru, the Indian restaurant that came highly recommended by the doctor couple. It was a difficult choice for us because that night, Cafe Huraa was open for the Fisherman's Feast buffet, which included all sorts of all-you-can-eat seafood delicacies.



Thankfully, we weren't disappointed. The naan there was freshly baked in those cylindrical tandoori ovens.



We started the meal off with these tasty morsels of pure deliciousness, and knew then that we were in for a treat.



We may have been the only people eating at the entire restaurant, and as we sat there out on the dock overlooking the ocean, I could see the love in Ingrid's eyes as she gazed across the table. It wasn't until moments later that I realized it wasn't me but rather this cheese naan she was gazing at and fell in love with. And I have to admit, I loved it too... So tasty.



The dishes were served family style and while I didn't get a great picture of the entire meal, Ingrid and I were in total agreement that the food served there was by far the best Indian food Ingrid and I had ever tasted. If we could've gone back the next day, we would have, but it was our last night in Kuda Huraa, so we'd have to wait until our next visit to the Maldives. We may have to take a trip back just so we can enjoy another stellar meal here one more time. Yes, it was that good.



So on our last night before moving on to the next leg of our journey, we played some ping pong, a little foozball, watched some TV and reminisced about our wonderful trip thus far. Ingrid and I loved Kuda Huraa, and if we could've stayed there, we would have. And although I never mentioned it before, a lot of what made our stay there so wonderful was that the staff was awesome, especially a young man named Ashfan. Super friendly, super nice and super accommodating. We couldn't help but be a bit sad about having to leave, but at the same time excited about what was to come.