After our 4 days in Bhutan, our respective groups bid farewell at the Paro airport. While most of them would return on a morning 7:10am flight to Kathmandu, only 4 of us — Melinda, Sampson, Sujay and I — paid about $250 extra for an onward flight from Paro to Delhi at 9:40am.
This separation has significance, so take note…
We picked up our tickets at check-in and proceeded through security, which was a breeze. I then headed upstairs to check out the lounges.
Aside from the main business class lounge which inspects your ticket, there are multiple unguarded lounge rooms you can just take for yourself without anyone saying no:
We then proceeded to board, bumping in Letti on the way as she was about to board for her flight to Kolkata.
After an uneventful 2 hour flight and landing at 11:30am, I went through immigrations with my e-visa, scanned my biometrics, and was surprised at how easy everything was getting into India (we’d find out later how the opposite was true). We were then picked up by monsooner and loyal good friend Bhavana outside arrivals, where we got a tour of Delhi through her own eyes as a local.
Melinda having been picked up by another e-cab service she had arranged earlier, the Sardinia 2021 crew of me, Sampson, and Sujay joined Bhavana as we drove directly from Delhi Airport to the ITC Hotel for lunch at Bukhara.
While on the way there this happened:
This keeps happening over and over. I already wasn’t surprised that I’d run into someone here in India; after all it’s pretty expected every time I visit. But what blew my mind was how I last saw Patricia on my Sardinia monsoon trip. And Sampson and Sujay were ALSO on that same Sardinia trip (and that was Sujay’s first monsoon as well!)!
Think about it: of the 24 people from Bhutan who could have joined me onwards to Delhi for this lunch at Bukhara — not even my wife Mel who returned to Kathmandu, or Melinda who did come with us to Delhi but then had to take different pickup at the airport only a few minutes earlier — ALL 3 of us that would finally end up at Bukhara all were on the same trip as Patricia.
And Melinda was supposed to eventually join us at Bukhara after settling into her hotel, but her car broke down on the highway (she’s okay, don’t worry) only 3 minutes away from her accommodations. She was then asked to wait for an hour by her driver as they waited for good Samaritans to come and fix the car, causing her to miss the lunch entirely (Melinda would then join us at Bhavana’s later in the evening). She said she knew she could have hailed an Uber to take her to her lodgings and then Bukhara, but something compelled her to listen to her driver as they waited for the car to be fixed.
I know serendipities can be messy sometimes, but this is a perfectly intricate design at work: a true unexpected Sardinia reunion. An anatomy of a monsoon.
Keep in mind that this Bhutan trip had BEGAN 4 days ago with another run-in with someone from that Sardinia 2021 trip: Raghav, who also happened to be in Kathmandu when we were all there ONLY for one day for a layover.
Like our local Delhi friend Bhavana wanting to take us to Bukhara, Patricia’s local Delhi friend (and also a doctor like me and Sujay!) Tanay Sinha was the one who wanted her to join him for lunch at Bukhara. It’s like parallel universes! Tanay and Patricia had met on a trip to Mongolia a few years back where I had helped refer Patricia to my guide there…it just all keeps coming together.
To be fair, Bukhara is not a random place; many people want to go to Bukhara for their famous bread and lamb cooked in a tandoor oven.
But it’s uncanny that Patricia + Tanay would both had the SAME lunch reservations at the SAME time as Bhavana + Sujay + Sampson + me without knowing we’d be there at the same time. That Tanay, Sujay and I are all doctors.
And when Bhavana found this out, then calling Bukhara to change the number of people on the reservation from 4 to 6 so we could combine, she said Bukhara replied with: “I see you already had requested a table for 6?” WHAT.
After a filling lunch, Bhavana sent me off with her driver to meet a mutual friend named Puja to make sense of all these serendipities where the rest freshened up at Bhavana’s place. After my divinity session with Puja who confirmed something bigger was at play, Bhavana’s driver returned me to her place where we reconvened for dinner…and where I saw a drawing she had bought back in November 2019 reminded me of my hand when I travel.
The camera model, the bracelets, the lens type…all the same! The resemblance and uncanny signs are endless.
i.e. look in the center and my hand from a photo taken …also in November 2019:
I remind you that Bhavana was one of tens of thousands of people around the world — outside of NYC — who followed me during COVID-19. something compelled her to reach out to me to not only meet in person 2 years afterwards, but also come on a monsoon, and then even becoming good friends within the community!
But the analysis had to wait, the sun was setting and both Melinda and Sampson had to leave soon; so we left for a quick city tour around Delhi by car ending with rooftop drinks on top of the Oberoi:
The next morning, instead of heeding Bhavana’s advice to arrive 3 hours early for any flight leaving from DEL, Delhi International Airport, Sujay and I took a chance anyway by arriving an hour and half before our 10:45am Vistara flight to Malé. Usually an hour and half is more than enough at most airports for well-trodden travelers, but for Delhi’s international airport, it’s a dance with the devil.
I already knew well you have to first go through security outside South Asian airports, showing an itinerary and passport before being allowed inside. However, it appears that showing a booked itinerary on your phone with your name on it is no longer enough like the good old days 12 years ago; after waiting our turn in line we were then refused entry outside departures and was told to go down to 10 minutes to the end of Entry Door 1 where I had to ask the Vistara sales kiosk outside to print out my boarding pass.
Once printed, we had to apologize to everyone in line and cut back to the officer where we were first denied to be allowed in, which caused him to fret despite people behind us insisting it was okay. Thanks to Sujay and I working together (which was more Sujay being his charming cool self and I was one step away from considering the waterworks), we were allowed in through the first round of security instead of being told to go to the back again.
Then, as I headed directly to international departures to save Sujay’s spot in line as he went to check in his bag right before check-in closed, Sujay tried to call me 3 times to no avail (I hate it when my notifications are off), so he had to physically find me in line to tell me that my boarding pass (the one that the Vistara sales desk had just printed out for me outside departures) wasn’t enough and I had to go back to the check-in desk inside departures to obtain my actual boarding ticket. So I dropped my bags with Sujay at passports, ran out back to the check-in desk (where check-in was already closed) and luckily got my ticket. Then they told me to “run run!”
So I followed their advice and ran back to passports. Then apologizing to everyone in line again and going through immigrations and into the security screening area, Sujay and I frantically and immediately chose the security spot with the shortest line. We’d unluckily find out later that it would be the elderly and wheelchair access line and that staff had initially tried to turn us away for the longer regular lines if not head to the other side of the security room for the premium economy line. But we had already committed to this one; after being informed that at Delhi Airport security, all wires, chargers, and electronics had to be unpacked (as if they were all laptops or they had no x-ray machine) we already had unloaded our bags before finding out we were on the wrong line. So instead of repacking our stuff and heading to another security line, Sujay and I stuck to this one as our fellow passengers had already allowed us to the front.
However, security was not motivated to speed things along and we ended up waiting for another 10 minutes for our already screened bins and bags on the conveyor belt. Finally we begged staff to move our bins up towards where Sujay and I were waiting so we could repack everything and head to our gates.
Then while walking away I thought I had lost my phone, but quickly found it thanks to my Apple Watch pinging it; it was just thrown to the back of my big bag. Retrieving that and making sure nothing else was missing, Sujay and I saw that our flight showed “Final Call” on the board, so we ran. And we ran. And then as we ran, we found out that our gate, 14B, was located at the extreme end of the other side of the airport, so we ran even harder that our veins pumped battery acid.
After another 15 minutes of running a half marathon with all our luggage, I got to the gate only to find out we didn’t need to panic in the end; the captain and his co-officer was casually walking behind us and directly told Sujay, who was also a few steps behind me, that we both didn’t need to rush at all; “Final Call” happens all the time to motivate passengers to get there earlier than needed just to be safe. There were even a dozen passengers behind us who didn’t seem to mind that the gate was about to close in a few minutes.
Was it a close call? It certainly felt like it. And after 4 hours recuperating in the air, we landed at 2:15pm in the Maldives.
Outside an uneventful arrival, showing our QR code on the IMUGA site 72 hours beforehand, we got stamped in and was picked up by a representative from our lodgings at Sala Boutique Hotel. But surprisingly instead of taking us in a car, he instead helped us hail a cab to Malé. All 4 of us within minutes crossed the Sinamalé Bridge into Malé.
After a generation of taking a ferry to the airport like how they still do in Sierra Leone, this bridge was built only 6 years ago in 2018:
Reaching Sala Boutique Hotel in central Malé, Sujay and I were greeted by the owners and led to our rooms. We then unpacked, settled in and was about to take a walk around Malé when I suddenly craved coffee at a place I had looked up called Meraki Coffee Roasters.
However, it was already 4pm and I felt bad making Sujay wait for my caffeine craving. But as we walked 50 feet away past the coffee shop, Sujay blurted out: “do you wanna get some coffee? I kinda need it.” Music to my ears and more proof we were meant to be here in Malé. So we made our first stop recharging with gourmet versions of caffeine at now one of my favorite coffee shops I’ve ever been to:
After 45 minutes there, we began our walking tour of Malé from the café at Medhu Ziyaaraiy, the tomb of the famous Morocco scholar Abdul Barakat Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari, who is said to have introduced Islam to the Maldives in 1153.
It shares the same complex as the President’s Residence. Like, their “White House” is just right there in the middle of a city block.
The President’s House and tomb sits across from the Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy).
Built-in 1656 during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I, the mosque is intricately carved with Arabic writings and ornamental patterns. Non-Muslims are not allowed inside without prior permission but this was not enforced when we visited.
Right to its northwest is the Bandaara Koshi, the headquarters of the Maldives national defense force.
It faces Republic Square, a little park marked by a flagpole with a giant Maldivian flag. This was where the events of February 7, 2012 led to the resignation of the president.
It’s also the gathering point for every political demonstration in Malé, and hence there is a heavy security presence as evidenced by the police headquarters at the Shaheed Hussain Adam Building next door.
If you’re feeling lost, there is an extremely helpful tourist map here, marked with most of the major locations in Malé. My foot points to the next direction.
The Islamic Center – aka the Masjid Al-Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Arzam – sits right by the park. This is Malé’s best-known architectural landmark. This house of worship is the largest mosque in the Maldives, topped with a golden dome and can hold up to 5000 people.
Visitors are welcome if it’s outside prayer hours, but no photographs are allowed inside.
The mosque sits next to the Victory Monument as we entered south into Sultan Park:
Another historic mosque is only a block south within the park, the Kalhuvakaru Miskiy.
It’s immediately north of the National Museum, a cultural museum that was once the Sultan’s palace. It has old photographs, antiquities from Maldives’ Buddhist era during the reign of its Islamic monarchs, three moon rocks, and a faded Maldivian flag that went to the moon.
We then ambled down the northern main road Majeedhee Magu Road west and turned south to the Rasfannu Beach.
Taking in the daily life here on Friday, we walked 2 blocks east to the Ali Rasgefaanu Ziyaaraiy shrine, a mausoleum of a sultan and King Ali who died in resisting the Portuguese naval invasion here.
It also is a place for whomever would like to know how big the island of Malé was before its lagoon was filled up and reclaimed for the current cityscape above sea level.
We then took another 7 minute walk to the most southwest tip of Malé to the Tsunami Monument:
From the monument we then walked a whole mile west to east the entirety of the Malé island on Ameenee Road at the mouth of the Sinamale bridge to reach the Tetrapod Stone (yes it’s a monument to the tetrapod animals that protect Malé island) and Sea Wall Monument.
The monument was also built as a symbol of friendship between Japan and the Maldives.
From there we weaved back at our hotel for dinner, taking a full loop around the entire city of Malé.
Turning in at 10:30pm and getting my first full night of sleep in 3 days (not even the call to prayer from a mosque next door at 4:45am and a sudden monsoon washout cloudburst could keep me awake for long), Sujay and I had a quick breakfast at our extremely hospitable hotel before they sent us off for our flights back home.
Since the car ride from Malé to the airport is now so short thanks to the Sinamale Bridge, Sujay and I had enough time to quickly check out the farther off Priority Pass lounge before check-in.
I then proceeded to my Qatar Airways flight to Doha, staying at the Park Hyatt Doha for less than $140/night.
It’s the little things they do, like leaving these little welcome gifts in your room after you freshen up and while you head out for a meal, for example:
And speaking of meals, their rooftop restaurant views has views on views:
After dinner, you have dessert.
And after dessert, you get a massage deal for <$100 for an hour, and a quick swim + sauna + “the experience” shower before the facilities all close.
The next morning I headed out at 5am with pre-packaged breakfast for my 8am flight to Helsinki. I had earlier redeemed 40,000 American Airlines miles after finding a very random route that got me from Malé to Doha to Helsinki to Brussels to NYC on a combined economy and business class itinerary. I’d say on 4 flights, half on business class for 40,000 miles? Not bad!
Getting to the airport early, I decided to check out not only the Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge again, but also the restaurant facility upstairs (which I didn’t get to see 5 years ago) that were taking a waitlist by the time I arrived.
After 15 minutes of getting coffee and waiting my turn, I finally got to check out upstairs!
It was by then I realized I had left my necklace behind in the pocket of a bathrobe back in the bathroom of where I was staying. I felt crushed to leave something sentimental behind, so I considered leaving my bag at the lounge, heading back out of immigrations, passports, security and doing a roundtrip and trying to make it back in time to pick up my bags and board my flight all within the hour.
But then the universe spoke: get some food first. So I obliged. Like something possessed me. And then boom, I hear “Calvin?” A run-in from the other group we were with in Bhutan! They had headed back to Kathmandu while I went on to Delhi and Maldives. And now we’re reunited here within 72 hours, in Doha! in the restaurant, of this lounge (there are like 12+ in the airport), of the airport, at the same time!
And if that wasn’t enough, my belly suddenly took me to the bathroom, so I dropped off my food quickly to head to a bathroom. However, somehow I didn’t choose to go to the main one…something possessed me to go an off side peanut gallery one where once I arrived, the toilet was occupied.
So I walked back out to wait and then I hear: “Calvin?” It was Martin passing by with food; he’s the co-leader of the other group and whose birthday we celebrated back in Bhutan on the first day of this trip last week!
I’ve therefore decided that these two back to back coincidences within 2 minutes of each other in distinctly separate parts of a very particularly specific area of a 110,000 square foot lounge, the only one out of 12 other lounges in the airport, at the same time, days after we had parted ways to 2 separate countries…was a sign not to retrieve my necklace back at my lodgings in Doha.
So I enjoyed my food and boarded my fight from Doha to Helsinki on Finnair’s new business class product, unique for having a seat so wide there’s no need for any mechanical recline.
The seat is supposed to be so long that instead of pressing a button to recline your seat in a flat position, you just slide down like a bed. But there is a button that you still have to press to lift up a leg rest to make it truly lie flat still:
And et voila: you have a bed!
They provided extra bedding, sheets, impeccable close attentive service with refilling water and drinks, and the food was pretty decent (although not overflowing):
After getting in 2 hours of sleep and lots of work done on the flight, we landed in Helsinki where I passed through security, immigrations into the EU, and barely had a few minutes to peek inside the Finnair Lounge:
It was then my wife Mel, who had gone onto Kathmandu after Bhutan while I went on to Delhi and Malé, texted me saying that her flight from Kathmandu to Doha got delayed, causing her onward flight back to NYC to leave without her. Therefore, she was once again delayed (like she had been when first trying to get to Kathmandu from Doha the week prior) and had to stay in Doha overnight.
That’s when it struck me. Quickly calling my lodgings in Doha to check, they picked up immediately and I asked them to e-mail me if they found a necklace. Within 5 minutes they emailed me saying they found it and asked if anyone could pick it up for me. Within a few hours, she picked it up!
The universe has spoken! Trust the process! Had I rushed out the airport leaving my bags behind just to retrieve the necklace (something I’ve done before, i.e. Mel’s wedding ring while I was at Brussels airport 10 months ago), bad things may have happened.
I then boarded my flight to Brussels a little more relaxed. The food onboard Finnair’s flight from Helsinki to Brusses wasn’t so bad either!
- At time of posting in Male, it was 26 °C - Humidity: 90% | Wind Speed: 47km/hr | Cloud Cover: n/a