Smiles are Free!

Hi there and welcome to the Blog! My photographic journal of my adventures as a seaplane pilot here in the Maldives.

So the other day I, again, got to thinking about inspiration. Where it comes from and how it can be triggered in places that perhaps at the time may seem less than inspirational. What may be an everyday event for one person may indeed be an awe inspiring if not magical event for another.

For certain there are some very obvious inspirational events in ones life. For example I was truly inspired when I first held my boys shortly after they were born. I feel great inspiration when my wife lends her support to me and encourages my dreams and aspirations . I feel inspired when I hear an amazing song or listen to a speaker who can eloquently string together the right words and context which causes me to want to learn more. I derive inspiration from images that others have captured or created.

Those examples are more than obvious I would think. The type of inspiration I am talking about,however, is the kind that is subtle but at the same time can be incredibly powerful if you choose recognize its potential!

A smile is an easy thing to do yet at times people can be reluctant to flash it. How many times have you walked by somebody at work and because you don't know them you look straight ahead or maybe even pretend to look at something else rather than say a quick little hello.What harm would it have done to have tried and really what would be the true cost if it is not returned?

How hard is it to send somebody a kind message, complement them on a job well done or take a moment to help a little when you see somebody struggling. I know we / I can't save the world by ourselves but your circle of influence can indeed spread so easily with all of these things I just mentioned. I do believe the Karma you generate as a result will only do us all well. More often than not when I take the time to flash a smile, a quick wave or say hi,even to complete a stranger, I am rewarded. That to me is inspiring!

As I walk the streets here in Male' I tend to stand out in the crowd . Skin colour is a big factor I suppose and I do find that people will stare. Rather than take offense to these often unabashed glances I simply smile and say hi and more often than not the person flashes a wide grin and times even a handshake. That inspires me!

I love walking the dock at our seaplane base . Joking around,laughing, talking and shaking the hands of all the people I meet. Though,perhaps, if someone were to hear me out of context they may wonder just what the hell I am talking about because I have a somewhat twisted sense of humour . I love to speak in opposites, complaining about how damn sunny it is comes to mind as one of things that may cause people to wonder!

I might be going a touch long with this little rant!

Allow me to sum it up! My job is pretty damn cool but believe it or not at times I feel we pilots here take it for granted. If you have read my short profile you may have noticed that I claim to have a fairly diverse background. I do believe that to be true and as a result of this background I can honestly say I am very content with my choice to fly here to say nothing of being chosen to work here, that keeps me smiling. But sometimes I can lose sight of that fact, well the other day I was given perspective as we pulled up to a beach at a resort that is under construction. The smiling faces and excitement that was generated by us showing up doing something that, by our standards is an everyday event, was truly inspiring to me. Reminding me of how special a life I live and how amazing a job I have.

Hey I hope you enjoy the images and I hope you drop me a line. I also hope I got the place names right, if not please let me know!

Most morning's we are up well before dawn.
Countless sunrises I have seen! When I start my day in Male' I often see this sight , the Male' ATC tower! Makes a good picture I think. With in moments of this shot being taken I was in the left seat making the call to men and woman who work the tower here for a clearance for engine start!
Thanks to the good effort of my crew Softwat and Hassan we were first off the dock on this day, love it when that happens!

Okay time to flash back a couple of weeks when myself, Hamdoon and Nafees did a charter from the Raa atoll to the Shaviyani Atoll. Here I have an image of the Raa looking North. The Island of Vandhoo in the foreground. Again if I got this name wrong please write me!

Nice over head shot of the next island North,Kudakurathu.

Not many people know this but the Maldives was affected by the big Tsunami that racked South East Asia in 2006. I heard plenty of stories of course. This is one of the islands where "temporary " housing has been set up,Dhuvaafaru.It's surreal sight and with out commenting to much it is hard to believe that people are still living in these places so many years after the fact.
As we make are way along we hit the Western edge of Shaviyani Atoll. I really like this "Post Card"

We get to our destination, Vagaruu, which is a resort under construction. No other place than the beach for us to keep the plane .
After a careful approach, keeping a keen eye out for the coral, I turn the plane around a ease her on to the beach. My crew sets some stakes and quickly tie her up while I hold the Twin Otter with some reverse. A very cool process but a it requires a well trained crew and I happy to have had a good one with me!Holes in floats are a terrible thing.

It looks like we are here for awhile, couple of hours at least waiting to pick up the resort owners. On this day it is important we stick around as the tide is falling and if we are not careful we will end up stuck on the beach or have to use a ton of power to bring her off which could lead to some float damage!

Very nice place. I am sure it is going to be a great success when complete!

Water Villas under construction!

Hey who's this guy!

This is the part where I tie my comments in the beginning of the post to the pictures. We caused quite a stir when we arrived!
So many of the workers came out to see the plane! The looks on their faces as they looked inside and out of the aircraft.
At first some there was some apprehension as they approached me. Perhaps they wondered what I would say or if I would allow them to come close to the aircraft. Settled in a matter of moments with a big smile from myself . I couldn't speak the language, nor could my crew for that matter as the workers were all from Sri Lanka.
Didn't matter though as I said a smile goes a long way!

It seemed to me that the very idea of being this close to an airplane was really special for these guys and being able to actually touch one was truly an amazing experience for them.

So many pictures were taken and not just by me! Everyone these days has a mobile phone with a camera!

I lost count of how many pictures I had taken of me as well! I was promised them by email but I think it may have been lost in translation! No worries! If I do receive some I will be sure to post though.

I really like this one. So serious and proud to pose by the plane, then the big smile when we were done! But the pose had to be very serious!

It was a hub of activity as people scrambled to see the Canadian built Twin Otter. I can't but to feel a little bit of pride!

And I end this post with this shot and with this thought. The next time you find yourself looking for some inspiration just have a quick look around. Your interpretation of the Universe that surrounds you can lead to inspiration arising from those everyday events that you take for granted.
You just have to use those eyes for seeing rather than looking

As always thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed the images and the perspective!

Rob

barefootflyer@gmail.com