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

Lily Beach Resort Revisit and a Few Sunsets to Boot

Hi and welcome to the blog!

Once again this past week as presented many photo opportunities. So much so I am having a great deal of difficulty selecting what to post!

Before I move on to my pictures, however I would like to point out that I derive no income from any of the resorts I write about here. In fact other than the money I have been lucky enough to receive for some of the images that I post on this site there is no financial gain for any of the ideas or recommendation I make. Of course I do promote my own business that my wife and I have at Sophiephoto.com . I am just pointing this out, I suppose, because I just want you to be aware that anything I talk about through this blog is just me sharing with you what I see in my travels in the Maldives along with some of the thing or people that inspire me.

To that end I have posted a video of Chris Orwig from a presentation that he did at the TedX conference. I stumbled upon Chris through the Lynda.com . He is also a faculty member of Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. His style presentation and his life outlook really spoke to me and I am only to happy to share with you this video as well as these links. If you would like to grow as a photographer or human for that matter I would highly recommend you check out his work.

Okay so I hoped you like the video! On to the pictures!

With all the colour that saturates the Maldives it may seem little strange to go black and white. None the less I thought I should post it. I added an edge treatment, as I have with most of the photos here. In the end I do like this one in black and white! This particular line of islands and coral reefs fascinates me to know end!
I can't even count the times I a photographed it and yet every time I enter the Ari Atoll I feel transfixed when I see this out my office window. No wonder the Maldives are on the short list for being added to one of the natural wonders of the world!

Caught this one as Captain Madda along with his crew First Officer Javid and Cabin Attendant Kutchie were landing in Lily Beach resorts lagoon. This is one of aircraft with the Cap floats still installed. Soon all will be wipline (tech info for float enthusiasts).

Super nice landing boys!

Nice one of Javeed tying the heel of the float to the floating platform. Hurry up dude we are waiting to get some of that awesome Lily Beach food for lunch!

Madda knows what I'm talking about! On some of our slower days we get a midday break.
This is quite a treat for us. On most days we start work at 05:00 am so any day we get a break we are only to happy to take it!
Depending on the time and the resort we are often treated to some of the best that the Maldives has to offer in cuisine! Lily is right at the top of the list. The food is outstanding and the service is amazing! You can really tell that this resort has hired people who really care about and take great pride in the resort they work for.

A quick look back at the Twin Otters taking their richly deserved break!

As we slide out of the laggon we pass by a small Dhoni begging me to take a picture of it!

A cool post card! Should I go left or right! Really doesn't matter at Lily Beach because either side is amazing!

Water Villas all lined up!

Here is something that makes Lily Beach rather unique. They raise baby turtles and once they have reached a mature age they are released into the rich waters of the Indian Ocean!

Well it's back to the barefoot flying! My friend and colleague, who will soon be a Captain, Nasif sits at the bow of the Dhoni that is taking us back to the planes. Sending a quick text off to his wife. A great guy and pleasure to fly with. He will make a great Captain!

Sunsets are amazing and at few degrees north of the equator they happen fast. I quickly grabbed my camera and caught this one up at the Hilton!

These next two shots were taken while I was on an overnight at Soneva Fushi 6 Senses. Let me tell you dinner and breakfast were outstanding!

Dhoni and the sinking sun!

As always I hope you enjoyed my thoughts and images. If you care to comment please do, I would love to hear from you!
If I have got my facts wrong please let me know. I like to think of myself as someone who wants to grow and learn with each new day!
Ciao......
Rob

The Fishermans Market, Male' Style!

Hello again and welcome back. It has been quite a week here in the Maldives. We lost a colleague who was taken from us quite suddenly back in Canada. I think that I can say that all of us here extend our condolences to his family and would like them to know we are thinking of them in their time of indescribable grief.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had taken my camera down to the fish market here in Male'. I grew in a coastal town in the Pacific Northwest of Canada, Prince Rupert British Columbia to be more precise. I think it is because of those roots I feel connected to the outdoors and more specifically the Ocean. I was never really a commercial fisherman per say, I did spend some time doing some prawning and crab fishing with the Lussier family. I also had a friend invite me to take a trip with on his Seiner. This would hardly qualify me as having been a commercial fisherman. I did have few summers working in the canneries in Prince Rupert and I knew tons of fisherman families. I do feel connected in that way.

Considering all this I felt drawn to the market and to the people that fish the waters of the Indian Ocean. These boys work hard! There are no nets used in the Maldives instead everything is caught by hand using a rod and hook or simply by holding on to a spool of line. I have found some really cool videos on youtube that I have posted at the bottom of this post. Please take the time to have a look at them as they are quite interesting and do a great job to illustrate how these guys work their tails off!

Perhaps you will remember this guy from the previous post. He and his mate called me over for a picture and even let me come on the boat to snap a few more. I felt privileged to have had this opportunity.

The boy's hauling their catch off to the market


The days catch. All the fish is laid out on the floor . It is displayed for anyone to buy. You just walk around and pick out the one you like then haggle a bit for the right price.


It is a buzz with activity as people jostle for position to look at and find the best catch of the day.


Name your price,pay a few laari for a bag,fill it up and go have lunch!

This place is an amazing place to pictures. The people have such character in their faces and pride in their hearts


Just taking in the action that surrounds him

Here we have a fellow perched in a window high above the action of the market. It seems to me he is keeping a watchful eye on the fishing dhonis that are tied up across the street.

One of the mighty fishing dhonis. The Jetty is jammed packed with all shapes and sizes.

As I said all shapes and sizes.

Here we have a fellow stationed at the bow keeping an eye the jetty as they approach to dock and unload.

It seemed to me a bit chaotic. That being said perhaps it s more organized than my western eyes could perceive.

I am not sure he knew what to make of me! For him I am sure it is just another day while through my eyes I was seeing something exotic and exciting.

Again the variety of shapes and sizes!

Space is at a premium!Through all of this though there was now sign of shouting or anger over people moving these boats around into the smallest of spaces!

Such a small boat to be out on that sea that is the Indian Ocean!

And now those videos a promised! Check them out! I am sure you will agree these guys work hard for their money!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this post. Please feel free to contact me should I have my facts wrong,if you know anyone in the images, the boat names or even just to say hi!
barefootflyer@gmail.com
So long for now.......
Rob.....

Dear Andrew

Dear Andrew,

Buddy you left way to early!

It was so weird because I was thinking about you that day.That is before I heard you had left us behind.

I was up at the Hilton, when you were here last it was called Irufushi, it was still under construction. Perhaps you will recall how crazy that place was when the winds howled out of the west. Maybe you will remember calling me up on the radio and asking me about the conditions this one day and I told it was nuts, big water and that I would not want to take a full load out of there. I remember then getting back to Male' and seeing you have quite a "conversation" with some of the managers about the conditions! In the end you went to Kuredo and they took the passengers the rest of the way in a boat, good decision ,it was epic big up there that day.

I was so sure I would see you again. I am so sad that won't be the case.

I miss the hugs buddy. I am sure there were a few passengers waiting in the lounge that wondered why two pilots would be hugging each other on the dock. Really, though, what is wrong with a couple of guys affirming their bonding!

I miss the radio banter! Perhaps one of my favorite things to do. You know those conversations on the side frequency, those things we would say as jokes, perhaps to see who could say they silliest thing. Tell me did you do it to make me laugh or to entertain the others we knew who would be surely listening? I have to admit I did it for both reasons!

I miss that sneering smile. I miss provoking a response from you when you were making that smile!

Man I was so sure I would get a chance to see you again. The things we take for granted I suppose.

I miss seeing you smoking by the no smoking sign.

I miss hearing you speak you mind, the truth as you knew it.

I am so sad to know we won't get a chance to see each other again in this world.

I am a little pissed off at the Universe right now for reaching out and touching you the way it has.

I miss you dude. So many people here do.

We have been talking about you a lot. So many good stories, so many good laughs! None the less I can't help but choke up as I write you now.

May peace be upon you brother and I hope that in the next one you will be there to greet me with that smile and a hug.

I miss you Private.

Your friend Rob......