No more spas in the Maldives!

A sad and very bad time for the Maldives, for all us tourists that like visiting the Maldives and for the whole spa industry. 

 

 

 

Chatting away with my good old Danish friend Ulrik Nielsen whos a pilot and flights operations manager for the Maldivian  Air Taxi

http://www.maldivianairtaxi.com

 

”Ulrik recently bacame an actor as well, doing his usual work in the German film ”The dream Hotel Maldives” / Das Traumhotel Malediven

http://www.amazon.de/Das-Traumhotel-Malediven-Christian-Kohlund/dp/B004OGDVKM/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1325329579&sr=1-1-spell ”

 

We met about 8 years ago when I worked as a spa manager in the Maldives. He keeps me updated every now and then about what’s going on in his life and in the Maldives.

 

Unfortunately things are not looking good at the moment.

 

The Government has closed all spas in the Maldives!

Islamic fundamentalists think that the spas are equal to brothels.

 

Unless you like to stay all day in the water and on the beach…don’t go there! You might not be used to go to spas at home, but when you are in the Maldives you go for two reasons; 1^st  being the amazing spas and top of the range treatments and 2^nd because there’s not much else to do.

 

It’s a catastrophe for the resorts that rely on the big revenue percentage that the spas bring in.

 

 

 

BBC sums it up like this:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16365254

Tourism operators in the Maldives have expressed concern over a government order to shut down all spas and health centres in resorts.

 

The ban followed allegations by an opposition Islamist party that spas were being used for prostitution.

 

Tourism is a key foreign exchange earner for the Maldives.

 

The islands are a popular destination for wealthy honeymooners and celebrities where luxury rooms can cost up to $12,000 (£7,748) a day.

 

The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry said the ban would harm the economy. It has appealed for a resolution of the issue.

 

The tourism ministry on Thursday instructed all resort hotels across the hundreds of islands that make up the Maldives to shut down spas and health centres offering beauty treatments and massages with immediate effect.

 

Last week the opposition Adhaalath party, a conservative religious movement, staged a protest in the capital Male against such spas, arguing that they were being used as brothels.

 

“An Islamic party has been agitating against spas hoping to embarrass the government,” a senior government figure told the AFP news agency.

 

So far this year the Indian Ocean country has received more than 850,000 tourists attracted to its turquoise blue lagoons and spectacular corals with multi-coloured fish.

 

Last week President Mohamed Nasheed called for a “tolerant” form of Islam in the country amid growing concern about the influence of hardline Islamic parties.

 

Industry sources say that they expect the government eventually to revoke the decision on spas because of the huge revenue earned from the business.

And the shit gets worse:

Maldives can’t handle their rubbish!

The government of the Maldives has temporarily banned the depositing of rubbish from its hotels onto an island used almost entirely as a garbage dump.

Thilafushi, an artificial island 7km (four miles) from the capital, is nicknamed Rubbish Island.

The accumulation of garbage there has become so acute that it has begun spilling into its lagoon.

An emergency clearing operation has begun to remove “hills of rubbish” mostly collected from luxury hotels.

Rubbish Island is a far cry from the Maldives’ famous turquoise waters and white sands.

Those who have been there describe vast piles of rubbish and perpetual smog and smoke.

The routine is for mainly Bangladeshi workers to sift through the trash to look for materials their employers can sell.

Waste from the whole country is taken there to the island be buried, burnt or – for some plastic and metal – recycled.

Much of the rubbish comes from the luxury resorts which, reportedly, do not follow the rules on crushing their waste.

The boats that bring rubbish to Thilafushi have recently started dumping it into the lagoon, many boatmen impatient at having to wait up to seven hours to unload it.

The head of the Maldives’ Environment Protection Agency, Ibrahim Naeem, says that delays in dealing with rubbish are caused by technical problems with the unloading of trucks.

He stressed that Thilafushi was not full up and that work was under way to improve waste disposal and ban open incineration.

Mr Naeem said the jetty for rubbish from outlying islands will be closed until the lagoon is cleaned up – although a separate quay for the capital, Male, remains open.

Criticising the waste management on Thilafushi, local environmental campaigner Ahmed Ikram said that years of promises to create a biofuel facility on the island to generate more power had come to nothing.

Mr Ikram’s Bluepeace organisation has highlighted the problem of toxins from poisonous waste seeping into the sea.

Thilafushi was reclaimed from a coral reef 20 years ago. There are other industries there, including boat repairers.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16365254

 

Christmas in Sicily

 

I have just experienced my first Italian Christmas, in Taormina Sicily.

 

 

 

Being Swedish and having grown up with cold white or totally grey and dark winters, it is a particular nice feeling to still have all the Christmas feeling and traditions, that are similar to that I am used to, but with the addition of light, flowers palm trees and citrus trees. Ohhh the citrus trees… all the mandarins, oranges and lemons are ripe and ready to pick now.  Now that is a magic feeling…picking oranges on Christmas day.

 

 

 

 

 

Taormina is a lot more beautiful this time of the year than I could have imagined. It’s really well decorated with traditional lights, stars, Christmas trees and religious symbols and big bon fires…plus this year they have a great sculpture exhibition spread out in the centre of town. Taormina over the holiday season is magic, warm, cosy and welcoming. If you haven’t planned anything for New Year yet…come on down here, it’s fantastic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel Advices from somene that is a lot more organized than myself.

Travel tips from someone that is a lot more organized than myself!

 

I am not known to plan well ahead for my trips; I am the exact opposite to my mum that starts to pack her bags a month in advance.

 

I’m not neither well organized (unless it’s travelling for work) nor super protected, as a contrast to my inventor dad that has a back up plan to the back up plan when travelling.

 

 

 

He’s like Mcgyver and will bring all sorts of bits and gadgets that can be used for survival in just abut any type of scenario…even if he’s just going for a quiet holiday in a hotel or rental apartment. He’s known to bring a thief alarm, smoke alarm, fire blanket, compass, storm matches, and a medical arsenal just to mention a few things.

 

 

I remember how he gave me the most elaborate Swiss army knife when I was about 6 years old and how he used to teach us kids (3 girls, I being the oldest) how to survive on the bare rock islands in the archipelago south of Gothenburg. We would catch small crabs and snails, cook them in a plastic bag, old beer can or whatever had drifted ashore using a magnifying glass, flint stones or two pieces of wood and a string to make the fire. We would eat them with seaweed and some wild cabbage leafs if we found them. What times.

 

 

I am comfortable being dropped just about anywhere, with hardly anything and sort of invent my trip as I go along. I like the element of surprise, I am comfortable not being in control and I am a good friend of adventure and the unexpected…let’s add with a good portion of “good luck” or the know how, of how to be in “the right place at the right time” and with an appreciation of the law of attraction….how attitude matters: if you don’t mind it doesn’t matter.

 

 

 

Most people however are not comfortable travelling like that, like my partner for instance that is a scared to go with me to India in a couple of weeks. I now find myself getting organized for his sake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For all you who are in need of some safe, secure advice on travelling…go check out

Wendy Perrin who writes for the Conde Nast Traveller blog  http://www.cntraveler.com/perrin-post …..she’s an organized, well prepared and resourceful traveller with heaps of good tips.

 

How to Avoid Insane Peak-Season Prices

When You’re Forced to Travel During School Holidays

 

 * If you want to use miles, look into award-seat availability six months ahead. Start searching for award seats (those “saver awards” requiring the minimum number of miles) as soon as you know you need them, of course, but statistically you have the greatest chance of snagging them six months in advance. Personally, I won’t pay more than 25,000 miles for a domestic roundtrip coach ticket or 60,000 miles for a coach roundtrip to Europe.

 

 

 

* Consider destinations that are in low or shoulder season during your travel dates. I knew the possibility of snagging four 60,000-mile roundtrips to Paris for next summer was small, which is why I opted for April instead. April should be a lovely time for Paris; there are songs written about it, after all. One of my family’s best trips was when we spent Presidents’ Week in Spain: Airfares were low, the locals were around, and the weather was a lot more pleasant than in August!

 

    * Avoid nonrefundable deposits. Plans change, of course, and that’s why I book far in advance only when I can cancel with little or no penalty. The ski resort that I booked last July allowed me to cancel with no fee (all my points would get redeposited into my account) up till December 4. Even though it was September when I booked the February cruise, my deposit was fully refundable until December 5. (And I bought travel insurance that protects me should I need to cancel between then and the start of the cruise.)

 

• Try to attain the level of elite frequent-flier status that allows you to change or cancel mileage-award flights for no fee. I work hard to retain my Platinum status with Continental for two reasons: (1) You get more available award seats—which is important when you’re trying to score seats for a family of four on the same flights; and (2) You can cancel award tickets and redeposit the miles into your account for no fee—which is important because it allows you to redeem miles for tickets, then wait and see whether airfares on your peak dates drop enough that it’s smarter to pay for the tickets with cash instead. Back in September when I booked my cruise, for instance, I redeemed 100,000 miles for four tickets to Florida, just in case airfare on my dates remained insanely high. Last week, when fares plummeted on those dates—and I knew the fares had plummeted because I had signed up for fare alerts from Yapta for the specific dates and times I wanted—I bought the tickets and redeposited my miles. Although it’s not easy to attain or maintain the level of elite status necessary to give a traveler this sort of freedom, there are credit cards that help by giving you elite-qualifying miles based on a certain amount of spending. My Continental-affiliated credit card, for instance, gives me 1,000 elite-qualifying miles for every $5,000 I spend on the card.

 

 

Pregnancy Portraits

I just recently took some photos of my beautiful Sicilian friend Ida (and proud husband and father Nehnad) just 3 days before she gave birth to a gorgeous little girl.

Check it out!

And then, check out some other beautiful women with big bellies

http://www.amielsius.com/love/pregnant

New Wesite

I now have  a new noncommercial website. http://www.amielsius.com/love

It might not be my regular work, but every now and then I shoot weddings and portraits, especially of mothers to be. People, despite the lack of advertising, info or photos on the web, have somehow found me and had the courage to ask me to take their special photos. I feel honoured every time and I have found that I really enjoy it.

 

Now you can check out some of those private and very special moments on my new site. And don’t hesitate to ask me should you be interested in having me take your wedding photos…I do travel just about anywhere.

Great photo blogs!

If you are a beginner or a full blown pro, there are always new things to learn and inspiration to soak up. There are many great photo blogs, websites and videos where you can learn and get inspired all for free. To make it easy for you I have listed a selection of some of the best and most popular photo blogs.

 

Check it out:

 

http://manfrottoschoolofxcellence.com/

I will have to start with The Manfrotto School of Xcellence

A complete photo school with:

Joe McNally, Drew Gardner, Bill Frakes and myself; Ami Elsius just to mention a few of many contributing tutors.

You can learn and get inspired from us from live (or archived) webinars, still or video tutorials and blog entries. It’s a well of varied and precious information…for all levels of photographers.

 

 

http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/

Of course you have Joe McNally’s own blow which is one of the most popular photo blogs in the world…fantastic resource for flash/strobe users. Joe is the Author of 3 best sellers: A guide to digital photography, The hot shoe Diaries and The moment it clicks.

 

 

http://www.diyphotography.net/

Do it yourself tips for the handy person. A great site for economical and useful photo solutions.

 

I haven’t swashbuckled with pirates, nor have I swam the English Channel. I haven’t even been to Antarctica. But I have travelled to many far away places, created a lot of still and moving pictures for myself and others. And I’ve made it my life’s goal to be as creative as possible towards everything I endeavor.

http://www.chasejarvis.com

Top Photographer Chase Jarvis…a very creative and inspiring person who generously shares his experiences and tips.

 

I really like how he’s written his Bio:

On a deserted island, I’d go insane without photography, film, music, my wife Kate and our family pets. Storytelling, creative innovation, and visual voodoo – no matter the medium – make my heart go thump thump; and sharing all this online with the world, plus as much of my professional experience I can muster, makes my soul sing. I’m fond of crows, and love that they’ll fly toward anything shiny. I can find humor in anything.

 

I have won a boatload of awards for my work, and I’m grateful for every single one of them, but I’ve always been unsure of whether I earned them or whether the jury was rigged. I was transparent long before it was hip to be so, and I believe deeply in teamwork, community, and collaboration. Let’s be friends. Better yet, let’s swim the English Channel.

 

http://www.chromasia.com/training/

David and Libby Nightingale’s blog

A beautiful and highly popular blog with great tutorials (some free and others cost) and stunning photos.

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/

A site that mainly focuses on landscape photography, with a special section just for tutorials.

 

 

http://www.1001noisycameras.com/

Heaps of different camera reviews collected in one place.

 

http://www.popphoto.com/how-to

Great and big variety of  practical tutorials. There’s also a gear guide and a buy guide.

 

 

 

Costal Living

Here are some of the photos I took for Swedish Llife Style Magazine SkärgårdsHemfor their September issue.

 

My dear Sister with family spends their summers at the beautiful Bohus Malmön, an island on the west coast of Sweden. Their house is built on poles right on the water in the small natural harbour.  Editor in Chief Martin Goodwin, has had a strong connection to Bohus Malmön for years: He’ spent many hours searching the ocean floor in the area, for an old  treasure he’s convinced he will find one day. When it was time to write the article about my sisters summer house he made sure to come along himself to do the interview. You should have seen his face when he found out that my sister is a long time dive fan and sometimes starts her dives straight from the house. I don’t have the Pdf of the article so I haven’t posted it here. It’s nice reading though…but it is in Swedish. Enjoy the photos!

I used the Manfrotto 303PLUS Panoramic Head. Check out  http://www.philrowlinson.com/photography/reviews/manfrotto-303PLUS.html for a good review of the head. I used the light but sturdy Manfrotto 055 CX Pro to keep it in place and used Autopano Giga, a great panoramic stitching software that you can buy from http://www.kolor.com/

 

For further information of the west cost of Sweden  check out this link: http://www.vastsverige.com/sv/bohuslan/

 

Magic reflections

How did I do that? 

 

Photoshop genius?  A spirit? Awesome light setting skills? Smoke?

 

Sometimes you just need to be in the right place in the right time…and keep your eyes open and have your camera handy.

 

Fact is I was just at the right place at the right time. The reflections are actually 100% natural. A late afternoon at my mums place, the sun, filtered through leaves shining in to the living room through a small gap in the window where the marquise didn’t reach. The rays played with the hand blown glass and bounced off the small stone pebbles that covered the bottom. I was there, I moved the bowl back and forth, but it was just in that position that you saw the magic and I could hardly believe what I saw; It looked like smoke dancing on the wall, but it was still and motionless.

 

 

I had it printed and framed and now it hangs in my mums house, on the wall right opposite where the glas bowl is. My mum took a couple of photos of the result and sent me….I like it and am tempted to do one like that for myself as well.