Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Maldives (Maldives): turquoise waters, pure white sand, sunsets, orange skies and, of course, luxury. But believe it or not there was a time when the Maldives wasn’t one of the most glamorous tourist destinations in the world.
When Mohamed Umar “MU” Maniku and three of his friends opened Kurumba, the country’s first tourist resort, in 1972, there wasn’t even a wharf there. Visitors have to wade through waist-deep water to get off the boat to the beach.
The first visitors were mostly journalists and photographers from Italy.
Even though there are no villas and glass-bottomed seaplanes on the water yet, it is clear that the Maldives has radiated its magic. Currently, there are more than 100 resorts spread across more than 1,200 islands.
Kurumba, which means “coconut” in the local Dhihevi language of the Maldives, was originally an uninhabited coconut plantation. Now the area has all the luxury resort-style facilities and services.
Some people call MU “the man who built the heavens”, and that’s the nickname he deserves.
The first accommodation was made of coral and limestone. Anything that isn’t grown locally must be transported by boat and can take up to three months to arrive.
Newspapers arrived months late and phone service was inconsistent. Forgetting to pack toothpaste means you can’t brush your teeth, as there are no shops on the island.
Before the tourism gate was crossed by foreign tourists, there were only about two residents on the island where Kurumba was built. There are no spa services, yoga, snorkeling, or underwater restaurants there yet.
There is not much for tourists to do other than fishing and sunbathing.
“Even so they were very happy,” United recalled to CNN Travel.
“Some of them, you know, bask in the sun too long to be like lobsters.”
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View of villa over the water in Maldives. (iStock/Constik)- – |
Maldives today
Despite today’s Kurumba being an upscale villa and fine dining restaurant, MU’s description of the early days of the Maldives makes the island more of a hippie island.
“We used to have barbecues in this open air. And there was always someone on duty to play the guitar.”
In guest rooms, faucets drain brackish water. The toilet back then might be described as “weird.”
No one thought before that this remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean would eventually become a tourist destination for the “sultans”.
“From the start I never doubted it,” he said.
Fortunately, some things have not changed. They still harvest coconuts the old-fashioned way: climbing trees.
The island inhabited by Kurumba is like a second home for MU.
“If I can’t come here (every) day and then walk around here… it feels like something is missing in my life,” he said.
This article continues to the next page…
The story of the Maldives before it became a ‘Sultan’s’ holiday paradise
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