Goodbye Maldives

I made many short-term friends here (many playing 8-ball!) & as a consequence really enjoyed the experience. The diving - especially the mantas & my AOW certificate will always be reminders of a worthwhile journey to a place that will likely disappear in the not too distant future.
Forgot to mention that the resort atoll had many fruit bats aka "flying foxes" which the locals call "flying dogs". They are not nocturnal & feed during the day. I saw many & tried for 8 days to get a pic - but regretably no success. They are really neat critters & I enjoyed watching them fly, feed & hearing their incredibly loud "howling"!