The Pirate life’s for me.

While at Gili Lankanfushi resort in the Maldives Islands, my crew and I had the opportunity to snorkel. Filmmaker Eric got in the water, and capture incredible underwater footage with his GoPro camera. (Melissa and I stayed on-board, for reasons we wish not to disclose… maybe you can guess?)

The Maldives is considered one of the best snorkeling sites in the world, and for good reason. Eric was mesmerized by the wildife he saw under the sea: angel fish, parrot fish, frog fish and other technicolor varieties.

Later, we went to a presentation about local underwater species, and how to preserve the fragile environment. The Ocean Paradise Dive Centre is doing all it can to keep the coral reefs alive, and tourists informed.

I didn’t miss out on all the action: I waded in the waters near my villa, which are rich with coral. What a treat to see little, colorful fish darting through my feet. (More photos of my incredible residence in this post.)

Can’t get over the natural beauty of my surroundings. The beaches and palm trees look like illustrations from an adventure novel.

We took a meditation lesson, and the instructor guided us: “Your body… is a tree. Your body… is a tree.” (I suppose I took this to heart.)

Now here’s an activity that’s more my style… ordering Mr Friday to steer my Pirate ship, in search of treasure!

My vessel is actually a dhoni, the traditional fishing boat of the Maldives.

We sailed to One Palm Island, about five minutes from the resort’s main isle. It’s inhabited only by this tree and a commune of hermit crabs.

“Arr, there be no treasure here!”

My octopus-anchor dress is gifted by Sourpuss, and the magnificent eyepatch is made by Cat Morley of Cut Out And Keep, who previously put me on the cover of Snippets Magazine. It’ll soon be featured in her Crafter to the Stars series.

Time to sail back to Treasure Island…

… and cool down with fresh coconuts, delivered by Mr Friday!

Gili Lankanfushi assigns each guest to a loyal companion (like in the novel Robinson Crusoe), who helps with arrangements, rides, travel tips, and anything else we might need. I loved this system: we made a new friend, who made our stay much more personal.

Speaking of fruit, we got to try regional specimens like mangosteen, rambutan, dragonfruit…

I don’t mind waking up early if it means breakfast on the beach, and choosing from a selection of Ayurvedic elixirs, fresh juices, honeycomb, and “spa balanced” omelets.

Our agenda was pretty intense: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. In between, I put in some hammock time.

View of Over Water Bar and Grill, where we took our mid-day meal (photos in the upcoming post).

So excited to show you our travel video, shot professionally by my two filmmakers!

Until the editing’s finished, you can whet your appetite with my other blog posts about the Maldives…

… and read more about all of the above on Gili Lankanfushi’s homepage.

Have you gone snorkeling before? If so, where, and what was your experience like?

PS: Thank you to everyone who came to my Spooky Saturday party! The German TV show was ecstatic about your outfits and energy. Above poster by Naomiyaki — it was fun putting these up around Vancouver.

I wish I had more time to hang out, but TV shoots always run late and there are a million things going on at once… As soon as the episode airs, I’ll put up the clip and photos, so be sure to bookmark this site. More casting and event announcements soon!

I look angry, but it’s only because of the sun in my eyes. In fact, I couldn’t be happier to spend five days in The Maldives with Gili Lankanfushi.

The eco-luxury resort invited my filmmakers and me to capture the magic — and there was plenty of that here. Take my hand, and I’ll give you a tour of our villa.

The resort is inspired by Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. The villas have an over-water design, connected by wooden ramp to a jetty off the island. We had two patios: a sun deck on the roof…

… and a “water garden” below, with steps leading into the ocean. The tide was low enough for us to walk around, and glimpse Nemo-like fish darting through the coral.

The mosquito net is only for decorative effect: there are no little blood-suckers here. The Maldives is wonderfully hot year-round, without humidity. We came in May, and there were clear skies except for 10-minute rainfalls, once or twice a day.

From my desk, I can see my neighbors across the water.

My team and I lead crazy lives, and it was a relief to slow down and breathe. I haven’t felt so relaxed in ages.

I’ve been in decadent bathrooms, but never one like this. An open-air walkway links the bathroom to an outdoor shower with two spouts.

We were enthralled by the marine life around us. There are thousands of species that live in the Indian Ocean, including several types of turtles (this stuffed one was in my bathroom).

Dress: h.NAOTO, from Closet Child Tokyo
Eyelashes: Shibuya 109 in Japan (see photos of the department store)

The open-air dressing room looks like a drawing out of a Tintin adventure comic. To the left of the walkway, stairs lead down to the ocean: an enclosed, private “pool”.

Every attention is paid to detail, such as the driftwood hangars, and ceramic bottles of aloe vera.

A pirate-like rope handrail leads to the rooftop deck. Gili Lankanfushi uses environmentally friendly materials and building techniques, to leave the smallest carbon footprint possible.

The living room floor has a window into the ocean!

Eagle-eyed readers may notice that the salmon caviar tartar is missing from the welcome plate. I couldn’t resist eating it before taking this photo…

V-fingers for my filmmaker Melissa Rundle, who shot the images of me in this post. Can’t wait to show you our video about Maldives travel.

Wouldn’t you like to live the Pirate life? You can learn more about this magical getaway (and plan your own) on Gili Lankanfushi’s site.

Peek at more of the island — including a photo of me failing at tennis — in this post. Next up: wine and chocolate tasting, boating and snorkeling.

What’s your impression of The Maldives? Do you like my Goth in Hot Weather look? I got a bit tanned here…